Chapter 55

Chapter Fifty-Five

Vox

The smug cunt’s smirk starts to slip as he stares at me, he can see from the look on my face that I have a fucking trump card and I’m about to play it. For the past two weeks the guys and I have done nothing but plot, hunt and try to find everything we needed to take this fucker down. We finally found the witness.

Turns out, Nova was right, Vivian was Nikoa’s informant and I have no idea how she managed to find the information she did about the Saints and Nikoa refused to disclose that information as well. The tension between him and I has been stifling but I refused to forgive the fucker for involving my sister in this shit!

“Brothers, quiet down now!” David shouts, it takes a minute for the others to shut the fuck up and sit their asses down before he finally looks at me. “You have been accused of murder?—”

“Pretty hard to murder someone when they are still alive, Rule Keeper,” I clap back.

“He lies!” Thomas roars. “He showed me a video of the murder he committed.”

“And you did not report it, lord?” David is clearly pissed off from the way his jaw is locked and his eyes are blazing with fury.

“I was scared for my life. When a killer walks into your home and shows you proof of a killing, what would you have done? My young daughter was in the house and given that she and that boy had history, I worried he would harm her.” Thomas is trying to play the role of caring stepfather but it doesn’t suit his lying ass.

“Was that before or after you locked my mother up in a rehab center to get me to fall into line?” Thomas whirls around and sends Nova a scathing look that promises pain if she doesn’t shut the fuck up.

“You committed your wife?” David asks.

“She was depressed and wanted to harm herself, I had no choice but to intervene, brother, my wife is not well.” Thomas tries to act like the decision he made pains him but he is full of shit. David on the other hand seems to eat up the compassion he is faking.

“Rule keeper?” All eyes swing back to Nova.

“Yes?” David asks just as the guard on her side tightens his hold on her arm. forcing her to wince.

“Vox didn’t murder my brother—” Nova snaps her mouth shut when people begin talking.

“Your brother?” David pushes.

She nods. “Ezekiel Tempest is my brother.” At her admission everyone begins to speak louder, the surprise in all their tones is understandable.

“How is that possible, Nova?” David urges her to speak the truth.

“My name…” She flicks her gaze to me as if searching for strength, I nod telling her to carry on and that I have her back no matter fucking what. “My real name is Taylor Tempest and I am the daughter of Edmund and Olivia. You all believed I died years ago but I didn’t. My father sent me away with my Uncle Nikoa, who also faked his death to stay off Thomas' radar. Ezekiel isn’t dead, my brother is alive and well.”

The doors behind me bang open and someone speaks. “Someone won’t be alive for long if they don’t get their fucking hands off my sister, though.” I shoot Thomas a smile, he’s turned pale at the sight of Ezekiel. I can see the cogs in his mind turning over as he tries to piece together everything but he won’t. We have been two steps ahead of him this entire time. The guard doesn’t release Nova as Ez comes to a stop beside me.

“Brother Tempest, I see you are in fact not dead,” David grits out and shoots Thomas a glare.

“Of course not, I just had to go away and help gather the proof we needed to take down our murdering lord and have the targets removed from our backs so The Brotherhood would stop hunting us.”

“Hunting you?” David asks.

“Yes, ever since Thomas learned that Vox and his stepdaughter were dating he has been sending brothers after all of us to get us to flee town. He even used his own son to torment Nova at home and at school, to try and get Vox to break the code of The Brotherhood,” Hayze says, earning a look of death from Thomas himself.

“This is all hearsay, if they cannot provide the proof they speak of then let us move on. I will not have my reputation sullied by these ingrates because I refused to allow my daughter to date the likes of him,” Thomas snaps.

David mulls over his words for a moment then nods. “Very well, bring your witness forward, brother Vox.” I look over my shoulder at Henry and nod, he scurries from the room to retrieve our witness while we all wait. I look at Nova and hate the fear I see in her eyes.

“When this is over, no more running or hiding, I promise, witch.” Her brows slant as my words sink in, unshed tears fill her eyes and I have to force myself to remain where I am and not go to her. When gasps sound out around the room, I know Henry has returned with our witness. My ego soars to new heights inside me when Alinta Cash is brought to a halt beside Ez. “I’m sure you all remember brother Alinta, our former medical examiner—” The words have barely left my mouth before a shot rings out and everyone ducks for cover, but not me. I rush the fucking stage and tackle the fucker holding my girl. He manages to punch the right side of my face but I land two quick hits to his ribs. I jump off him and get to Nova. She falls into my arms and clings to me like her life depends on it.

“Detain him!” I hear David roar, then follow his sight across the room to where Principal Daniels stands with his gun outstretched and a deadly smile on his face. I dart my gaze to my boys who are being held back by Henry and Shane. I look at the body lying limp on the floor and everything inside me turns to ice. Alinta was the medical examiner for both mine and Ez’s dads. He was the witness to the fucking crimes Thomas committed and now that he is gone… we have nothing.

