Page 58 of Havoc

“The one and the same.”

“God, I hated that bastard.”

“We all did.”

“Let’s do it,” I said. Chance put the pedal to the metal, and we flew through the streets of Sydney. Nothing like a little brother-sister bonding.

Lennon

Pierce and Caelan were sitting in the lounge pit when I woke up. Presley, as usual, was nowhere to be seen. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she never slept.

“Where’s Pres?” I asked them.

“With Chance.”

“Rudie?”

“Still in the room.”

Pierce and Caelan were exhausted, having run all over the city harassing businesses and finding out information. I could see it in their eyes, but they’d never admit it to me.

“Get some rest.”

I moved off to the room we’d left Rudie in, watching the video of Hendrix and Talia. It was on a constant loop and by the look in Rudie’s eyes, she hadn’t stopped watching. When I’d left Presley alone with her after we got the information we needed, I could hear the loud crying. I could only imagine the mental anguish she was going through.

“Rudie…”

She looked up, her eyes red and watery, puffy cheeks told me she was almost out of tears. “Stop looking at it.”

“I can’t.”

I pushed the off button on the TV and it went black. Looking back at her, I could only see the mess she was at this moment. She hadn’t always been this way, once upon a time she had been gorgeous, confident and sassy.

That was when she was friends with Presley, before the great betrayal.

“Hendrix isn’t going to help you, Rudie, but I can.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, sobbing.

“You prove yourself to Presley and she will take you in.”

“Presley won’t trust me,” she said with a sad sniffle. “She’s hated me since I slept with her brother.”

“She didn’t even know about you and Hendrix.”

“Not Hendrix…Deacon.”

“Wow, okay, didn’t know about that but so what, he’s dead now.”

“How can I prove myself to her? I’m useless.”

“No, you’re not, and you know that. You can make a man do whatever he wants, with that body, and with that mouth. You know that, I’ve seen it, Rudie.”

She sighed. “Why are you helping me?”

“Because…hell I don’t know, because Hendrix was never worth it.”

I untied her hands and let her sit there, massaging the red marks, as I left the door open. She could escape if she wanted to, but secretly, I knew she wouldn’t.

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