Fatal (Portland Street Kings Book 2) (9 page)

“If Rex knew it was you, everything would be different. He loves you Della and as much as that love would probably turn to hate, Rex would never hurt you.”
 

This changes everything.
 

Why are they worrying about kidnapping me when they’ve had the answer to end this war the whole time?

“Rex can’t know, Lana.” I jump at the sound of Slater’s stern voice.
 

I glance over my shoulder and see all the Kings and Piper standing around the doorway.
 

“Welcome to my world, there’s no such thing as privacy with these guys,” Della states and I don’t have to look back at her to see the exasperation I hear in her voice.

“Why? He won’t hurt her. I can promise you that.” I direct my question and statement to Slater, and he kicks his foot out and stares at the ground, but I don’t miss the quick look he gives Mackson as well.
 

There’s something they won’t tell me.

“What aren’t you telling me?” This time, my eyes are on Mack when I speak.

Slater’s phone rings and everyone in the room tenses as if there’s a call they’re all waiting on.
 

Has Rex contacted Slater and they haven’t told me?
 

“Got it,” Slater murmurs into the phone and hangs up.

Slater looks to me and says, “We have to go. Brett spotted Corey coming into the hospital.”
 

“Did they contact you? Did my brother ask to talk?” Hope soars into my soul.
My brother does love me enough to put me first.

“No,” Slater informs me gently. “However, we know Rex has people watching us because the minute we left Portland, Corey’s car was following us, out in the open, not hiding at all. If Corey wants to talk to us or if Rex is on his way, that can’t happen here, in a hospital full of innocent people. We need to leave now, veer off to a secluded spot on the way home and see if they follow to talk.”
 

I nod in understanding and turn back to Della. The guilt shining in her eyes should never have been her burden. My father died the way a man like him should have—bloody and painful. It was his destiny. I wish it wasn’t Della’s. Words, there’s nothing I can say to make her nightmares go away. So I hope Della can see the forgiveness I openly offer her in my smile and glassy eyes.

Mackson, Slater, and Pacer walk to Della and say a quick goodbye. Slater whispers to Piper and she nods and sits on the bed with Della while Kelso steps up to the door and waits there.
 

Slater is the first to walk out of the room and then Pacer gently gives me a push to follow. Again I find myself walking behind Slater with Pacer on my left and Mack to my right. Glancing over my shoulder, I watch Kelso close the door behind us and give me a cheeky wink.

A grin tugs at the corner of my mouth and I hear Mackson sigh loudly. I don’t bother to look up. Instead, something strange happens—warmth flows through me and I feel lightness in my limbs. I recognize this sensation, it’s how I felt when Rex taught me how to ride my bike, and when I’d wake up on my birthdays to presents surrounding me. Rex would stay up late and wait until I’d fallen asleep and then he’d fill my bed with gifts.

Love. Family. Safety.

Watching the Kings, I crave the past. I want my big brother back. Grief and vengeance have destroyed all our traditions over the past five years. I used to hate his over-protectiveness and how nosey he would be, but now that I’m invisible to him, I desperately wish for those days back.

Rex always came home spewing hate and ranting how Slater disrespected and lied to him again. Viewing the Kings now—working as a family with a solid foundation and having each other’s backs—I feel a pang of jealousy. Rex and I fought so often these last few years over his vicious ways and his on again and off again drug use. I love my brother, so much, yet I stand here and I’m struggling to remember a week where we worked together, toward something happy and good for the both of us.

I should have tried harder. Been a stronger sister for him.

I will. Things will change from this point on. When Rex chooses me, I’m not going to stop until I have my real brother back.

Slater stops us near the entrance and takes Pacer with him to check the parking lot first, making sure no surprises are waiting for us.

Mackson and I stand awkwardly together. He angles his body toward me and I give him my back letting him know I don’t want to talk. As far as I’m concerned Mack said everything he needed to yesterday… for me to leave him the hell alone from now on.

Mackson huffs and I sense him turn his back.

