Surrender (Lost Souls MC Book 2), page 18
“Fuck that,” he yelled, his voice echoing in the empty gym. I jumped.
“Jace….”
“No, Alex. He doesn’t get away with this. Give me a couple of days to come up with an idea that doesn’t let your family know what happened and ensures he won’t touch you again. Okay?”
I sucked in a deep breath, knowing I could scream from the top of my lungs that I didn’t want him to get involved, but it wouldn’t matter. Nothing stood in Jace’s way when it came to what he wanted.
Jace
I was startled awake as my phone buzzed again. Unwrapping myself from around Raine, I rolled over and grabbed it off the nightstand. Avro was calling at three in the morning. He never called this late unless he knew I was awake. Hitting talk, I slipped out of bed and padded out to the sitting area of the large suite.
“Good to see you’re still alive,” I said, yawning. “But it would’ve been nice if you called in, say, three hours,” I teased, but there was only silence on the other end of the line. “Avro?” I heard him breathing, but he still didn’t say anything. Fear shot through me and settled like a weight in the pit of my stomach. “What the fuck is wrong?”
“He knows,” Avro said, his words slurred like he’d been drinking. Avro rarely ever got drunk, and the fact that he’d clearly had more than normal worried me.
“Who knows what?” I walked over to the large window and stared out at the city and the lights of cars moving steadily along the interstate.
“Kai. He knows about us.”
My brain whirred, but Avro wasn’t making sense. Of course, Kai knew about us. He fucking came over to our house with a gun. Just how much had Avro drunk?
“Dude, you okay? Of course, he knows we’re together. Did you hit your head tonight?”
“For fucks sake!” Avro swore, and I had to move the phone away from my ear.
“Geez us, Avro. What the fuck is up with you? Just spit it out,” I grumbled, annoyed now.
“He knows about us at thirteen. He knows about things we swore we’d never talk about again,” he said, and I stopped breathing.
“What?” I growled into the phone as my mind caught up. “How? And what the fuck does he plan on doing with the information?”
“How? I don’t know. I mean, he has connections with some seedy people, so who the fuck knows, but as of right now, he doesn’t plan on doing anything with it.” My hand tightened on the phone while I ran the other through my hair.
“I don’t believe that,” I said, the initial shock turning into anger. Hadn’t this guy done enough already? He had to go and dig up dirt on us?
“Well, he did have one request,” Avro said, and a low growl left my mouth.
“I’m not giving Peaches up ʽcause he’s threatening us. I won’t be scared off Avro. That’s an asshole move, and if he wants to play that way, so can I. I’m pretty sure I can find a long list of dead in his wake.”
“Stop! Just listen, for once, please just listen to me before you react.”
My teeth ground together, but I sucked in the rage and tried to push it down. “Fine, what is his demand?”
“That you don’t try to tear him and Raine apart,” Avro said.
“I hadn’t planned on it, but now he makes me want to fucking try. Fucking dick. Have I told you I don’t trust him? And I really don’t like him.”
Avro groaned on the other end of the line, which turned into a mumbled litany of swear words.
“Jace, you know I love you, but let’s be real for just a moment. The two of you don’t like each other cause you’re cut from the same fucking cloth. He knows you’d try, just like you knew he would. I’m telling you right now, Raine will split and tell us all to fuck off if we start playing that game.”
Even though he couldn’t see it, I tossed my hand in the air in frustration. “Dude, I’m not the one that started this.”
“I know, but you’re always the one to end it, and I’m asking you, no…I’m begging you and calling in every favor I have. Do not do whatever you have cooking up in your head,” Avro said, his voice pleading with me through the phone.
Fuck I hated not having the upper hand. I needed something on Kai. Even if I didn’t use it, I needed to have the shield to block his attack. No matter what Avro said or thought, Kai would push later on. I knew it cause Avro was right about one thing, the two of us thought alike, and I would use it when needed. Maybe even when I didn’t if I thought I could get away with it.
