Page 7 of Unhinged

CHAPTER FIVE

brYDGETT

“Are you ready, J? If you wanna get to the trampoline park as soon as they open, we need to leave now! I still need to stop by work and get my phone, Judge.” I’m standing by the door to our apartment, waiting for Judge to come out of his room.

He went to put shoes on and ten minutes later I’m still standing here.

Why does this kid take years to put shoes on every time?

He comes sprinting down the hall, his small frame full of life as he slides to a stop next to me, nearly losing his balance. "Okay. Let’s go," he chirps.

"Finally," I tease, opening the door to let him out first. I watch as he bounces ahead, his energy contagious. I lock the door, my mind flitting back to the list of things I need to do today.

Downstairs, I unlock the car so Judge can climb in while I take care of Marcus. My heart tugs as I approach his usual spot, a makeshift bed in the shadows. "Marcus, are you awake?" I call softly, not wanting to startle him.

“Yeah,” he mumbles.

“I brought some leftovers from breakfast. We’re headed to the trampoline park for the day. It’s supposed to rain tonight. Are you sure you won’t come in and sleep on my couch?” I already know the answer, but I have to ask or I wouldn’t feel right.

“No,” he says instantly and matter-of-factly.

“Okay.” I sigh and hand him the bag of goodies I brought. “See you later.”

I walk to my second love, slide into the driver's seat, and fire it up. “Did Marcus agree to come inside tonight?” Judge asks from the backseat as he buckles his seatbelt.

“Nope. I asked though.” I buckle myself, put the car in drive, and pull away from the curb.

The radio bursts to life, and the familiar beats of We Will Rock You by In This Moment fill the car.

Judge’s favorite. I glance in the rearview mirror just in time to see him light up, his little head already bobbing to the beat.

I can’t help but laugh as he starts belting out the lyrics, overflowing with enthusiasm.

He loves Maria Brink, and I can’t blame him. The woman is hot as sin and has one hell of a set of pipes.

We sing and laugh the rest of the drive to Ruby’s. When we arrive, I park close to the door, turn the engine off, and angle my body to look at Judge. “I’ll be right back, J. Then we’ll be on our way.” He doesn’t answer, so I take that as my cue to move my ass.

Stepping into the diner, I’m greeted by Ruby.

“What are you doing here, Brydge? It’s your day off,” Ruby calls, not looking up from the cash register.

“I left my phone here yesterday. Judge and I are headed to the trampoline park, so I wanted to grab it on the way.”

I walk behind the counter, scanning the familiar shelves where I usually leave my phone. A small sigh of relief escapes me when I spot it exactly where I left it. We’re not allowed to have it on our person, but since Ruby knows Judge only has me, she lets me leave it there.

I shove the phone into my back pocket, giving Ruby a quick wave as I head toward the door. "See you tomorrow, Ruby."

“See ya tomorrow, Brydge. Oh! Can you work a twelve tomorrow? Seven to seven. Lisa called out,” Ruby asks, her words following me as I push open the door.

But before I can respond, an ear-piercing scream shatters the air—Judge’s scream.

The sound of my baby in distress rips through me like a blade.

My heart lurches, my blood turns to ice, and for a moment, the world stops.

It feels like hours that everything around me freezes before my instincts take over propelling me forward.

Listen, I know I’m not your typical omega but one stereotype I do fit? Harm my baby and I won’t just go feral. I’ll burn the world to the ground.

The sight that greets me outside roots me to the spot, my breath catching in my throat as terror tempers my instincts. There are three men—alphas I recognize all too well. Gears, Arrow, and the one whose name I never caught.

Gears has Judge in his arms, my baby thrashing, kicking, and screaming with everything he has. “Knock it off, pipsqueak,” Gears growls, his glare sharp enough to cut, and something inside me snaps.

A feral scream tears from my throat, and I charge at them, my vision tunneling with rage and fear.

I slam into Gears with everything I’ve got; the impact forcing him back a step.

He loses his balance, and for a brief second, I know I have a chance.

But then he catches himself, his grip on Judge loosening just long enough for my son to break free and start running.

“Not so fast, little man,” Arrow murmurs as he grabs Judge by the arm, pulling him back.

"Let him fucking go!" I scream, raw with desperation. I twist and fight against Gears as he grabs me, locking me in a brutal hold.

