His Twisted Heart by Ellie R Hunter
Chapter Seven
Luca
It was hard to miss the two gunshots that came from the basement not so long ago. The two guys my dad took down haven’t resurfaced, and I’m pretty sure they’ll be taken out the back door, wrapped in tarp, ready to be dumped and buried in the middle of nowhere, their deaths a penalty for snatching Dad’s new daughter. I’m sure they would’ve died for their actions before Dad knew about Harper on account they wore the Black Crow patch, but today, it was personal.
Harper sits with JJ across the bar on one of the old beat-up couches, looking happy with him. Noticing the lust shining in her eyes reminds me of Victoria. I wish Sara would’ve looked at me the way Tor does. It wasn’t until our last night together that her eyes darkened with lust, and we took each other’s virginity. Fisting my hands, I rid my mind of the images from that night, letting ones of Victoria lying on my bed replace them.
She’s finally gotten the message to leave me alone, but I’m still a guy. I can appreciate how stunning she is without her clothes, and even more so when I’m inside of her. It’s like she has some sort of spell on me while I’m inside her. Everything that constantly clogs my mind just disappears. But I connected with Sara, expecting nothing less than bliss with her. Yet with Victoria, it’s different—it’s more. And like a fucking fool, guilt sets in, because I sure as shit know it’s not Victoria I really want.
Though she’s stunning, it was Sara I first saw barely dressed, and the memory still burns in my memory.
“Come on, the prick is at work. He’ll never know. I’m promise I’ll have you home well before he finishes.”
The day is stifling hot, and with there being nothing to do in this town, there’s only one place to cool off—the creek. Everyone who hasn’t gotten a summer job will be there, but if you go farther down the creek, it’s quiet, and we won’t be disturbed.
Sara doesn’t like being in big crowds, and she’s wary around everyone from school.
Her relenting sigh filters down the line and I smile, knowing I’ve persuaded her to come.
“You’ll have to pick me up. I’m not walking all that way.”
As if I would let her walk that distance just to meet me.
“I’m already outside. You don’t need to bring anything, so hurry.”
I hang up and toss my phone onto the dash. Tapping my thumb on the steering wheel while I wait, I can’t help but imagine her in the creek, with the water glistening on her skin. My pants grow tight at the thought, and her slamming the door has me adjusting myself so she doesn’t see.
She tucks the phone I got her into the glove compartment, and I put mine in there as well. With us together, there’s no need for them. Her father doesn’t know she has the phone, because it’s purely for me to call and text when she’s home alone with him. It’s a lifeline she has if she ever needs it.
“My dad finishes at six. If I’m not home—”
“You’ll be home by five, I promise.”
She scoots along the front seat until her arm brushes against mine.
“I’m surprised your mom hasn’t bought you your own car yet,” she says, looking around the truck I borrow from the club.
“She’s probably waiting for me to get my bike.”
My dad works on it most weekends, or when he has spare time. Every time I look at it, it fills me with dread, leaving me feeling weighed down with expectations. He’s always said we can choose our own paths, but it wouldn’t occur to him that not both of his sons have the same plan to follow in his footsteps.
“You’re not going to ride those death machines, are you?”
As usual, her voice is quiet, but today, it’s laced with fear for me. Another thing about my Sara is, all she sees is the worst. I’ve ridden a motorcycle many times around the club, and on the land at the back of our house. It’s fun, but all she foresees is the pain they can cause. But her fear for me ignites my feelings for her, and my overwhelming need to make her happy.
“There’s no point in me having one if you won’t ride with me. I’ll get my own car soon.”
She visibly relaxes and rests her head on my shoulder as I drive. It doesn’t take long to get to the creek. Hell, it doesn’t take long to get anywhere in this town.
I park away from the group of students from our school and grab the cool box and blanket from the small back seat.
By the time I jump down from the truck, she’s around the front, holding out her hand for me to take. It’s the one thing that shows we’re closer than friends.
It’s hot as Hades, but I’d never pass up a chance to hold her.
We walk along the creek till we find a soft patch of grass where I set up the blanket and slip out of my boots.
“The water looks so good,” she murmurs, sliding out of her tennis shoes.
“Get in. It’ll cool you down.”
Whipping off my shirt, her eyes drop to my chest before she quickly turns her head to look back out on the water.
“You’re crazy. I’m not getting in there. Besides, I didn’t bring a swimsuit.”
I know exactly what she’s hiding under her long-sleeved shirt, and it makes my blood boil.
A sick part of me wants to see. Because she has to live with them, I want the images for me, so I can remember why I have to kill Mr. Lancaster.
“Surely you’re wearing underwear. No one will come up this far. No one will see you.”
My suggestion has her looking terrified as I unbutton my jeans. Shoving them down my thighs, her eyes sweep up and down my body. I wish she would just act on her desires.
I tell everyone she’s just my friend, but that’s only because I don’t want anyone, particularly my mother, putting pressure on her when she’s around. In reality, I love this girl, and I’d do anything for her. I would happily spend the rest of my life with her at my side. I don’t see anyone else, and with her around, I never will.
“Luc, I can’t.”
Stepping out of my jeans, I walk over to her, not caring that this is the most she’s seen of me.
“You don’t have to hide anything from me. Whatever it is you don’t want me to see, I already know is there. For today, it’s just us, and I don’t care what you look like.”
It’s a straight up lie. I do care, but I’d never let my reaction make her feel worse about herself.
Stepping away from her, I turn and wade into the water.
“The water’s cold, but it feels good.”
“Did you bring towels?” she calls out.
Nodding, I twiddle my finger so she knows I’m turning around to give her the privacy she needs.
I swim farther out and dip my head under the water, knowing this is going to kill me. But with her, it’s a pain I’d suffer through with a smile on my face.