“Fine, I won’t do anything, but if he makes even one move to release or leak anything he knows, someone better be watching out for his soul because I will take him down with us.”
I could picture Avro’s face on the other end of the line as he rolled his eyes at me. “I worried you might say that.”
“I promise to be good as long as he does. There is that better?”
“Jace?” I turned at the sound of Raine’s voice. She looked adorable in my band T-shirt that stopped mid-thigh. Oh, I was sending her home with a fucking case of those. Petty? Most definitely, but it made me smirk as I pictured the look on Kai’s face when she wore one for him.
“Hey Peaches, you okay?”
“Yeah, I just woke up, and you were gone.” She padded across the floor, her footfalls quiet on the fancy tile.
“Just talking to Avro. Do you want to say hi?”
Raine shivered and tucked herself under my arm. Why was it that girls were always so much cooler to the touch? I handed her the phone and went back to staring out the window as my mind traveled back in time.
“I’m telling you Alex, this will work. We just need to get him on film, and he’ll never want the video released. He’d never dare touch you again,” I said, laying my hands on Alex’s shoulders. He still looked unsure as he chewed on his lip.
“But it means I have to get him in the car, and I’ll be alone with him until we get to the park. What if he decides to stop somewhere else, and you’re not there, and I’m stuck in the car with him?”
They were valid concerns, and I didn’t have an answer for any of them, but I knew he could pull this off. It was the only reasonable plan, and there was no way I was letting Alex stay even a single night without blackmail.
“You’ve got this. Nothing is going to go wrong. Just think about how well you did when auditioning for the school play. Pretend you’re doing that again,” I said.
“Fine, I’ll do it, but you better be there,” Alex said.
“Well duh. The whole thing hinges on me being there. I’ve got you.”
When it got dark outside—and my mom and Lyle were watching a movie—I told my mom I was heading to bed early since I had practice the next day. She kissed me on the cheek and wished me a good sleep. I felt bad lying to her, but it needed to be done. No one else could know about this.
I stuffed the small video camera in my backpack, put all the pillows under my blanket, and turned off the light. We were screwed if she came in to check on me, but it was worth the risk.
Climbing out the window, I closed it softly behind me, moved to the end of the low eaves, and jumped. It wasn’t far, ten feet at most. I wondered what Alex would say to lure his uncle out of the house. Would he tell him that he wanted to be alone with him or that he wanted to talk? I didn’t know, but the longer I thought about Avro alone with Martin, the more worried I got.
Hopping on my mountain bike, I peddled hard and soon traveled almost as fast as the cars on the main street. I weaved through the subdivisions and then onto the road that led to the state park. It was where I’d told Alex to lure Martin. There was a huge parking lot, no cameras, and lots of places to hide so I could film.
Wheeling my bike into the entrance, I kept an eye out for gators. Not that they wandered away from the water too much, but I really didn’t feel like getting bit or worse.
I’d come prepared and pulled a flashlight from the pack. Something glinted in the distance when the light hit it, and I pushed the bike in that direction. It was a spade shovel left behind by the maintenance crew, but it was a perfect weapon, just in case.
Hiding my bike behind the map of walking trails, I got the camera ready and crouched down to wait. The wind picked up, bringing with it the smell of rain. You could feel the moisture in the air and hear the rumbling of thunder in the distance.
My watch said it was almost eleven-thirty. I flipped open my phone to see if Alex had texted me, but there was no new message, and I didn’t dare text, just in case. I was just stuffing the phone into my pocket when bright lights turned into the long driveway and closed in on the parking lot. I stayed completely hidden as the car parked.
“Come on, Alex, get out of the car,” I whispered as I stared at the side of Alex’s face through the passenger side window. I could hear the muffled yelling from my hiding spot, which made me antsy. I was about to stand up when Alex’s door swung open, and he jumped out.
“Get the hell back here,” Martin yelled.
I turned the camera on and set the small camcorder on the large rock near the sign. I could see the car and everything clearly now. Alex marched away from the car, straightened his spine, and turned to wait for Martin as he got out of the driver’s side.
