The Devil's Due (23 page)

D
ogger turned his bloody face to me. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Lainey!” Cade cried in anguish. “Lainey, get out of here!”

“Matty, stop. Please.”

“How do you know my name?”

“Pauline told me. Cade didn’t hurt her. Please. Let him go.”

“You talked to my sister?”

“Your sister is here.”

A murmur went up from the Rat Kings. I saw two men loosen their grip on Cade and he swatted them away.

“Lainey, what do you mean? Where’s Pauline?”

“She’s here.” I gestured to the Town Car still parked at an angle. “Matty, she’s in that car.”

A low rumble came up from the Kings. Matty turned to me but stumbled. I raced forward and caught him around the arm. His face was terribly swollen and beaten but I could see his eyes. They were huge.

“You guys have the same eyes,” I whispered.

“My sister’s here?”

I led him to the Town Car. No one moved as I opened the door. “Pauline? Pauline, honey?”

She lay staring vacantly at the backs of the seats, her eyes unfocused. This time, I knew what to do. I crawled into the back seat and leaned over.

“Pauline, honey,” I whispered, and brushed my finger across her forehead.

Her whole body jerked and she sat up with a scream. “Lainey!” she cried and I caught her to my chest.

“Pauline, Matty is here. He’s been hurt real bad. But he’s here. And he’s gonna take you home.”

Tears flooded her huge eyes, “Matty?” she whimpered.

I lifted her and carefully pulled her from the car. She wobbled on unsteady feet.

“Pauline?” Matty whispered.

She blinked at him, unrecognizing.

“It’s me, sis.”

“Matty? What happened to your face?”

He made a sound that could almost have been a chuckle. “Got in a fight.”

Her face softened immediately. “You’re always in a fight.”

“I know.” The corners of his mouth jerked as he continued. “Not my fault. They started it.” He shuffled his feet in the dirt like a naughty little boy, a perfect rendition of the little brother.

Her eyes widened. Then her face broke out into the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. She rushed to him, and he folded her into his arms.

“Not so tight, sis,” he grunted as he stroked her hair.

The crowd of bikers watched, confused.

“Pauline?” Cade’s voice was a whisper on the wind. He shook himself free of his captors, who seemed too confused to hold on to him anymore. “Leen, what happened?”

With her arms still clutched around her brother, Pauline turned her tear-streaked face to Cade. And then it contorted into a mask of fury.

“You left me,” she hissed. “You left me with
him
.”

Cade staggered forward. I watched the emotions play across his face as he lifted his hand to touch her and then thought better of it.

“I didn’t leave. I never left,” he whispered. “I thought... I thought you left me.”

“What?” The anger was draining out of her voice.

“He told me you weren’t coming back. He told me...” Slow realization was dawning on Cade’s face as he began to understand what had happened.

“He told me you didn’t want me.” Rage rushed into his voice and he turned with a shout. “He told me you were his now, and I believed it!” Cade spat on the ground and lunged for Moloch.

I screamed as I saw the gunmen turn on him. I squeezed my eyes shut, ready for the hail of gunfire, but instead I felt my own gun yanked from my hands.

“Stay back!” Wyatt shouted, training Zyz’s gun at the whole crowd of Devils. “All of you stay back, or I swear to god...”

“What did you do to her, Nails?” Cade screamed.

Moloch’s eyes glittered. “Don’t you call me that!” Spittle flew from his mouth.

“Oh no?” Cade mocked. “You’re the devil himself, huh? Did you think that by giving yourself a scary new name we’d forget what a little pissant piece of shit you are?”

“You ran away, Turner. I stepped in where you left.”

“You’re right, I left,” Cade acknowledged. “But now I’m back.”

“You swore to me,” Moloch said, trying to sound tough but wavering. He backed up as Cade advanced on him. “You swore on your life!”

“You’re the president, not some goddamned king. What did you do to her?”

Moloch opened and closed his mouth. He looked wildly around and spotted one of his followers watching him, mouth agape.

“Kill him!” he shrieked, “Kill him, you idiot!”

Before the words had died on his lips, Cade had him by the throat. “Get back!” roared Wyatt, and he cocked the safety on the gun and aimed straight at one of Moloch’s followers. One by one, they each dropped their guns and raised their hands in the air.

Moloch’s eyes went wide. He clutched at Cade’s arms, first casually, then frantically as he felt the life choked from him. His flat, black eyes rolled wildly, searching for help.

He reached out to the crowd of Devils, who only looked on him in disgust. He sputtered and reached for Pauline, who turned her head and buried it in Matty’s chest.

Then his eyes found mine. I saw his blood-red lips form my name soundlessly. His tongue poked from the corner of his mouth, but this time, it was not a prelude to violence. I felt a calm wash over me as I locked my blue eyes onto his.

I watched and did not look away as the life left them.

C
ade let go. Moloch dropped to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Cade’s shoulders heaved up and down in two deep breaths. And then he too collapsed to the ground, shattered; broken. No one came forward to comfort him as he sobbed on the baking pavement.

I watched my own hand as if it were something alien. I felt a pull. Reaching out to him, I stepped forward.

“Cade,” I whispered.

He didn’t look up. But I heard him whisper in surprise. “Lainey-girl?”

I moved to him. He was warm under my hands and I smelled the hot scent of leather mixed with the sweetness of him. His tawny-gold hair fell in curtains around his face, hiding him from my sight. I knelt down next to him.

“You didn’t know?” I asked.