My blood begins to boil and I fist my hands, my nails digging into my skin.
That man.
What does he expect? He called me a bitch and a cheater. I do not take that shit lightly. He needs to apologize and fast, or we’re going down an angry path I’m not sure even I can get myself off.

I take a small intake of breath when two people I hadn’t expected to see, walk straight into my line of sight. Rex gestures for me to follow him and I watch as he limps into a female bathroom with Corey walking closely behind him.

Scenarios and thoughts race through my mind.
Should I tell Mack? Or go to my brother?
Curiosity wins and overpowers my thought process on right or wrong. I let Mack know I’m going to the ladies for a moment. I sense him on my heels and spin around at the toilet door, my eyes narrowed and my lips pressed together in anger.

“I’m not a child, Mackson, do not follow me in here like one.”

Mackson sighs heavily. “Couple of minutes, that’s all you have.” His tone isn’t anything I recognize. It sounds defeated.

My heart falters.
Hating someone—pretending to—is much harder than I thought it would be.

Mack stares into my eyes and I sense that we’re thinking almost the same thing. If only things could be different, but Mack is a stubborn man, he’s never going to get over our past.

I turn and push through to the bathroom, stepping into the small room, which leads to another door. When I hear the door behind me close I open the next one. A strong smell of soap and bleach hit my senses as I spot Rex and Corey having a disagreement, both, whispering angrily toward one another.

Corey ends the argument and rushes to my side. “Did they hurt you?”

However, I only have eyes for my brother. “What the hell, Rex?” I hiss. “Three damn days.”

Rex nods. “I know, but they fucking shot me and made me look like a fool. I needed time to come up with a plan.”

The warmth through my body tries to recede, but I grab hold of it with the claws of my soul. “Rex, you came here to talk, didn’t you? To tell Slater the war is over and it’s time we all moved on, right? For my safety,
my
life?”

I need to know, yet, I’m scared to hear his answer.

“I was never going to leave you with them for the seven days, Lana. I needed time to figure out a plan and I have one.” The lightness in my limbs has now turned to heaviness and my heart begins to build walls, terrified of how lost my brother truly is, of how little I must mean to him.

“That’s why Corey and I are here. To tell you that tonight, after everyone goes to bed, you need to get out of their house, out the window if you must. We’re going to blow the whole building while they’re sleeping.” Rex’s eyes never settle on me and his hands move through the air in crazy movements.
 

He’s high, higher than I’ve ever seen him before.

My eyes widen and I take a big step away from my brother. I look to Corey, who’s already staring at me with pain in his gaze. He knows this is too far, he knows my brother’s slowly losing it, and not just his sanity but his humanity.
 

I glance back to Rex and say, “No. That’s too far, Rex. The whole point of this week was to think on everyone walking away peacefully. Did you think about that at all?”
 

“They
killed
our father, Lana,” Rex spits at me, his mood catapulting him straight past confused or pissed and straight to furious.

“Rex, even if they did and not to mention we’ve always thought it was
only
Slater, you’re talking about killing a
whole
family. And I’ve seen street kids sneak and sleep in their garage. You could kill them as well. This is mass murder. Madness!” Heaviness in my chest makes it difficult to breathe and a ringing in my ears begins to become painful. The plan, this stranger in front of me, it’s all too much.
 

“Even
if
they did we’ve always
thought
it was only Slater,” Rex repeats my words and for the first time in my life, his low tone scares me. “You’ve been there two days and they’ve brainwashed you already? You gonna believe them over your own brother, your own blood?”
 

“Jesus Rex,” I shout. “When the fuck was our father a Saint? When the hell did he deserve this kind of going-to-Hell blind devotion? You can’t say one hundred percent that he didn’t rape Della. You’ve never talked about the possibility. Is it because you know he may have? You’re afraid of what you might find at the end of your thoughts. He was a drunk, Rex. You saw how he treated me, how much he hated women because Mom left him. Somewhere inside you, you must question if Della’s accusations are truths.”
 

