Page 36 of Stone

A bullet wound to the neck causes blood to coat my arms as I hug him close to me. My chin wobbles, and I fight back the tears at imagining the torture he endured. I should know, my father and Vector delivered me the very same. His lower half is naked, covered in tortuous burn marks, giving away their punishment, and I squeeze my eyes closed, desperate to block it all out. Hating that he endured this because of our connection. It’s an evil taunt and a threat to me. I know exactly what instrument has been used to hurt the man who has only ever shown me kindness.

His bare body is riddled with violent scorches, the tips of his fingers missing, and blood trickles from his mouth. I imagine he bit into his tongue while they violated him.

Over and fucking over.

I shrug off my jacket and cover his lower body, hoping to give him a sliver of dignity I never received.

“I’m sorry. Fuck, I’m sorry I caused this.” I swallow hard, finding it difficult to construct my words. “Jesus, I’m sorry I didn’t protect you.”

Then I squeeze my eyes closed when his words hit me.“I’m here when you need me.”

Tears fall onto him as I keep my eyes squeezed tight, unable to see the trail of my pain falling on him again. “I wish I’d talked to you, old man. I wish I’d have told you everything.”

I don’t know how long it is until I’m able to open my eyes again, but when I do, it’s with a steely determination. “I don’t know what I did in my former life, but I’m going to find out.” It’s the truth, and it’s what all the questions in my head boil down to.

Who the fuck am I?

Where the hell did I come from?

And how did I become the son of a man who seems to be my enemy?

Placing a promising kiss on the old man’s head, I rest him on the floor and swipe away the snot dripping from my nose. “Sleep now, old man.” I wish I could tell him he was the reason for the change in me today, that this moment is a catalyst for my future. That his death will not be in vain but in vengeance. “Thank you for everything.”

I get to my feet and broaden my shoulders with a newfound focus, to find the truth Eli always encouraged me to search for. I just wish I’d had the courage to do it before now, so I swallow back the lump of regret in my throat, then walk around the desk and lower myself down to the safe stored behind his bookshelf. Then I send a silent thank you to Elijah for gifting me the access code.

My thick fingers press the keypad with a tremble, and I’m unsure if it’s because of the drugs, the knowledge of Sienna’s marriage, the betrayal of my brothers, or the slaughter of the only man who cared for me.

Opening the door, I retrieve his gun, a wad of cash, and his bank cards. I might have my own, but something tells me I will need more. I slam it shut and stand taller, refusing to look at Elijah again. Instead, I head out the door and into my future.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Stone

Two months later…

After leaving the gym, I stole Elijah’s ride and dumped it outside of the city. I dug the computer chip out of my neck with a pair of tweezers at the nearest gas station.

I’ve been aware of its presence for as long as I can remember. After all, I bore witness to too many being implanted at the compound.

Then I spent the next few weeks bouncing from city to city, always looking over my shoulder but settling nowhere long enough to put down roots.

I needed a plan, and I was searching for something, but I wasn’t sure what. I was lost, but at the same time felt free. However, a growing part of me always felt chained to my past, to her above all else. I wanted answers, but I feared what I might discover in search of them.

That day at Casa Forte did something to me. It destroyed a part of me I will never get back. The softness I had reserved solely for her had become swallowed up in a pit of venom as I searched my mind for answers, but as always, found none.

Since discovering Sienna’s marriage it’s become a significant turning point in my life, plaguing my every thought and consuming my nightmares.

They gave her to another, committing the ultimate act of betrayal. My stone walls crumbled but now it’s time to rebuild them, making them stronger than ever before, making me a force to be reckoned with, one they won’t see coming.

I’m taking back what they gave away so freely, and this time I’m keeping her. This time she’s mine. I’m coming Sienna, and this time I’m never letting you go.

That’s why I’m back in New Jersey, searching for something that might exist, but when all else fails, it’s where my mind always comes back to despite knowing they’ve probably already looked at the gym for me. To her, the woman in my dreams with the bright-blue eyes.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Stone

The biker bar I sit in makes me as relaxed as possible, given I’m probably being hunted. It’s a tough concept to imagine, but I blend in well here. My body littered with tattoos and scars means I look much more MC than Mafia and being a nightly fixture at the bar helps with the illusion. So much so, the club hang-arounds have taken notice of me, which isn’t a good thing, considering the MC’s members’ eyes continue to land on me as if I’m a threat to their nightly fuck routines.

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