“No, I wanted you to know I’m never letting you touch me again,” Alex yelled, the shadows from the parking lot light making him look fierce. He was so hot.
Martin stomped around the car, looking like a bear. Alex’s entire family was tall, but it wasn’t his height that made him look big. It was his college football build. He was still all muscle with his large hands balled into fists.
“Is this a joke? You got me to come all the way out here for this?”
“It’s not a chat we could have at the house, but I wanted you to know that if you touch me again, I’m going to go to the cops, and I’m going to tell my parents,” Alex said.
“Oh no you won’t.”
Martin stepped closer to Alex until he was towering over him. I could see him beginning to shake, and his fear had my blood boiling. I hated bullies and especially hated someone picking on Alex. I’d bloodied more than one guy who thought they could say mean shit.
My hand tightened around the handle of the shovel as Martin reached out and snatched Alex by the front of his shirt. “I will. I’ll tell them what you did on the camping trip, and I’ll tell them about tonight. The police will drag you off to jail.”
“For what? You wanted it.”
“Let go of me,” Alex said, grabbing Martin’s forearm.
“You’re an ungrateful shit. How do you think your parents can afford to keep you in the fancy basketball academy to train? They don’t have that kind of money. I pay for it. You owe me, and you’re lucky I waited this long to collect.”
My mouth dropped open at the same time Alex’s did. This man was crazy. Donations for us came in from the entire neighborhood. Did he think we were supposed to fuck everyone as payment?
“I said get off of me,” Alex said. I could hear the wavering in his voice and knew he was close to losing it.
“And I say get on your knees,” Martin growled. His hand went to the belt on his pants, and Alex swung at his face. His fist connected hard, and Martin looked rattled as he shook his head but didn’t let go of Alex. If anything, his fist twisted tighter in the material.
“No. Get the fuck off of me, you perv.”
Martin hit Alex hard in the stomach, and he doubled over, coughing. A growl ripped from my chest, but Martin didn’t hear it or see me stand as he dragged Alex toward the car. His back was to me, and all I saw was red.
“You dare threaten me. I’ll ruin you. You can kiss any chance at basketball in high school or college goodbye. No one will want to take you after they hear what I have to say. You’re nothing.” I squeezed the shovel and gripped it like a baseball bat. “You’ll regret ever messing with me.”
Martin pulled his arm back to punch Alex again, and I swung. I didn’t care how hard I hit him. I didn’t bother to aim or think about the angle of the shovel. All that mattered was that he let Alex go. That he never hurt him again. No one hurt Alex, not ever.
I heard him yell, and a thrill traveled through my body. I swung again, and this time Alex screamed. I froze mid-swing. I wasn’t sure what happened until Martin fell to his knees at my feet with his hands covering a massive wound on the side of his neck. Blood poured through his fingers and down his arm, and I stepped back, eyes wide.
I expected to be horrified, but instead, I watched him choke as his eyes flicked up to mine, and his mouth moved as he begged for help. Alex whipped off his T-shirt and pushed it against Martin’s neck.
“Jace, you were only supposed to scare him,” Alex said, his hands shaking. “I need to call for help. Do you have your phone?” I shook my head no, even though it was a lie. Martin gripped Alex’s arm, fear glittering in the depths, and all I could think was it was time he met his end.
“No, no, no,” Alex said. He continued to press on the wound as Martin tipped over sideways and landed on the ground. His mouth opened and closed, and I stood there silently watching. I was the monster tonight. I’d swung my weapon and taken the life that needed to be sent to hell. Not an ounce of guilt filled me.
“Jace do something. Why are you just standing there?”
“Because he deserves to die.”
“No, he was supposed to go to prison,” Alex said, his body shaking as he looked up at me from his knees. The blood seeped into the ground around Martin, and it felt right that this was how he died.
