I side-eyed the trackers. “What do you mean he doesn’t know where I’m at? Why should he care?”
“He’s your father. Of course, he cares. Kee—”
“No, he’s the man you married. Speaking of bullshit, why the hell is my last name changed?”
“Kee, that’s—”
She was cut off as the bastard himself came on the line. “Keegan, I suggest you come home now,” Richard said.
A familiar cry crackled through the car speakers. My stomach twisted, and the urge to tell him to go ahead and do whatever he wanted with her lay heavy on my mind. Even now, when I knew she didn’t care what he did to me, I knew I would try and save her.
“Don’t make this difficult.”
“I’ll be there.” I hung up and slammed my hand into the steering wheel. “Fuck!”
Blood splatteredover the tarp as a muffled scream was pulled from the guy tied to the chair. Hawke let out a joyful laugh. “I could do this all night.”
I leaned against the wall watching over them, my face resting from its usual smile. I had no idea how Hawke could smile so freely. He lost himself in his madness and had no shame in showing the world. I’d been taught to keep mine hidden, that there was nowhere for someone like me to be.
Luxious had proven that statement wrong. He’d carved out a spot for me, and I’d forever be by his side. He never required me to be anyone but myself. More blood hit the tarp, and Luxious stopped Hawke before he killed the guy.
“You made a move on my territory. Who do you work for?” Luxious asked. He relaxed back, staring at the man tied to the chair with boredom on his face.
I waited for his signal, one I knew would come in five seconds if he didn’t stutter out an answer. As time ticked by, Hawke bounced next to me on the balls of his feet.
Lux nodded, and I stepped forward this time. Hawke whistled. “Better get talking.”
I stopped in front of the guy. He had no distinguishing tattoos that linked him to any gang trying to take over Aridole. He wasn’t someone I’d seen either amid elites.
The man groaned as I moved his bruised face from side to side. His lips were already swollen, and his nose was bent sideways. I couldn’t get a clear picture of him with it like that. I took hold of his nose and, without warning, snapped it back in place.
The scream that echoed off the warehouse walls was a balm to my soul. My shoulders relaxed a bit more, and I stepped back and took a picture of him. The flash made him blink rapidly as he tried to look away.
“What…what do you want?” he spat out, his voice horse from all the screams Hawke had beaten out of him.
It was amazing how easily a human could break with the smallest amount of pressure. We were no better than glass.
“I find it tedious to repeat myself. You know what we want,” Lux said.
The man shook his head, spitting out more blood onto the floor. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Are you sure about that?” I asked.
His bloodshot eyes leveled with mine. “Yeah, I’m sure.” His pupils dilated, and there was a slight hitch in his breath. People shouldn’t try to lie unless they knew how and in most cases, they didn’t.
“He isn’t going to tell us anything?” Rem asked, stepping through the door. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and sauntered over as if she was about to have a peaceful conversation with the man.
“Look, bitch, like I told them, I don’t have—” His words turned into screams as Rem brought a bat down over his knee.
“Shit, I thought I swung hard enough to get a crack.” Rem huffed and lifted the bat again, ignoring his pleas to wait, and brought it down again on the same knee. The irrefutable sound of crunching resonated around them before an ear-piercing scream.
“You’re late,” Lux said.
“Yeah, my bad. My brothers needed me. Club shit.”
Lux cocked a brow at Rem, and she passed the bat over to Hawke. He looked like a kid in a candy store as he took it and hugged it.
“Legs only,” I said.