Page 15

Chapter Fifteen

Archer

The moment Vox called and told us he needed us, we didn’t ask questions, just packed our bags and got on the first flight back home. Hayze thought we should drive but flying is quicker and right now, we just need to get back to Washington. As we pull up in front of Nova’s house an eerie feeling settles over me, something feels… off.

“Something’s wrong,” Ez grits out then launches out of the rental car with Hayze and I chasing after him. He doesn’t knock, he just throws the door open and is immediately met by the sound of Nova screaming. We all run into the living room to find her on her knees sobbing while Vox kneels behind, holding her. I look to the opposite side of the room to see Jane and Olivia standing there with tears trailing down their own cheeks. I spot Mary behind them and frown when my mom walks around the corner. The second our moms spot us, they all race over and wrap their arms around us and cry. Hayze, Ez and I share a look of confusion as we hold our moms.

“Bring her back!” Nova screams, the pain in her voice shreds me. Nova isn’t the type of girl to cry over nothing, so to see her this distraught means something really bad happened, which is when I notice we are missing someone.

Kelly .

“Ma?” I say quietly. Mom pulls back and stares up at me with worry in her eyes. “Where’s Kelly?”

Her bottom lip trembles. “Someone murdered her,” she chokes out, at her confession Ez’s face blanks of everything as he gently pushes his mom and steps around her to go to Nova. Vox snaps his head up and stares at Ezekiel with a pleading look.

“Help her,” he begs. Ez nods and Vox reluctantly releases his hold on Nova and scoots back while Ez kneels down in front of his sister. He gently grasps her face between his hands and forces her tear-stained head up to meet his gaze. The stoic look on his face and the way he is able to control his own emotions while his little sister is breaking in his hands staggers me.

“A favor asked is a debt owed, sister.” Nova’s mouth parts on a gasp.

“Ezekiel!” Vox roars.

Ez cuts his gaze to Vox. “Shut the fuck up, she needs this. She needs a purpose and we will grant her that wish.” He drops his gaze back to Nova. “A favor asked is a debt owed,” he says again.

Nova looks at Ez with a broken look in her eyes, the same look she had the night she lost her best friend, Waylen. “She’s gone,” she chokes out. “She made me go to college, she promised she would be fine and that I didn’t have to worry about her. She fucking promised!” she screams. Olivia begins to cry quietly beside me so I shift my mom to one side and wrap my other arm around her. I know this must be hard for her, all she wants to do is comfort Nova as any mother would, but she also knows Nova only saw Kelly as her mom, and for her to try and comfort her now would be dishonoring Kelly.

“Ask the favor,” Ezekiel snaps.

“Can you bring her back?” Nova screams in anger. “Can the Filthy-fucking-Few grant me that?”

“No. But we can grant you the vengeance you want, I swear it. On my life, I will not rest until I deliver the son of a bitch to you. Ask the favor, Nova, and you will have the Filthy Few at your beck and call until we take the life of the cunt that took your mom from you.”

“I want them all to pay. I want Nexus to die for taking Waylen from me and I want whoever…” She breaks down again but Ez doesn’t push her, he just waits for her to find the courage to finish asking what she wants. “I want whoever took my mom from me to suffer. I want them to pay for what they took from me, can you give me that?” The resolution in Ezekiel’s eyes astounds me, he has always been the only one out of the four of us to be able to shut down his emotions and focus.

“Given who you are to me and to Vox, a second favor will be granted. You have our word, we will deliver them to you.” Ez looks to Vox and nods for him to come forward. This time when Vox reaches for Nova she leaps into his arms and straddles his lap, then buries her face in his neck as she cries. I’ve never seen Vox so out of his depth but still so in control, it's an odd combination but one that brings a smile to my face. He’s changing and it's all thanks to the girl he has in his arms, who loves him more than anything.

I hope my girl can love me like that.

