Page 19 of Karma (Deranged Drifters MC #23)

Chapter Nineteen

Griffin’s Beach Lex

V enom and Undertaker walk into Lex’s hospital room, followed by Ky and Zane. It’s time. Lex squeezes Lucas’s hand as he sits beside her bed. She’s positive he hasn’t left since she was brought out of surgery.

“Baby, why don’t you go get something to eat?” Lex says.

Lucas shakes his head. “I don’t want to leave you.”

His cold has cleared up a bit, and she smiles. “I don’t want you to hear this.”

Sometime during her long nap of sorts, her eye swelling reduced, and she can see out of both eyes now. And without double vision. Considering the shape she was in days ago, this is progress.

Reluctantly, he nods and stands. “I’ll wait outside when I’m done eating, so have someone come get me, okay?”

She smiles at him. “Promise.” When he’s gone, she turns to look at Colt. “My fierce protector.”

“He was as much of a wreck as I was,” Colt says and lets out a shaky breath and glares towards VP in the corner. “What did you need to tell us?”

The us is VP and Zane. Colt wasn’t happy to call VP after everything that’s happened, but Lex knows he deserves to know what Phillip said about Margaret.

“On the way to the house, Phillip talked to me when I was stuck in the trunk. Actually, he talked at me because it was mostly one-sided, but he said something I need to tell you, VP. And Zane. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I don’t really know why he’d lie.”

Reaching for the water to wet her dry mouth, a side effect of the good drugs she’s on to dull her pain enough to function, she winces at the movement. Colt hands it to her instead, and she tries to get comfortable again. Even with the drugs, she’s still in a lot of pain.

“He told me he’d gone to the house when Margaret was sick. He hitchhiked to find you because he didn’t understand what was going on, and he wasn’t happy you started a new family.”

If her father is affected, he gives nothing away in his expression, and it irks her. She can’t understand how he doesn’t feel any type of guilt over abandoning a child. No matter how crazy he may have been, he was still a kid. A kid who probably thought VP hung the moon.

She shakes her head in disgust and disappointment. “He says he talked to you, Zane. That’s how he learned your mom was sick. There’s a spot by the shop he said he’d wait, watching, and you’d find him and update him about her.”

Zane’s jaw drops. “I always thought… He wasn’t my imaginary friend, was he? He said his name was Nero, which I thought was cool.”

“It is. His middle name is Phillip,” Lex says. “Or was. Is he dead?”

“Not even close,” Venom says, his jaw set. “Psycho’s babysitting the motherfucker, and we’re going to come up with a plan.”

“You know Nero?” VP asks.

Zane blinks and nods. “I haven’t thought about him in forever, but yeah, I do. I always thought I made him up because we looked so much alike. I’d pretend it was me from the future coming to talk to myself. Like a way to know everything would be okay.”

Sniffling, Lex remembers the tire iron and her broken nose.

She hates not being able to breathe through her nose.

“He told me that the treatments your mom was on worked. Instead of hanging out, waiting to talk to you, he stood in that spot to learn everyone’s routine.

Says he swapped out her medication for poison, and it may not have been the cancer that killed her.

Well, maybe, because she was taking poison instead of medicine. ”

The pain on Zane’s face breaks her heart a little bit. No matter how much she wants nothing to do with him, she can only see a little boy losing his mom. It still affects him.

VP has a look of despair, and it frustrates Lex. He only cares about Zane and Margaret, but he honestly couldn’t care less about abandoning a child because Phillip wasn’t who he wanted. And if he’d been more of a man, maybe none of this would have happened.

“Do you think it’s true?” Colt asks.

Shrugging a shoulder, she sniffles again. “I don’t know why he’d tell me a lie if he planned to kill me.”

“He wouldn’t have a reason to lie,” Venom says. “Especially because he was going to kill himself, too. I found his manifest of what he had planned.”

