His Twisted Heart by Ellie R Hunter
Chapter Eighteen
Victoria
The water in the bathtub rises around me as the water from the shower pours over my head. Mom grabs the bottle of shampoo and squeezes a healthy dollop into my hair. The smell of whiskey is strong. It’s like it’s seeped through the pores of my skin and into my bloodstream.
Hugging my knees to my chest, I can’t shake the fear of death. While I’m still lucky to be here, India’s not.
I truly believed he was going to kill me, but he didn’t.
I also believed he wouldn’t kill India, especially after Leo showed up, but he did.
When her body hit the floor, an explosion erupted inside of me.
Her blood was everywhere.
“You’re safe now.”
I hear my mom, but are we, really? We’ve always believed the club was the safest place to be, but last night, a night filled with terror, has blown that belief out of the water. I doubt we’ll ever feel safe here again.
Mom’s fingers massage my scalp, and I feel like a small child again. Her hands tremble, and every now and then, her sniffle reminds me of the pain every single person in this club is feeling.
“We’ll get you clean, and then we’ll…”
She doesn’t know what we’ll do, because no one knows what’s going to happen next. India saved my life last night and lost hers. I can’t ever repay her for distracting him when he held that flame close to my liquor-coated skin. The sound of the lighter wheel being flicked rolls through my head like a freight train, getting louder every time I remember it.
Death is literally clinging to me, and I can’t deal with it. What kind of world is this to raise a child in? My mom had to watch as her daughter came so close to death. I couldn’t do that with a child of mine.
“Mom, I need your help, and after everything that’s happened, I don’t want you to hate me, or be angry with me.”
“I could never hate you, sweet girl. What is it?”
“You have to promise me it’ll stay a secret between us. You can’t tell Dad or Gramps, and never the twins.”
Her brows pinch together, but as usual, my laid-back mother is more intent to help me than fly off the handle, thinking the worst.
“You’re scaring me, Victoria.”
“I’m pregnant.”
I’m pretty sure it’s relief that washes over her as she scoops away the wet hair plastered to the side of my face.
“Oh, darling,” she purrs.
I start to cry. “I don’t want it.”
“Is it Luca’s? We’ve all seen the two of you spending time together lately.”
“No, he’s just my friend.” I hate lying to her, but the Jacksons have enough to deal with.
“The who’s the father? You’re not yet eighteen, so there’re questions he’ll have to answer.”
Another tear falls, and I cling tighter to my legs.
“I’m sorry, Momma, but I can’t tell you. Will you still help me?”
Her face falls, but she leans over the edge of the tub and holds me. “Of course I will. You don’t even need to ask.”
Brushing the back of her hand down the side of my face, I lean into her touch, soaking in the feeling of safety and protection.
“I’ll wash your hair one last time, and then we’ll get you into something warm and dry. Then, I’ll make us both a hot tea.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I murmur.
“And tomorrow, I’ll take you into town and we’ll see the doctor.”
India’s dead. There isn’t a doctor alive who could help her now. BANG! I don’t know what’s louder, the sound of the shot or her body hitting the floor.
For a few seconds, I’ll forget what happened, only to have it return with a vengeance. It’s never going to go away, and it scares the hell out of me. I can’t imagine the pain and suffering Slade and Kristen are feeling, but I saw her die. I saw her trembling as the gun was forced against her head. And the way she looked at Leo, never taking her eyes away from him, as if she knew they were their last moments together. Leo’s cries as the shot echoed around the bar will haunt me forever. Love is truly painful.
“Victoria? Are you hurt?”
Shaking the image of loss from my mind, I focus on my mom when I see her looking down at the bathtub in horror. Following her gaze, I observe red swirling around the water, spreading and growing darker from between my legs.
Jumping up, I slip on the bottom of the tub, barely catching myself before toppling over.
“Oh, honey, it’s okay.”
All I can do is stand there while Mom pulls the plug and showers me down.
“Sweetheart, you’re miscarrying. It’s going to be fine. You’re going to be okay, I swear it,” she frets.
I believe everything she says. She’s my mom. She always makes everything better.
“Are you in pain? Cramps?”
Now that she mentions it, I do feel crampy and achy. Holding my stomach, I hear Grandpa’s voice telling me, “Karma is as real as me and him, and it always come for you.” Is this my karma?
I’ve never noticed the shadows in the darkness before. Grandpa always said the monsters were as real as me or him. That anything creeping in the dark is nothing but a coward hiding under the blanket of night.
Tonight, the shadows scare me. Ellis was a coward. He’d be the type to creep in the dark to get you, and every time I close my eyes, it’s him I see.
It’s him who pours whiskey over me, threatening to burn me alive. If it weren’t for India, he would’ve done it. I owe her my life. I’m only here because of her. He asked me if I knew what burning flesh smelt like, and I told him no, because I didn’t. But like my mind playing tricks on me, the smell of burning flesh fills my nose, and it won’t go away.
I stare at the moon through the window and focus on the night sky. I wish I could be up there where no one could hurt me, the silence offering a level of peace not known her on Earth.
The door clicks open, and before it brushes over the soft carpet, I jump up, my heart racing and my mouth drying.
Luca steps in and quietly closes the door behind him. A rush of breath escapes me, and I lie back down, trying to calm myself.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he whispers, crossing the room. Kicking out of his boots, he pulls the sheets back far enough for him to climb in beside me. Pulling me into his arms, I let him, and sneak my hand under his hoodie, resting my palm on his warm, hard stomach. I need to feel something real.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. I was with Leo, and then I was sent out to look for Ellis and Harper.”
“I understand. How is Leo?”
“He’s not good, babe. But I’m here for you. I heard…”
He tenses under my touch. I can’t let him finish what he was going to say.
“Talk to me. It might help.”
Staring at the moon with Luca warming me through, I find my voice.
“At first, I was just sitting with Mom and the other old ladies. He was more interested in India. And even though I was scared, I was still okay. But then he grabbed a bottle of whiskey from behind the bar and started walking around. Everyone was watching him, and when he stopped behind me, I didn’t dare look around to see what he was doing. He poured the whiskey over my head. He mocked me, Luca. He kept flicking the lighter and holding the flame near my face. I was so scared he was going to kill me. I thought I was going to die.”
“You didn’t. You’re here, and you’re safe now.”
Safe.I’m learning fast to hate that word. Nothing is safe.
“If you’re here, does that mean you found him?”
Hope blooms, and then quickly dies away when he says, “No, but we will soon.”
He strokes my hair, lulling my mind into a peaceful place, making my eyes grow heavy. Whatever is going on out there, in this room, I’m with Luca, and I’m able to fall asleep.
“We still need to talk about the baby,” he whispers.
I can’t talk about the baby right now.
“I haven’t changed my mind. Nothing has changed with you—”
“You don’t speak for me, Tor,” he growls.
Leaning up on my forearm, I stare at him, biting down the truth. I finally see this isn’t going anywhere between us. It’s better for him to hate me. If he truly comes to despise me, it’ll make it easier for me to stay away from him. Eventually, we’ll go back to how it was before I wanted to play this game.
“Answer me this. If Sara showed up tomorrow, would you still be creeping into my bed?”
His nonanswer is all the answer I need.
“One day, you’ll see this is for the best, when we’re living our own lives with the people we’re meant to be with. There’ll be nothing tying us together.”
I’m sure that’ll hurt when I replay it in the clear light of day. But for tonight, in the darkness, I drown in the pain Ellis has caused and allow the carnage of what’s to come in.