SWNOVELS Brutal Savage: Chapter 29
While she’s out shopping and Brody’s with Ruby and Bubbles, I head for my study, returning a call from Grant. Hopefully this means he found something. I need to find her ex, and I need to get rid of him once and for all.
As soon as I dial his cell, he answers.
“Hey, I’ve got some info. May wanna sit down for this.”
Fuck.
“Just tell me.”
“Alright, so her ex’s name is Jerry Baker. His father runs a gang called the Eights in New Jersey. Super small, though they’ve been making a name for themselves. They’re heavy into drugs and prostitution. With the Marinovs also being in Jersey, they’ve been careful where they sell, but they’re growing and they’ve been getting cocky, killing off their competition one by one. They play real dirty too. Killing off women and kids when they need to send a message.”
My fingers curl, anger splitting through my limbs. What did that son of a bitch do to my Elara?
“What else?”
“Jerry isn’t in Jersey right now, and neither is his father.”
“So where the fuck are they?”
“Jerry was in Vegas about a month ago, looking for a girl. Your girl. After that, he just disappeared. His father too. I haven’t been able to spot them anywhere since.”
They’re hiding on purpose. They want the element of surprise. Jerry probably already knows I married her.
“Do you know what she was involved in?”
If I find out he was selling her, his father won’t have a corpse to bury.
“I don’t know. Not yet.”
“Keep me apprised of any developments.”
“I will.”
I ball a hand on my desk. “Were you able to find Derek, that guy she said helped her?”
“No. He’s skilled, though. He knows how to hide, but I’ll keep looking for both of them.”
“I owe you.”
“Friends don’t owe each other. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“I won’t forget this.”
“You take care.”
He ends the call, and all I can see is that scar on Elara’s stomach, wondering how the hell she got it.
Blood blisters in my veins.
I need to get rid of them all. It’s the only way she’ll feel safe.
And I won’t rest until that happens.
ELARA
After dropping Grandma back home, I bring my bags to our bedroom, trying to act as though nothing happened. Like Jerry or his people never got close enough to somehow slip a note in one of my bags.
I still don’t understand how he could’ve done it. Unless he passed it to someone who works at the store, pretending he’s a friend. He was always charming when he needed to be. I can see someone innocent falling for his bullshit like I did when I thought he worked for my father.
“How did it go?” Tynan appears behind me, strong masculine palms stroking my arms.
I grow rigid, swallowing harshly, nervous that he’ll somehow find out I’m keeping a secret.
“It was fun. Gran had a great time too. She told me to thank you again.”
“I like your grandma.” He spins me around, tilting my chin with the back of his finger, and every nerve in my body explodes. “You ready for the game?”
Shit. The game. I completely forgot.
“Of course.”
He takes a step back, gaze running down my body over the tight jeans and black tank top. My skin heats up from his perusal.
“I feel so tiny compared to you when I’m not wearing heels.”
He examines my tennis shoes and shoots me a smirk. “I like you being short. Easier to toss you around and do with you as I please.” His arm curls around my back until his body meets mine, and he kisses me. “You smell nice. We should go, though,” he husks. “Or I’m bound to make us late.”
His lips feather with mine, and I let out a little moan just as the door creaks and Brody is there, staring at us.
Crap.
“Hey, buddy!” I push Tynan off and rush over to him. “You look so great!”
He’s adorable in his blue-and-white uniform and matching baseball cap.
“Ready to kick some butt?” Tynan asks.
He nods, grinning wide.
Together, we start heading out, Brody beating us down the stairs.
“I’ll never get used to him smiling again.” Tynan sighs, grabbing my hand. “Thank you, Elara.” Emotions stitch up his voice, and my eyes get lost in his.
“He loves you, Tynan. I swear he does.”
He nods, looking uncomfortable, and for the first time, I feel sorry for him. Truly sorry.
He releases a sigh and leads us out the door, locking it behind us.
After Brody hops into his booster and straps himself in, we’re ready to take off. Tynan keeps his right palm on my thigh, using the other to maneuver the wheel, bringing us to the park about fifteen minutes later.
