Page 50 of Beautifully Shattered (Secrets & Scars #3)

A s far as lockdowns go, this one wasn’t so bad. Probably because the Southern Sadists still spent it together, and you just don’t feel so isolated with your family around.

That, and the fact Ringo’s property is still crawling with Marx security guards. It makes it hard to believe the streets across the state are like ghost towns when it’s bustling here.

A week ago today, Jols and JD declared their love for each other, and no one died.

It was a beautiful day, and it wasn’t even a wedding or anything.

Just a celebration of love, which had me getting a little tipsy.

It made for a tough hour-long ride on the back of Ringo’s bike when we finally headed home though.

I’d been nervous about potentially getting ambushed by Satan’s Rebels again, but the ride there and back was, thankfully, uneventful .

I guess Ringo’s club really did wipe most of them out the day we raided their compound to save Darla and Nessy.

The week has been quiet, and I’ve been getting antsy just sitting around doing nothing, but Ringo kept assuring me there’d be an update today. Something that might finally bring us closer to finding my sister.

“Don’t the Doxies usually do this?” I ask through the protective layer of the face mask as I stare down at the shopping list on Ringo’s phone.

They are all ridiculously random things that Smitty apparently asked us to grab on our way to the compound this afternoon.

“Yeah, but since we were out, I offered.” Ringo readjusts his mask with a grumble. He hasn’t stopped complaining about having to put it on.

It’s been a while since I’ve worn one. Most of the last few months, I’ve spent hiding away, but today, we’re out in public like there’s not a massive target on my back.

It’s hard to care though, because this all feels so… normal.

I smile behind my mask as Ringo pushes a shopping trolley through the entrance of the Redfield supermarket.

This feels very domestic.

The thought makes me grin.

I never thought I’d see the day Ringo and I would go grocery shopping together.

I mean, I know that’s what married couples do, but we aren’t exactly like normal married couples, and our life in general isn’t exactly normal.

Not right now, anyway. Hopefully, one day it will be .

“What the hell is a Zipper Dipper?” I ask, glancing up from the screen to my husband, catching him frowning as he steers the trolley along the top of the first aisle.

“No fucking clue.”

“Maybe they mean Zooper Dooper?”

His frown deepens, almost comically, those warm whiskey eyes flicking to me. “What the fuck is a Zooper Dooper?”

I stop walking, my mouth dropping open behind my mask as I stare at my husband in disbelief.

“You don’t know what a Zooper Dooper is?”

He throws a hand up, shaking his head. “No fucking clue.”

“It’s those different coloured icy poles in the long, narrow plastic sleeves.”

His brows lift in understanding. “Shit. Never knew that’s what they were called.”

I giggle. “Stick with me, husband. I’ll teach you all about unimportant things.”

Chuckling, he shakes his head at me before stopping, his eyes turning serious.

“What?” I ask, confused, as he leans in closer.

“You know that information we were waiting on about your sister?” he asks quietly, and I nod quickly. “Well, I need you to stay calm. Just stay here with me, but turn around.”

My mouth drops open as my heart thrashes wildly in my chest, and I slowly turn around.

My frantic eyes scan past the people walking out of the aisle we’re standing in front of, right down to the other end where I see… three familiar faces.

Oh. My. God .

“Tahli,” I whisper, feeling Ringo’s arm slip around me from behind, his grip firm, keeping me in place.

“Surprise, Angel.” His mask-covered lips brush my ear. “Now we have to be smart about this. I’ve got men outside the store, and some inside, but we want to try and avoid a scene.”

I nod, knowing he’s right, even though every fibre of me is screaming to run to Tahli and snatch her up right now.

“You got her?” Jols’ voice breaks through the chaos in my head to find her approaching with JD.

“You knew about this?” I snap, and she shrugs.

“We all did.”

I spin to face Ringo, glaring at him as he tries to explain.

“I just didn’t want to tell you until I knew it would happen. I didn’t want to disappoint you if it fell through.”

Gritting my teeth, I jab a finger into his chest. “You’re not getting a handy off me tonight.”

JD barks out a laugh as Jols giggles, but Ringo shrugs.

