His Twisted Heart by Ellie R Hunter
Chapter Fifteen
Luca
What could she possibly have to tell me? I only saw her late last night. Unless Lily is back in town already?
Victoria’s reply doesn’t come through as fast as the last, and I tap my finger on the screen with building frustration.
Leo and India are cooing over Rayna, while dad pukes his guts up in the gas station restroom, with Mom hovering just outside the door. He won’t let her help him, and it’s driving her crazy.
My phone vibrates with Tor’s reply. I swear, if Lily has returned to town, I will follow through with my threat and bury her dead, limp body in the middle of nowhere.
Tor: I’m pregnant.
Everything stops. This is what she waited to tell me? I was just with her yesterday, and she said nothing.
My hands begin to shake, and I drop the phone on my lap so I can fist them. A baby?
The confines of being around the family are now suffocating me. Sitting in the back of the car while it’s empty, I ram my fist into the back of the passenger seat, and India turns around from where she’s standing with Rayna in her arms.
“What the hell, Luca?”
“Mind your own business.”
“What’s going on?” Leo barks out, but I ignore him and pick up my phone.
My fingers can’t move fast enough as I type out my next message.
Me: What do you mean, you’re pregnant?
Tor: Exactly what I said. I found out yesterday morning.
Me: And you didn’t tell me last night? What the fuck, Tor?
Tor: Last night, you were ramming a gun down a woman’s throat. I wasn’t looking to have the same done to me. We can talk when you get back.
Me: Damn right we’ll be talking. How could you let this happen?
Tor: Excuse me! Oh, I must’ve climbed onto myself and got myself pregnant! This is on us both!!! Don’t be an asshole!
She’s right. I played my part, all because I wanted to get my dick wet, and she was willing whenever I wanted her.
Fuck.
My mom is going to kill me, and my dad, when he gets the strength, is going to double kill me. And let’s not forget Pope, because he’s going to want his turn. I’m fucked from every direction.
Me: If you wait for me to get back to town, I’ll come with you to the clinic.
But before I hit send, I delete what I’ve written.
I always thought I’d leave town when I turned eighteen, track down Sara, and go from there. But shit has instantly changed, and I don’t want Victoria to get rid of my baby.
Me: Don’t do anything rash till I get back.
Tor: What would I do?
Me: Get rid of it.
Tor: Does that mean you want us to have a baby?
Having a baby will tie us together for the next eighteen years, but for some reason, the thought doesn’t fill me with dread.
Victoria is hot. She’s funny, she’s good in bed, and she lets me do what I want. She understands what it takes to be an old lady, and I have no doubt she’d make a good mom. She’s too nice and kind not to be. Adding to that her fire, I know she would protect our child if I wasn’t around to do it myself.
Me: Yes.
I don’t hear from her for the rest of the ride to Mercy. She hasn’t replied to a single text I’ve sent her on numerous stops. She won’t do anything rash, not without me, so I’m not worried about that. But the last two days have changed something in me. I need to know what she’s doing, where she is, how she’s feeling?
The Mercy Chapter’s base is set atop a mountain, and it’s fucking cold. It’s another reason for me to hate it here. I just want to be back in Willow’s Peak with Victoria.
Climbing off my bike, I stretch out my arms and legs, cracking my back in four different places.
Dad better sort his shit out with Harper fast.
JJ walks Harper out from between the trees and turns her so her back is to us. I guess he’s warning her that we’re here.
Seeing her again, I don’t feel the same toward her. Tor was right, it isn’t Harper’s fault. Dad is giving her a chance, so giving him what he wants, I will too.
She seems cool enough.
India unbuckles Rayna from her car seat, and Leo is quick to hover over them, placing a kiss on the baby’s head, and then on India’s. I never thought Leo could love anyone else other than himself, but he’s a changed man. Could I be the dad my brother seems to be? I’d have to be. The only other choice is to abort, and that doesn’t sit right with me.
“Cas, this must be your boy?”
Dad beams proudly. “They both are.”
The guy introduces himself to me as Gabe, and I tip my chin in greeting.
Digging my phone out of my pocket, I shoot off another text to Victoria.
Me: Answer me, Tor. How you doing?
Her silence is starting to worry me. She’s normally quick with her responses, and after dropping her bombshell, I expected her to want to talk about it nonstop.
