Broken World (Book 3): Mad World (5 page)

Something tugs at my heart when his expression contorts with pain.

No! I refuse to feel bad for this guy.
He
is the reason I’m here. He put my life in danger and ripped me away from one of the only people I’ve ever loved.

But I don’t want to stop talking. If I do, I’ll start thinking, and that will only lead to Axl. “How’d you find her?”

He clenches his fist and looks away. “I got in the car and followed them. I left the other people I was with in the hospital. Just jumped in and took off without even looking back. I kept a good distance between us, but they had to have known I was following them. I just don’t think they cared because this place is so secure.”

He actually feels bad about leaving his friends. I hate how human he’s making himself. I don’t want to sympathize with him, but I can’t help it. “Did you ever go back to check on the others?”

He shakes his head.

We stare at each other for a few minutes in silence. I don’t know what to say to this guy. Chatting with him seems pointless. He and I aren’t going to be pals. He dragged me to a hotel full of men who are just dying to rape me. It’s not exactly the basis for a friendship. On the other hand, we do need to work together if we’re going to get out of this alive. And whole.

4
Axl

“AXL, WE NEED TO TALK.”

Winston stops me on the way back to my room. It’s gettin’ late, and the common room is almost empty. Nathan, Trey, Anne, and the teenager that came in with the last group are all sittin’ ‘round. I can’t think of his name, but I remember he came in handy when we was unloadin’ the truck of supplies. Seemed pretty good with a knife.

The only other people in the room are Angus and Darla. They’re hangin’ all over each other at the bar, and she’s got her tongue halfway down his throat. She’s trashy-lookin’. Exactly the kinda woman Angus always goes after. I knew he was gonna get in her pants the second he saw her. We never did see eye to eye when it came to women. Darla and Vivian are the perfect example. I always went for the girls who were born trailer trash but didn’t quite to fit. Axl went for the women that oozed it. They loved their lives and had no intention of ever changin’. Didn’t see nothin’ wrong with it.

I tear my eyes away from my brother and focus on Winston. I gotta get it together. Angus can do whatever he wants. It don’t bother me none. Long as I get Vivian back.

“I’m leavin’ first thing in the mornin’,” I tell Winston. “Nothin’ else to talk ‘bout.”

Winston presses his lips together. “I understand how you feel, but I think you need to think this through a little more. We don’t have a clue where they might be.”

I shake my head and try hard to control the rage buildin’ inside me. It’s like something alive is tryin’ to dig its way outta my body. Like an animal is trapped in my chest.

I swallow and try to keep it hidden. I don’t wanna lose my cool with Winston. That’s an Angus thing. I always looked up to my brother when I was a kid, even if we didn’t always see things the same. Angus is the toughest son of a bitch I ever met. He’s never done nothin’ half-assed in his life, and he’s never backed down from a fight. But things are different now. This world we’re livin’ in has changed. It’s changed me. But Angus can’t see it, and I’m startin’ to worry things ain’t never gonna be the same between us after all this. Not unless he can pull his head outta his ass and adjust.

“I ain’t gonna just walk away from her,” I say between clenched teeth. It comes out rougher than I wanted it to, but Winston don’t even blink.

“I’m not talking about walking away. I’m talking about taking a little time to think this through. We have to sit down and talk this over, figure out where to start searching.”

He’s right. Dammit. But that don’t mean it makes me feel better. My neck and shoulders are so tight it feels like they’re made of steel. I take a deep breath and work on stayin’ calm. “You got any ideas?”

Winston relaxes a little. “We were talking about it just now. Angus told us which direction the van went, so we pulled out a map and Nathan’s been helping us brainstorm. He’s lived in Vegas his whole life, so he knows the city pretty well. Jhett too.”

Jhett. That’s the kid’s name.

I go over to where they’re sittin’ so I can get a better look. I wanna know what they’re thinkin’. My brain ain’t workin’, and I got no damn idea where to start. Every time I try to think, all I can see is Vivian’s face. Thinkin’ ‘bout what she might be goin’ through right now makes me wanna hurl. I swear to God, if anybody lays a hand on her, I’ll rip their heart out.

“What are y’all thinkin’?”

Nathan looks up, and I gotta fight the urge to punch him. He’s tryin’ to help. I gotta keep that in mind.

“According to your brother, they headed north when they left the hospital. Toward the Strip. Vegas is big and they could be anywhere, but I’d put my money on a casino.”

“What about the Monte Carlo?” Darla’s voice comes from behind me, and I turn to see her and Angus are walkin’ over.

My first impulse is to tell her to shut the hell up. But somewhere deep in my brain, a memory claws its way to the surface. “Didn’t you say you saw people outside the Monte Carlo?”

Darla nods, and Angus puts his arm around her waist. “Sure did. Saw a few men going in and out. Thought about heading over there to check it out, but wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. Seems like I made the right choice.”

I can’t help glarin’ at her. It pisses me off how little she seems to care that Vivian is gone. Goin’ around shovin’ her tongue down my brother’s throat like a whore. Right in front of everybody. Sure Darla don’t know Vivian all that well, but she’s still her kid.

“Did you see anything else on the Strip that looked suspicious?” Winston asks. He steps between Darla and me like he knows I wanna punch her right in the goddamn mouth.