Then it was over as quickly as it started, and Martin lay staring at nothing. I’d never seen someone die, and I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but the quiet nothing that followed hadn’t been what my mind conjured. I wasn’t struck down by lightning, and there were no sirens as if the police would know what I’d just done.
I waited a few more moments, my eyes trained on Martin’s lax face and blank stare, my heart pounding hard. Was I going to feel anything more than happiness? Maybe, but I didn’t right now. The one thing that was there was relief. I didn’t have to worry about him hurting Alex again.
Alex stood, his arms covered in blood, shaking. “Oh my god, oh my god, he’s dead. Jace, he’s really dead. What the hell are we going to do?” He was a wreck, sweat dripping off his forehead and mingling with the wetness already on his face. I didn’t know if it was sweat or tears.
“We need to call the cops. We can explain that it was self-defense,” Alex said, his voice shaking as much as his body.
I stabbed the shovel into the ground and gripped Alex’s shoulders. “Look at me.” His eyes found mine. “No cops. He got what he deserved.”
“Jace….”
“No. He was never going to stop. Watching Martin with you, I’m surprised he didn’t attack you before the camping trip. He was sick, Alex. He needed to die.”
Alex pulled away and stepped around Martin’s body. He paced in front of the car and jumped at the sound of a semi’s engine brake. I sighed and knelt down to stare into Martin’s eyes. Shaking my head, I decided what we needed to do.
“Alex, come here and help me.” Pulling the shirt away from his neck, I left it on the ground and picked up one of his arms.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m fixing the problem. From this moment on, we will never speak of this again. Now pick up his other arm and help me drag him to the water.”
“What? I can’t do that. Jace, please, we need to call the cops. We’re only thirteen, they’ll let us go, but if they find out we hid a body, we could go to jail for the rest of our lives,” Alex begged.
“The cops aren’t going to believe us. Look, I know you’re scared, but this is what we need to do. I have your back, always.” My adrenaline was pumping hard. I wasn’t as sure about this plan as I made it seem, but it was our best shot. I had a bad feeling about calling the police.
Alex sighed. “This doesn’t feel right. My Aunt Tilly and Courtney will be worried about him.” He held his hand out toward Martin.
“He’s dead, Alex, not sick. They can worry all they want. He’s never coming back. Now are you going to help me or not?”
“Fine.” As Alex bent over, I thought he would lose his nerve, but he grabbed Martin’s arm, and one slow step at a time, we dragged his body to the calm, black water. Daring to wade in up to my knees, I pulled Martin into the water, then pushed his body away from the shore. Pulling off my T-shirt, I looked at Alex, whose eyes were trained on the floating man.
“Quickly before a gator thinks we’re fair game. Soak your arms.” I snapped my fingers in front of his face. “Alex, do it now.”
He blinked as if I’d just appeared in front of him and then did as I asked. Forcing him to step away from the water’s edge, I used my T-shirt to wipe off the remaining blood, grabbed his arm, and marched us back to the car.
“Stand here.” I opened the car door and found the gym bag I’d seen Martin toss in here a few times. Unzipping the top, I found a couple of rolled white T-shirts. I tossed the bag back on the floor and closed the door. “Here put this on.”
“You want me to wear my dead uncle’s shirt?”
“He’s dead. It’s the least of his worries at this point.” We both turned at the sound of splashing, and I looked over to see a tail flick above the shimmering water bathed in moonlight.
“I think I’m gonna be sick.” Alex closed his eyes, his hand covering his mouth again.
“No, you can’t. Look at me. He deserved what he got, now focus.”
I ran over to the camera and stopped the recording. It felt like it took forever for the cassette to release. Picking up the bloody T-shirts on the way, I went to the garbage can and tossed everything in.
“What are you doing?”
“Destroying the evidence, do you not watch any crime shows? We can’t just leave it like this.”
“Shouldn’t we do that somewhere else,” Alex asked.
“No time.” Running back to the car, I pushed in the lighter and waited for it to pop before jogging back to the can. It didn’t take long for the shirts and other garbage to ignite, and soon the barrel was engulfed in flames.
