Page 13 of Karma (Deranged Drifters MC #23)

Chapter Thirteen

Griffin’s Beach Lucas

I t’s been a few weeks since Phillip showed up at the house, and the lack of movement from him has everyone on edge. Including Lucas.

Lex says she can feel him watching her when they’re out at various places, but no one can find him. Three charters of the toughest men Lucas has ever met can’t find one deranged man.

Lucas doesn’t sleep much these days, and that’s probably what landed him with one of the worst head colds he’s ever had. The pressure from his sinuses makes his head ache, and he closes his eyes as he lies on the couch.

“You should go to the clubhouse like you’re supposed,” Lucas says. “Dad’s waiting for you.”

He has Lex’s routine memorized. The few times of day where he knows he doesn’t have to worry about her. After school drop off, where Venom and whoever else sets up post outside the house follow before going home, she heads to the clubhouse. Every day.

Colt was gone last night, something for the club, and Lucas didn’t sleep a wink. Not having Colt around at night makes him worry even more. If Phillip kills the three men outside, he’s the only line of defense to protect Lex in the house if Colt’s gone.

“How are you feeling?”

Like someone’s trying to pull my brain out of my nose. “I’m okay. I just need to sleep it off.”

“You’re a terrible liar, for the record. You’re not feeling well, and I can’t leave you,” Lex says and sits on the couch. Pressing the back of her hand to his forehead, she tsks. “You’ve still got a fever.”

“No answer?” he asks, nodding towards the phone on the coffee table.

“No, Colt must have his phone off. I’m sure it’s fine. It’s daytime.”

Even as she says it, she looks around with the expression she gets when she knows she’s being watched. Right now, though, he hopes it’s paranoia.

“Mom, Phillip showed up during the day last time. Seriously, go. I’m fine.”

The inaction makes her anxious, and she probably hates looking over her shoulder as much as Lucas hates the threat against his family.

“Maybe Venom hasn’t fallen asleep yet,” she says and tries to call him. “Or not. I feel so bad that he stays here all night.”

He sniffles and tries to clear at least one of his nasal passages, groaning when it only adds to the pressure in his head. “I didn’t think he slept. I thought you just unplugged him from time to time to wind down.”

Giggling, she runs her hands through his hair. “You sound miserable, baby.”

“I don’t feel great. Who gets a cold when it’s seventy-degrees outside?”

“I don’t think it has so much to do with the weather outside as the virus going around your school,” she says. “And your immune system being weakened because you don’t sleep at night.”

I’m not the least bit surprised. And she didn’t bring up before now because it wouldn’t do any good.

“You could call Undertaker,” Lucas says, changing the subject from the conversation she dipped her toes into. He’s not ready to tell her about his fear just yet.

“Yeah? You seem to have become buddies with him.”

“He understands things no one else really does. We’ve been talking, and I think it’s been helpful to have someone besides Hailey who has an idea of what I feel.”

“Because he was in foster care?”

Nodding, he squeezes his eyes shut and presses his fingers to his cheekbones. “Yeah, he knows what it’s like to live in not-so-great homes.”

“I’m sure he’ll come right over,” Lex says, reaching for her phone.

The front door cracks as it’s kicked in, and Lex drops the phone back on the table as she uses her body to shield Lucas. He sits straight up, his worst fears coming true when Phillip walks inside holding a gun aimed right at Lex. “No backup, sis?”

“They’re coming,” Lucas says, hating how unthreatening he sounds with his nose plugged. “Give it a minute.”

“You sound miserable, kid,” he says and chuckles.

“Guess Mom stayed home with you because you’re sick.

No one’s around, so I’m going to go out on a limb and guess no one knows yet that you aren’t making it to the clubhouse like you’re supposed to be, huh?

Yeah, I’ve been watching. Kind of a big mistake for someone as smart as you, don’t you think? ”

Lex stays where she is, and Lucas looks around frantically, trying to decide what to do here.

She appears calm, but he can tell by the way her eyes shift that she calculates everything.

Every possible outcome and option they have.

Determining what their chances of getting out of here alive are.

And Lucas wishes there was a gun in the cushions, like some mafia show he could somehow pull out and save her with.

“Get up,” Phillip growls.

She does as he orders, and he grabs her, pulling her back against him to face Lucas. Just as Lucas shifts to attempt to do something, the barrel presses against her temple.

“Don’t try anything, kid. You’re not in the kitchen, and a knife won’t kill me faster than I can pull the trigger and put a bullet in her brain. Then yours.”

“Don’t, Lucas,” Lex says, her voice far too calm for his liking considering the situation.

How many of these situations has she been in to stay this calm? I’m about to piss my pants. Focus, Lucas!

“Backup’s coming, huh? Who? Because I thought Lex was never supposed to be alone. And as tough as you were that first day, you aren’t enough protection for her.”

The menacing tone of his voice laced with what can only be described as joy paralyzes Lucas. It doesn’t help that all he sees when he looks at Phillip are Zane and VP. The two men who not only treat Lex terribly but have also hurt her.

No matter what VP says, Lucas knows without a doubt that Zane was going to kill Lex if Colt hadn’t shown up. VP’s defense of his son pisses Lucas off, and he just now puts together that both of VP’s sons want to kill Lex.

“I can only imagine how much another brother would want me dead.”

That’s what Lex said when she told Lucas about the original Noah. She’d accurately predicted this before she even knew Phillip existed.

