42. Archer

R age like I have never known burns inside of me. Daemon passed out about an hour ago, and Josh and I still haven’t moved. I can’t, not when I feel him physically falling apart, not when I’m not sure if he will ever be able to pull himself back together. I stroke his hair back from his face, and a pained sigh escapes him, only making me angrier, as I pull back and reach for my phone. I dial David’s number, not caring that Josh is within earshot, and I wait for him to answer.

“Arch, everything okay?” It’s the same way he always greets me, as if he believes there has to be something wrong for me to be calling him, but even I can hear the worry in his tone, because something wrong has already happened.

“He called him,” I spit quietly, trying and failing to contain my emotions. “He fucking called him, and he…” I cut myself off before my voice breaks, and I hear my stepfather’s sigh, as Josh’s questioning stare penetrates into me.

“It’s almost over,” he assures me in his most promising tone, but with Daemon drunk and passed out beside me, it doesn’t bring me any relief. “I’ll get a restraining order put in place, just in case it takes longer than expected, barring any phone calls or mail.” From the way Josh’s frown deepens, I know he can hear every word.

“Get it done tonight, please,” I beg, trailing my gaze over Daemon, feeling nothing but pain for him. “He can’t go through this again,” I add, and I don’t just mean his father calling him, I mean all of it. That man has done enough, and I won’t let him take anything more from his son.

“I’ll text you when it’s done,” David replies before cutting off the call, and I let out a deep sigh.

Josh opens his mouth, no doubt to ask what the fuck is going on, but at the same time, Daemon’s phone lights up again on the nightstand. I’m out of bed before I can stop myself, grinding my teeth when I spy Jasper’s name across the screen. I let it ring out, before I open up the phone and find almost twenty missed calls and multiple text messages.

“Is it Jasper?” Josh asks, and I nod, my eyes flying across the messages, before I quickly tap out a reply. “What are you doing?” Josh questions, but I ignore him, watching typing bubbles appear and disappear, until Jasper’s response comes. I type out another response, and when I still don’t reply to Josh, he marches over to me. “What the fuck are you doing?” he snaps, reading the messages over my shoulder, but I lock the phone and put it in my pocket.

“Protecting his fucking peace,” I snap, pulling on my shoes, and then pointing between them. “Do not leave his fucking side until I get back, do you understand?”

Josh still looks pissed, but he nods swiftly, and then I’m gone.

I make a quick pit stop at my own house, grabbing what I need, and then I am driving across town to the fucking Hades MC Clubhouse. By the time I pull up it’s almost midnight, yet their gates are half open, and a party is raging on the forecourt. I leave my truck in front of their entrance, pushing through the gates without pause, ignoring all the questioning looks as I try to find the man I am looking for.

“You lost, kid?” An authoritarian voice cuts across the yard. Suddenly the music stops, and all eyes are on me.

I meet his stare head on, before my eyes drop down to the patch, sewn across the left side of his leather cut. I’m not that well versed on biker gangs, but I’ve seen Sons of Anarchy , I know what the word President means in this world.

I ensure my voice is loud and clear, as I respond, “I’m looking for Jasper.”

The President looks me over, no doubt assessing how much of a threat I am, and though he appears to quickly dismiss me, right now I feel like I could take on the fucking world. He nods his head at another guy, this one wearing a patch that says Vice President. “Go get Forbes, tell him he has a visitor.”

The VP, who looks like he could be his brother, only nods, obeying his order instantly. The tension remains between the rest of them, as we wait, all of them watching me closely, but I keep my focus on only one thing. My anger. A feeling that is only intensified when the VP returns, with a bigger and broader version of Daemon close on his heels.

His stare is wary at first, flying across the yard in search of his brother, but when it lands on me instead, he looks pissed. Good. He isn’t the only one. “It’s okay, Prez, he’s not here to cause trouble,” Jasper tells his president, and I can’t help the scoff that leaves me.

“I wouldn’t be so fucking sure,” I snap, and I swear I see his leader smile.

“Whatever, just take it out front,” the President replies, gesturing toward the gates, and I turn on my heel and walk out, knowing that Jasper will follow.

When he catches up to me, I am already pacing beside my car, the file in my hand almost crumpled completely, as he lights up a cigarette and says, “I was expecting my brother.”

Another scoff leaves me. “Then you’re dumber than I thought,” I tell him truthfully, and his eyes widen in surprise, watching me closely.

