Page 35 of Deathless
“Oh no, you don’t get to die yet. Not until I’ve told you everything.” The Saint was shaking with rage, adrenaline, grief, and who knew what else. “I didn’t tell Aurora about our littlepact because I wanted to kill you myself. I didn’t expect to have an audience, but here we are.”
He didn’t even glance at Torr and me as he said that. “After everything we’d been through together, swearing we’d always have each other’s backs, you threw it away ononefalse promise from the people who enslaved us. Did you really fucking believe they would let you see your daughter? Did you?”
There was only a gurgle from the Bull as the life drained from him, choking on his own blood.
The Saint pulled his hand away, wiping it on his pant leg as his friend’s life continued to fade.
“You wanted to please their Dark Mother so badly, I hope you rot in hell with her.” Those were the Saint’s last words to the Bull before the ex-fighter’s head dropped forward and all motion left him.
With a resigned breath, the Saint looked at us, and Torr and I glanced at each other like we couldn’t believe what just happened.
“Well,” the VP said. “That was unexpected.”
“This kill was not authorized by the president, I know.” The Saint straightened, lifting his chin. “She may punish me as she sees fit, but I hope she understands this is proof of my loyalty. And that it was necessary to our cause.”
“I’m sorry about your son.” It was the first thing I could think of to say. “I can’t imagine anything worse.”
The Saint’s eyes flicked to me, and he nodded slowly. “After it happened, I was on my way to tell him.” He jerked his head toward the corpse. “I was so broken, shocked to my core, and I didn’t really have anyone else, you know? Then, before I can get a word out...” The Saint swallowed, his face tightening into anger. “He tells me, all fucking excited, that he has a daughter, and they will allow him the privilege to be a father to her.” He scoffed, shaking his head at the body of his dead friend. “He wasalways a self-absorbed bastard, but he was so goddamn happy that he didn’t even notice I was a fucking shell of a human being.”
Torr cleared his throat. “I won’t say you’re not justified in this kill. But when you’re in a club, that’s not something you can do independently anymore. You should have come to Rori or me first.”
“I know this.” The Saint turned his back on the dead man and his face was calm, if even serene. The very picture of that saying,out of sight, out of mind.“It will not happen again. I will accept whatever punishment Aurora sees fit for me. She is the one who saved me, saved all of us. Even if she casts me out of the club for this, she has my unwavering loyalty.” Resolved, he jerked his chin down, planted his feet wide, and brought his hands together behind his back. “Take me to her. I will tell her everything I told you.”
“This has to be resolved later,” Torr said with a shake of his head. “She’s resting from the ride.”
The Saint’s brow furrowed. “The ride wasn’t that strenuous, especially for her. Is she not well?”
“She’s just resting,” I said to back up Torr’s point. “She’ll deal with you when she’s ready.”
The Saint’s face broke out into a grin. “She’s pregnant, then! Well done, such a blessing.”
“She’s not—” Torr’s mouth snapped shut before he went on. I guess we didn’t really know, did we? “Anyway, clean this up. Get someone to help you if you want.”
“At once, Vice President.” Back to his eccentric self, the Saint gave a slight bow and started rummaging around for a tarp as Torr and I went up the stairs. We could hear him whistling cheerfully before closing the door.
“What do you think?” Torr asked the moment we were out of there.
“Honestly? Good riddance. He just did what Rori would have done sooner.” I let out a soft laugh. “I almost wish she had seen that.”
“Same.” Torr smirked. “Do you believe everything he said?”
“I do, actually.” I checked myself over for blood before sitting down on the couch. “I think his weirdness is a mask, a coping mechanism maybe. When he was talking about his kid, he dropped all of that. I think that was the real him.”
“I agree.” Torr sat next to me, sinking down heavily. “Poor guy. Malik would have a field day with him.”
He leaned his head all the way back, suddenly looking weary with his eyes on the ceiling. I followed his gaze, knowing exactly what he was looking at, thinking about. Our whole world was up there.
“She’s gonna be okay. Right, Torr?”
It took him a long time to answer. “Fuck, I hope so.”
11
RORI
My sleep was fitful and restless. I went from feeling like death to perfectly fine and back again. I had cold sweats and a roiling stomach, and then I became exhausted and dehydrated.
But my physical symptoms weren’t the worst of it. I heard the same voice that had haunted my dreams for the past two weeks. Only now, it was while I was awake.