I push that thought away as Ez approaches us. “We need to make a call.” The order is clear and one I am happy to obey given the situation. I release my mom and his and follow him out of the room. He leads us up the stairs to a guest room. Hayze closes the door and moves to stand by the window, keeping his back to us.

“What if she doesn’t answer?” Hayze asks. I look at Ez who just shakes his head. We’re all thinking the same thing but Hayze was the only one with the balls to ask it. After being woken by the sound of Vox’s car and seeing him driving away with our girl, the three of us have been in a sour mood wondering if we fucked up. Did we push her too far? Does she regret what happened? All these types of questions have been plaguing the three of us all day.

“I have this feeling, I can’t explain it?—”

I cut Ez off. “But you feel like somehow Vivian is at the center of all of this?” He eyes me with surprise, then nods stiffly.

“Yeah, exactly,” he mutters.

“If she is, then she won’t tell us. We need her to come to us and not to ask a favor. I want her to come to us because she needs us.” I study Hayze for a long moment and take in his disheveled appearance. He looks like shit and has barely spoken to me all day.

“You know her and you also know she would rather chew off her fucking left tit than admit she needs help. Was her going behind our backs and performing a hostile takeover of the Saints not enough proof for you?” I shoot Ezekiel a warning look, her takeover is still a soft spot for Hayze and me. I know Ez says marrying her was for her protection but there is still that seed of doubt in the back of our minds.

“If we push too hard, she will run and as much as I fucking want her, I also won’t force her into this .” Hayze motioned between the three of us.

“She seemed to enjoy the three of us just fucking fine,” I add. When the door opens and we see Vox standing there looking utterly helpless and lost, the whole mood in the room changes.

“Vivian is trying to lift our banishment.” The words that tumble out of Vox’s mouth are not the ones I expected to hear.

“Why exactly would she be doing that?” I ask.

“Kelly Valerian’s head was delivered to my sister earlier today. That is why she is trying to lift it because she knows I am going back there and no fucking banishment will stop me. Whoever the fuck thought they could come for my witch and break her heart is going to fucking learn what happens when you hurt what is mine!” His words play on a loop. Vi was sent Kelly’s head! A fucking head for Christ’s sake! The venom in Vox’s tone is enough for me to know he isn’t kidding, he’s about to put that mask on and wreak havoc on Hollow Hills until he finds out who the fuck hurt his girl.

“Fuck, does Nova know?” Ez growls.

Vox scrubs a hand down his face and shakes his head. “No.”

“What does she think happened to her mom?” Hayze pushes.

“She thought her mom was taken again but then my sister called and I had to tell her that her mom… was murdered. She doesn’t know how, just that she’s gone and that’s the fucking way it will stay, am I clear?” The three of us all agree without argument, if we can spare her the pain of knowing the details then so be it.

“What the fuck are we going to do? If this insane fucker is sending my girl the head of her best friend’s mom, then we need to get to her.” I swing my gaze to Hayze in surprise. Ez and Vox are both staring at him as well, but he doesn’t fold under the pressure, instead he stalks and pushes between me and Ezekiel to stand before Vox. “I’m gonna say this one last time because that look on your face is pissing me off.” Vox looks like he wants to break Hayze’s jaw. “She’s your sister but she is ours ! Deal with that shit because it ain’t changing. I respected your boundaries for years but not anymore. I love her, Vox, and there is nothing you can do or say that will keep me away from Vivian.”

Pride swells inside me, I couldn’t be any more proud of my best friend for finally going after what he wants.

“Same goes for me,” Ez adds. “You’re my brother, Vox, and I will go to hell for you but not before I get the chance to really love your sister. I know I fucked up by marrying her behind your back, but given the chance to redo it, I wouldn’t change it because knowing she has my name is everything I could have wished for and more.”

Vox says nothing, just turns his head toward me as if waiting for me to declare my intentions for his sister. I should have done this years ago but I guess it's better late than never.

