Page 58 of Tormented By Regret

POWERTRAIN

6 months later…

I'd be lying if I said I didn't die. Turns out I did. For two minutes. That is until Tick Tock found me, and years of training had him resuscitating me.

The blade had somehow lodged itself within my ribcage, piercing my lung but never quite reached my heart. Which meant that we had to wait until I was at the hospital to get the fucker out of me. I heard I died again on that table in the surgery ward. Not sure how long it took that time, but when I woke up, they said I was a miracle.

I'd been called a lot of shit, but a miracle wasn't one.

It turns out the raven who'd killed Hargrave was none other than Whisper's mother. She literally tore his eyes out of his sockets. Hargrave didn't die from it though; he suffered a heart attack from the shock of it. Talk about a torturous way to die.

It had been a long fucking year, and I now had the scars to prove it. That night was a night to remember for all of us. Through the haze I still remember my brother's voices, slowly bringing us back. Whisper had been dropped and kicked while Hargrove was fighting off her mother's raven. She had a concussion, but the raven had protected her, forcing her to shift into human form.

Spectre had not known about his wife being taken. And in the last few months he changed. We saw more of him and his family. It was a good change, one that included his take on me. He once told me that any man who was willing to die for his daughter was like a son to him. I don't think he could have made Whisper any happier.

The Bloody Scorpions had recently burnt down one of our businesses in Shreveport and it seemed they were making their way along the southern states. Word had gone out and we were all on guard. Ever since Bulldog died, it seemed like we could never just get a break.

Our moments of happiness were too few and far between. I stood on the porch steps this evening, staring out at my happiness. Macabre was teaching her how to ride and I was glad I was at a safe distance because it seemed like Whisper was about to run her brother over. Goshawk stepped out and stood alongside me to witness the deterioration of one of the toughest Bastards we knew.

“Are you still second guessing yourself with the girl?” Goshawk asked.

“Why do you ask?” I looked over at him.

“Cause I’ll be heading out on the road soon and I want to make sure your ass is taken care of, in case somethin’ happens to mine.”

“My ass is just fine where it is, brother. You should really take your own advice, you know. It's good to have someone warm your bed, or your heart.”

He smirked. “You just take care of that love of yours. Don't let anyone come between you two. That's the best way.”

My brother wasn't much of the-soul searching, let's share emotions, type of guy. He was more of a-do what I say, when I say. So, it surprised me to have him come up to me like this. Pressuring me on love when he didn't have anyone to call his own.

“When do you leave?”

“In two weeks. Going up to Washington to take care of some business for a while.”

“We'll visit.” I stated firmly.

He looked at me. “You don't have to.”

“Listen. I nearly lost my life three times this year. I still have six more to go. So don't fight me on this. You're my big brother, I'll be there when you need me.”

I placed a hand on his shoulder, and he only grunted, acknowledging the sentiment. And that's the most I'd get out of him emotionally, which for now, was enough.

“You doin’ voodoo shit now?” He glanced at my wrist where I wore a black bracelet.

Jameson had taken Whisper to go see Madame Laveaux, the Voodoo Priestess he frequented. I wasn’t keen on the idea, but I couldn’t oppose it. If anyone could help Whisper open up to her natural instincts, it was the Priestess.

Whisper had asked me to go with them but there was absolutely no way I was stepping in the vicinity of anything that had to do with Voodoo or Madame Laveaux. I heard she could see into the darkest parts of your soul, and I’d rather keep those secrets to myself and locked up tight.

Either way, when Whisper returned, she had brought me something. She said it was for protection, a rock called Black Obsidian. The funny part was, I didn’t believe in stuff like that, but she believed in it and that was all I needed.

“It’s just a good luck charm. Whisper gave it to me for protection and I promised her I’d wear it.”

Goshawk gave a nod, satisfied wit my response. In the distance, I heard Whisper’s curses carry in the wind. Taking her helmet off, she threw it at Macabre and we both chuckled as we watched her head straight for her brother. I knew that look in her eye and there was no saving him, With all the bad that went on around us, this moment, having her with me and alive...it made me believe that everything could be alright in my world.

I was believed that I was nobody’s forever. Yet she made me feel like I could be. She gave me a purpose, one that saved me in the end. And as long as she was near, I would do what I could to find a way to bring her happiness.

I stared down at the bracelet, playing with the black beads. A small steel crown pendant sat in the center of it, reminding me of who I was and what I was made of. I was a Bastard, and with it came loyalty and family. My family.

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