Page 39 of Gemini
I pursed my lips, my body growing hot. I turned the screen of my phone toward him so he could see. His eyes drifted over the images and I saw his expression change.
“He really did this?” I asked, my hand shaking. “Your brother really went out last night and did this?”
Dom’s gaze flicked up to mine and he nodded. The reality of my situation was starting to hit me. I felt sweat run down the back of my neck.
Last night, while Dom had been finger fucking me in the bath, his brother had gone out on a killing spree, burning down buildings with people in them, all for me.
I wasn’t sure if it was a sob or laugh that got caught in my throat. My body shook either way. I felt Dom move closer, his heavy arm wrapping around me. He tried to gently pry my hands from my face but I pulled away in response.
“Where is he?” I asked.
Dom put up his hand. He started to sign but I stopped him.
“Take me to him. Now.”
Dom studied me for a moment, then sighed. As he rose, he helped me up. He wanted to carry me but I felt too embarrassed for that, not wanting to look so vulnerable. He gathered the crutches so I could place them under each arm, then he guided me to the door. Since I was no stranger to crutches, I was able to keep up with his long strides even as he kept a leisurely pace. As he took me over to an elevator, I peered around the mostly empty hallway. Parts of it were clearly being worked on as I could see up into the ceiling, with wires dangling down. Parts of the walls had openings into more electrical wiring. The building was old but someone was trying to fix it up.
Dom pulled the gate to the elevator away and stepped inside. As I followed in, he pulled it back then pushed his fist on the down button. He kept a hold on my elbow as the elevator brought us down. As it sank to the ground level with a thud, he opened the gate and I followed him down another hallway. He turned into a set of double doors to the right, and I followed him.
I froze just past the entrance, finding myself in what was almost a large ballroom, only it was turned into a club, with a bar on one side and DJ stand on a small stage. There were neon lights around the top and grungy art on the walls. Dull light streamed down from windows up high. The place was empty with only the soft hum of music nearby. Dom crossed the dance floor, making for another set of doors on the other end. The next room was smaller, more like a lounge, with another bar, several seats and a pool table. One of the walls had a tall slide-in door that was opened to the outside, bringing in a soft warm breeze. Dom took me out to a courtyard, making sure I didn’t stumble on the uneven gravel. There were a few bikes parked in a row along with Dom’s Mustang, Lez’s Hellcat, and my Jeep. I could hear music and people talking nearby along with a shrill drilling noise. On the other side of the courtyard, where the building wrapped around, were two large garage doors standing open. Inside I could see people mingling around a couple cars that looked fit for racing. Dom took me over to them and I followed, wishing I didn’t suddenly feel so self-conscious.
There were eight people altogether and I recognized several of them. A few had been with Leslie that first night I met Dom at the diner. One of them was the bigger guy that had walked in on me and Dom in the bathroom. There was a girl there too with short red hair and a butch build wearing mechanics overalls. The rest were men in dark tank tops and workmen pants all covered in tattoos. They were laughing at some unheard joke as we got closer. One of them noticed Dom and waved.
“Yo, Dom! Didn’t think you’d be up this early,” he called. He was a tall, leaner-built guy that looked like a viking with long blond hair tied back and the sides of his head shaved. He also sported an impressive beard. He started toward Dom then halted when he saw me. “Oh, shit.”
The others went quiet, their eyes turning to me as I stood in front of the entrance of the garage. Dom signed something at them and the viking nodded. “Yeah, sure thing. Hey, Lez! Your bro is here!” he called deeper into the garage.
I heard something clatter to the floor from within. A moment later, Leslie rolled out from underneath one of the cars. He got up and walked over to us, taking off a pair of gloves. He glanced at his brother then saw me and slowed. He gestured for one of the guys to turn down the music from the speaker as he approached, his eyes never leaving me. His expression darkened as his gaze raked over my face.
“What the fuck is she doing out here, she should be in bed,” he said in a grated voice. “Damnit, Dom, look at her, she’s not fit to—”
“I wanted to,” I interrupted.
Lez halted, his eyes narrowing. “Is this a joke? You can barely walk—”
“We need to talk.”
His gaze shifted to the others as he leaned back on the hood of the car just behind him. “What about?”
I clenched my jaw. “You know what about. And before you go glancing at your brother, it’s about last night. I know what you did.”
He smirked and it was then I noticed the beginnings of a bruise on his jaw. “No need to come all the way down and thank me. A call or text would have sufficed.”
“I’m not here to thank you.”
He nodded, his smile growing. “I guess I should have expected that.”
“Why the fuck would I be happy that you murdered people.”
The silence among the group was deafening. Dom signed at them and they started to disperse.
“Damn, Lez, you’re in the dog house now.” The viking chuckled as we walked away.
“Fuck off, Leo,” the bigger guy said. He shook his head at Dom as he turned to leave.
The woman set down a towel, shaking her head. “Those sick fucks,” I heard her say. I understood she was talking about the Serpents since she was staring at my face. I could only imagine how bad I must look to even have a group as intimidating as this gaping at me.
As the rest disappeared, it was just me, Lez, and Dom. A crow cawed nearby as Lez glared at me.