“Did my father call him?” he finally asks, and I stop pacing, my gaze snapping to him. “He did, didn’t he? What did he say?”

“What did he say?” I repeat, the rage inside of me burning even hotter than before. “Is that why you’ve been blowing up Daemon’s phone all night, so you could find out what other ways your father fucked him up? Not to see if he’s okay, or ask if he needs anything, but just to check on his communication with that fucking piece of shit?” I shout, my body shaking with anger, as I rip open the file and start tossing documents at his feet. “Where were you when your father took a knuckle duster to his jaw, and he had to have it fitted with a metal plate? Or how about the time he attacked him with a bat and broke four of his ribs, or all the fucking times he cut him with his fucking blade, leaving his body littered in scars?” I spit, tossing medical documents that detail the abuse, and social service reports that were swept under the table after they were paid off. “Or how about the night he slit your little brother’s throat, where were you then?”

His stare doesn’t even drop to the documents, as if he’s already seen them, as if he could recite every word, but I can tell from the look in his eyes that they cause him physical pain. “I was a kid, I made a mistake, and trust me I’m paying for it, but I’m going to make it right,” he replies firmly, and all I can do is shake my head in disgust.

I try to keep my words free of emotion, but it doesn’t work. “The time to make it right was when you left two defenseless boys to fend for themselves. So stop calling him, because I’m going to make it right now.” I take one last look at him and shake my head, knowing I will never forgive him, before rounding my car and preparing to leave.

“Why?” he calls out, and when I pause and look at him in question, he adds, “Why are you making it right for him?”

I brush a hand over my face, glancing between him and the discarded sheets of paper on the ground. “I need to tell your brother why, before I tell you,” I answer him honestly, and his eyes assess me closely, before he sees it.

“You love him,” he confirms, but I don’t say anything, and he sighs with a nod. “Look after him for me.”

“The only Forbes I’ll ever do anything for, is him,” I reply, before I climb in my car and drive away, not feeling any less angry than when I came, but at least I got my message across.

When I finally make it back to Daemon’s house, Hallie is in the kitchen making coffee, and offers me a tired smile as I enter.

“Is he okay?” I ask instantly, and she nods gently.

“He’s fine, still sleeping, and Josh is with him. Do you want a cup of coffee?” she asks, and I shake my head. I’m already too wired to even think straight, coffee won’t help, and as if sensing my peril, she rounds the counter and presses a hand on my arm. “Arch, are you okay?” Her question has tears burning at the back of my eyes, and all I can do is shake my head no.

Her arms are around me before I can stop her, and I can do nothing but accept the hug gratefully, telling myself not to fall apart, that it isn’t about me, but the tears are coming before I can stop them. “I just need him to be okay, Hals,” I choke out into her hair, and she rubs my back in comfort.

“He’s got you in his corner, Arch, he’s going to be more than okay,” she tells me, before pulling back and wiping my tears. “Now go, get in bed and look after him,” she breathes, and I swallow down the emotion in the back of my throat.

“You’re just saying that so you can get Peters back and ride his dick,” I reply with a weak smile, and she rolls her eyes.

“I don’t know how you even got Daemon to go out with you,” she scoffs, shoving me in the chest, and I grab her hand and pull her in, dropping a kiss to her head.

“He interrupted me getting my dick sucked when we were freshman, and I was smitten,” I reply, letting her loose, as I grab a couple of bottles of water from the fridge. “Then I stalked him for three years until he gave in,” I add, and she shakes her head, as if she doesn’t believe me.

Which is bullshit, because that is exactly how it happened.

When I reach his room, Josh meets my stare, and I can tell he’s tired, hell, I am too, but still I offer him a weak smile. “Thanks for staying with him, Peters.”

I hold open the door so he knows he can leave, and that I’m ready to take over, and he eyes me as he rises to his feet and crosses the room. “You gonna tell me what happened?” he asks, and I sigh with a shrug.

“Maybe tomorrow.” He nods, taking one last look at his best friend before leaving the room, gently tapping my shoulder on the way out.

Once he’s gone, I quickly wash up in the bathroom, getting undressed, before turning off the light and slipping into bed beside Daemon. His face still seems tense, even in his deep slumber, while my body relaxes as I curl up next to him. Checking my phone, I spy a message from David, telling me everything is done, and I’m not sure if he is referring to the restraining order, or the parole hearing, but it says he will call me in the morning, so I shut off my phone and put it on the bedside table.

No matter what happens, I won’t let Ellis Forbes get anywhere near his son again.