Page 60 of Last One Standing
He smiled and brought my hand to his lips and kissed the palm. “I know I don’t, it’s why I want to, Angel.”
I didn’t argue with him. Not when he stood before me, naked, and pulled me into the shower. Not after he washed my body and took care of my cuts. Not even while he pulled the sheets back on my bed and cuddled next to me. Maybe it was selfish of me to hold him close, needing a comfort I rarely ever took.
And when he wrapped his arm around my midsection and rested his head on my chest, a piece of me melted. He’d been through his own war, and yet I’d had a bad day and he was being a rock I hadn’t known I needed.
It was late. We’d been at the police station for hours. I should have been hungry, but all I wanted to do was sleep…sleep and hope that once I woke up all this would all be a horrible nightmare and Darby would still be with us.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
KONA
The next fewdays were solemn. Carmichael had come by to look at the footage of the shop from when the Kings had arrived. It was all very obvious they were the instigators, and he too was surprised none of them had been arrested yet. He’d instructed us all to lay low for a few days, and that was what we were doing.
“I think we should watch a horror movie,” Gabe said.
We were finishing up dinner, and it was family night—which, I guess, was something they did here. One person picked dinner and a movie once a week. Gabe apparently was on deck for this week, and I had a feeling they were trying to find some normalcy.
“It’s your choice, babe.” Mason patted his shoulder and took his dish over to the sink.
“Lizzy, are you okay with horror?” JJ asked. She was mostly quiet, not really hanging around anyone since she’d arrived.
“I don’t care; I probably won’t watch.” She shrugged a shoulder, a permanent frown on her face.
Hazel (Phoenix’s sister) and Four were the only two people she seemed to be comfortable having near her, and she kept asking if she could go home.
“What movie did you have in mind?” I smiled at Gabe once I realized they all were about to give up on showing anything.
“I dunno, we can go cheesy classic or modern terrifying.”
That got everyone talking. In the end Gabe choseUnfriended, which I’d seen a while ago, but it was pretty good, and it took everyone’s mind off what was going on.
Lizzy and Hazel had opted to go up to one of their bedrooms, and no one stopped them. The second the credits rolled, I glanced at Angel. He’d also been pretty quiet, and I had a feeling he was feeling as guilty as me and the others.
This whole house was in disarray because of me, and I couldn’t do it anymore. I was scared of Brick, but I was terrified of what he was going to do to this family, and maybe I could do something about it.
When everyone stood to leave, I stopped them. “This is all because of me.”
They turned and looked at me. “You can’t believe that,” Angel scoffed.
“I can and I do. You guys came into that clubhouse and rescued me and Pika. In return Leo died, you lost a friend, your shop is ruined, and you’re all in danger. I’m not trying to be a martyr here or anything, but maybe I should talk with Brick, go to him and?—”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Not a chance.”
“No!”
Everyone shouted at the same time.
“This isn’t your fault. The Dead Kings were escalating; we’ve seen it happening. Somehow, we’d likely have gotten involved in it. You were the reason we jumped in now and not later.” Angel walked closer to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. “If you go talk to him, he’ll kill you, and we’re not losing another person to those fuckheads.”
“Angel—”
“No, Kona. No one blames you. Not a single person. You aren’t responsible for other people’s actions.”
From the way he spoke and the serious expressions on the others’ faces, I knew the conversation was done. I wasn’t sure if I agreed or disagreed that Brick would kill me. Hurt me, yes, but if I were dead, he couldn’t torment me anymore, and he didn’t like it when his toys were broken.
It was late, and everyone headed up to bed. Pika hugged me and I walked him to his room, stopping in front of my door and realizing I didn’t want to be alone. I spun on my heels and made my way down the hallway, freezing because I didn’t remember which room was Angel’s.