By the time I pop my head above the surface, she’s in the water, deep enough that it covers her up to her neck. I only know she stripped down because I see her shorts and top sitting on the grass.
Her moan hits me in the balls, and her smile is worth everything.
“You’re right, the water does feel good. I don’t want to get out till this heat wave passes.”
“I’m always right. You really should listen to me more.”
Laughing, she splashes me and swims away, but I chase her down. It doesn’t take much effort, and when I catch her, I pull her to me, bringing her back against my chest. It’s feels so right. But as soon as she tenses, I let her go. She gets close to me on her terms, and I don’t blame her for wanting to be in control. Her father has broken her down so badly, I’m the only one she trusts, but only to a certain point.
Slapping my hand across the water, it splashes her in her face. Her laughter makes up for the distance now between us.
I own every single one of her laughs, and it’s not until she sweeps her arm to splash me back that I see the green tinged bruise on her wrist. Flashes of her father gripping her hard enough to mark her fill my head, and my smile disappears.
Noticing what I’m looking at, she hides her arm under the water again.
“What did you do this time?” I ask, not meaning for my tone to sound so harsh.
Looking away, she murmurs, “I don’t remember.”
“Are we lying to each other now?”
Her eyes shine with tears, but she doesn’t let them fall. “Why do you want to know everything?”
Swimming slowly toward her, I tread the water and cup her cheek.
“Because one day, I’m going to kill him, and when I tell him the reason he’s about to die, I want him to know exactly why he’ll be taking his last breath.”
Her gasp gets lodged in her throat, and she starts to cough. Composing herself, she says, “You’re not a killer, Luca.”
“When it comes to him, I will be. I swear to you, one day soon, he’ll never hurt you again.”
No one cares about this girl but me. Perhaps if the authorities helped on the few occasions they were called on account of her hospital visits, I wouldn’t have to save her.
Closing her eyes, a small smile tugs at her lips, as if she’s picturing that day.
Sweeping my thumb across her cheekbone, I add, “I’m going to kill him, and then I’m going to watch as he burns beneath the dirt. And know this, I won’t lose any sleep over it.”
“You should scare me,” she admits.
I burn to lean in and kiss her. “Never be afraid of me. I don’t know how to hurt you.” I love you, I silently add.
But I wait for her to make the first move. If I did and she backed off, it would ruin our friendship. If she decided to avoid and ignore me, she’d have no one. I can bide my time and wait. If being her friend is what she needs from me now, I can do that.
Victoria said Sara used me, but I saw her accusation for what it was. I’d hurt her, and she was saving face, trying to get at me in return. And although I reacted, I gave myself a moment to calm down and let it go.
There’s nothing Victoria can say about Sara that could truly rile me. I was the one who knew her, not Victoria. She has no right to throw shit around about her because she didn’t know her. No one did but me.
Suddenly, seeing brothers jumping to their feet catches my attention. Pulling out my earbuds, I sit forward and listen in on what’s going on now.
Cops are here.
I scan the bar, finding Dad watching the CCTV monitors, looking fatigued. It’s more than the weight of the club on him. He’s lived with the pressure of the club for years. No, there’s something different about him that I can’t quite work out.
“This is the Willow’s Peak Police Department. Lily McCarthy, we know you’re in there. Come out peacefully, or we will come in.”
Dad glares over at Harper.
“What do the cops want with your mom?”
Her face pales. She opens and closes her mouth a few times, but nothing comes out. I get to my feet as she looks around nervously and finds her mom standing next to Slade, who’s whispering something into Lily’s ear.
I overheard Sparky warning Dad, saying that the two McCarthy women were keeping even more secrets, and it looks like he was right.
“What’s going on, Lil? I can’t fucking help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on!” Slade roars.
Harper rushes over to Lily, who tells her brother, “Look after Harper.”
Two officers walk into the bar slowly, keeping watch of everyone surrounding them.
When their attention lands on Lily, she holds her head high, the defiance in her eyes burning like an out-of-control fire.
“Lily McCarthy?”
“Here.”
They close in on her. The older of the two cops, his left hand on his cuffs, asks her, “Do you know why we’re here?”
She replies calmly, “I have no idea.”
“When was the last time you saw Simon Webster?”
I watch her carefully, but her face is impressively set in stone.
“Must be nearly a year ago, or something like that. I’m not sure, as I haven’t even thought about him. Why? What has he done now?”
I haven’t heard of a Simon Webster, but then again, I didn’t take an interest in Lily before she blurted out that Harper was my dad’s daughter.
“We’re not sure what he did, but we know where he was found, and he wasn’t up for talking to us.”
Dad sighs defeatedly, but Lily shows no emotion, apart from feigning concern.
“What are you talking about?”
“We have witnesses who say you were Mr. Webster’s partner, and that you and your daughter were the last ones to be seen with him.”
“I can assure you, we haven’t seen him since the night he walked out on me.”
As one of the officers moves closer to her, she holds out her arm to stop Slade from interfering. “Let them do their job, Slade. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Simon Webster’s body was found seven days ago, and we’ve uncovered evidence that’s led us here, to you.”
When the officer begins reading her her rights, Harper launches herself at her mother, wrapping her arms around her, whispering something to her I can’t hear.
Once the officer has Lily cuffed and hauls her out to the squad car, I put in my earbuds as the drama is being driven out the gates.
I’ll find out later who Simon Webster is. I find most things out when Dad tells Mom, because he tells her everything. Well, that’s if she’s willing to listen to him these days.
The dirty work of running Lily out of town has been done for me by the shit town police department for now.
Murder is serious jail time. If she’s locked up for the remainder of her life, my mom won’t have to see her again, and I’m good with that. The corner of my mouth raises into a cruel smirk. Fuck Lily. I hope she gets the maximum, whether she killed the guy or not.