Page 46 of Laila Manning (Shadeport Crew #3)
The Reapers and Shadeport Crew took them out, some using guns, some using their fists, and within moments I was running through a door behind Diesel into the home.
Please be here. Please. Please. Please.
I was sick to my stomach, hoping that Kade was inside of the home of a known predator, but not knowing where he was, left him more vulnerable because we all knew he was in trouble. There was no other way around it.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” A screeching, shrill voice screamed as the evil wife of the senator came around the corner, staring down the men in her home like she was any sort of threat. “Get out of my house!”
“Where’s Kade?” I snapped, stepping around Diesel’s massive body to stand in front of her, that electrocution feeling coursing through my body in a way I’d never felt before.
In every other situation, I froze, I shrunk, I disassociated from what was happening around me until I couldn’t even see or hear.
But not now. Now, it felt like fire nipped at my feet, and if I didn’t act, I’d die. “Where is he?” I screamed.
But she just pressed her lips together with a smug look of superiority as she looked me up and down.
“You.” She sneered, “I knew I recognized you that day I saw you walking with Zeke.” She scoffed as she put her hands on her hips.
“You pathetic, disgusting whore! Look at you, out of the dirt and filth and living the life of luxury like you’re something worthy of this life! ”
My blood ran cold as I realized what she meant.
She recognized me.
Recognized me.
As her husband’s torture toy.
She took a step toward me and pointed her manicured nail at me, “He should have killed you when he cut that bastard baby out of you! But he was too obsessed with you! With fucking you! Whore!”
I didn’t think or decide—I didn’t even know what I was doing until my fist slammed into her face. Pain vibrated up my wrist and arm all the way to my shoulder as her head snapped backward, blood spraying across my face as she fell on her ass.
There was no noise surrounding me, though I could see her mouth opening and closing as she screamed more vile things at me, but I couldn’t hear them.
I couldn’t feel them.
I just attacked her.
My hands grabbed handfuls of her perfectly styled hair, ripping it out in clumps as I slammed my hand into her face, over and over again, gouging and scratching, pulling pieces of her flesh apart with each swing of my arms.
I should have stopped, I should have left her to someone else to deal with, but I couldn’t .
For the first time in my life, I had the upper hand.
People moved around me, men searching the house and securing other staff on the property, holding them at gunpoint.
But I didn’t stop until she stopped fighting back.
Was she dead?
Did I care?
“Laila.”
The voice sounded so far away I ignored it at first. But then something touched me, a hand on my shoulder, and I turned, slashing my hands at the new outlet.
“Whoa,” Diesel said, gripping my wrists tight in his hands and immobilizing me as his eyes roamed my face. “You did well. She’s done. You did well.”
His words weren’t quite penetrating my brain, as if there was an invisible force field scattering them into a garbled mess.
But then he said something that made it through.
“We found Kade.”
My muscles stopped tensing against his hold. My bones locked up tight, immovable as my brain fought for control again. “What?” I asked, not even sure it was clear.
“He needs you.” Diesel said, loosening his hold on my wrists but not letting go completely. “It’s bad, Laila.”
“Where?” I yanked my arms free, blinking off whatever rage-induced tantrum I had fallen victim to and focused, “Where is he?”
“Come on,” Diesel nodded, and I followed him, glancing down at the woman lying in a pool of blood, chunks of flesh missing from her plastic face. “This way.” Diesel stopped at the top of a set of stairs leading to a basement.
I could tell even from where I froze behind him that it was nicer than any basement I’d ever been in before, but still .
Basements rarely had other exits.
“Don’t touch me!” A hoarse scream ripped through the air from below, and my heart cracked when I recognized the pain in it. “Don’t come near me!”
“Oh God.” I whispered, pushing past Diesel and running down the stairs and down a long hallway. Men cleared the way as I shoved past them, some patch members, some Zeke’s men as I got to the opening.
A cell.
A cell of horrors, I found so many familiar similarities to the one I lived in for a while.
And inside of it, curled into a ball of skin and bones, bruises and cuts, was a little boy who would never be the same because of it.
“Kade.” I whispered, as the rest of the guys cleared out, leaving me alone with Diesel and the boy. The door to the cell was open, but Kade was curled behind the metal bed, with his face buried behind the fabric of his bare mattress. “Kade,” I said a little louder, “It’s me, Laila.”
Something dripped down my face, and I swiped at it, pulling my hand away to find tears mixing with Clarissa’s blood on my fingers. I was crying, and didn’t even realize.
Piercing blue eyes peeked out from behind the mattress, a mop of dirty brown hair stuck to his forehead.
God, he was so small and hurt.
“Kade, you’re safe now.” I tried again, lowering myself to my knees in the middle of the cell.
“No one is going to hurt you. I promise you.” More tears fell from my eyes, but I tried to keep my voice calm and strong for him.
I tried to be everything I dreamed of in finding a rescuer when I was in his place. “I promise you.”
“You’re covered in blood.” He replied softly, sitting up a little higher to see more of my body over the bed. “Who’s? ”
I swallowed, “Hers.” Saying her name felt too personal. He knew who I meant. She was the villain in his nightmare. We all had one.
“Is she dead?” Kade asked, gripping the metal bar of the bed frame to pull his body out just a fraction of an inch from where he was sandwiched against the wall. “Is that enough blood to kill someone?”
“I don’t know.” I said honestly. “But if it’s not, I’ll get more.” I raised my eyebrows at him and nodded once. “If she’s not dead, she will be. I promise.”
“Promises.” He shuddered, “I fucking hate promises.”
“I’m sorry.” I deflated slightly, trying to figure out how to help him when I didn’t even know what had happened to him.
“Don’t be.” He swallowed and moved an inch more toward me. “You’ve never broken any to me before. You’re probably the only one.”
My heart broke for the little boy, who sounded like a worn and tired man instead of a twelve-year-old. “And I never will.”
“Neither will I.” Diesel said from behind me, and I looked over my shoulder as he took his leather cut off, and then took his giant flannel off, handing it to me. “What do you say we get out of this fucking place, kid?”
I held the flannel, still warm with Diesel’s body heat, out to Kade, who eyed it before he said, “I never came to you for help, like you told me to. I was too fucking late.” His shoulders shook slightly as he fought to keep from breaking with that statement.
When I last saw him, I told him he could always come to me, no questions asked.
And he made a joke about questions being my middle name.
What I wouldn’t give to go back to that moment and do it all differently to save him from what happened between then and now.
“You’re not too late now. And my offer still stands.” I leaned forward, holding the shirt out closer to him. “Let me help you, Kade. As someone who knows exactly what you’re feeling right now. Just take my hand and let me help you.”
“Okay.” He whispered, bloodshot eyes watering up even as he refused to let them fall. He was so strong and so broken, all at the same time.
“Okay.” I crawled forward, wrapping the shirt around him, engulfing him in it as he got out of his hiding spot. “I got you.”
The shirt was so big it fell to his knees, and I wrapped my arms around him, praying it wouldn’t trigger him, but he leaned into me, burying his face in my chest as I squeezed him with everything inside of me.
Human touch could destroy every belief a person had in humanity.
Or it could heal it.