Chapter 39

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Nova

Secrets and Lies…

They bind you and rule over you until eventually. You have no choice but to give in and live in the reality that your bullshit created.

Like I am.

Sitting here and gazing out at the creek that runs through the back part of Nikoa’s property, I can’t stop my mind from replaying the events of that night. I had a gut feeling all day, I could just feel that something was wrong—all day I felt off. I never said anything to him or the others until before we left.

Learning the truth about who I am rocked me to my core but that wasn’t what broke me. It was seeing that headstone with our numbers carved into it.

4221.

Forever together to love one another.

That was what we had lived by since we were kids. We didn’t need a large group of friends or ever felt left out when we didn’t get invited to parties because we didn’t need anyone, we had each other. Tears prick the backs of my eyes, I haven’t been able to stop crying or get the picture of his face out of my head. The forever frozen terrified look in his eyes will haunt me for the rest of my life. I bury my face in my hands and cry.

Waylen is gone!

My Waylen!

I left him there.

I should have stayed but Nikoa made me a promise, he vowed to help me end the Saints and enact my revenge against those who hurt my best friend and he promised to help me find my mom. I thought he had her, if I had known otherwise I would never have defied Nexus. I would have worn that fucking stupid collar and knelt in the cafeteria until my knees bled. I would have done whatever he wanted. Instead, I chose to be selfish. I let my feelings for Vox Hatchett cloud my judgment.

I knew the texts from Waylen sounded weird. I should have known when he didn’t reply to my 4221 message that it wasn’t him, but I was too wrapped up in Vox and his evil dick to notice my best friend was kidnapped.

The numerous calls from him the night he left make sense, he was calling me for help and I was too self-absorbed and throwing myself a pity fucking party, so I ignored the calls. If only I had answered…

“You need to eat, Nova-Scotia.” At the sound of Nikoa’s voice, I turn rigid. I keep my face buried in my hands not wanting to look at him, every time I do all I see is Ezekiel. The knowledge that he is my biological brother still tastes bitter.

“Not hungry,” I force out.

“You haven’t eaten in nearly five days, enough is enough—” I lurch to my feet, feeling dizzy, and spin around to glare up at the fucker who stands on the porch, holding a plate. I try not to sway on my feet.

“It will never be enough!” I scream.

Nikoa’s eyes shine with pity and I fucking hate that we have the same color hair and eyes. Unlike Ezekiel, who looks nothing like me with his blond hair and blue eyes, Nikoa does look like me and I fucking loathe it!

“I know but starving yourself and sitting out here all day, every day until you finally fall asleep isn’t going to get you your revenge. If you want to slaughter those bastards that robbed your friend of decades worth of his life, then you need to woman the fuck up and get strong.” His words may be crass and blunt but they resonate with the darkness that has been festering inside me since that night.

“I want them all to pay,” I force out through clenched teeth.

“Then start by eating, showering and acting like you are actually living instead of walking around like a shell of a person.”

“Fuck you,” I snap.

“That fire, the one I see burning in your eyes, is what will give you the strength to carry yourself through all of this. Use it.” He bends down and places the plate with a sandwich on it on the steps, then stands and looks at me. “Until you can show me that you are ready for this fight, I will not lift a finger to help you.”

“You promised to help my mom?—”

“And I intend on keeping that promise. I have people searching for her and my informant is looking into it as we speak. Everything else is on hold until you prove you are ready. I will not bury another fucking member of my family, understand?” When I don’t acknowledge his questions he just shakes his head and stalks back inside the house, leaving me alone to wallow in the turmoil of my thoughts.

I know he’s right. I’m not in the right headspace to go up against the Saints let alone the Filthy Few . I know Nikoa doesn’t support my thirst for his nephew or his friends’ blood but I don’t care. If they had all just left me the fuck alone Waylen would never have been… I can’t even think about what they did to him before they eventually… did what they fucking did to him.

I force myself to think about something else, anything aside from my dead friend and missing Mom. I slump back on the stairs and stare at the sandwich, my stomach rumbles for the food but just the thought of eating it makes me feel ill. My cell begins to vibrate beside me and I look down to see it’s Vivian calling, again. She calls me at least a dozen times a day and texts me nonstop but I never open them or reply. I know she wasn’t the one who killed Waylen, but I can’t stop myself from placing some of the blame on her.

My phone begins to ring again and this time it isn’t Vivian, it’s Nexus. Red-hot anger soars inside me at the sight of his name. I still haven’t listened to his voice messages or read the texts he sent, too afraid of what I will hear. I allow the anger riding me to take control and hit answer bringing the phone to my ear.

“I’m going to destroy you,” I vow.

