Chapter 50

Chapter Fifty

Vox

This motherfucker still thinks he is superior.

I move forward and stand between Hayze and Archer, the three of us remain silent with our gazes fixed on Nexus, knowing that the silence will make him crack and offer information he wouldn’t be willing to give without being prompted.

Eleanor Denver was sixteen when he spiked her drink and raped her. The bastard didn’t stop there, he suffocated her. That girl's last minutes alive were filled with terror. I don’t think Nexus knew who her brother was when he chose her as his next victim. Alexander is locked up, serving three life sentences but everyone knows he is still calling the shots from the inside. Nikoa hasn’t come through with more information, I’m told his informant has been tight lipped as well.

“I want that information you have!” Nexus grits out through clenched teeth.

“A favor asked is a debt owed,” Hayze replies.

Nexus throws his hands in the air. “I’ll pay whatever fucking price you want, now give me the fucking intel!” The unhinged look in his eyes brings a smile to my mask-covered face.

“Ask the favor and a debt shall be owed,” Archer says.

“I just fucking did!” I reach into my back pocket and pull out the stack of rolled up papers. “Give that to me now,” he snarls as he steps forward. Archer reaches over his shoulder and unsheathes his machete, bringing Nexus to a screeching halt. The pussy flicks his gaze to Nova like she is going to save him.

“Make more threats and this bit of information will be sent to every news station in the country and I will personally send this file to the Butcher myself,” I snap.

“What the fuck do you freaks want?” I dart my gaze to either side of me and smirk, Archer and Hayze hate being called freaks and I know for certain that these two are going to make his end painful and taunt the fucker until he breaks.

“Your life,” Hayze says in answer. Nexus’ eyes snap wide as he takes a step back.

“Fuck you! Nova, get your ass over here now.” The fact Nexus referred to her as Nova and not piggy shows how scared he is and I relish in that. Archer takes a step forward, making sure to scrape his blade along the ground. Nexus’ gaze is fixed on it.

“You reek of fear,” Archer taunts as Hayze breaks away from me and circles Nexus, blocking his escape. Nexus shifts, trying to keep the three of us in his sights.

“He is unworthy of the favor we offer,” Hayze says.

“The price of the debt just went up,” I add.

“What price?” Nexus’ voice is tinged with terror and that’s how I know we have him right where we want him.

“You will give us the information we seek on the Haven Saints and in return we will erase every copy we have made of your disgusting act,” I snarl.

His eyes pop wide and the color drains from his face. “I do that and I am as good as dead! The Saints don’t?—”

Archer cuts him off before he can continue rambling. “You are dead either way, with your father as the lord you have a chance of survival.”

Sweat begins to bead his brow and I study him, trying to decipher why he is so nervous but then it fucking hits me. “Your father is unaware of the crime you committed.” Nexus’ gaze snaps to me and his eyes narrow.

“She was willing, she knew what was happening.” I toss the papers at his feet, pictures of her corpse scatter around him.

“The coroner's report shows she had drugs in her system. You spiked that girls drink, then raped her and allowed your sick fucking kink to kill her because it makes you feel like a man, doesn’t it, Nexus Valerian?” Archer taunts as he closes in on him.

He shakes his head but his focus is on the pictures at his feet. “I didn’t mean to,” he mumbles, earning a scoff from Nova. All our attention snaps to her as she climbs to her feet and makes her way over to us stopping beside me.

“Ask them to help you erase the fucking crime you committed and they will make it happen. All you have to do in return is give them the information they need to take down your father and you get to remain breathing,” she bites out.

A dark look shadows his face as he looks at Nova. Without being prompted I shift and block her. “Nah, I have a better idea.” The cocky lilt to his voice has me darting my gaze to Hayze and Archer who look just on edge as I do with his sudden change of attitude. “You give me the copies you have and I agree to let the pig live.” Anger washes over me.

“Fuck you!” Nova screams.

“She isn’t part of the deal,” I snarl.

“You made her part of it the moment you tried to protect her from me. Give me what I want or I will kill her,” he claps back.

“Kill her and you lose every and any chance you had of leading the Saints.” I snap my head to the side to see Nikoa stalking toward us, he has his hood up which obscures his face. The gasp that slips free from Nova is filled with pain and I know she thought it was Ezekiel for a second.

“Who the fuck are you?” Nexus snaps.

“I’m the guy who just sent pictures of you with the Filthy Few to your father.”

Nexus scoffs. “My father won’t care.” The cocky cunt says, but snaps his mouth closed when Archer raises the machete to his throat. Hayze closes in behind him, blocking his escape.

“Oh, but he will since I have sent him ransom demands.” Realization crashes into him. “You should have incurred the debt and taken the favor they offered but now, things will be much worse for you.” Nikoa tsks at him and nods to Hayze and Archer. My boys grip each of his arms and yank them behind his back, securing his wrists with cable ties.

“The Saints will slaughter all of you for this!” he screams, then swings his gaze to Nova. “Help me or your mother dies,” he roars.

