Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Vox

I can’t wrap my head around this shit!

Nova Quinlin is actually Taylor Tempest, Ezekiel’s kid sister who we all thought had died years ago.

Nexus and Thomas know who she is and want her to marry Nexus so they can overturn her father’s decree and make a new ruling so no woman can ever lead the Saints. How the fuck did we not piece all of this together?

Was I so blinded by her that I didn’t see what was staring me right in the face?

“What happens now?” Hayze asks.

“Now, I will take Nova away from here?—”

I cut Nikoa off before he could continue. “You do that and you subject my sister to the vile shit they will put her through.”

“And you would rather I go through with it?” Her voice has me slamming my eyes closed, I can’t look at her. Knowing who she is and what her taking over would mean for my sister makes this situation ten times fucking harder. She scoffs when I don’t answer. “Of fucking course, stupid me for thinking that you actually gave a fuck about me. My bad. I forgot two horns.” I don’t defend myself.

“I won’t let them touch her!” Ezekiel vows.

“Oh, now you fucking care?” Nova screams.

“I didn’t know!” Ez defends.

“And that makes it okay? You put me through fucking hell, Ezekiel. You all did. I thought we had moved past all of that but I guess I was wrong.”

“I would never let them hurt you, Taylor ,” Ez grits out.

“Stop calling me that! My name is Nova and I am not a Tempest, I’m a fucking Quinlin. My mother is Kelly and I don’t care what the fuck he is telling you, I am not your sister or some pawn you can use to save Vivian.” Nova whirls around and flees. The instant she does I chase after her. She nearly makes it past the headstone where she first met us here before I tackle her to the ground. Hayze and Archer hold Ezekiel back when she begins to fight. I roll her over and pin her arms beside her head and trap her legs between mine. “Get the fuck off me.”

“Calm the hell down, witch!”

“Fuck you, Vox, fuck all of you!” she chokes out, then begins to cry—guilt gnaws at me. I handled this whole thing wrong. “I want my mom,” she rasps out through her tears. I turn and peer over my shoulder to look at Nikoa, he shakes his head.

“Where is she?” I snarl.

“I don’t know.” Nova screams beneath me at his answer.

“Get off me!” The utter devastation in her tone is the only reason I release her and drop back onto my ass. She crawls away and turns her back to me, but then suddenly the sounds of her cries die out and her body turns rigid. Worry begins to gnaw at me when she pulls her phone from the pocket of the hoodie she wears, she frantically unlocks it and then dials a number bringing it to her ear.

“Pick up, pick up, please, Waylen,” she pleads.

Anger soars inside me. “Why the fuck are you calling that bitch?” I snarl. She ignores me and she continues chanting for him to answer his phone. She tosses her phone to the side and begins digging, I frown and look down to see the grave has a fresh mound of dirt. I look over my shoulder at my boys, Hayze and Archer have their masks off now and I can see they are all confused by the sight of the fresh dirt as well. This grave is one of the oldest in this place and looks the most daunting which is why we chose it.

“God, please… no… no,” Nova cries out as she continues to dig. I shift and try to reach for her but she shoves me away. “Fuck off,” she screams as tears trek down her face. “I will kill you if something happened to him,” she spits out.

“Who?” I snap.

“Waylen.” I recoil at her reply, I haven’t seen that bitch since Homecoming.

“Nova, what the fuck are you talking about?” She snaps her head to the side to glare up at Nikoa.

“That!” she hisses as she points toward the headstone. I look to where she is pointing and my brows hit my hairline. Carved into the headstone is four numbers.

4221

The same numbers she has tattooed on her and the same numbers I know mean everything to her and best friend.

“Get the shovels out of my trunk!” I snap at my boys, then I turn around and help her dig, praying to God that this is just a sick joke.

The loss she is about to feel is on her.

That’s what he said to Hayze. Tingles of unease work their way up my back as Archer, Nova, Nikoa and I continue to dig with our hands until Ez and Hayze get back with the shovels. We move out of their way but Nova doesn’t. Without thinking I wrap my arms around her waist and drag her back, ignoring her threats. She kicks and tries to hit me but I don’t relent.

