Page 90 of Fallen Legacy

Vee strokes my hand and smiles down at me. “Damon was in the car with you, Eliza. He’s here in the hospital. He was hurt in the accident.”

I frown. Why can’t I remember what happened? I don’t remember being in a car with Damon. I wrack my brains, but there’s nothing, just a hazy fog. “Is he okay?”

Vee bobs her head side-to-side. “He will be.”

My heart settles with this news. I’ve already lost my parents. I don’t want to lose anyone else. “I’m tired,” I tell her.

“Then sleep, girl. We’ll be here when you wake up again. You’re safe and you’re going to be okay, I promise.”

I nod my head, feeling reassured that they’ll stay with me. I don’t know why I feel so unsettled. I know something is off, but I can’t put my finger on it. What am I not remembering? My eyes fight the exhaustion, but it’s no good and sleep claims me again.

ARCHER

Iwipe the blood from my hands before I answer my phone. It’s Vee. My anxiety rises. Is Scar, okay?

“Is she okay?” I ask her on answering. I stalk out of the dark room, closing the door behind me, and taking the stairs to the ground floor.

“Eliza woke up. She’s fine,” Vee adds in quickly. “She was a bit confused, and she doesn’t seem to remember anything from the accident, but Doctor Simon says that’s not uncommon, that the brain often blocks out the trauma of the event until it’s healed enough to deal with it.”

“And they’re sure she’s over the worst?”

“She is,” Vee assures me. “She doesn’t remember Damon being with her, and she didn’t ask about the baby. I don’t think she remembers.”

I nod my head, my other hand clenching into a fist. Our baby didn’t survive the trauma of the accident. We’d lost our baby boy.

“How am I going to tell her, Vee?” I ask. How do I tell her that the baby she’d carried inside her was no longer there?

“You’re just going to have to be honest with her Arch. I know you want to protect her from the pain, but she’ll be okay. She has all of us to love her and get her through this.”

“I know,” I reply, nodding my head. My girl has so many people who love and care for her, that’s for sure.

“How are you doing?” Vee asks me softly. “Everyone keeps asking about Eliza, but you lost him too, Arch.”

I gulp, swallowing back the anger and regret I feel that I’ll never get to hold our son in my arms. “I’m dealing, Vee. When she’s ready, we’ll hold a memorial, and we’ll all say goodbye to him properly.”

“We will,” she replies, and I can hear in her voice that she’s fighting back the tears. “She’s sleeping right now, but I’ve assured her you’ll be here by the time she wakes up again.”

“I’m on my way. I just need to clean up.” I look down at my blood-stained chest. My father’s blood adorns my skin.

“I hope you’re making him pay.” Her voice is cold and devoid of emotion as she references the man who I no longer call my father.

“Let’s just say I’m enjoying making him scream and beg for his life.”

“Good,” she says firmly. “It’s nothing more than he deserves. Anyway, go get cleaned up and get your arse down here.”

I assure her I’ll be there as soon as I can and end the call. I return to the basement to tell my brothers the good news that Scar is finally awake and talking. Both Seb and Rafe are relieved to hear she’s awake. My girl has become a part of our tight little family. She’s one of us now. The side door opens and Chester strolls into the room with his vape in his hand.

“Eliza’s awake,” I tell him. I gesture over to my bloodied and unconscious father. “We’re all heading up to the hospital. Can I trust you to watch him?”

Chester grins. It’s the type of grin that would cause you to shudder. Me and my brothers are messed up, but Chester is a whole other level. I’ve never seen someone get so excited by blood and screams.

“Oh, dear Phillip will be just fine. We’ll carry on getting to know each other,” he tells me with a wink as he reaches for the knuckle dusters. He lifts them up to his mouth with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Go. Leave me to my fun.”

Seb arches a brow in silent conversation with me. My brothers are also shocked at how much Chester has a craving for violence. We’ll need to keep a leash on him in the future to keep that violence under control.

The police are still out looking for my father. The story in the papers is he’s on the run. Boyd came straight out and asked me if I had him stashed somewhere and I denied any knowledge of knowing where he was. The police will get him when I’ve finished with him, and not before. I need to see him suffer first. I need to make him pay for what he’s done to Scar, and for the death of our baby.

ELIZA

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