“Zander will show you to your rooms,” Gabe offers.
The sooner this is done, the sooner I can get home.
I feel like I’m going to explode. The Mercy chapter is throwing us a welcome party, but I’m anything but in a party mood. Victoria still hasn’t returned a text or answered a single call. I’m so close to calling someone at the club to hunt her down and put her on their phone, but who the fuck would I call? Her brothers certainly wouldn’t go out of their way to help me.
Leo walks by, no doubt on his way over to India, and I grab his arm to stop him.
“What the fuck, little brother?”
“I need to talk to you.”
Jerking my chin in a direction away from the brothers, he follows me, and I try to figure out how to start the conversation.
“What’s going on?”
“I…”
Fuck. Why are the words stuck in my throat?
He sighs. “What have you done?”
“I haven’t done anything,” I snap, but it’s not quite the truth. “Actually, me and…”
Harper catches my eye, and I frown. Some asshole is blocking her way, and she looks mighty uncomfortable. The anger I’ve kept in all day begins to unravel, and I nod in their direction.
Leo’s hands lock into fists as we slowly creep up behind them.
“Please, move out of my way,” Harper grates out.
“Have a drink with me. It’s a party, after all,” the Mercy brother says to her.
“Thank you for the offer, but my husband won’t appreciate me drinking with some other guy.”
Leo and I share a quick look as the guy asks, “Who’s your man?”
Leo takes a step closer. “Turn around and we’ll point him out.”
The guy looks over his shoulder, and then back to Harper. “Piss off, brother. I found this one first.”
Harper goes to move around him, and the motherfucker grabs her arm. That’s when I lose it. I barely acknowledge Leo yanking Harper out of the way as I launch myself toward the fucking asshole and shove him up against the wall. He’s easily twice my size. I pray he fights back and gives me a challenge.
I wrap my hands around his throat, not really giving him the chance to fight back on account he’s struggling to breathe.
Growling in his ear, I warn, “I’m probably going to get pulled off of you soon enough, but I want you to know that I’d fucking kill you if I could. Talk, touch, or even look at my sister again, and there won’t be anyone strong enough who could pull me off.”
Rearing my head back, I bring it forward and smash it into his nose, feeling satisfied when all I see is his blood. Loosening my hold on his throat, I fist his shirt and swing my fist into his jaw. The fucker’s legs give out and he wobbles in my hold.
Oh, hell no. He isn’t getting away with his disrespect this easily.
I throw punch after punch until his bottom lip is busted, his eye is swelling, and his nose is split open. As I expected, Leo pulls me away, but I don’t try to fight him on it as I watch the guy slide down the wall and land on his ass.
Once I get my breath back, I yank my arm out of his hold and turn to face Harper and her shocked expression.
“Why are you looking at me like that? You’re my sister, and if some asshole puts his hands on you, I’m going to put him on his ass.”
Brushing past her, I take my seat at the table where Dad, JJ, and Gabe are sitting with Mom and a few of the Mercy brothers.
“Do I want to know?” Dad asks.
“Probably not,” I mutter.
“Then you better tell me.”
He lowers his voice and grabs my hand, assessing the cuts, then frowns at my forehead.
“Who have you headbutted and punched the shit out of, and why?”
“I didn’t catch his name. We were too busy getting his hands off Harper and teaching him a lesson.”
“We?”
“Leo and me.”
“Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. She’s with Leo.”
His frown softens, and a smile appears.
“You not going to lecture me about it?”
“Why would I lecture you for defending your sister? I’ll find the guy later and have my own words with him.”
I wonder if he’ll be this understanding when I eventually tell him I got Victoria pregnant?
“Listen, son, I want to talk to you about your future with the club. Will I get to slap a prospect patch on you or not?”
Rubbing my hands together, I reconsider my original refusal to join the Lost Souls. Victoria is going to need to cash. Raising a kid isn’t cheap, as my mom likes to remind me every time she hands over money. If I join the club, it means stability and income for her and the baby.
“I’ll become a prospect, but don’t expect me to run around after every fucker taking the piss.”
Barking out a laugh, he slaps me on the back and nods proudly.
“I’ll have a cut on you before we get home,” he vows.
Stepping away from the table, I pull out my phone to text Victoria—again.