“Let them dig, it will be faster,” Nikoa says from beside me.

“Where is my mom?” she snaps.

“I don’t know,” he answers.

“You said you had her in your letter.” He reels back and shakes his head.

“Thomas gave me the letters you sent,” I add.

Nikoa’s face slackens. “I meant I had her as in, I had Nova in my sights not Kelly.”

“Oh God, Mom!” Nova screams as the boys continue to dig as fast they can.

“This was a trap,” Nikoa breathes out as he spins around in a circle. Suddenly the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and I get the sense we are being watched. I remain stoic and unmoving, knowing that she can’t handle more than what has already happened tonight. Ez and Hayze switch out with Archer and Nikoa and keep digging. Nikoa keeps looking around and pulls his hood over his head, if we are being watched they would have already seen him and heard what we discussed.

When we hear a thud everyone stops moving, Nova tears free of my hold and jumps into the shallow grave. I dart forward and look down, watching as she swipes away the dirt. Nikoa and Archer climb out of the hole and stand on either side. Whoever did this, wanted us to find this and made it easy enough that we didn’t have to dig more than a few feet. When Nova clears the dirt from the head of the casket a strangle sound escapes her. The top is ajar and I see four fingers poking out. She shifts to the side and flips the lid off.

The second she does, everything turns cold around us. Her broken screams rent the air and we can all feel her pain. She brushes the dirt from his face and tries to pull him up but rigor mortis has set in and he is stiff. Waylen’s eyes are a cloudy white and his mouth is open, filled with dirt. He wasn’t only buried alive, he was clearly beaten, then suffocated and choked on the dirt when he pried the lid open.

“Come on, just wake up. This isn’t our plan, we still have to go to Rome,” she sobs out. A hollowness settles inside me as I watch her claw at her best friend's lifeless body. I run my gaze over Waylen and cringe. His clothes are torn and look like they are the same ones he was wearing the night she sent him packing. I’m guessing he never made it on that flight. The smell is intense and suffocating, he’s clearly been dead for a few days but Nova doesn’t seem to register that as she keeps screaming for him to wake up.

“Vox,” Ez hisses. I turn to him. He flicks his gaze toward the lid of the coffin, I follow it and my features slacken. There, scratched into the pine wood lid of the coffin.

4221 RUN.

Waylen knew what was coming and rather than blame Nova for what was happening to him, he sent her one last message. He was telling her that he loved her and to run.

“Please, don’t leave me. You’re all I have. I need you and I need Mom, Way, please,” she begs as she flops forward onto his body. I slam my eyes closed, unable to deal with the sight of her breaking. I can only imagine the pain that is coursing through her right now, losing Ez, Arch or Hayze would break me.

They aren’t just my best friends, they are my brothers.

The sound of sirens wailing in the distance has all of us snapping out of it. I leap into the hole and try to pry Nova off Waylen but she continues to cling to him.

“We have to go,” I snap.

“I’m not leaving him!” she screams.

“Vox, they’re getting closer,” Archer hisses. I try to pull her again but she won’t budge.

“We have to go, man,” Hayze snaps.

“I’m not leaving my sister,” Ezekiel sneers.

“All of you go, I will get Nova out of here,” Nikoa says. I look up at him and the resolute look in his eyes has something inside me trusting him to do as he says. “Get home to your families, they have all lost enough.” I war with myself for a few more seconds before I release Nova.

“This isn’t over, witch.”

When she peers back at me I see nothing but hatred and loathing in her eyes. “I’m burning it all to the ground and I will take all of you down for what you did.”

“I never touched him, I swear.”

“You didn’t have to. If you had stayed away from me then Waylen would be here. I hate you and everything you stand for. I’ll kill Thomas and Nexus, then I’m coming for the Filthy Few . Your deaths will all be by my hands and I will be Forever Filthy. ” The promise in her tone has me steeling my spine and walling off my emotions, we not only have the war against the Saints to fight but it appears we have another contender.

Taylor Tempest is coming after all of us.