“If all goes well, Angel, you’ll have your sister to entertain. I doubt your hand will be anywhere near my cock for a while.”

“Huh.” I nod. “You have a point.”

“They’re about to turn and take the next aisle,” Jols points out, and I glance over my shoulder to see both of my sisters, and my mum, round the corner.

“We’ll take this one.” Ringo gestures to the aisle my family just left. “You two take the one they’re in.”

I pout, wishing I could be the one to go down that aisle.

Jols and JD move to do as ordered, and Ringo leads me into our aisle, where I rush ahead, trying to see through to the other side.

“Angel,” Ringo whisper-yells, but I ignore him, peeking through the shelving until I finally spot them on the other side, and my heart sinks.

Tahli looks… awful.

She’s pale, with dark circles under her eyes, yet Maggie looks perfectly fine.

Tahli walks with her head down, eyes trained on her feet as Maggie and Mum chat about the shopping list.

“Oh, Tahli. Grab one of those pasta sauce jars your grandfather likes. You’re going to cook for him again tonight.”

She’s going to what?

My sisters obviously know Minister Banes is their grandfather now, but why the hell is Mum making Tahli cook for him?

My stomach rolls at the possibilities.

Tahli stiffens at Mum’s words, nodding without looking up, before her eyes snap to this side of her aisle, scanning further down.

I move with her, tracking every step as she edges away from Mum. When she stops, I shift the packets of chips aside so I can see her better.

Her eyes look dead. Like the life’s been sucked straight out of her soul. It makes me want to scream. To slaughter everyone who dared to do this to her.

As her hand lifts to pick up a jar of sauce, I steel myself and tug my mask down, revealing my face.

“Tahli,” I whisper, and when she doesn’t hear me, I say it louder. “Tahli.”

Her eyes flick up, locking with mine through the grates in the shelving, and she flinches, the jar slipping from her fingers .

I cringe, pressing my finger to my lips in a ‘shhh’ gesture, bracing for the jar to smash, but someone catches it.

“Whoops. You nearly dropped this.” Jols’ voice is like music to my ears as Tahli looks away from me to my friend.

“Oh my goodness. Thank you. My daughter is such a klutz.” My mum rushes forward, quickly wedging herself between Tahli and Jols, making Tahli look like an idiot.

“Don’t sweat it,” Jols says, though I can hear the strain in her voice.

“Come along, sweetheart.” Mum ushers Tahli to the other side of the aisle, where Maggie grabs her arm like she’s leading an invalid.

My blood boils.

I want to rain hell down on them, but I see Jols’ and JD’s chests move past as my mum urges my sisters forward, so I bite my tongue and keep following from my aisle.

When my eyes meet Ringo’s, I see him speaking quietly into his phone and wonder when I gave it back to him.

He probably took it back without me noticing while I was in shock at seeing Tahli.

He stays on my tail as I creep along, hiding at the end of the aisle when Mum and my sisters leave their aisle and move to the next one.

I dash out, peering down the aisle as JD and Jols reach the end, and they glance back, giving me a nod.

I don’t know what the nod means, but when they start moving up the same aisle as my family, I edge forward and peek around the corner.

My mum has stopped a third of the way up, helping Maggie load tins of food into their trolley, while Tahli glances at JD and Jols before looking over her shoulder to see me.

Again, I press my finger to my lips, my mask still sitting under my chin, and she nods, slowly trailing behind Mum and Maggie as they start moving again.

With their attention in the other direction, I rush forward, my eyes locked on Tahli, desperation crashing over me so hard I start sweating despite the cold day.

As I get closer, I press my finger to my lips, holding my other hand out to her, frantically wiggling my fingers, begging her to come to me so I can get her out of here.

She steps towards me, her eyes dropping to my stomach, and I see the moment she realises I’m no longer pregnant by the way her brows knit together in confusion.

‘Come on,’ I mouth, needing her to meet me halfway, and she nods, about to move when Mum suddenly turns around.

Time slows.

Everything around me moves in slow motion.

Jols and JD approaching from the other end, their strides long, but slow…

My mum’s expression changes at a snail’s pace as recognition flickers across her features, morphing into a deep frown.