I stomp down hard on Gears’ foot, feeling the crunch of bone beneath my boot, then slam my head back into his nose with all the strength I can muster. Pain explodes in my skull, but it’s nothing compared to the terror clawing at my insides.

"Fuck!" Gears roars. He lets me go and I make a break for it.

I lunge for Arrow, every fiber of my being focused on getting my baby back.

But before I can reach him, something hard connects with the side of my head.

A sharp, searing pain radiates through my skull, and I feel myself crumpling to the ground.

“Mom!” Judge’s scream is the last thing I hear, the word echoing in my mind as darkness pulls me under.

ACID ( LAST NIGHT )

Arrow strolls into the clubhouse with a goofy-looking grin on his face and his usually sharp eyes glazed over with something I can’t quite place. He needs to get his head on straight because we’ve got shit to do, and I don’t have time for whatever the hell is running through his mind.

“Where the fuck have you been?” I snap, watching as he finally makes his way over to me.

“I was questioning the dealers and ended up meeting Kenny’s replacement, so I reminded him of our rules.

Then I stopped at Ruby’s and grabbed some grub.

” He plops down on the barstool next to me like it’s just another day in paradise, but there’s something different about the way he moves, like he’s not fully here.

Aubrey, another club whore, immediately swoops in, handing Arrow a beer. She’s all smiles, probably hoping to earn herself a bit of attention.

“Thanks, G,” he mutters, opening the can and taking a long drink.

“Why you coming in here looking freshly fucked or in love if you were just out doing club business?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at him. His face splits into a slow grin, and for a moment, I wonder if he’s about to tell me some bullshit story, but instead, he surprises me.

“Remember that beta from Kenny’s?” He sets his beer down and turns to look me dead in the eye, his grin turning into something a bit more mischievous.

“The hot as fuck but annoying one who slept next to a corpse? Yes, I fucking remember her.” I say, rolling my eyes.

My mind races. What the fuck does that bitch have to do with this?

Did he find something? We did mention she might have a pimp or escort who killed Kenny, so maybe he confirmed that motive.

A lot is riding on figuring out who took Kenny out.

We need to know who his dealer was because we don’t tolerate tard on our turf.

The Demons and us have an agreement—tar is theirs.

If they find out it’s being distributed by someone under our chain of command, we risk a turf war.

I’m not about to let this asshole go off on some tangent.

“She works at Ruby’s. She was a bit stunned when I showed up.

Thought I was there to kill her or some shit.

I assured her it was a coincidence. I asked her a few questions and told her I didn’t think she had anything to do with the murder.

Just wrong place, wrong time.” He smiles as he talks, and if he doesn’t get to whatever the fuck point he is trying to make, I’m going to break his fucking jaw.

“Could we get to the point of this fucking story?” I bark.

“Patience, young alpha.” He pats my cheek. “Followed her out to the parking lot when she was taking out the trash and had a little fun.”

“You fucked the beta bitch!?” I practically shout. Arrow always thinks with his dick, but fuck me, she might be the key to solving not only who was giving Kenny his drugs, but who this killer is. How the hell does he think this is okay? He knows better.

“No. Barely got to touch her cunt before her boss was hollering for her to come back inside. But Acid, man, I think she could be?—”

“She can’t be nothin’. She fucked Kenny and is a person of interest to the club.

Your brother is gonna have your ass when he hears this shit.

” I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Arrow’s supposed to be smarter than this, but now he’s tangled himself up with a woman who might be involved in Kenny’s murder.

Just as I’m about to give him another piece of my mind, Gears comes from the hallway, followed by Nitro.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. He smacks Nitro on the back with a smile before looking our way.

“You two, my office, now,” he shouts, his voice doesn’t leave room for argument.

Grabbing our beers, we leave our stools and head to his office to see what he wants now. Once we step inside, we take our seats opposite his desk.

“What’s up, Pres?” I ask, trying to keep my tone neutral.

“Nitro found something. He's got a cousin who lives a block behind Kenny's place. Their backyards connect. Well, he called Nitro, and said he got something on his camera we might wanna see.” Gears holds up a USB drive before handing it to me. There’s a gleam in his eye that tells me whatever’s on here is important—something that might finally give us a lead.

“Thanks, fuckhead,” I mutter, smirking as I take the drive. “Good to know you’re useful for something.”