Page 51 of Working Out West

This didn’t sound good. “Adrik, what?”

“I saw you on the floor and the man standing over you…. I killed your father.”

Oh heavens.

Bile rose. I coughed.

“I know death is not the answer, but—”

“Stop,” I ordered, sucking in a breath.

Adrik’s lips thinned, but he kept his mouth closed. Worry drew his brows together.

“I’m not upset you did that,” I told him honestly. I took a breath to steady my racing heart. There was no way I could be upset over it. The sight of me… of what they did, would be enough to anger anyone who knew me. Did it sadden mehewas dead? No. Not in the slightest, and if that made me a bad person, then I would take it on, but I would never in a million years care about them.

I licked my dry lips. “What abouther?”

“Are you sure you want to know?”

“Yes,” I hissed. “I want to know what state she’s in.” I hoped she was in pain like I was.

“Lucas choked her. Kylo shot her and stabbed her leg. She has been beaten.” He watched me, waiting. When I didn’t react, he nodded and went on. “What was done to you, I will do to her before her life ends.”

Again, he watched me, waiting.

I blinked slowly, suddenly tired. “Are you sure you want to do that? I mean, the club would take care of her for me.”

“Nyet. It will be me.” He glanced away and then back. “Do you wish to save her?”

“No,” I blurted. I closed my eyes and then opened them with more tears welling. In a hushed tone, I asked, “Does… does it make me a bad person? Does it make me evil for wanting someone to die?” I bit my trembling bottom lip. Dread had my head spinning.

He leaned forward, taking my hand in both of his. “Nyet, moya lyubov’. Never. Not after what you have been through.”

Still, guilt had me closing my eyes and shaking my head.I shouldn’t want someone to die.But I did, and I couldn’t find it in me to feel any remorse knowing my mother would die.

No, that wasn’t right. She stopped being my mother when she took the blade to my skin. Instead, they became… became—

“They were vile monsters, moya lyubov’,” Adrik said, as if reading my mind.

Opening my eyes, I uttered, “They were. But does it make me one when I wantherdead?”

“Nyet, West. You had done nothing to them. You had been their son. They were supposed to care for you. They did not. They tortured you. They said it was for God, but it was lies. I will not letherget away with treating you as they did.”

I raked my top teeth over my bottom lip as my heart thundered in my ears, and thoughts ran through my mind. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Anything.” He sounded so adamant it made my chest hurt from the way my heart fluttered to life.

“Don’t tell me what happens.… I don’t want to know anything more about her. I-I’m just glad to know she suffered already.”

He lifted my hand and kissed the back of it, causing my heart to react again. Only that time, my stomach fluttered right along with it.

“I will do this.” He ran his thumb over my skin on my hand. I couldn’t help but watch the movement.

Why was he there? Why would he do this for me? Why would he kill for me?

Those were questions I wasn’t ready to hear the answers for.

Instead, I asked, “How did you find out my name?”

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