Page 119 of Enemy
Chapter 45
Clyde
I’mnotsomemaniac,but damn did it feel good to hear the monster from my nightmares scream. Maybe Prophet was right about burned ground being fertile, because I’m fucking rejuvenated.
It all happened so fast. From meeting him face-to-face, to the conversation with Road, and the aftermath at the bonfire. I don’t even regret that he didn’t suffer longer. It’s good to know he got a horrific end, and that I got to be a part of it, but I didn’t want to interact with him much.
And even though we’re now stuck in a cell, I understand why Road lost his shit and went for it. He loves me, takes me at my word, thinks the world of me, and couldn’t bear that scum walking the earth a moment longer.
I didn’t want to burden him with my secret. After all, didn’t I become tough? And yet sharing it with my man eased the choking sensation inside. My chest is lighter now that he carries half the load. I won’t be alone, no matter what happens, and I’ll give him the same in return. He will always be able to lean on me.
Even when we’re locked up. I didn’t know the Vultures had a cell in a basement under their clubhouse. It’s concerning, because it suggests people who end up here don’t live to tell the tale.
Road is calm though, as if the kill has eased an insistent tension inside, and I choose to follow his guidance as we walk behind the bars right before the door is locked behind us.
“What a fucking shitshow,” Martin mumbles and is about to spit on the floor when Prophet glares at him. He ends up swallowing his saliva and leaves the three of us alone, walking up the stairs in strides that tell me he wishes I stopped existing when he’s not looking.
Prophet chews on his lip, tugging on his belt as we listen to the heavy footsteps, but once the door hiding the entrance into the cellar shuts, he barks, staring at Road. “What the fuck? You just came over and murdered a guy everyone knows and likes in cold blood, in front of civilians! How do you expect me to deal with that?”
Road inhales, about to speak, but his prez shushes him with a gesture and starts pacing, hand on his many amulets, as if he were praying to whatever gods he believes in. “He was your friend! What the hell happened? Why?”
Is revealing my secret the only way out of this mess? I don’t want to. I scowl and lean against the wall with my arms crossed. I leave Road to do what he must but discreetly shake my head when he glances at me.
Prophet has a keen eye it seems. “Not him again!” he says to Road. “What could Isaac have possibly done to deserve that? I was there. I introduced them. Nothing happened.”
Road straightens his back, his gaze meeting Prophet’s, and I dig my nails into the flesh of my palm, preparing to stay calm in case Prophet finds out what happened. But the ugly truth stays hidden when Road says. “He deserved it.”
Prophet utters a curse and kicks over a stool standing on his side of the bars. “What does that even fucking mean? The man was killed right in front of the whole village. They have the right to know why, or they’ll worry it might happen to them too.”
Road’s shaking his head. “I know I should have waited, but he did deserve it, all right? If Roy did, then so did Isaac.”
A quiet settles over the room when Prophet freezes with his back to us, staring at the wall. He turns around and watches me with the eyes of a hawk. He’s probably surprised I know.
“And you’ve got nothing to say?” he asks me. “We welcomed you with open arms even though I don’t think you deserve it. But we did it for Road, and this is how you repay us?”
I glare back and repeat what Road said. “He deserved it.”
“Fuck. You,” Prophet barks and kicks the bars this time, which makes the whole cellar thrum with the eerie metallic noise of it. “Both of you!”
Road’s shoulders drop, as if he can barely hold the weight of the accusation in his prez’s eyes, but he remains firm. “I know I fucked up in the way I did it, but I am not sorry I killed him.”
Prophet lets out a startled laugh. “Wow. How can I ever trust you again after this? And with enforcing the law? I bet you didn’t think about it when you grabbed that pipe foreveryoneto see. I can’t fucking help you. We will hold a meeting about this, and both of you better start praying to the deity of your choosing!”
He opens his hand in front of the bars. “Hand over the amulets.”
For a moment I have no idea what he’s talking about, but then I realize he means the ones he gave us for protection. I’d laugh if I wasn’t worried about our future. Instead I just take it off without looking into his eyes and Road does the same.
Prophet squeezes them and shakes his fist at us. “I no longer extend my protection! You will be judged,” he says and walks up the stairs leading to the clubhouse.
Silence extends between us for a while after he closes the door, but at least he’s left the light on. I slide my hand up Road’s back. “I, for one, think you did great,” I say to lighten the mood. He needs to know how much I appreciate him.
Laughter shakes his body, and he rubs his face. “Don’t worry, I’m used to disappointing people. I just don’t like disappointinghim.”
I pull him in for a hug. “You didn’t disappoint me. In fact, you exceeded my expectations. Pushing him into the fire was a nice touch.”
He chuckles and rests his head against mine as he finally meets my gaze. “He was asking for it,” he says as his hand finds mine.
“Thank you for not telling Prophet. I’d… like to avoid it if possible.” I sigh and kiss the side of his head. The space is hardly romantic with its damp smell and solid brick walls, but I’m feeling tender for him, and won’t deny myself.
