Sinfully Devoted by Amber Torney

Chapter Thirty Four - Stryker

My heart was hammering in my chest. When I’d answered Phee’s call, I hadn’t expected to hear the distinct, nasally voice of Catherine Ducane. Something wasn’t right. She had no business being at the beach house, so the fact that she was there alone with my Firecracker wasn’t sitting well.

“Stryker, are you listening to me?” My father was waving his hand in front of my face, which snapped me back into reality. He looked concerned as he checked me over. “Are you okay, son?”

Putting up a finger, I tried to silence him so I could listen to the conversation on the other end. “Shhh, Da, Catherine Ducane is at the beach house.”

I looked at my father as I listened in. What I heard wasn’t good, I could hear the vile cunt, as she went on about what they should have done. I should have just brought Phee with me. How could I have been so damn stupid?

I had to leave. As I stood, I looked up at my dad again. I saw the slight nod, and the hint of a smile as he let me know that I was making the right choice. “Go, son. If that bitch is there, it can’t be good. If you need me, you call. I’ll have a crew on standby.”

My father must have read my mind, because if that woman harmed a single hair on my Firecracker’s head, she would be leaving that house in pieces. I don’t think I stopped for a single stop sign as I sped through the streets of Southport to get to Phee. I ended up pulling into the driveway at the same time as Logan did. I shut the engine off and jumped out.

“You sure it’s my aunt?” he questioned as he rounded the front of his truck. I could see the disbelief on his face.

Nodding, I ran up the stairs to the door. Just as I opened it, we heard a sound that made my heart stop.

BANG!

Looking at each other, the panic I was feeling was mirrored back to me in Logan’s eyes.

“Phee!” both of us screamed in unison, bolting through the front door. I could hear her. The broken pleas between the sobs. Relief washed over me, knowing that she was alive. But as quickly as it came, it was replaced with heartbreak.

“I didn’t mean to,” Phee kept saying over and over. She sounded wounded. As we entered the room, we saw the signs of a struggle—a few chairs were on their sides. Lying on the floor, between the table and island bench, was Catherine. A lifeless figure surrounded by a puddle of red. Curled into a ball next to the island was Phee. Her eyes were fixed on the body.

“Phee, look at me, baby.” I knelt down in front of her and grabbed her face, trying to bring her focus back to me. “Logan, help me, man. We need to get her out of here.”

Nothing seemed to work. Shooting Logan a worried look, I bundled her up, taking her to her room. I needed to make sure she was okay, because she’d gone catatonic. I had no idea what this would do to her already fragile state, but in that moment, all I was concerned with was making sure she came out the other side of this, her light still intact. I needed to call in the clean-up crew. More than ever, I needed my father’s help with this. The need to shield and protect her was stronger now.

“Stryker,” Logan called out to me. Turning, I could see the turmoil in his eyes. I didn't need him to finish his sentence, because I had a feeling we were thinking the same thing.

“I know, man. I’ll handle this,” I tried to reassure him, at the same time looking after my Firecracker. I just prayed this didn’t change her all too much. I threw him the keys to my car. In the haste to get to Phee, I’d left my phone sitting in the dock.  “Grab my phone for me, Lo. . . I’m sorry, man.”

Taking Phee into the bathroom, I sat her on the vanity, turning on the shower. I gave her a once over for my own peace of mind. Made sure she didn’t have any cuts, bruises, bullet wounds. It didn’t take Logan long to return with my phone. Getting a good look at him, he didn’t seem to be too affected. Still, I couldn’t imagine how he was feeling     .

“Stryker,” Logan called from outside the bathroom door, before coming in. Logan handed me my phone     .

“Phee, I’ll be back in just a minute, okay?” I leaned in and whispered in her ear, kissing her on the cheek before I exited the bathroom. “Thanks, man.”

Taking the phone, I made a brief call to my dad. After that afternoon, I knew everything was gonna change. I was okay with that notion, I just had to make sure everyone else would be on board with it.

“Stryker,” Logan reached out to stop me. “I want to help.”

Looking at him, a little confused, I asked, “Help?”

“Yeah, with the clean-up. I want to help.” His voice filled with determination. “She’s my aunt, but she tried to hurt Phee, and I need to do this. My family, my responsibility to clean up.”

“Logan, my father has a crew coming,” I reminded him. I hated that this was yet another loss for him, but I got where he was coming from. To Logan, we were his family now, and I hated that he thought he needed to keep proving himself to everyone. He had already done that, for me at least, and I had no doubt he was genuine after everything we had been through. We’d been best friends for the good part of four years, and I’d missed the comradery when I walked away, but I was glad to have him back.

“Please, Stryker,” Logan pleaded with me. He wasn’t gonna give this up. “I have to do this, after everything my family has done to her, please let me be the one to get rid of the body.”

“Logan, I get that you feel you need to help, man, but you can’t with that. We can’t have it traced back to Phee, or to you, for that matter.,” I levelled with him. If he wanted to help, then he could help by taking the clothes and burning them at the warehouse.

Heading back into the bathroom, I slowly approached Phee. She hadn’t moved from the spot I’d left her in. Still staring straight ahead. Covered in Catherine’s blood. Placing my phone on the vanity, I stood in front of her. My Firecracker was going into shock, and I needed to make sure she got out the other side.

Pulling her up, I started to undress her. Carefully, I started putting the clothes into the bag I’d grabbed from the waste basket.  

“Logan,” I called out to him as I opened the bathroom door again. “You still want to help, then take these to the warehouse and burn them.”

Handing him the bag of clothes, I started to take my own off, and I guided her into the shower.

The warmth of the water cascading over her was enough to break her out, if only a little. It was soul shattering, the haunted look she was giving me. Blinking the tears away.

“It’s gonna be okay, Phee.” Wrapping her in my arms, I just held her. “I’ll make this all okay, I promise.”

“What did I do, Stryker?” she whispered into my chest. Her body shook in my embrace as sobs wracked through her. “Oh God, Logan will hate me.”

“Shh, Phee, he doesn’t hate you. Trust me, baby, he knows it was self-defence.” Consoling her, I lifted her chin up. I could get lost in her icy blues. “I will make this all right.”