A large crowd of people is already seated in the stands, and we take Brody to join his team. As we do, he looks at a boy and immediately makes sure not to stand near him.
That has my radar up. What’s going on there?
I want to ask him, but I’m distracted by Tynan talking to me.
“Wanna go get a seat while I get us something to eat?”
“Sure.”
My attention remains on Brody as Tynan heads for the food truck, and when that sweet boy turns toward me, there’s fear in his eyes.
What the hell?
Maybe he’s just nervous.
“Good luck, sweetie,” I whisper so as not to embarrass him in front of his teammates. I know how kids can be.
I move to the side of the fenced enclosure, wanting to make sure everything is okay. Maybe mention it to Tynan when he returns.
Brody remains standing at the end of the bench, and the boy he tried to avoid walks right over to him. This kid is bigger than Brody, maybe even a few years older.
I start closer as soon as he leans into Brody’s space.
“Hey, dumbass.” The kid laughs.
I gasp in shock, ready to rip his head off.
“Do you even hear me, or are you too stupid to understand what I’m saying?”
Brody’s little body trembles.
Oh, that’s it.
I’m rushing past some of the coaches on the team. They have to have heard. Yet they pretend not to.
Despicable.
“Excuse me. Where are you going?” one of them asks.
I give them a dirty look and rush past them just as I hear the little demon say, “Your daddy isn’t here to protect you, is he? Oh, wait. He’s dead. And your mommy hated you so much she killed herself.”
“Hey, you little shit!” I snap as I appear right behind him.
At first, the boy doesn’t realize I’m talking to him.
“I’m talking to you.”
He finally turns to me. “Who the hell are you?”
Brody’s eyes grow.
“I’m Brody’s friend. And you are a little asshole. Who do you think you are, talking to Brody like that? What are you, ten?” My eyes narrow. “Haven’t your parents taught you not to be a bully?”
“Hey!” A woman with long blonde hair rushes toward me. “Don’t you talk to my son like that! Who even are you?”
Glaring at her for a moment, I glance around the stadium, realizing all eyes are on us. And I notice it’s quieter than it was when we first got here.
The head coach approaches. “What’s going on here?”
“This boy…” I point toward the kid. “…was tormenting Brody, saying ugly things to him.”
“Is she serious?” The mother snickers. “My son is an angel! You know this, Coach! He would never say anything mean to another child. Right, Jake?”
He pouts. “I didn’t do anything. She’s crazy, Mom. She called me an asshole.” He starts to cry.
The mother appears horrified that I would call her demon spawn that.
But I don’t miss the cunning tug of his mouth. No one else noticed because he did it so discreetly, wanting me to see it.
“She started yelling at me for no reason. Right, Brody?”
But he knows Brody won’t say anything, since he can’t.
Anger surges through me, my breaths shallower.
“What’s going on here?” Tynan’s gruff voice booms behind me.
Relieved, I turn toward him. “That kid was bullying Brody.” I look at Brody. “May I tell Tynan what he said?”
He nods, his pain swathing through his features. He’s trying like hell not to cry.
I tell Tynan everything, saying it out loud so they all hear. His face upturns with so much fury, even I cower.
“I want that kid off the team,” he tells the coach, hitting him with a venomous look. “Now!”
“What?” the mom protests. “Absolutely not! Jake has a real shot at going pro! And this is the best team in the state. I won’t ruin his chance because of this no one!” Her eyes squeeze into thin slits.
“I would suggest you watch how you speak to my wife.” He spits the words through gritted teeth. He’s close to losing his control completely.
“Wife?” The woman’s face goes ashen.
“That’s right, Laura. Now, get your fucking things and your shitty-ass kid and leave before I run you out of this town for good.”
Her nose flares. “Come on, Jake. Let’s go!”
He groans.
“Now!” She starts marching away—very dramatically, I might add.
Huffing, her evil spawn eventually follows her.
Once he’s gone, we pull Brody to the side, and everyone goes back to what they were doing.
