Page 49 of Tye

“The lab will prioritise this anyway because it is a bomb. Rage needs to be alert. It’s not a secret that Ice is a prospect. He’s been photographed wearing his cut. Which means West might strike at the clubhouse,” Bobby suggested.

“Let him. He won’t get past our walls or our security. If West comes at us, he will not walk away,” Dad promised.

Spike stiffened at Dad’s words and sent a suspicious look towards the two detectives. Neither seemed bothered by what Dad had said, and they didn’t move towards their cuffs. Spike frowned.

“You dirty?” he demanded, looking confused.

“Nope. Just can’t be assed with assholes. West goes for Rage, more fool him. We’ll bring the body bag and the cleaning solutions,” Bobby replied.

Spike pursed his lips and nodded.

“Rage has a different relationship with the cops nowadays. I can see where you thought we might be working together against a common enemy. But shit’s changed, our goals merge because we want RC to stay clean and safe for our families. Rage and RCPD have a real relationship now.”

“I see,” Spike replied, but I didn’t think he actually realised how deep our ties were.

“Get me a picture, I’ll put Leila on to it. She can use facial recognition,” Dylan ordered, and Nando nodded.

“If we hear anything else, we’ll let you know. But keep close to home and stay armed. You’ve got your concealed licence, Ice, use it,” Nando said as he and Bobby got to their feet.

Dad saw them out as I held Demi’s gaze.

“We gotta talk,” I stated as Demi looked weary. I hauled her to her feet and, without a word, led her into Mom’s morning room. We sat down opposite each other, and I took a breath.

“You need to know some shit,” I stated.

Inside, I was shaking. This would make or break us. How Demi handled this information would make all the difference. But she had to be told the truth and the choices I had made. Demi deserved to decide her future.

“What?”

“I was a kid born to two drunks. By five, I’d learned to look after myself, and I was safer on the streets by seven. I metCarmine, and then Serenity and Harley came along. Carmine and I were older, so we looked out for them. Carmine’s story is all over the media, I don’t need to tell you his. Mine isn’t out there, although there’s plenty of speculation.

“I was raped at eleven by a fifty-year-old homeless man. We all knew he was dangerous, and he caught me off guard one night. He nearly fucked me up, but some older men who protected Carmine and me rescued me. I spent the next year getting over the trauma before being attacked again. This time, I demanded payment and got it. Sixty bucks from some asshole in a suit. The good news was he was careful with me.”

Demi drew in a breath.

“The next two I sold my ass to were also gentle. I ain’t gay, but Serenity and Harley needed food and medication. If we couldn’t steal shit, then we had to earn money somehow. The last time I was raped was bad. Some men came out of a bar and caught me going down a dumpster. They dragged me into a park and pinned me down before taking turns. They took me raw and unprepared and fucked me up.

“I was found by a woman jogging the next day and rushed to hospital. I endured surgery for what they had done to me. As soon as I was well enough, I was moved to a foster home, which lasted two days before I escaped to my siblings. I’d been missing for two weeks, and they had feared I was dead, but I returned. After that, nobody went anywhere alone or unarmed.”

Demi gasped.

“Just after my fourteenth birthday, I was walking back to where we slept when I recognised one of the men. He was drunk and staggering down the road. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him. I followed him, and when he was in a dark area, I confronted him. The fucker did not even remember me. He’d raped, beaten, and left me for dead and didn’t remember me. It made me question how many street kids this asshole hadattacked. That type of evil shouldn’t be allowed to walk the earth. I stabbed him in the throat and left him to bleed out, just like he left me.”

“Ice,” Demi whispered as she scooted off her chair and sat in front of me, grasping my hand.

“I managed to get where the other two lived before tracking them down and killing them, too. They remembered me, and one tried to rape me again. I cut his cock off and shoved it up his ass as he screamed. Then I nicked his carotid artery and let him bleed out slowly. The other one I stabbed in the throat like the first. I’ve killed, Demi, four times in my life, I murdered a man.

“You need to know this side of me. Because I would kill to protect you. I ain’t got shame for selling my ass. It was something I did for us to survive. And we did until Mom found us. I took revenge for my innocence being stolen. This is who I am, take away the trappings of money, and I’m a street kid with attitude and the will to live.”

“You murdered the first man, didn’t you?” Demi whispered, holding my gaze.

“Yup. Cut his cock off like the other asshole and shoved that up his ass with a rebar,” I stated.

“That made my eyes tear, but it’s nothing he didn’t deserve,” Demi said.

“I’ve killed, and I’d kill again to protect my family,” I warned Demi.

“Good. Because I’ve taken a man's life too. He was a predator who preyed on old ladies in our town. He’d stolen thousands of them, making them poor. Someone else and I tracked him down, beat him, stole the cash, and then shot him dead. We parcelled the money back out amongst his victims. So, I have got blood on my hands too, Ice, and I don’t give a fuck,” Demi announced.

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