Page 27 of Forever Filthy

The moment Vox called and told us he needed us, we didn’t ask questions, just packed our bags and got on the first flight back home. Hayze thought we should drive but flying is quicker and right now, we just need to get back to Washington. As we pull up in front of Nova’s house an eerie feeling settles over me, something feels… off.

“Something’s wrong,” Ez grits out then launches out of the rental car with Hayze and I chasing after him. He doesn’t knock, he just throws the door open and is immediately met by the sound of Nova screaming. We all run into the living room to find her on her knees sobbing while Vox kneels behind, holding her. I look to the opposite side of the room to see Jane and Olivia standing there with tears trailing down their own cheeks. I spotMary behind them and frown when my mom walks around the corner. The second our moms spot us, they all race over and wrap their arms around us and cry. Hayze, Ez and I share a look of confusion as we hold our moms.

“Bring her back!” Nova screams, the pain in her voice shreds me. Nova isn’t the type of girl to cry over nothing, so to see her this distraught means something really bad happened, which is when I notice we are missing someone.

Kelly.

“Ma?” I say quietly. Mom pulls back and stares up at me with worry in her eyes. “Where’s Kelly?”

Her bottom lip trembles. “Someone murdered her,” she chokes out, at her confession Ez’s face blanks of everything as he gently pushes his mom and steps around her to go to Nova. Vox snaps his head up and stares at Ezekiel with a pleading look.

“Help her,” he begs. Ez nods and Vox reluctantly releases his hold on Nova and scoots back while Ez kneels down in front of his sister. He gently grasps her face between his hands and forces her tear-stained head up to meet his gaze. The stoic look on his face and the way he is able to control his own emotions while his little sister is breaking in his hands staggers me.

“A favor asked is a debt owed, sister.” Nova’s mouth parts on a gasp.

“Ezekiel!” Vox roars.

Ez cuts his gaze to Vox. “Shut the fuck up, she needs this. She needs a purpose and we will grant her that wish.” He drops his gaze back to Nova. “A favor asked is a debt owed,” he says again.

Nova looks at Ez with a broken look in her eyes, the same look she had the night she lost her best friend, Waylen. “She’s gone,” she chokes out. “She made me go to college, she promised she would be fine and that I didn’t have to worry about her. She fucking promised!” she screams. Olivia begins to cry quietly beside me so I shift my mom to one side and wrap my other armaround her. I know this must be hard for her, all she wants to do is comfort Nova as any mother would, but she also knows Nova only saw Kelly as her mom, and for her to try and comfort her now would be dishonoring Kelly.

“Ask the favor,” Ezekiel snaps.

“Can you bring her back?” Nova screams in anger. “Can the Filthy-fucking-Few grant me that?”

“No. But we can grant you the vengeance you want, I swear it. On my life, I will not rest until I deliver the son of a bitch to you. Ask the favor, Nova, and you will have the Filthy Few at your beck and call until we take the life of the cunt that took your mom from you.”

“I want them all to pay. I want Nexus to die for taking Waylen from me and I want whoever…” She breaks down again but Ez doesn’t push her, he just waits for her to find the courage to finish asking what she wants. “I want whoever took my mom from me to suffer. I want them to pay for what they took from me, can you give me that?” The resolution in Ezekiel’s eyes astounds me, he has always been the only one out of the four of us to be able to shut down his emotions and focus.

“Given who you are to me and to Vox, a second favor will be granted. You have our word, we will deliver them to you.” Ez looks to Vox and nods for him to come forward. This time when Vox reaches for Nova she leaps into his arms and straddles his lap, then buries her face in his neck as she cries. I’ve never seen Vox so out of his depth but still so in control, it's an odd combination but one that brings a smile to my face. He’s changing and it's all thanks to the girl he has in his arms, who loves him more than anything.

I hope my girl can love me like that.

I push that thought away as Ez approaches us. “We need to make a call.” The order is clear and one I am happy to obey given the situation. I release my mom and his and follow him out ofthe room. He leads us up the stairs to a guest room. Hayze closes the door and moves to stand by the window, keeping his back to us.

“What if she doesn’t answer?” Hayze asks. I look at Ez who just shakes his head. We’re all thinking the same thing but Hayze was the only one with the balls to ask it. After being woken by the sound of Vox’s car and seeing him driving away with our girl, the three of us have been in a sour mood wondering if we fucked up. Did we push her too far? Does she regret what happened? All these types of questions have been plaguing the three of us all day.

“I have this feeling, I can’t explain it?—”

I cut Ez off. “But you feel like somehow Vivian is at the center of all of this?” He eyes me with surprise, then nods stiffly.

“Yeah, exactly,” he mutters.

“If she is, then she won’t tell us. We need her to come to us and not to ask a favor. I want her to come to us because sheneedsus.” I study Hayze for a long moment and take in his disheveled appearance. He looks like shit and has barely spoken to me all day.

“You know her and you also know she would rather chew off her fucking left tit than admit she needs help. Was her going behind our backs and performing a hostile takeover of the Saints not enough proof for you?” I shoot Ezekiel a warning look, her takeover is still a soft spot for Hayze and me. I know Ez says marrying her was for her protection but there is still that seed of doubt in the back of our minds.

“If we push too hard, she will run and as much as I fucking want her, I also won’t force her intothis.” Hayze motioned between the three of us.

“She seemed to enjoy the three of us just fucking fine,” I add. When the door opens and we see Vox standing there looking utterly helpless and lost, the whole mood in the room changes.

“Vivian is trying to lift our banishment.” The words that tumble out of Vox’s mouth are not the ones I expected to hear.

“Why exactly would she be doing that?” I ask.

“Kelly Valerian’s head was delivered to my sister earlier today. That is why she is trying to lift it because she knows I am going back there and no fucking banishment will stop me. Whoever the fuck thought they could come formywitch and break her heart is going to fucking learn what happens when you hurt what is mine!” His words play on a loop. Vi was sent Kelly’s head! A fucking head for Christ’s sake! The venom in Vox’s tone is enough for me to know he isn’t kidding, he’s about to put that mask on and wreak havoc on Hollow Hills until he finds out who the fuck hurt his girl.

“Fuck, does Nova know?” Ez growls.

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