“Oh, yay. Let’s not ever tell Lex what was supposed to happen, okay?” she says with a small smile. “Oh, he also told me that he was the one who almost killed me when I was fifteen. The firefight with the Devils was just the perfect cover for him, and sending me to Arizona with Mom saved my life.”

This catches VP’s attention. “He tried to shoot you?”

“Well, he stabbed me through the seat of a car after beating me senseless and getting aroused by it. But you find that shocking?”

“What?” Colt asks. “He… what?”

Waving a hand in the air, she sighs. “He’s a sick fuck. Um, Undertaker, I thought I heard a motorcycle from the trunk. Was that you?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see the car for a while,” Undertaker admits.

“It might’ve been mine,” Zane says. “I got these weird, creepy notes about the house I lived in with Mom, and I’m pretty sure I saw the car you were in at one point early on, but I stopped to take a piss. Then I saw Undertaker race by like he was on fire, and I followed him.”

“Lucas called you, didn’t he?” she asks Undertaker.

He grimaces. “Yeah, but then I fucking dropped the phone and ran it over before I could call anyone. Sorry, man.”

“Wait, Zane, what notes? Or was that what he meant about clues?” Lex asks.

Her brain feels like it’s wading through water, which she doesn’t love. Another side effect of the meds.

“Yeah, I got these weird, cryptic letters about the house where my mom died. It’s where I’ll find the answers I seek or some shit. I figured I’d go check it out.”

“Lex, did he break your nose before you got in the trunk? Because I saw the blood when you jumped out swinging,” Undertaker says.

Holding up her hand, Lex narrows her eyes. “Wait, you saw all of that, and it took you that long to knock his ass off me?”

“I was too far away, and the trees didn’t cover as much as I would’ve liked. I had to be stealthy. If he saw me, he might have panicked and killed you. Or me. I didn’t know Zane was near, so I wanted to make sure you made it.”

“He would’ve just used me as a human shield, but I’ll accept that explanation. But no, the tire iron I found broke my nose when we ran over railroad track at the speed of lightning, it seems. Seriously, it felt like he thought we were in a Fast and Furious movie.”

Ky smirks and holds back a chuckle. “Really? Where’d the tire iron come from?”

“I don’t think he knew it was back there, but it popped out of a compartment and hit me in the face after I bonked my head on the lid. At least I had a weapon. Was too stupid to grab the gun he had from the ground, though.”

“It wasn’t loaded,” Venom says. “I picked it up before we came here, and there weren’t any bullets.”

“Asshole knew I would’ve tried to get it,” she says. “As much as I hate him, he’s not stupid.”

She recounts the rest of what happened with Undertaker adding details she either overlooked or forgot. Knowing the gun wasn’t loaded makes her feel a little less stupid for overlooking something simple.

“And the whole aroused thing?” Colt asks through clenched teeth.

“Yeah, that was really gross. Apparently, beating women half to death gets him hot, blood relation or not,” Lex says and shudders.

“He said he never fucked any of his other victims because they were dirty,” Undertaker says. “He’d take breaks to get himself off when it became too much, but sister or not, Lex was changing his plans. That’s when I got close enough to jump his ass.”

Jaw clenched, Colt stares at the wall next to VP. “He doesn’t die until I get a moment with him.”

“Oh, don’t worry. Following his plan, with a few little additions of my own, he’ll be alive for weeks. Assuming his research is accurate,” Venom says. “You’ll have plenty of time.”

Lex’s eyes widen, and her jaw drops. “He was planning to torture me for weeks?”

Clamming up, Venom just looks above her head and shrugs.

“No, tell me.”

“He had it planned out for around a month. His prior victims were lab rats to him,” Venom says. “He kept detailed records of everything he did with notes on adjustments to make. For you.”

“Nina lasted over two weeks,” Undertaker says, his eyes on the ground. “He poured acid into her open body. She lost her voice screaming in pain, and he gave her meds to keep her conscious.”

Her stomach churns as the reality of what she truly escaped hits, and she reaches for the container Dr. West left in case she got nauseous from the medication.