Maggie, taking a few more slowed steps forward before stilling and looking back over her shoulder, realising Mum has stopped.

Tahli, stiffening, her eyes slowly widening in terror as Mum’s shriek tears through the air.

“No!” she screams so loud, time speeding up once again, and I know other shoppers must have heard her.

“Run, Tahli!” I yell, watching the horror in her eyes as she panics.

I sprint forward, no longer scared of my mother, only terrified she will hurt Tahli.

My mum lunges, grabbing Tahli before I can reach her, just as Maggie comes charging our way.

With rough hands, Mum yanks Tahli backwards, her small frame so easy to move as she slams into Maggie, who catches her in a death grip, and my mum whips around to face me, rage twisting her face.

“You can’t have her. She’s mine. Not yours.”

“You’re not fit to be a mother,” I snarl, closing the distance fast, enjoying the panic that flashes in her eyes, and the way she stumbles back. “Tahli is coming with me. Do whatever you want with Maggie. I couldn’t give two fucks what happens to that bitch!”

“No!” Mum lunges for me, and I brace myself for the impact, but it never comes.

Instead, Ringo’s hand shoots past me, fisting the front of Mum’s blouse as he leans close, his voice a deadly growl.

“What the fuck did I say to you last time?” he snarls, walking her backwards towards my sisters. “I told you I’d make you go missing. I wasn’t fucking joking, Priscilla .”

When my mum’s calves hit the trolley, she gasps and tries to slap at Ringo, but he ignores her attempts, his eyes snapping to my sisters, who are now boxed in by JD and Jols behind them.

“You remember me, Tahli?” he asks calmly, and as I peer around him, I see Tahli nodding. “It’s time to come with us now. Abbey will take better care of you than your so-called mother ever did. ”

“You can’t have her!” Maggie snaps, fisting her hand in Tahli’s hair and yanking it back so hard that Tahli cries out.

“Let her go, Maggie!” I storm forward, but Jols reaches her first, grabbing Maggie’s hair and giving her a taste of her own medicine.

The moment Maggie cries out, she releases Tahli, and my little sister bolts for me, flinching as she passes Mum, who tries to grab for her, but Ringo’s grip on her is ironclad.

And just like that, Tahli is in my arms, her frail, trembling body collapsing against me as she falls apart.

“Let’s go,” Ringo snarls into my mum’s face. “You’re coming with us too.”

Part of me doesn’t want Mum and Maggie anywhere near us. I don’t even want to see their faces, but I know we need to deal with them, and we can’t do that inside a supermarket.

“No! Stop! Help! I’m being kidnapped!” my mum shrieks, her voice high and panicked.

Ringo curses, looking like he’s a breath away from knocking her out. And I kinda wish he would.

“Someone call the police!” a woman screams from somewhere, and I know this situation is about to turn bad, and fast.

“Leave them!” I call over my shoulder, clutching Tahli tight as I hurry down the aisle. “They’ll keep.”

“You sure?” Ringo asks, and I nod.

“Let’s just get Tahli out of here,” I say, and Ringo nods back before shoving my mum into the shelves, while Jols does the same with Maggie.

Then, we run .

I know there are cameras in here, but I don’t care. My face has been splashed all over the news. Let them run their fake stories again. I know the truth, and so does Tahli.

“Do it now!” Ringo barks, his voice low and deadly as he sprints next to me, snapping orders into his phone.

I have no idea who he’s talking to, but the next second, a window-shattering boom explodes from the carpark as a car goes up in a ball of fire.

Screams echo around us, shoppers scattering, the distraction now drawing attention to the blast. People run and hide like the supermarket is under attack, giving us the perfect cover to get away.

Now I understand why Ringo insisted we take the van today. He planned this from the start, prepared to haul more people with us than what we came here with.

The door to the van flies open, and Vender leaps out, rounding the front and diving into the driver’s seat.

Ringo reaches the van first, turning to me, but then his eyes go wide as he looks over my shoulder, and my stomach drops.

A second later, Tahli’s hand gets ripped from mine.