“Has this been happening a lot?” I ask him.
He nods, but avoids eye contact with us.
“He must do this when I’m not close enough to hear.” Tynan inhales sharply.
Brody nods again.
“Buddy, if this ever happens again, promise me you’ll tell us.” Tynan tucks his chin in his palm. “We don’t want anyone to think they can treat you this way. We’ll always protect you.”
My hearts swells from him saying we. Like we’re a family.
I guess we are, aren’t we?
“Yes, always.” I smooth a hand down the back of his head. “Don’t think you have to deal with anything by yourself. We love you, Brody.”
Tynan glances at me with his own emotions wavering.
“Promise us,” I tell him. “I need you to promise you’ll tell us if someone bothers you again.”
He nods.
“Good,” Tynan says, fixing Brody’s baseball cap. “Now go win that game.”
That’s all the encouragement Brody needs as he finally smiles and returns to his team. And when I see one of the boys giving him a high five, it melts my heart.
“I swear I didn’t know.” Tynan sighs, sounding distraught. “How the hell didn’t I know?”
I grab his forearm, and through the pain seeping from his eyes, he stares at me.
“Parents aren’t perfect,” I remind him. “They don’t always know everything. That would be impossible. But you’re doing everything right. I need you to know that.”
I place a palm against his cheek, and those eyes of his deepen into mine.
“You love him like he’s your own, and he knows that.”
“He is my own. He’s my blood.”
My heart clenches from the way he adores Brody. “He’s lucky to have you.”
“The way you stood up for him, Elara. I’ll never forget it.”
“I love him too.”
“I know you do.” His arm bands around me and he pulls me flush against him, his lips on my temple.
His mouth remains there, across my skin, making me feel things I’ve never felt before—like I’m floating.
“He and I are lucky to have you.” His tone is deep and low, and I feel those words everywhere.
I press my cheek to his chest, holding him tight, waiting for Brody to start playing.
He looks over at us with a small smile right before he runs toward his coach.
It makes me feel better that he accepted that Tynan and I are married so well. The last thing I’d want is for Brody to be upset about it. That wouldn’t help his healing.
Neither would you running away.
I force myself to ignore my thoughts and focus on the moments happening before my eyes.
We cheer and clap throughout the game, and the team ends up victorious.
As soon as we see him rushing to us, Tynan lifts him in the air, throwing him on top of his shoulders.
“That was some game!”
“Yeah, you’re so good!” I peer up at his excited expression.
“How about we grab some dinner?” Tynan starts toward his car.
“And dessert.” I wink at Brody, who nods ecstatically. I know how much this boy loves his dessert.
“Of course we’ll get dessert. Maybe more for me later.” He whispers that last part, sliding his palm across my ass and holding it possessively.
Pulling his wrist away, I whisper-shout, “Behave.”
He only chuckles. “Don’t look that good in jeans, then.”
“Yeah, I’ll take that under advisement,” I tease just as we get to the car and he places Brody inside.
And as soon as we’re all settled in the SUV, we’re heading out of the parking lot and onto a two-way road.
We drive for a few miles, only a few cars on the street. But suddenly, one of them starts speeding behind us. Tynan stares at it through his rearview and switches lanes.
The car follows us.
“Fuck,” he mutters.
My heart jumps, pumping frantically.
“Is he following us?” I whisper, unable to stop the air choking up my throat.
With a tight jaw, Tynan glances at the rearview again. “I’ll get us out of here.”
He accelerates, sending the car speeding, but the vehicle is still on our tail.
My stomach twists and turns, knowing that has to be Jerry or his people. I instantly hate myself. I should’ve told Tynan about the note. If I would’ve, he’d have made sure we had protection.
Glancing behind at Brody, I find his eyes growing with absolute fear. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. I never wanted my past to hurt them, yet it’s exactly what’s happening.
“It’s gonna be okay, buddy,” Tynan tells him, veering into another lane. “I’ll have us back home in no time.”
“Yeah, it’s just some silly driver. Nothing to worry about.”
I stare at the black sedan, still tailing us, but I can’t make out the driver.
