Page 27 of Shadow

I killed his wife’s brother.

Backing out of the booth, I slowly walked towards the exit. Reaching for my phone, I called the only one who would understand. When the phone connected, all I heard was heavy panting, then a growl.

“What?”

“I need help.”

“Why? You left.”

“I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have come here. He had a sister. I didn’t know. I can’t tell her. Kansas is going to kill me.”

“Slow down,” Sandman sighed, then I heard him whisper, “I’ll be right back, baby.”

Fuck. He was with Sunny. Even I knew not to interrupt his time with his woman. The big fucker was gone on Sunny. He adored everything about her, down to her dainty little toes.

A few moments later, I heard him say, “Explain.”

“My nightmares. I see them. All of them. Every night. But I see Jinx the most. He’s been yelling at me for months. I couldn’t take it anymore and I left. I thought being on the road would quiet the voices. Only now, I met his sister. She’s the wife of Kansas, man. The entire club knows I killed him. They want me dead.”

“You’re not making sense. Slow down.”

Taking a deep breath, I began, “It started a while ago. The nightmares. I see the faces of the men and women I killed. Before, it was easy to quiet them, but as time went by, it became harder. That’s when I started drinking. Only that didn’t help much. When I accidentally killed Jinx, the Diamondback brother, nothing shut up the voices. Not therapy, meds, anything. I couldn’t take it anymore. The night I left, I had a terrible nightmare, and I didn’t know Ghost was trying to wake me up. I woke up swinging, not realizing I had a knife in my hand. I cut my brother, Sandman. I made him bleed. It was then I knew I couldn’t stay. I didn’t want to hurt anyone else. I traveled around for a while until I showed up at my sisters’.”

“Didn’t know you had sisters.”

“Four of them. Anyway, my sisters run a holistic farm that sells shit like lotions and candles at markets around the area. That’s where they met Kali. My sister, Hope, needed help to deliver some goods in Lawton. I didn’t think anything of it until I pulled up at the Diamondback compound. That’s where I met Kali. She looked familiar to me. I knew her but didn’t. Kansas told me to stay the fuck away from her and I have. Until today. I am with Hope at the Lawton Farmer’s Market, and Kali showed up. She started talking, and that’s when I learned she’s the little sister of Jinx.”

“The Diamondback brother you killed.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, so what’s the problem?”

“I don’t know!” I growled loudly, looking around the parking lot. “I freaked out, okay? Because the second I realized who her brother was, his voice shouted in my head, she needs you. Save her. Tell Jinx I love her.”

“Don’t see a problem here, Shadow. Do what the voice says. Tell her.”

“I can’t!” I groaned. “Kansas told me to stay the fuck away from her. He doesn’t want me anywhere near his woman. Fuck, Sandman, he’s itching to kill me himself. They all are. I’m a nomad visiting another club’s territory. I go against his edict, I might as well sign my own death warrant.”

The brother groaned. “You said his voice was the loudest, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Look, Shadow, I know about the voices. I have them too. Only I ignore the fuckers. They got what they deserved. But I never killed an innocent. You want my opinion, I say fuck everyone else and do what his voice is telling you to do. He won’t let you rest until you do.”

“Even if it means Kansas kills me?”

“What other choice do you have, brother? Live with a ghost shouting at you for the rest of your life or do what it’s telling you to do. Either way, you’re screwed. Look, you already know what you are going to do, so just do it. Fucking Diamondbacks kill you and I will hunt them down for ya. No biggie off my back. Been dying to shed some blood, anyway.”

With that, he hung up.

Great. “Thanks for the help, asshole,” I muttered, putting my phone away as movement to my right caught my eye as I saw Kali and the man from earlier walk out of the Farmer’s Market. Moving towards the shadows, I watched as they both got into a car and drove off.

Heading back towards the entrance, I saw Vivi, Pence’s woman, leaning over the steering wheel. Worried, I walked over and knocked on the window. When she didn’t answer, I opened the door. “Vivi? You, okay? You want me to call Pence for you?”

She didn’t answer.

Leaning her back, I noticed blood dripping down her forehead.

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