Page 20 of Chains
“I’ll need to talk to my friends,” I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper.“I’ll call you back.”
“Don’t take too long,” my father replied, his tone softening again.“I love you, my little witch.Never doubt that.”
I ended the call without responding, the phone slipping from my numb fingers.Before it could hit the ground, Chains caught it, then caught me as my knees threatened to buckle.His arms came around me, strong and steady, as the full impact of my father’s return crashed over me like a wave.
“He wants to stay here,” I said into Chains’ chest, my voice muffled by his leather cut.“He’s out of prison and he wants to stay here with me.”
Chains’ arms tightened around me, his heart beating steadily against my ear.He said nothing, but the tension in his body spoke volumes.The peaceful garden seemed to hold its breath around us as the implications of my father’s return settled like frost on the autumn leaves.
“Maybe you better tell me about your dad’s past, honey.Give me an idea of what’s goin’ on so I know what to tell Knuckles.”
“I don’t want to cause any more trouble than I already have.”
“Look, honey.None of this shit with your dad is on you.Okay?Whatever he did to land in prison is on him.Every man in Kiss of Death has literally been in his shoes.Every one of us did time.It’s how most of us got here in the first place.Because Knuckles banded us together.So if that’s what you’re worried about, don’t be.”
“It’s not that.”I winced.“Well, not only that.My dad being in prison is one thing.I get good people do bad things sometimes.But there’s a line, Chains.My dad crossed it and, even though I feel guilty for not welcoming him with open arms, I spent the entirety of my childhood after he went away living under the stigma of what he did.And I was barely ten years old and had no idea what the charges against him even meant, let alone knew what he was doing.”
“Okay.Start at the beginning.You tell me, then we figure out together what you want Knuckles to know.After that, if Knuckles needs to know more, you can work something out with him.I’ll be with you every step of the way.You get me?”A breeze rustled through the garden, sending leaves skittering across the ground.One landed on my shoe, fiery red against the black leather.
I took a deep breath and nodded.“Okay.But this all ties together, ironically.As hard as I tried to get away from what my dad did, I also tried my best to cling to the memory of my grandma and grandpa.”
Chains reached out and brushed a tear from my cheek before leaning in to brush a kiss over the other cheek, gathering the lingering moisture on his lips.“Take your time, honey.But let’s do this now, so we don’t have this hanging over us.”
I nodded and took one more deep breath before giving him a tremulous smile and beginning.“You know I love Halloween.The decorations, the baking, all of it.”He nodded, waiting.“What I never told anyone is why.”I swallowed hard.“Halloween wasn’t always my favorite holiday.For a long time, I hated it.Couldn’t even look at a pumpkin without feeling sick.”Chains remained silent, but I felt his attention like a physical thing, steady and unwavering.“When I was ten, on Halloween night, the FBI raided our house.They arrested my father in the middle of our neighborhood Halloween party.All my friends were there, their parents, too.”The memory was so vivid I could still hear the shouts, see the flashing lights illuminating the night in an eerie strobe.“They took him away in handcuffs while I stood there in my witch costume, holding a plastic cauldron full of candy.”
Chains’ hand found mine with his, his calloused fingers wrapping around mine.The simple touch anchored me as I continued.
“My father was a successful, respected surgeon.But he also ran an illegal organ trafficking operation.He’d identify vulnerable patients, usually immigrants or people without families, harvest their organs without consent, and sell them to wealthy clients who didn’t want to wait on the transplant list.”
“Jesus,” Chains muttered.
“The worst part?He pled guilty for a lighter sentence in exchange for giving up the names of everyone else involved.Other doctors, nurses, and staff.They were guilty, but my dad was the one calling the shots and, if he’s out now like he says he is, he served less time than any of them.”I shook my head.“Overnight, I lost everything.My mother had died in childbirth, so I had no one other than my father’s parents.I never knew my mother’s parents.I was told they were dead too.And here’s the thing, Chains.I know how manipulative my dad is.It’s a matter of public record.But I didn’t really understand until I spoke with him just now.”
I looked up at the sky, blinking back tears.“The scandal was all over the news for months.‘The Butcher of Bellevue,’ they called him.Kids at school wouldn’t talk to me.Their parents wouldn’t let them.I was the daughter of a monster.”
Chains’ arm slid around my shoulders, pulling me gently against his side.I felt the steady rise and fall of his chest, the warmth of him seeping through my sweater.
“Halloween became this awful reminder,” I continued.“That first year, those memories would come flooding back.The raid, the screaming, watching them take my father away.It was as vivid in my mind as if it had happened the day before.I hated anything to do with October.”
“What changed?”Chains asked, his voice a low rumble against my ear.
“My grandmother,” I said, smiling at the memory of her.“She was amazing.Tough as nails but so loving.When I was thirteen, she sat me down and said, ‘Elvira, you can let that night own you forever, or you can take it back.’So we decorated the house, carved pumpkins, made cookies.All just like we used to when I was little.It was hard that first year, but the next year was a little easier.My grandmother died the next summer, but before she died, she made me promise to keep taking my Halloween back.I did my best to keep that promise and I guess Halloween was what held her and Grandpa’s memory bright in my heart.”I turned to look at Chains.“I took back my favorite holiday, made it about joy instead of the night my life fell apart.”
“That’s brave,” he said simply.
“Not really.”I shrugged.“Just… survival, I guess.”I leaned my head against his chest, and his other arm came around me, enveloping me in his warmth.“The decorating, the baking, the whole witch thing… it’s my way of reclaiming something that was taken from me.Turning darkness into light.And yeah.I think part of me liked the idea of remembering when I was Daddy’s little witch.So yeah.My relationship with my father -- or lack thereof -- is complicated.”
We sat like that for a long moment, his arms around me, my head against his chest, the autumn sun warming our faces.For the first time in years, I felt completely seen.Understood.Sure, the conversation stripped me bare and I felt raw and unsettled, but somehow, I also felt lighter because of it.
Chapter Seven
Chains
I guided Ellie through the compound, my arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders.She trembled against me.I hated that she was so distraught, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel ten feet tall because she was taking comfort from me.
The conversation with her father had drained all the color from her face, leaving her eyes wide and haunted.My chest tightened with a mix of rage and concern, a dangerous cocktail brewing inside me.Tate Blackheart.The fucking name alone set my teeth on edge, and I hadn’t even met the man yet.
“Hannah’s waiting for you in the Oasis,” I said softly, guiding Ellie toward the women’s common room at the center of the compound.“Carrie and Pippa should be there too.”I needed to reassure her, to let her know everything would be all right, but I couldn’t promise that.Not because I didn’t believe it.Because I knew there was no way her father would leave this place alive, and I knew Ellie was going to have some complex feelings about when and how he died.