“He’s wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses,” I whisper to Tynan.
“Does it resemble your ex?”
Turning back around, I zero my attention on the driver’s face. He’s about a quarter of a car length away, but it’s hard to make out anything significant about him. I narrow my gaze, trying hard to make out the man’s features.
“I can’t tell.” I straighten myself, my foot bouncing. “Oh God, this is all my fault.”
“Once we’re safe, you and I are gonna have a little talk. Do you understand me?” His intense voice only rattles my nerves further.
I nod, twirling my hair with a finger at a frantic pace. After this, I know it’s time. He has to know what happened to me and what I ran from. He has to know everything if I want us all to be safe.
The black sedan increases its speed, almost reaching Tynan’s bumper.
“Son of a…” Tynan presses his foot on the pedal, sending the car surging, and fear crawls up my spine.
Brody cries, and I immediately look back at him.
“It’s gonna be okay, sweetheart. I promise.”
I know that’s not a promise I can keep. But right now, I have to lie to get him through this.
Tynan makes a sharp turn, sending the vehicle veering down the side of the road, through thick grass and gravel. “There’s a clear path back to town this way. His car won’t be able to handle the rough terrain.”
He reaches into the cup holder and takes his cell, dialing a number and putting it on speaker.
“Hey, what’s up?” a man answers.
“Cillian, listen. Someone is chasing us on the highway. I’m about fifteen to twenty minutes out. Call Grant and get satellite on this.”
He shoots off a precise location.
Cillian mutters a curse. “Alright. Fionn is here too, and he’s on it. I’m gonna send reinforcements.”
“They won’t get here in time.” Tynan swerves down another narrow gravel road.
“I’ll send them anyway. Call me as soon as you’re at the gate.”
Tynan drops the phone back into the cup holder.
The sedan still follows us, slower this time, like it’s getting stuck. But until we can get rid of him, we aren’t safe.
I shut my eyes tight and breathe heavily, talking myself out of the fear, wanting to believe that Tynan can protect us.
He clasps my thigh. “I won’t let anything happen to either one of you. I swear I’ll die before that happens.”
At the thought of him dying, something inside me snaps and pain shoots into my chest cavity. “I don’t want you to die.”
My eyes fill with unshed tears, and I slip my hand into his, not wanting to let go. Not wanting to lose him. Emotions hit the back of my throat, and I kiss his knuckles, holding them against my chest.
He sucks in a breath as he increases the speed, taking one sharp turn, then another, causing my shoulder to roughly hit the door.
As he scans the rearview, his forehead creases when he finds the car still there, yet a good distance away now.
“We’re gonna cut through another path, so hang on,” he tells us.
Brody only cries harder, and my heart breaks into pieces. Tynan’s expression turns darker, set with unmitigated fury.
Not that I can blame him. I want them all dead too for doing this to Brody.
“I’m gonna get us out of here soon, buddy. I promise.” He takes a sudden left turn onto a tight uneven path before there’s a clearing and we’re on a main road.
Relief washes over me when I glance back and don’t see the car anymore.
I reach for Brody, taking his little hand and squeezing it in mine.
“We’re almost home,” Tynan says, every line on his face tense.
His palm lands back on my thigh as he peers at me from the corner of his eyes.
“You okay?” he whispers.
I shake my head, wanting to throw my arms around him and hold on to him. Hold on to something that matters.
For the rest of the way, we don’t say a word. Before I know it, we’re pulling up to the security gate at his family’s estate and driving up to the house.
As we pull up, I find his father and brothers there.
Fionn is the first to approach. “You guys alright?”
Tynan nods, climbing out before he gets Brody and lifts him in his arms.
Brody sniffles and blinks back tears.
“Oh God, I was worried!” Ruby comes rushing out, her eyes watery.
She grabs my hand and squeezes.
“Wanna go in and see if Ruby has those cookies you like?” Tynan asks Brody.
He nods, and Tynan kisses his forehead before he drops him to his feet.