“I’m surprised you never realized earlier what she meant to me. I’ve been in love with her for years, Vox. I was just too much of a chickenshit to admit it earlier but not anymore. If you can’t accept how we all feel, then that’s something we’ll all live with but you have to know that we will all choose her. Over and over again until our dying days.”

He runs his gaze over the three of us, the intensity in his eyes would have most guys crumbling and pleading for his forgiveness but not us. We’re all prepared to sacrifice our friendship with our own brother for her and he has to know that the choice wasn’t easy for any of us to make but she is worth losing everything for. Vox’s phone pings with a message, he pulls it out of his pocket and instantly glares at the screen.

“Pack your shit and make sure you have your masks,” he grits out.

“What happened?” Ez asks.

Vox slowly lifts his gaze then turns his phone toward us so we can read the message.

Vivian

Don’t come, I can’t lift the banishment. I know what I have to do to end this.

Anger courses through my veins like a wildfire, when is she going to fucking learn that we are stronger together.

“We leave first thing in the morning. If you aren’t in the car when it's time, then I’m leaving your asses behind,” Vox snaps before storming out of the room and slamming the door closed. The three of us stand here silently for a beat until Hayze speaks.

“Is it wrong that I’m getting turned on at the thought of hunting our Vivi baby?” I snort out a laugh while Ez just shakes his head and pats him on the shoulder.

“Not at all, my friend, but this time when we catch our pretty little mouse, she is going to get punished for running. It’s time she learns that we aren’t quitters and her place is by our sides and in our beds and not leading the fucking Saints.”

Well fuck, I couldn’t agree with Ez more and the thought of her splayed out in front of us, ready and waiting to take our cocks again has me growing hard. Yeah, she is definitely getting fucked hard for the stunt she’s pulled. I pull my phone from my pocket and unlock it. The guys are all staring at the screen as I type out a message.

Me

You may be an angel seeking chaos but we are the devils seeking refuge inside you. Run as fast as you can, little mouse, because we’re coming for you.

I don’t expect a reply but when I see the three little dots appear almost instantly I wait with bated breath for her reply. I feel the guys anxious energy as well.

Vivi

I was a fallen angel when the three of you left me a year ago, now I’m a phoenix ready to rise from the fucking ashes but it won’t be with you by my side.

“Add me to the fucking chat!” Ez clips out. I do as he says and add both him and Hayze to the thread.

Ez

We’ll be at your side and your back protecting you from every angle.

Vivi

The only thing I need protection from is you three.

Hayze

So you admit that we are a foursome?

Me

*facepalm emoji* What those idiots are trying to say is we have your back.

Vivi

Why?

Ez

Because we love you.

Hayze

Because you mean everything to us.

Me

You are our everything, Vivian, did we not show you that?

Vivi

Oh, so that wasn’t a one-time deal?

Hayze

Not if you don’t want it to be…

Vivi

So… I get all three?

Me

yes!

Vivi

Really?

Ez

Yes! You get the three of us.

Vivi

So, I get to fuck the three of you whenever I want and you only get to fuck me?

Me

yes!

Hayze

Of course!

Ez

We don’t want anyone else.

Vivi

Yeah, I think I’ll pass but thanks for fucking my brains out. I can still feel the ghost of your cocks in every one of my holes. Xxx

*Vivian has left the chat*

“Fuck!” Ez bites out.

“Now I need a cold fucking shower!” Hayze snarls.

“She is going to fucking pay for that stunt!” I vow.

“So, this is for real, we’re all going after her?” Hayze asks.

“Yeah, man. We’re all going for her and we aren’t leaving that fucking town until she is with us,” I answer.

“I want the fucking Saints burned to the ground before we leave. I know those cunts are somehow linked to whatever happened to Kelly.”

I nod in agreement. “Yeah, someone is trying to rise against Vivian and we need to take the cunt out.”

Tonight we rest, tomorrow we go hunting for our little mouse.