Page 28 of Vengeful Pawn

“I can hand him over to the police, but then they’ll demand to know where Rebecca is, her new name. He’ll have access to her again…. To you. I can’t let either of those things happen.”Neither could I.

I open my eyes, and the warrior Hendrix has been his entire life is there in the fierce expression on his face. Placing my hands on each cheek, I pull him closer until our lips meet. “I love you, Hendrix Adair. Please make sure you come back to us.”

His eyes widen with shock this time as he bombards my mouth with his range of emotions, not voicing them but ensuring I get his meaning by his touch. Watching him leave is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but he needs to do this, and I agree that some people simply need to die.

CHAPTER 19

Hendrix

Ididn’t want to leave my girls in the hospital, but this needs to be taken care of before anyone discovers the man is missing. Castle, Cross, Prince, and Joker have been meting out their own torture all evening long. Not killing him, but not allowing him a moment of peace, either.

“Roger!” I shout his name as I pour a small jerrican of gasoline over his head. While I might want to spend days or weeks making him suffer, I have a woman who needs my support when she leaves the hospital in the morning.

“What do you want now?” His pain-filled groan has the men around me chuckling.

Saint walks up behind him and shoves a blade into his shoulder, burying it to the hilt. The bastard’s screams echo through the empty warehouse.

“How’s Lake?” I ask Saint, knowing it will rile his anger because she is not doing well. We found out one of her tormentors has been stalking her, but making it appear accidental. She hasn’t left her house in weeks now.

Saint growls and bares his teeth at me like a rabid wolf. “Don’t fucking say her name.”Worse than I thought.

Glancing at Nolan, the sorrow in his eyes over what’s happening with his sister is gut-wrenching.

“Roger, you nearly killed my woman, you terrified my daughter. And you could have hurt my unborn baby. Any one of those things would mean your death. Combined, however, means suffering.” Fear streaks across his face, and the smell of urine mingles with the gas fumes.

Flicking my lighter to life, no time is wasted as Saint shoves his knife into the helpless man's gut three times before I drop the flame in his lap. Everyone winces at the tortured screams, but the smell of burning flesh makes me back away.

“Christ, you are gruesome,” Castle mutters as he stands next to me. “Anything happens to my sister because of your issues, and I’ll be doing the same thing to you.” The warning is one I can respect.

The bikers leave once the screams have stopped, but I don’t move until the flames die. Minutes, hours, I have no idea until I step outside and see the sun begin to rise, and Saint is sitting by himself on the tailgate of my truck.

“You need to talk?” I ask, only having about an hour before Mia and the girls will be awake.

“I need their names.” Saint’s growl is a permanent part of his voice now. “I need to make the nightmares stop and show her that I’m not like them.”

Whoa.That’s new information. “Has she said you are?”

“Not directly, but I see the fear in her eyes when I’m around. Luther, Nolan, Damien, they don’t get that same expression.” His misery is palpable.

“They’re her family, man. She doesn’t have to fear them for nothing.” I get where he’s coming from, though. “It’s not you specifically that she fears, Saint, it’s your intensity. She’s afraidof what will happen when you lose control. And my friend, youwilllose control when she finally accepts all of you, too. I think she’s a little afraid of her reaction when you do.”

He stares at me, blinking rapidly while digesting my words. I don’t expect any grand revelations. Saint has always been a man of few words and keeps most of what he’s feeling close to the chest. The only people who genuinely know what’s inside his head are Lake and his mother, Meadow. His father, Carver, might understand his actions and feelings, but they aren’t the heart-to-heart kind of people.

“Hey, talk to Scotty.” His younger sister has always been able to talk sense into him.

“Scotty.” He says it like he’d forgotten he had a younger sister. “Yeah, thanks.”

I watch as he walks away. He drove my truck here, but he wants to be alone right now, so I’m sure he’ll find his way home.

On my way back to the hospital, I decide to stop at my apartment and shower first. The last thing I want is for there to be any evidence of what I was doing left behind. Mia will know, no matter what, but the girls don’t need to.

After cleaning up and grabbing some clothes for Mia, I’m at the hospital in no time with coffee and breakfast. I arrive just as Mia emerges from the bathroom.

“You were gone all night.”

Setting the stuff down, I help her back into bed. “I’m sorry.” I have nothing else to say.

“Is it over?” she asks, reaching for the coffee I brought.

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