Ruby immediately takes his hand and starts leading him inside, trying to change his mood. “They’re nice and warm. I just got them out of the oven.”
Once they’re inside, Tynan turns to his brothers and father. “Did you get anything from Grant?”
“Yeah. He says the car was registered to a Jerry Baker.”
I gasp, my heart hammering, eyes glossing over as I trip backward a step, unable to breathe.
He wanted me to know. It’s why he made sure he drove a car he was tied to.
Jerry wanted me to know it was him.
He’s taunting me.
“Elara, you’re okay. He won’t touch you.”
I hear him, feel his hands on me, yet I’m not here. I’m there, back when I was Jerry’s.
The world around me starts to spin.
I can’t let him find me. I can’t let him hurt Brody or Tynan. I have to run again. There’s no other choice.
“Elara? Do you hear me?” He still sounds distant, yet growing nearer. “Elara.” His hand cups my face.
“Hmm?” I pant, focusing on his face as I blink faster. “Yeah, sorry.” I swallow down my fear as everyone stares at me.
“I’m gonna take her inside. She’s shaken up. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
“Alright, son,” Patrick says. “You call us if you need anything.”
“Yeah, thanks, Dad.”
He hooks his arm through mine and leads us inside the home. My pulse slams in my ears, the start of a headache forming in my temples.
With a gentle hold, he takes me up the stairs and to our bedroom, carefully settling me on the edge of the bed. “I’m gonna get you some water.”
He leaves me for a moment, and I repeatedly draw air into my lungs, hating that I have to drag him into my hell.
This is why I wanted to be alone. I didn’t want to involve anyone else in my past. But here we are, and there’s no hiding any longer.
He returns a moment later, a bottle of water in his outstretched hand. “Drink, baby.”
I take the cold liquid from him, already opened, and consume half the bottle, not realizing how dry my mouth was.
He takes it from me and places it on the nightstand, clasping both my hands in his. “Look at me, Elara.”
My lashes flutter, fresh tears gathering in my eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I cry. “I really am. You didn’t ask for this. Neither did Brody. I think—”
“You think what?” He searches my gaze, and I find it hard to say the rest out loud, wanting so badly to stay here with him and the boy I love.
“I think it’s better if I go. Today. I don’t want you or—”
“If you think…” His jaw clenches like he finds it hard to finish. “If you think I’d let you leave us, you don’t know me.” He clasps the back of my head and stares down into my eyes, and it’s like he’s seeing into my soul. “I’m never letting you go, Elara Quinn.” He lowers to his knees, his mouth nearing until his lips brush mine. “Ever. And if you try to run, I’m gonna find you, and I’ll bring you right back to me.”
I let out a sob and throw my arms around him, smashing my lips to his.
He lets out a low growl, pushing me down on the bed, his body climbing over mine. His kisses turn deeper, more urgent and demanding, like he’s reminding me that I’m his.
A hand sinks into my hair as he gives me every ounce of passion and affection that’s been growing between us day by day, hiding between words trapped in our withered hearts.
And in this moment is when I know that all I want…
All I really want…
Is to stay.
Breathlessly, he rears back and pins his forehead to mine, not saying anything for a few seconds.
“I want to know everything, Elara. I promise, he won’t ever hurt you again.”
I believe him. I believe he wants to protect me. But I know there’s no way he can ever keep that promise. Sometimes our best is just not good enough.
He slides off me, helping me sit up while I try to find the courage to dig into my past and give him that ugly part of myself.
“It all started when my father owed money to Isaac, Jerry’s dad. When he couldn’t pay it back, he told them they could have me in exchange.”
He holds my hand in his large one, his thumb rolling reassuringly over my skin. “What did they do to you, baby? How did you get that scar?”
Tears burst from my eyes as the memories overtake me.
He’s there to wipe them away, his face contorting with his own wretched pain. “I’m sorry for doing this to you.”
“It’s okay.” I grab his wrist and stare right at him. “Though you should know, you might hate me for it.”
“That’ll never happen.”
He sounds so sure.
I let out a breath of a laugh. “We’ll see.”