Damnable Grace
Page 24
A blow hit my mouth, drawing blood from my lip, and I saw red. I dropped my fist and plowed it into Himmler’s face. Wrenching the gun from his hand, I swerved the piece with one smooth movement and pressed it against his throat. The fucker met my eyes, and I smiled. I smiled as I sent a bullet through his skull, splattering his brains on this fucking messed-up ground.
I shot again, through his chin this time, watching the asshole’s jaw blow off. I thought of Phebe and the other sluts in this place and shot again, and again, lost in the sea of blood, until someone pulled me back and I hit the ground. I aimed the gun at whoever it was, and saw Cowboy stand back with his hands in the air. “You got him. ’K. And we gotta fucking go. Now. Those shots will have the rest of these fuckers back in seconds.”
Shaking my head back to the here and now, I threw the gun to the ground and scrambled for Phebe. Her naked body was spattered with blood. I lifted her up and looked at my brothers. Flame’s face was awash with blood, and his black eyes were crazed.
“Move, now.” I ordered. We left the hacked-up fuckers on the ground and fled into the trees.
Not stopping for my brothers, knowing they’d follow, I aimed for the path that ran toward the road. Branches and twigs smacked at my face as we ran.
Ten minutes later, we arrived at the van Hush had left for us. Vike and Flame jumped into the cabin and hit the engine. I got in the back, as did Cowboy.
“Where the fuck is he?” Cowboy asked in panic, his eyes scanning the abandoned back road.
“More like what the fuck was he thinking?” I snapped, thinking of Hush taking all those fuckers head on.
Asshole.
Cowboy balled his fist and punched the side of the van. Phebe flinched in my arms. At least she wasn’t so far gone on drugs she couldn’t react to shit. Maybe she’d be okay. At least physically. I grabbed the blanket that was in the back of the van and wrapped it around her naked body. Phebe moaned again, and her eyes rolled, but she still didn’t wake up. Christ knows what cocktail Meister had had her on.
“There!” Vike’s voice shouted from the cabin. I looked out of the open doors and saw Hush sprinting toward us. The fucker was lucky he was fast. He signaled for us to start moving. Cowboy hung from the back and clutched Hush’s hand, pulling him inside. They slammed the doors behind him, and we sped off. I kept my gun in my hand, just in case.
“What the fuck was that?” Cowboy snapped. He hovered over Hush, fucking pissed.
“What?” Hush snapped back, his expression darkening.
“The massive-interracial-cock taunt, you asshole. You were meant to set off an explosive, not offer yourself up for a fucking lynching,” I bit out.
Hush ignored me and bored holes into Cowboy’s face. “You think after all those Klan fuckers have done to me, to my family, that I was just gonna distract them with an explosive? Fuck that shit. I wanted those fuckers to see my impure ass. I wanted them to seethe.”
“Well, job done, fucker.” Cowboy slid down to sit on the opposite side of the van. “You wanted them to seethe? Wait until Meister returns to see his second-in-command missing a face and skull.”
No one said shit as Viking drove us like lightning back to the compound. Until Hush shook his head and said, “Shit. That’s Phebe? Li’s sister?”
“What’s left of her.” I motioned to Cowboy. “Get Prophet Dipshit on your cell. He’s needed at my cabin now. And tell the fucker it ain’t a fucking request.”
Cowboy did as I asked. I kept my gaze straight forward, staring at the side of the van. Until I felt someone watching me. When I looked down, Phebe’s bruised eyes were cracked open. I tensed when my gaze met hers.
“Vike, take the back roads home and kill the lights. They’ll be swarming the main roads in minutes. This shit ain’t over until we get through the compound’s gates.”
I kept my eyes on Phebe’s face, and that small smile she kept wearing around me pulled on her lips. My heart ripped right down the fucking center. In her fucked, raspy voice, she said, “Safe . . .”
Her eyes closed a second later, but I didn’t stop staring down at her. I couldn’t look away. Even when the van came to a stop, I struggled to break my stare.
Safe, she’d said.
Whatever the fuck that meant to her.
*****
When the van doors opened at my cabin, I held Phebe close to my chest and stepped out into the breeze. She moaned in my arms as the wind lapped her broken skin.
Rider stood near the cabin with his medical bag in his hand. Lil’ Ash was standing in front of Flame’s door, and I could see Maddie in the window, trying to look on.
Flame marched straight to Ash, then through his cabin door. I walked on to mine, only glancing at the now shaven-headed prophet to say, “Follow me.”
I went straight through to my bedroom and laid Phebe down on the freshly made bed. Phebe moaned, back arched, when I stepped back. Her red eyebrows were furrowed, and her legs became restless.
Here we fucking go. I watched as the fingers on her left hand searched for the marks on her right. The fingernails began scratching, looking for the injection of heroin.
“Can I . . .?” a voice asked from behind me. I looked back at Rider in the doorway. But the prick’s eyes weren’t even on me; they were on Phebe.
“Go ahead.” I stepped back.
“Shit,” Rider muttered under his breath as he dropped to his knees and opened his bag. He winced as he took in her injuries. The hand that was running over Phebe’s arms and legs stopped mid-air and clenched into a fist.
“I’m sorry,” Rider said to Phebe. If I wasn’t mistaken, the asshole’s voice cracked. His head dropped and shook from side to side. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
My eyes narrowed, watching him with her, and my chest tightened at how he spoke to her. I knew he knew her. I knew his psycho twin was fucking her for the longest time. But I didn’t like how close Rider was to her. Some damn stabbing in my chest didn’t like how familiar he was with her.
“She’s been raped and beaten. Don’t know for how long.” Rider turned his head to listen to me, and I swear the fucker wiped his eyes. “She’s on smack too. Meister cunt keeps all the girls on that shit.”