It’s all ruined.

“I am within my rights, he was a deserter!” Daniels argues. The four men who were holding him stop moving and turn to look at David for clarification, but the latter looks uncertain. David waves over the two bookkeepers and then begins speaking in hushed tones, their conversation is animated and their hands are slicing through the air. Nova pulls back and looks up at me. I cup her face between my hands and say fuck it to everyone including my best friend who is watching me with his sister. I kiss her, pouring everything I feel for her into this kiss, telling her without words that I will always come for her and never turn my back.

She’s my witch .

“We’ve reached a decision.” I break the kiss and dart my gaze to David, he doesn’t look happy which doesn’t bode well for us. Thomas is grinding his teeth so hard I pray he breaks them. “I do not agree with the methods used in a public setting such as the one we are in now.” He shoots Daniels a withering look. “Cleaning this up is going to be hard!”

“He just murdered a brother in front of all of us,” Archer snaps.

“A deserter!” Daniels shouts.

David sighs and runs a hand through his thinning copper hair. “He’s right. No matter what purpose he was here to serve, Alinta was in fact a deserter and betrayed The Brotherhood.” I look around the room and fight not to scoff at the sight of the high-profiled members on their phones, trying to do damage control. No doubt the reporters outside would have heard the shot, security will be holding them all back but the rumor mill will be circulating.

“What happens to us now?” Nova whispers, drawing my attention back to her.

“Now, you stay the fuck beside me and do exactly as I say. I won’t let that cunt get his hands on you again, witch.”

“Vox?”

“Yeah?” I answer as I dart my gaze around the room, looking for an exit, I need to get her the fuck out of here.

“Do you have my mom?” The hope in her voice pulls my eyes back to her.

I place a kiss on her forehead and smile. “Yeah, baby, we got her.” Relief washes over her and she sags against me.

“He was our witness!” Shane shouts.

“I understand but I cannot change what has been done, if you have no further proof I have no choice…” David lets his sentence trail off and I know for sure we’re all fucked. Everything we had was riding on Alinta and his admission. He told us that he was there when Thomas put the bullet in Edmund’s head and he was the one to perform the autopsy on both bodies. He may not have seen Thomas kill my father, but the fucker admitted to doing it when he called Alinta.

“Well, now that we have that resolved, brother’s, detain these traitors,” Thomas bellows. Nova is ripped out of my arms. I fight against the bastards who dare to take my girl from me but the sheer amount of them overpower me and drag me off the stage. It takes two of them to cuff my wrists behind my back and force me to my knees. Archer, Hayze, Ez, Shane and Henry are in the same position as I am before the stage. I dart my head around trying to find Nova and the instant my eyes lock on hers, my chest cracks. Tears stream down her cheeks as two cunts hold her back. Thomas smiles down at us like he won a war. When I feel my pant leg grow wet I look down and growl at the sight of Alinta’s blood pooling around me.

“Please, don’t hurt them! They are telling the truth—” Nova is silenced when Thomas whirls around and backhands her. All of us fight to get to our feet but can’t thanks to the cock suckers holding us down.

“You touch her again and I will slit your son’s fucking throat,” Ezekiel vows. Thomas whirls around and studies the four of us, running his gaze slowly over our faces as if looking for a clue and that’s when it hits me.

He just figured out that we are the Filthy Few .

“You lying little cunts!” he roars, then attempts to step toward us but David places a hand on his chest, halting his movements.

“They are to stand trial like the rules state, we are not above our own laws,” he snaps.

Thomas ignores the Rule Keeper. “Where is my son?” he roars.

“In hell with his mother,” Hayze replies. Ez and Arch chuckle but there is no humor to it, they are just winding Thomas up, hoping to break him.

“They kidnapped my son,” he shouts.

“But, do you have proof?” I volley back.

“I never kidnapped my dear friend,” Ez says.

“Me either, pretty hard to take the lord's kid when we have been keeping our heads down and staying out of trouble as we were ordered to do,” Archer tacks on.

“Vox?” Hayze calls out.

“Yeah?” I answer.

“You don’t happen to have the fuckers kid, do ya?” I smirk at the smartass and shake my head.

“Nah, H, I do have the affection of his stepdaughter he was trying to force to marry his son so he could take over as the new lord. And then to force my girl to overturn the decree of Edmund though.” At my admission another round of shouts sound out around the room.

“I had no idea who she was!” Thomas snaps. “I want these six taken out of here, we will finish our celebration and then they will be dealt with later?—”

The doors behind us bang open again, forcing Thomas to snap his fat mouth closed. I try to look to see who it is but I can’t see past the fuckers behind us. I turn to Nova and the wide eyed look on her face has me tensing. Thomas even looks surprised and that doesn’t bode well for me.