Abruptly a hand cracks across my face. A fierce stinging sensation causes a shriek to be pulled from between my lips as I stumble to the side, my body slamming into the bathroom wall. I don’t fall. My hand moves fast to hold me up as black dots dance in front of my vision. I squint and glance around as I hear shuffling and grunts, and assume Corey is holding Rex back, but when my vision finally clears I find Mackson pushing Rex up against the wall, his forearm against Rex’s throat, my brother sputtering trying to breathe.
 

My brother hit me.
 

My chest constricts painfully, as if Rex reached in and crushed my heart with his bare hands, leaving nothing but ashes in his wake.
 

Chapter Six

Lana

“You hit me.” I can hear the disbelief in my own voice, even as my left cheek throbs with pain, my thoughts rebel against the idea.

Rex kicks out with his legs, determined and relentless. Mack steps back and my brother falls, but he recovers quickly, not unhurt though, he grabs for his thigh and he grimaces in pain.

“You ever lay a hand on her again and I promise you, a bullet wound will feel like child’s play,” Mackson’s voice drips with warning.

Corey steps up and tries to help him, but Rex pushes Corey off and sets his angry eyes on Mack, his lip curling in anger, but then he directs that hateful stare at me. “A steel knife in my heart, sis, that’s what you just did.”

“Right back at you, brother,” I say, my chin quivering and in the same moment I can’t hold back my tears any longer. I can’t breathe. Life as I know it is now over but I refuse to give in.

I wipe quickly at my face and watch as Rex flinches.

Finally, a sign, a piece of him is still in there.

“This ends now, Rex. We’re going home and I’m going to get you help, real help this time. I want my big brother back. I should’ve never let you get this bad…” I take a deep breath “…I promise, no more looking the other way.”

He’s obviously been using something behind my back. All this time I blamed grief when it was probably drugs.

“The Kings took another family member from me today,” he seethes. “I promise this is far from over.” Rex walks toward the exit and my heart pounds heavily against my chest. I’m going to lose my brother. I promised I’d fight harder, do better, I can’t let him leave without knowing the truth.

“It was Della.” The words are out before I take my next breath. The world around me turns from gray to color as I envision the future. One which shows me if what I’m about to do will be the right or wrong thing. Every bone in my body is demanding me to wage war, no matter the risks or costs.
Isn’t that what you do for family?
That’s what the Kings have done, they chose the path, which would protect their sister and by God I will choose the same for my brother.

Rex fights a distorted reality, one where his enemies see clearly. I can’t fail to show him who he’s becoming, and I won’t lose him to those who tell themselves they’re doing what’s right when they are the ones who have filled my brother’s mind with lies.

Rex stops dead. I knew he would. Any mention of her and he can’t help himself. He doesn’t look at me though, he stays silent staring at the ground.

“Lana,” Mack growls, but I don’t look away from my brother. I’m desperate for him to hear me.

“Della killed Jae, she told me herself only moments ago.” Mack curses into the air, but I don’t stop. “He raped her, Rex. He broke her, after everything she’d been through and she snapped.”

Rex turns to me, his eyes desperately hating the words I’m saying, but I know my brother, they’re getting through. “Lies, they convinced her to lie about being raped and now they’ve convinced her to lie about killing him.”

“No!” I move toward my brother and both Mack and Corey step forward to protect me. “I saw the pain on her face, the guilt in her voice, it’s destroyed a piece of her. She’s devastated at hurting us this way.” I straighten my shoulders and in a stern voice I say, “Rex.” When his eyes dart to mine and I know I have his full attention I continue, “I saw the truth in her eyes. She did it to survive and also out of fear. Slater went back after Della told him what happened. What you saw was Slater leaving after finding our father dead, seeing for himself what Della told him.”

“She didn’t,” Rex says repeatedly as his hands run through his short hair in quick succession, to the point he’s tightly gripping at the strands and ripping hair out.

The bathroom door opens and we see Pacer stick his head inside and then glances over his shoulder and says, “Slate.” In no time both are in the bathroom crowding Mackson and me, making sure we’re unharmed.

Slater turns to Rex, shoulders tense. “If you want to talk let’s go somewhere else.”