Switching from friend to doctor, Rider stood and began checking all Phebe’s cuts. “I need towels and water. We’ve gotta clean her up.”
I shot again, through his chin this time, watching the asshole’s jaw blow off. I thought of Phebe and the other sluts in this place and shot again, and again, lost in the sea of blood, until someone pulled me back and I hit the ground. I aimed the gun at whoever it was, and saw Cowboy stand back with his hands in the air. “You got him. ’K. And we gotta fucking go. Now. Those shots will have the rest of these fuckers back in seconds.”
Shaking my head back to the here and now, I threw the gun to the ground and scrambled for Phebe. Her naked body was spattered with blood. I lifted her up and looked at my brothers. Flame’s face was awash with blood, and his black eyes were crazed.
“Move, now.” I ordered. We left the hacked-up fuckers on the ground and fled into the trees.
Not stopping for my brothers, knowing they’d follow, I aimed for the path that ran toward the road. Branches and twigs smacked at my face as we ran.
Ten minutes later, we arrived at the van Hush had left for us. Vike and Flame jumped into the cabin and hit the engine. I got in the back, as did Cowboy.
“Where the fuck is he?” Cowboy asked in panic, his eyes scanning the abandoned back road.
“More like what the fuck was he thinking?” I snapped, thinking of Hush taking all those fuckers head on.
Asshole.
Cowboy balled his fist and punched the side of the van. Phebe flinched in my arms. At least she wasn’t so far gone on drugs she couldn’t react to shit. Maybe she’d be okay. At least physically. I grabbed the blanket that was in the back of the van and wrapped it around her naked body. Phebe moaned again, and her eyes rolled, but she still didn’t wake up. Christ knows what cocktail Meister had had her on.
“There!” Vike’s voice shouted from the cabin. I looked out of the open doors and saw Hush sprinting toward us. The fucker was lucky he was fast. He signaled for us to start moving. Cowboy hung from the back and clutched Hush’s hand, pulling him inside. They slammed the doors behind him, and we sped off. I kept my gun in my hand, just in case.
“What the fuck was that?” Cowboy snapped. He hovered over Hush, fucking pissed.
“What?” Hush snapped back, his expression darkening.
“The massive-interracial-cock taunt, you asshole. You were meant to set off an explosive, not offer yourself up for a fucking lynching,” I bit out.
Hush ignored me and bored holes into Cowboy’s face. “You think after all those Klan fuckers have done to me, to my family, that I was just gonna distract them with an explosive? Fuck that shit. I wanted those fuckers to see my impure ass. I wanted them to seethe.”
“Well, job done, fucker.” Cowboy slid down to sit on the opposite side of the van. “You wanted them to seethe? Wait until Meister returns to see his second-in-command missing a face and skull.”
No one said shit as Viking drove us like lightning back to the compound. Until Hush shook his head and said, “Shit. That’s Phebe? Li’s sister?”
“What’s left of her.” I motioned to Cowboy. “Get Prophet Dipshit on your cell. He’s needed at my cabin now. And tell the fucker it ain’t a fucking request.”
Cowboy did as I asked. I kept my gaze straight forward, staring at the side of the van. Until I felt someone watching me. When I looked down, Phebe’s bruised eyes were cracked open. I tensed when my gaze met hers.
“Vike, take the back roads home and kill the lights. They’ll be swarming the main roads in minutes. This shit ain’t over until we get through the compound’s gates.”
I kept my eyes on Phebe’s face, and that small smile she kept wearing around me pulled on her lips. My heart ripped right down the fucking center. In her fucked, raspy voice, she said, “Safe . . .”
Her eyes closed a second later, but I didn’t stop staring down at her. I couldn’t look away. Even when the van came to a stop, I struggled to break my stare.
Safe, she’d said.
Whatever the fuck that meant to her.
*****
When the van doors opened at my cabin, I held Phebe close to my chest and stepped out into the breeze. She moaned in my arms as the wind lapped her broken skin.
Rider stood near the cabin with his medical bag in his hand. Lil’ Ash was standing in front of Flame’s door, and I could see Maddie in the window, trying to look on.
Flame marched straight to Ash, then through his cabin door. I walked on to mine, only glancing at the now shaven-headed prophet to say, “Follow me.”
I went straight through to my bedroom and laid Phebe down on the freshly made bed. Phebe moaned, back arched, when I stepped back. Her red eyebrows were furrowed, and her legs became restless.
Here we fucking go. I watched as the fingers on her left hand searched for the marks on her right. The fingernails began scratching, looking for the injection of heroin.
“Can I . . .?” a voice asked from behind me. I looked back at Rider in the doorway. But the prick’s eyes weren’t even on me; they were on Phebe.
“Go ahead.” I stepped back.
“Shit,” Rider muttered under his breath as he dropped to his knees and opened his bag. He winced as he took in her injuries. The hand that was running over Phebe’s arms and legs stopped mid-air and clenched into a fist.
“I’m sorry,” Rider said to Phebe. If I wasn’t mistaken, the asshole’s voice cracked. His head dropped and shook from side to side. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
My eyes narrowed, watching him with her, and my chest tightened at how he spoke to her. I knew he knew her. I knew his psycho twin was fucking her for the longest time. But I didn’t like how close Rider was to her. Some damn stabbing in my chest didn’t like how familiar he was with her.
“She’s been raped and beaten. Don’t know for how long.” Rider turned his head to listen to me, and I swear the fucker wiped his eyes. “She’s on smack too. Meister cunt keeps all the girls on that shit.”
Switching from friend to doctor, Rider stood and began checking all Phebe’s cuts. “I need towels and water. We’ve gotta clean her up.”