“I didn’t know,” he choked.

“You swear?”

“On my life. I thought... I thought she had left me.” He lifted his face. His hair parted around his eyes. They locked onto mine and drew me into their oceanic depths. “Like my father. Like my brother.”

“Your brother?”

He nodded and buried his head in his hands.

I heard Wyatt’s voice over us. “Turner’s brother died in the hold-up. It killed their old man,” he explained. Wyatt stretched out his arm and somehow hauled Cade to his feet. He brushed at the shoulders of Cade’s jacket and shook him slightly. “But it weren’t your fault. I told you that and I told you that.”

“She was all I had left, and I just let her go,” Cade shook his head, staring at the ground.

“It ain’t me you should be tellin’ that to.”

Cade looked up. Wyatt gave him a little shove towards where Pauline stood with her back to him. Matty clutched her protectively and Cade lifted his hands in surrender.

“Leen,” he whispered. “Leen, please look at me.”

Pauline shook her head and buried her face in Matty’s chest.

“Leen, he lied to me. I swear.”

She lifted her head and fixed him with her huge eyes.

“Leen, you know what happened. Mac died. Dad died. Everything was fucked.” He looked at the ground and I saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down. “When Nails told me you left me, it just...” he shook his head in distaste. “Well, it just made sense. Everything else had gone to shit in my life. Why wouldn’t this be shit, too?”

He stepped forward. “What did he do to you, Leen?”

I stepped forward and put a warning hand on his arm. “Don’t make her say,” I whispered.

He looked at me, seeing me again for the first time. “Lainey-girl...” He trailed off as the realization hit him. “Oh my god. He had you too.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but was suddenly crushed in his arms. His scent washed over me and the ice around my heart melted. I felt tears rising as I sagged into him.

“You saved her,” he whispered, stroking my hair back from my face. “You saved me, too.”

“She did.”

Both of us turned. Pauline had untangled herself from her brother’s arms and was staring at the two of us. “Thank you, Lainey,” she said, stretching out her hand.

I smiled weakly and took her hand in mine. “I told you it would be okay.”

“Cade.” Her voice hitched and I squeezed her hand. “I did love you.” She blinked and her mouth twisted. “And then I hated you. And now I don’t know what to do.”

Matty put a hand on her arm. “Come home.”

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Nodding her head, she locked eyes with Cade. “I’m going home now,” she declared.

He nodded, tears brimming at his eyes. “Okay.” He nodded again, resignation slumping his broad shoulders. “I’m sorry.”

She nodded, and a soft smile played at the corner of her mouth. Her wide eyes crinkled at the corners.

“Goodbye, Cade,”

She turned and slung her arm around her brother’s waist. We watched as the two stumbled across the parking lot, supporting each other.

When they reached his bike, Matty helped her sling her leg over the seat and then carefully seated himself. She clutched him tightly, steadying both herself and him.

She looked across the lot and fixed me with her gaze. She lifted her finger in a small salute. I waggled my fingers in return and swallowed down the lump in my throat.

Matty nodded to the lead Rat. The big man nodded back and called out across the lot.

“New terms! We better not see any of your sorry faces in Porter Crossing again.”

“No problem there,” shouted Wyatt. “Now get the fuck out of our town.”

The lead Rat nodded. And with a sudden roar, Matty peeled out of the lot, Pauline holding onto him tightly. One by one, the Rat Kings followed in a slow parade down the road and into the morning sun.

N
o one spoke a word as we watched them leave.

I saw a flutter out of the corner of my eye and saw Moloch’s hair, rising and falling with each whooshing updraft as Rats pulled out. The sight made me shudder and I huddled into Cade.

He looked down at me and squeezed me close to him.

“Lainey-girl,” he said again, surprise still touching the edges of his voice. “You’re still here.”

I nodded, and then laughed a little to hide the tears that licked at the corners of my eyes. “I’m still here.”

He turned me to face him and I stumbled immediately into the depths of his eyes. There was a softness there I had never seen before. The rage was melting from his face and I knew I was seeing him, the real him, for the very first time. Anger, sorrow, and heartbreak had carved themselves into the marble of his face, but now I saw hope there too.

And I knew the hope was because I was still there.

I lifted my hand to cup it against his cheek. “Hi there.” Tracing my finger down the side of his face, I tilted his chin down. “We were never properly introduced. My name is Elaine Whiteside.”

His eyes widened and a slow grin spread across his face. He stepped back and clasped my hand and pumped it up and down. I laughed.

“Cade Turner. Nice to meet you.” He grinned. “Thanks for saving my life, Elaine.”

“Please, don’t ever call me that again.”

He folded me back into his arms. “Deal.”

And before I could say another word, his lips found mine and silenced any doubts I may have had that this was real.

Wyatt walked up and tapped Cade on the arm. “You need to get out, Turner,” he whispered. He gestured to Moloch’s crumpled body. “Nails’ guys are quiet now, but if they get you alone, you’re a dead man. Get out of here until I give you the word it’s safe.”

I swallowed back my fear as Cade nodded. “I owe you one,” he declared, and clasped Wyatt’s forearm with his meaty hand.

Wyatt returned the gesture and looked at me. “You’ll take care of him?”

I narrowed my eyes, remembering how he had slung me over his shoulder at Moloch’s command. “We’re friends now?”

Wyatt made a small sound in the back of his throat. “I know it didn’t look good, girlie. But I got you and that other girl out of his house, didn’t I?”