His laughter grates on my nerves and has me grinding my teeth. “Stop it, you sound like a spoiled little girl who lost her favorite toy.”

“And you sound like a dead man on borrowed time,” I grit out through clenched teeth. A range of emotions are warring inside me, pain and hatred are the strongest but there is also deep seated guilt. Nexus warned me not to cross him and I didn’t listen. I chose to believe that I had somehow outsmarted him and I was untouchable because I had Vox and the Filthy Few at my side.

“That’s funny, I think your friend ran out of time before I did.” A choked sob rips out of me without consent.

“Fuck you!” I sneer.

“You want your mother back?” I gasp at the mention of my mom and snap my mouth closed, biting down on my tongue to keep from lashing out at him. His condescending chuckle has me grinding my teeth so hard that my jaw begins to ache. “I assume you have learned from your last mistake?”

It takes every ounce of self-control I have to keep my tone even. “ Yes. ”

“Well, that is good to hear, piggy. Now, there are a few rules for you to follow.” I inhale to try to calm myself and remember that I need to play by his rules or my mom will suffer. “You are going to come out of hiding and return home. You will do as you are told and not step a single fucking foot out of line.” The threat in his tone is clear. “You disobey me and your mother will start losing fingers. The collar is to be worn at all times and you will stay the fuck away from Vox and those other assholes.”

I don’t say it but he has no need to worry about Vox coming near me, he knows I want him dead. “Fine.”

“You have three days to get your ass back here, your masked man won’t be able to save you both.” My eyes widen, he ends the call and I am left standing here staring out at the creek, wishing the current could wash me away with it. I have three days to formulate a plan and try to find my mom or I am left with no other choice but to return to that house of horrors and endure whatever that little snake puts me through.

“Nova?” I turn to see Nikoa standing in the doorway with a stern look.

“What?” He doesn’t say anything about my tone.

“You need to come inside.” The look in his eyes gives me pause and I stiffen.

“Why?” I grit out.

“Because if we make a plan I’m sure that phone call can be forgotten and you won’t have to do something stupid like go back to living with those murdering sons of bitches.” I can’t keep the shock from splaying over my face. The bastard just grins and flicks his head for me to follow him. I begrudgingly do as instructed and follow him into the small living room where I freeze in the threshold. I have no idea who the two men are but the sight of the woman has my hackles rising and my anger spiking.

“You have no fucking right to be here,” I seethe. Nikoa shoots me a look of warning but I ignore him. Her bottom lip begins to tremble and her eyes fill with tears. I scoff at the sight of them and harden my features, she doesn’t deserve any fucking pity from me.

“I had no choice.” Her voice trembles as she tries to fight back tears but it’s pathetic if you ask me. Olivia Tempest is standing here in front of me looking like a lost little puppy.

“But you knew though, didn’t you?” I ask as I force my legs to move and walk toward her. The two men shoot Nikoa a look but neither of them backs away from her. I stop a foot away and look at her. She has the same gray-blue eyes as her son but unlike Ezekiel, his mother’s hair is a lighter shade of blonde. Judging from Nikoa’s raven hair and green eyes, I would assume I take after Edmund's side of the family. “The night of Homecoming, you knew who I was, didn’t you, Olivia?” A lone tear trek trails down her cheek but I feel nothing aside from a deep-seated loathing for this woman.

“Y-yes, I knew the moment I laid eyes on you that you are my?—”

I cut her off before she can finish. “Don’t even think about saying what you were about to say. Kelly is my mother.” A pained look crosses her face but I am well past caring about her or her feelings. She bites down on her lip as more tears fall down her cheeks and she nods. “I don’t know why you are here or what you want but I can tell you now, I want nothing from you.” A whimper escapes her and the man on her right wraps an arm around her shoulders and draws her into his side.

“Nova.” I snap my gaze to the man on her left and narrow my eyes, he looks oddly familiar. “My name is Shane Draven?—”

“You’re Hayze’s father?” I say. The man smiles tightly and nods.

“Yes. But, I am also a member of the Haven Saints and so is Henry.” I look at the other man, who nods his head. I study his features for a moment.

“You’re Archer’s dad?” Henry nods. “Why are you here?”

It isn’t the men who answer my question, it’s Nikoa. “They are here to help us get your mother back.” I spring around and face him, his eyes are hard as he stares at me.

“What’s the catch?” I push knowing there has to be something in this for them.

“Once we have Kelly back, we’ll take the Saints down,” Nikoa vows.

I scoff earning a hard look from my dear old uncle. “Your plan is futile,” I answer.

“How so?” Shane asks.

“I’m not stupid, it may be true that I am a Tempest by blood, but I don’t have the highest claim to the lordess spot, that honor belongs to Vivian .”