Page 17 of Hostile Saint

Lynx agreed. “Let’s try it out.”

The brown leather couch was huge and in the shape of an L. When I sat, I was instantly so comfortable I wasn’t sure I’d get up again. My eyes slid shut. “Can we take this couch back to Austin?”

I think Dagger answered me, but I didn’t make out the words because I fell asleep in a second flat.

Hearing familiar sniffles had me walking further into the dark woods. “Lace?” She never outright cried. Her tears were silent. Her only giveaway was the sniffles.

Breaking a line of trees, I found her sitting in a field of short grass. The only light was coming from the stars in the night. Her legs were pulled to her chest as her arms held them tight.

Lacey didn’t hear me coming up behind her. When I touched her shoulder, she jumped and gasped until she saw me. “Oh, Tate. Is it really you? I’m lost.”

Her voice was so terrified, I instantly felt the need to ground her to me. “Nah, Pretty Girl. You’re right here.” I sat behind her, putting a leg on each side of her so she could feel me close as I held her to my chest. “You’re right here. With me.”

She burrowed into me, hiding her precious face under my chin. “I can’t find you. Don’t give up on me, okay?”

“Never.” I leaned my head to the top of hers after kissing it. “Evermore, remember?”

I could feel the wetness of her tears on my skin that turned cold as ice when she whispered. “No.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Hearing Cries

It was already nighttime by the time my eyes reopened. I woke in a startled jolt, which was quite normal for me. There had been so many times in the past when I had awoken to find the brothers watching me, waiting, eager to torture… Now, I was lying on the couch with a blanket covering me, the kind gesture so completely foreign.

In front of me were two sliding glass doors. On the other side of the glass were Lynx and Dagger, sitting on a wooden porch, smoking cigarettes. Seeing them exhale smoke, I exhaled relief. It was sad to realize how much I had truly expected them to dump me somewhere while I slept heavily on painkillers.

Sitting in front of them at the six-chair patio table was the large man from the woods, Vice. Outside lights glowed against smoke rising from a covered gas grill a few feet away from the men. It took me a minute, but I finally sat up, my stomach growling. It was as if my body knew these men being present meant nourishment. Having pushed away hunger pains for so many years, I had almost forgotten what being hungry actually felt like. In a way, that made Lynx and Dagger as dangerous for my body as they were for my growing hope. If they were to change their minds about helping me, where would I go? How would I get my Lacey back?

The uncertainty had me instantly spooked. It’s tragic, I know, but I almost missed home. At least, there Lacey was only a couple of blocks away, and I knew what I needed to do. I had a routine. It may have been a horrid one at times, but at least that beautiful girl was the highlight I could count on. Now, with her in a hospital somewhere in Colorado, where I’d never been until now, and with the police involved, the only thing I was sure of was that I would die if I didn’t get her back.

Vice noticed me right away. He did a chin lift, causing Lynx and Dagger to peer over their shoulders. Their slightly weathered and tanned faces showed me how much they rode their dragons. Their overall presence spoke to me about how much they loved their lifestyle. Their larger-than-life charisma silently demanded respect. I think they gained mine within the first moments I had met them.

Lynx stood from his chair. His deep voice was faint due to the glass, but I could still hear, “Let’s get some chow, then come up with a plan.”

My heart thundered as more hope bloomed. A plan? That’s good news, right?

A sliding door opened with a well-oiled swoosh. The sliding door back home squeaked and creaked as if screaming to be put out of its misery.

“Nine Lives,” cheered Dagger as he walked into the kitchen. “Is that bottomless pit you call a stomach growling yet?”

It was, of course, but I didn’t want them to know that my body viewed them as a meal ticket, because my heart didn’t. My heart was grateful for any help they were willing to offer. They were my only chance to get Lacey back. I didn’t have one other soul on this earth I could turn to. “Bathroom?”

With those wise grey eyes, Lynx stood next to the kitchen, giving me a quizzical stare, then pointed behind me. “In that hallway. Then you’re to eat until you burst, you hear me?”

How he could so easily read my guilt and read my mind, I didn’t know, but I quickly learned some people lead because they’re really fucking good at it.

Thankful he was insisting I do what my body was begging for, I shyly dipped my chin, turned around, and went to find the bathroom.

Whoever owned the house really liked the color blue. It wasn’t overdone, just obvious with the dark blue towels in the bathroom and light blue walls throughout the house. There were no pictures of people, showing that it was simply a fully furnished rental, but there were nice hanging pics of nature. The picture of a dirt road through some woods haunted me. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was the path I had run down, chasing Lacey—the road I hoped to never see again.

After a long piss, and then washing my hands, I reentered the living room to find a buffet arrangement on the counter that stood between the living room and kitchen. Next to a stack of paper plates were tubs of store-bought macaroni and potato salads. There were open bags of hotdog and hamburger buns and so many flavors of chips I didn’t know which one to dive into first.

“We already have waters for ya out here,” announced Lynx to me as he opened the sliding door with his elbow because his hands were full. “Load up two plates or don’t bother coming outside.” He was already with a full plate of his own.

“Yes, sir.” Trying not to look desperate, I went to the kitchen with my mouth watering and proceeded to load two plates.

By the time I got outside, there was a tray of cooked meat in the center of the table.