“That won’t be necessary since the price for your freedom is the safe return of Kelly,” I answer. Nova grips the back of my hoodie as we watch my boys drag Nexus away. When they are out of sight, I whirl around on her. She stares up at me with tears in her eyes. I reach out and grip the back of her neck. “I’m bringing her home, I couldn’t save Waylen but I can save her.”

She searches my gaze for a moment before she answers, “Why?”

“Because it was the plan from the start, witch.”

She flicks her gaze to Nikoa for a moment before turning back to me. “He knew, didn't he?” I nod. “Did Hayze and Archer?”

“Not at the start, I needed Thomas to trust me and the only way I could do that was to make them all think I had switched sides. I told you so many times I chose the winning side and I meant it.”

“You meant you picked our side, not theirs.” I nod. “Ezekiel?” she whispers his name as she is afraid to dare hope. I suck in a shuddering breath then push my mask up, her gaze roams the planes of my face greedily.

“He’s my best friend, witch, I may have a twin but he knows me better than her. I may have been able to fool Hayze and Archer and have them and even you believing the worst of me, but not Ez. He saw right through my act and I had no choice.”

She tears out of my hold and shakes her head, the sad look that graced her face a minute ago is replaced by loathing as she scowls up at me. “You always have a fucking choice, you were a coward!” My face slackens and my resolve hardens as I stare down at her shaking my head.

“A coward, huh?”

“Yes! What was this, a fucking game?” She doesn’t give me a chance to answer. “Waylen is dead, he’s fucking dead, Vox, and so is Ezekiel! You are selfish and self-centered and only care about yourself. Vivian is better off without you and so is my brother.” Her words knock the fucking wind right out of me. I dart forward and grip the back of her neck in a bruising hold and she flinches but I don’t loosen my hold.

“You think everything is about you, witch, newsflash, you were nothing but a toy in the middle of a war that was to be used and guess what? I fucking enjoyed every minute of using your holes,” I sneer, then release her with a shove. She stumbles backward but doesn’t fall to her ass because of the fucker standing behind her. “The next time you feel lonely and think the fucking worst of me, just remember it was because of me that you got your mother back.”

“That’s enough.” At the sound of his voice she spins around and at the sight of him her knees give out, but I do nothing to help her. Instead he snaps an arm around her waist as a choked sob burst free of the witch.

“Ezekiel,” she breathes his name out like it’s a fucking prayer, my best friend smiles down at her and nods. She shakily reaches out and brushes her fingers along his jaw as if checking to make sure he is real. “Oh my God,” she cries out, then wraps her arms around him and tugs him close. The sight of him holding his sister stirs emotions inside me that make me want to break shit. Unlike him, the reunion I have with my sister won’t be like this. Vivian won’t forgive me for what I have done, no matter how good my intentions were, she will hold this against me.

My sister is many things but forgiving isn’t one of them. She not only thinks I took Ezekiel from her, but she knows I am the reason Archer and Hayze left her. I may hate admitting it but I know the three of them leaving her has broken her spirit but I had to do it, I couldn’t risk her.

“How are you alive?” the little witch asks as she draws back from Ez.

He flicks his gaze to me briefly before returning it to her. “It was a dummy round, hurt like a bitch, but it made Thomas believe Vox followed his order and gained his trust.” When the witch looks at me, I keep my face blank of everything except anger and disgust. She flinches but says nothing even as Nikoa comes to stand by them.

“You knew Vox didn’t kill Ezekiel?” she asks their uncle.

He nods. “I did, we needed to get someone on the inside as my informant has gone silent and the only way to do that was to get Vox inside with Thomas.”

“The night at your house, was that staged?” she asks.

Nikoa shakes his head. “No. The fact you all fought made it easier. You were all pissed at him and that anger was real and sold Vox’s lie of switching sides and fooling Thomas.” Her shoulders bunch but she doesn’t look at me, good because I want her to feel shame for all the bullshit she put me through.

“Was Vivian in on this as well?” she asks but her voice is tinged with hurt. I fight not to scoff. She is more worried that my sister betrayed her than she is that she fucking shit on me.

Ezekiel shakes his head. “No, we made a choice to keep her in the dark for her own safety,” he says.

“She thinks you’re dead.”

“You can’t tell her, Nova,” Ezekiel implores her. “You can’t tell anyone the truth. Thomas has to believe I’m dead in order for our plan to work. If he finds out Vox was lying, then he will shut us all out. Please, I know you don’t like Mom but this is the only way to keep our families safe until we take down the Saints.”

“How are you going to do that, Ezekiel?” She backs away from him and clenches her fists. “Are you going to make me do it?” Horror flashes through my best friend's eyes.

He darts forward and grips her shoulders. “No! I would never sacrifice you. I swear we are finding another way to do this. If there is no other way then we run, do you hear me?”

“You’re not going to make me do it?” she asks again.

“I would never ask you to do that, we all want out of this Tay—Nova. Me, Vox, Hayze and Archer want to go to college and play ball. None of us want our futures mapped out for us, we want our freedom and we can’t have that while we are a part of the Saints. I would never allow you to be subjected to that shit.”

Before she can answer Nikoa cuts in. “We all need to go, Thomas has just replied.”