“I’d like that very much,” I reply, my chest tight and my soul soaring with this feeling of finally finding a family, a home, and knowing that soon, I will be the one to tear it all apart.
They do say the ones you love the most are the ones you hurt the most.
I just hope that they can forgive me for what I’m about to do.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“BODIES” BYBRYCE FOX
TARL
The drive back from Mount Pleasant is quiet, Aeron and I lost in our own thoughts, the swirling maelstrom of the past, and all the things we didn’t know before today. The fact that his mother and Lark’s were friends, and by the sounds of it long-time friends, was definitely not something any of us knew, Lark included.
“I’ve often wondered why dad and Rufus fell out,” Aeron says, hands firm on the steering wheel of his pride and joy; his matt black Ferrari LaFerrari. “I’d always assumed it had to do with what the Soldiers did to Mom.”
“And now?”
He huffs a sigh. “And now it seems like it stemmed from much earlier, and I’m wondering if all the fucked up shit we’ve done to each other was down to something far less noble than revenge for her rape.”
I think on his words, they reflect my own thoughts. I’ve only really known the two gangs to be rivals, to be at war with one another, and I, too, believed the catalyst for it becoming an all-out bloody war was because of the attack on Heather Taylor.
But if what she said earlier was true, then they were fighting long before her attack, forcing the two women to keep their friendship hidden, and the fact that Rufus subjected his own wife to the same punishment…I knew he was a monster of a special sort, especially after Lark’s confession, but it seems he was worse than any of us ever knew.
The thought of what Lark has had to go through makes my hands clench and unclench in my lap with rage. A feeling that courses through me like a drug and won’t be satisfied until I can release it on Rufus, making him truly a dead Soldier.
Aeron’s phone rings and he presses a button on the wheel to answer it.
“Son,” Adam’s smooth voice floats around us, a warmth to his tone that is always present when talking to his sons.“How was your mother?”
Aeron’s eyes flick to mine, a hint of warning that is unnecessary. I won’t tell our leader that we took Lark, or that Heather confessed her friendship and vow to us.
“She was fine, pretty chatty actually,” Aeron answers, his voice completely normal with no hint of the half-truth and I smirk. The best lies always hold a grain of truth.
“Good, good,” Adam replies, releasing a breath. “Earl told me that our little bird sang, telling you that she can get you into Soldiers HQ?” The memory of her mother’s nickname flashes through my mind, and I find myself shifting in my seat when Adam uses it now.
My jaw clenches at Earl’s name, and I shouldn’t want to do all the horrible things that come to mind to him, what with Earl being the second-in-command and all, but I can’t help it. Hehurt myEshgham, and I blame him for what we had to do to her. How far we had to go.
“Yep, I wanted to come up with a plan of attack before I spoke to you.”
“And I’m sure that you will, son. Very clever to promise the safety of her brother to gain the intel. Of course, he will die with the rest of the Soldier scum, but she doesn’t need to know that yet.”The leather on the steering wheel creaks with Aeron’s tight grip. “But first, I have a job for you boys tonight. The wood for the rebuild is arriving, and I need you all there to take charge and ensure it gets to the warehouse.”
He means the rebuild of the stables, Adam Taylor doesn’t sit on his laurels. He gets shit done, and fast. He also refers to the deal that we, as the Tailors, are helping to facilitate between one of the biggest illegal arms dealers and his client. Think of us like the middlemen; we ensure no one is getting fucked over and we get paid a fuck ton of dirty money for our services. Luckily, we have a rather large racetrack to clean it.
“Of course. Send me the location and I’ll make sure we’re there.”
“I know you will, son. You’re shaping up to be the perfect leader. The next generation of Tailors, ready to take us into the future. I’m proud of you, Aeron. Of you all.”
I feel the swelling of my chest at his praise; this man who not only saved my life but gave me so much and treated me like one of his own. I can see Aeron do the same, sitting up straighter, even as a frown mars his brow.
“Thank you, Dad.”
“I’m sure that you have all of this handled. I trust you to be able to deal with the Soldiers in any way that you see fit. I want you to bring me their heads, son, Rufus’s and the boy’s. Preferably on a silver fucking platter.”I shiver at the brutality in his tone, something I’d usually revel in, but unease makesme go rigid. How will we accomplish that without breaking our beautiful bird’s heart?“I’ve some business to take care of here, so I won’t be back for several weeks. Make sure to take some of the men if you need them. Earl included. They’re all under your command, and I’ll make sure they know it. Speak to you soon, son.”
“Speak to you soon, Dad.” The call ends, and once again, we sit in silence, both lost in our own thoughts.
“Are you going to do as he says?” The baring of Aeron’s teeth as he looks at the road in front of us tells me he knows what I’m talking about. Rook, Lark’s brother.
“She’ll not forgive us for killing her only true family left,” he replies, and I nod, my throat tightening with the thought that we’re in between a rock and a hard place.