“Let her go,” Lucas says.

“Oh, we’re going to go. But you do anything before we leave, and you’ll never see her again. Do as I say, and I might leave her somewhere to be found like the others. A small piece to put in the grave you’ll visit.”

His eyes widen, but Lex swallows and locks her gaze on Lucas. “Do as he says, baby. I don’t want him to hurt you.”

“But hurting him would hurt you. Maybe I should start with him,” Phillip says and moves the gun to point at Lucas.

“If you do, killing me won’t be the fun you want it to be. You’ll have to kill me here with that gun because I will claw your fucking eyes out if you touch a hair on his head.”

The gun moves back to Lex’s temple, and she actually sighs in relief. No matter what she says, Lucas doesn’t want to do what Phillip says. He wants to find a way to save his mom. Even if his crazy uncle kills him, he’d be happy to sacrifice himself to save the woman who saved him.

She’s the only one who made him feel like he had a real shot in this life. He can’t do this without her. This family doesn’t work if Lex is gone.

“I guess she’s right. My plan is to play with her for as long as possible, no matter how much she begs me to end the suffering, and if I can’t do that, the past few years have been wasted,” Phillip says and nuzzles his nose in her hair.

“I’ll be okay,” she says even as the tears fill her eyes. “I love you, Lucas.”

No! Don’t you dare say goodbye. I know what this is, and I can’t lose you!

“I love you, too, Mom,” he says and fights back his own tears. If she can be brave, so can he.

Phillip yanks her hair, and she yelps. “How sweet. It makes me just want to puke.”

Pulling her back towards the door, he shuts it as best he can with the broken frame, and Lucas panics as he tries to determine what to do. He doesn’t know where the guns are, and Colt hasn’t taught him how to shoot yet.

Why didn’t I insist he show me after Phillip showed up here? When we knew Lex was in danger, I should have been taught to shoot to be another layer of protection.

He runs to the kitchen and peeks out the window, hoping the crazy man doesn’t see him. Shoving Lex into the trunk, Phillip whips around to look at the house, and Lucas ducks down.

“A black Ford sedan. No badge showing the model, but it’s a four-door. Older.”

The car starts, and he chances another peek out of the window. The license plate jumps out at him. FUNASH1

He runs to his phone charging in his room and tries to call Colt. It goes straight to voicemail, and he almost slams it on the floor. “Damn it, Dad!” he shouts.

Undertaker! He’ll know what to do.

Undertaker answers after only two rings. “Hey, kid—”

“Phillip broke into the house and took Lex. No one else was here, and Colt’s phone is off,” he says in one breath.

“Woah, slow down. What are you talking about?”

Sniffling, his hands shake. “Lex came home to meet me because I was sent home from school sick. Colt’s phone keeps going to voicemail without ringing, and she wouldn’t leave me alone.

She tried to call Venom, but he didn’t answer.

Phillip kicked in the door, and he took her at gunpoint.

Shoved her into the trunk of a car, and he took off. ”

“What’s he driving?”

“Um, a black four-door Ford. I don’t know what kind, but it’s older. He has a license plate that says F-U-Nash-One.”

His motorcycle starting helps Lucas breathe just a bit easier. Not a lot, but at least it’s something. “What direction did he go?”

Running onto the porch, he squints to see the car turning onto the highway. “Um, east. Turned right off the road that goes to our house. That’s east, right?”

“Yeah, that’s good. I’ll take care of it.”

The line goes dead, and Lucas walks back inside, crumpling to the floor. His mom was taken, and he did nothing to stop it.

He should have insisted she leave him alone in the house. If Phillip broke in and found only him, he may have just left. Or he should have gone to the clubhouse instead of home. Then they’d be safe and sound.

“How could you let him take her, Lucas?” he shouts and hits his fists against the sides of his head. “I’m supposed to be smart. How did I let this happen?”

Phillip’s words haunt him. Do as I say, and I might leave her somewhere to be found like the others. A small piece to put in the grave you’ll visit.

“If I wasn’t sick, this wouldn’t have happened. This is my fault, and I’m going to lose her.”

Her phone rings from the living room, and he runs to it, praying he’ll see Colt’s name appear. Instead, he sees Venom’s.

“Hey, Lex, I saw you called,” Venom says, his voice sleepy. “I passed out for a few minutes. What’s up?”

“She’s gone,” Lucas says, his voice cracking.

“Lucas?” He’s much more alert now. “What are you talking about? Gone where?”

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he fights the fresh wave of tears burning his eyes. “She came home because I’m sick, and Colt’s phone is off. I told her to call you to come back, but you didn’t answer.”

“Lucas, talk to me. What’s going on?”

The panic in his voice breaks Lucas. He loves Lex as much as Lucas does. “No one was here. Phillip broke in before she could call Undertaker, and he took her at gunpoint. Shoved her in a trunk and took off.”

“Where is he now?”

“I don’t know. She told me to listen to him, but I should’ve done something to stop him. Even if he killed me. I just… I called Undertaker. I need him to save her.”

“I’m on my way.”

A motorcycle outside catches his attention, and he sniffles. “I think Colt’s home. I’ll have him call you.”

He hangs up and looks at the door, rocking slightly as he waits for his father to walk inside. To see the broken wood and realize the woman they both love has been taken. Disappeared with no way to get to her.