“Baby?” Colt asks as Lex throws up yellow bile, and she groans in pain as she does.

“Doc!” Ky shouts, his head sticking out into the hallway.

Dr. West comes running, and he helps guide Lex back. Handing the plastic container to a nurse, he checks her vitals. “The medications can really hit hard on an empty stomach. Let’s try getting something into your system.”

It’s not the meds, Doc, but sure. Maybe a cracker will help rip the images of being chained up and tortured with acid pouring into my body cavity from my head.

A nurse hands her a small packet of crackers, and Lex nibbles on it. If nothing else, it’ll get rid of the nasty taste from her mouth.

“I’m okay. Thanks,” she says.

“You should get some rest, Alexis. Your body has a lot of healing to do. If you can do your part, we’ll do ours by getting you out of here as soon as possible.”

After he leaves, Colt runs his hand over her hair. “I wish there was something I could say to make this easier, baby.”

“You know what’s really sick? I still feel kind of sorry for him,” she admits. “He’s clearly sick in the head, but at the same time, he was just abandoned and didn’t really understand why. Seeking answers is why he possibly killed his first victim.”

“You should get some rest,” Colt says, cutting off whatever her father opened his mouth to say. “I’m going to try to talk Lucas into going home to at least shower and change. He’s refused to leave your side.”

Taking his hand, she squeezes his hand. “You go home, too. I’ll be fine. I’m going to pass out soon.”

“I don’t want—”

“I’ll stay,” Venom says. “I owe you for not answering when she called. I can’t believe I fell asleep.”

“Yeah, because you don’t need sleep like the rest of us mere mortals,” she says. “I’ll be fine. Really. Go love up on Marnie.”

They all reluctantly filter out of the room, everyone but VP saying their goodbyes, and the sleepiness starts to take over. Turning her head, she notices arguing in the hallway.

Zane’s talking animatedly with a female doctor, and his body language surprises Lex. She gasps, swearing to herself as her ribs scream at her for it.

He storms away, angry, and the doctor looks frustrated. When she turns, she catches Lex watching her, and she plasters on a fake smile before walking into the room.

“Hi, Lex. I’m Dr. Collier. Anne.”

Dark hair. Lean build. Zane definitely has a type. “You’re sleeping with Zane, aren’t you?”

Her jaw drops before she can stop herself. She even has the same green eyes. “How… Have you…?”

“Oh, gross,” she mutters. “He’s my brother.”

“Brother? I’m so sorry. I thought your chart said Nichols.”

“Married.” Holding her left hand up, she realizes she has no rings on. “There are supposed to be rings there.”

Chuckling, Anne sits. “You have the good drugs, I see.” She sighs and shakes her head. “Everything is such a mess.”

“Welcome to Zane’s life,” she says with a small chuckle.

“What are you doing in here?” Zane asks, and Anne jumps up from the chair. “Why are you talking to my sister?”

She fumbles, and Lex has enough sense left to save her. “I asked a question about the pain meds. She’s wearing a fancy white coat, so I figured she’d tell me if I’m likely to become some type of addict.”

“Oh. Sorry, I…”

“Hey, Zane?” Lex asks as Anne scurries from the room, not sticking around to hear whatever else he planned to say. “When I’m out of here and a little more, you know, mobile, I need you to stop by the house. I have something for you.”

“An ass beating?” he asks and chuckles awkwardly. He shuffles from foot to foot as his eyes never leave the floor. “We both know I deserve one.”

Lex snorts. “I’ll leave that up to my husband. As much as I would hate to keep talking, I’m not sure how much longer I can fight passing out. I give it another forty-three seconds.”

“Do you mind if I hang out for a bit?”

“To chat up the pretty doctor?”

He smirks as her words slur and sits in the chair beside the bed. “To make sure you’re okay.”

“Mmm,” she mumbles before drifting off to sleep.

What a strange thing to say after you tried to kill me.