“Why? She wouldn’t bail you out. And she offers nothing to the world. Or you.”
“She’s still my mother,” I croak, my voice breaking.
“That’s enough, Lily,” Jameson warns.
“Oh, like you’re not thinking the exact same thing,” she says bitterly, staring daggers into the side of his face.
“What if she was your mother?” I ask without thinking of the pain the statement might cause.
“She’s not. And if she was, I still say kill her.”
“Well, I’m not a killer, and neither are you.” Folding my arms, I lean my head against the headrest, the headache from earlier returning.
“You still haven’t said how you met Carnage,” Jameson states.
“His name is Ezekiel,” I grunt.
“Carnage is better. Sounds awesome,” Lily muses.
“He’s not some knight in shining armor, Ruby. He’s the most ruthless of us all. His road name isn’t for effect. It’s because he brings carnage and mayhem where we need it. A brutal killer.” His tone is a warning. It’s weird hearing Jameson talk about someone else with something akin to fear.
“He said all brothers are killers.” My gaze lifts to the mirror, gauging his reaction to my statement. Does my brother kill too?
“What else did he say?” The edge to his tone twists my gut. I know club business isn’t to be talked about outside the brotherhood. Even the women married to brothers don’t get told everything.
“Nothing. He didn’t know I was related to a brother.” I shrug. “Fisher made me drug him so he could capture him. They tortured him, and I felt guilty, so I helped him escape, and now they’re after us both,” I rush out, getting it all out in the open. Secrets are destructive.
“Did he say why they wanted him?” Brow furrowing, he watches me again in the mirror.
“No, just that someone—one of you—set him up.”
My stomach dips as the atmosphere turns ice cold. “We have a rat in the club, someone giving locations away and getting brothers killed. We’re at war. That’s why I need you both to start listening to me and stop sneaking off keeping fucking secrets.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, feeling small, like a child.
We both look to Lily as she screws her face up. “What? I haven’t done anything to be sorry for.”
“You snuck away!” Jameson bellows, exasperated.
“Fine. Sorry. Or whatever.”
That’s the best he’s going to get from her.
“I have only ever wanted to keep you safe,” he says, almost to himself. “Keep the dark part of my world from touching you girls.”
“We know.” I reach out, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We’re grateful for you.” I look over to Lily. She frowns, not used to seeing this vulnerable side of our big, fearless brother.
“I’m going to do as you say,” she promises. “At least until this war is done,” she adds. It lightens the tense mood. A relieved sigh echoes from our lungs as we fall back into silence.
Chapter Sixteen
Carnage
Ruby’s mother is laid across the back seat. The pretty boy from Hellmade is almost kissing the back window in his attempt not to touch her. “She’s not going to bite.” Rage grins, looking at him through the rear-view mirror.
“She might,” I tell him without humor, shifting back in the passenger seat, the truck carrying Ruby in my peripheral.
“How the hell did you end up caught up with Ruby and her mother?” Rage asks. He doesn’t seem rattled to have me beside him despite it being him who gave me the job that started all this. I can’t trust him. Or anyone, until I know for sure who the fuck set me up.
“You ignoring me?” He chuckles. When I don’t say anything, the atmosphere shifts. “Carnage, what the fuck’s going on?”
“You tell me,” I grunt.
“What happened there.” He nods to the bandages covering my stomach. The shirt I’m wearing doesn’t fit right. I can’t button it, so it gapes at the bottom.
“Bit of torture. Nothing I can’t handle.” It’s the truth. I’ve been through worse.
“The mother?” he jokes.
“That beast really is fucking torture. We should toss her out of the truck before she wakes up,” I urge him.
“She tried it on me once when I dropped Ruby off for Jameson,” he muses, keeping things light, friendly. I’m not sure if it’s to unnerve me or because he isn’t the one who set me up and is just chatting with a friend. I fucking hate that I don’t know who to trust. This chapter has always been where I’ve felt at home. Now, it’s like I’m on the outside looking in.
“Please tell me you didn’t.” Pretty Boy in the back shudders.
“Fuck no. A bitch like her would get clingy,” Rage counters, his lips pulling tight.
I turn to look at him. “And she’s vile.”
“Yeah, that too.” He chuckles.
“Ew, you totally would do her,” the pretty boy mocks.
“You want to lose some teeth?” Rage grunts. “I’m a married man.”