Darla’s eyebrows pull together and her eyes narrow as she tries to remember. Her face scrunches up so much I think she just might hurt herself. She don’t look so much like Vivian when she does that.

“Not sure. I was pretty busy focusing on not getting killed, but seems like the Monte Carlo was the only casino I saw people coming in and out of.”

Winston looks over at me and nods. “Might be a good place to start.”

Angus grins at Darla like she’s some kind of genius, and I look away. What an ass.

I head for the stairs. “Then we’ll go in the mornin’.”

“Axl, we still need to talk this thing through. Come up with a plan,” Winston calls to me.

I shake my head and keep walkin’. I gotta get away from that bitch before I let her have it. “I ain’t waitin’. Anybody that wants to come better be here at six. I’m gonna get some sleep.”

I take the stairs before Winston can argue, but I’ve only gotten down one floor when Angus stops me. “You’re gonna get yourself killed.”

I keep walkin’. “Gotta try. You wouldn’t understand.”

Angus grabs my arm and turns me ‘round to face him. His mouth is all puckered up, and he shakes his head. “Think this thing through, little brother. I ain’t tellin’ you to leave her, but you can’t just run off. You got no plan.”

“So you’re on Winston’s side?”

His face hardens, and he lets go of my arm. He spits on the floor at our feet. I knew that would get to him. “Fuck no.”

“Then be ready at six.”

I head back down the stairs, and Angus don’t argue. And he don’t follow me. I’m glad. I need some time to myself. To think.

Vivian and Hadley’s condo is quiet. Almost too quiet. I strip down to my boxers and climb in bed, buryin’ my face in the pillow. It smells like Vivian’s hair. Some kind of flower or fruit or some shit. Whatever it is, it makes my throat feel like somebody has their hands wrapped around it. Like they’re squeezin’ the life outta me.

I try to relax. To get some sleep. As usual, it ain’t workin’. I haven’t gotten a real good night’s sleep in years. Back before my mom died. It used to be nightmares that kept me awake, but now it’s more like habit. My body’s used to gettin’ just a few hours of sleep at a time. Although the dreams still come from time to time.

After a couple hours of starin’ at nothin’, I get up an’ start pacin’ the room. Thinkin’ ‘bout tomorrow mornin’ and what I’m gonna need. Weapons. That’s ‘bout all. I don’t need to take no clothes or food. Clothes are a luxury I don’t need on a rescue mission, and food is easy to come by if you know where to look. I do.

So all I gotta do in the mornin’ is stuff a bag full of weapons and go.

The thought should help me relax. But it don’t. The hours go by, and I pace back and forth in the condo, walkin’ in circles. Tryin’ to get my brain to stop thinkin’ ‘bout Vivian. It don’t work.

‘Bout three in the mornin’ I finally give up and throw on some clothes. My body ain’t relaxed even a little bit since I saw Vivian get pulled into that van. I can sleep after I get her back. And I
will
get her back.

I’ve got all the weapons and supplies we need packed by five o’clock. Now all I gotta do is wait. I’d leave now if I could, but I need the others. I need the help. Much as I hate to admit it.

Trey comes staggerin’ in ‘round five thirty, carryin’ a cup of coffee and lookin’ groggy. “Morning,” he says, barely lookin’ up.

I nod but can’t seem to get any words out. I’ve spent the last several hours goin’ over the plan in my head, thinkin’ ‘bout everything that can go wrong. ‘Bout the things Vivian might be goin’ through right now. It’s weighin’ on me.

“You doing okay?” Trey asks.

He’s studyin’ me like if he looks hard enough, he’ll be able to read my mind. I just shrug. I ain’t okay, but I was never one to bother other people with my problems. Probably ‘cause I learned at an early age that people usually just don’t give a shit. Nobody cared when I was little and my mama slapped me ‘round. Nobody cared when I got older and I showed up at school with cuts and bruises. Just the way it is.

Trey frowns like he knows how I’m feelin’. Probably does. He and Parvarti seem to be all hot and heavy now. Guess he’d be feelin’ ‘bout the same way if she was the one missin’.

It hits me for the first time what he might be givin’ up to save Vivian. I hadn’t thought ‘bout what the others were riskin’ before now, but I suddenly realize it ain’t exactly fair of me to ask them to do this.

“You don’t gotta go,” I say. “I know it’s a risk.”

Trey don’t even look up from his coffee. “I’m going. Vivian stuck her neck out for Parv and me. I can’t forget that. And you’d do the same for me. If Parv was the one missing, you’d go after her. You’re a good guy.”

He’s right. And Vivian would be right there next to me. Still don’t feel fair, though. “I just wanna let you know that I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t go.”

Trey takes a deep breath and looks up. His hands squeeze the coffee cup like he’s tryin’ to crush it. “I’m going. There’s nothing else to talk about.” He’s quiet for a minute, drinkin’ his coffee. Then he says, “I want you to know how grateful I am that you guys let Parv and me tag along. I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t.”

“You woulda been fine.”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t really exposed to any of this stuff growing up. My parents had money and they tried to give us everything they never had. That meant an easy life for me and my brother. We were handed everything. I never had to work a day in my life. I’m sure my parents thought it was the best thing for me, and if things hadn’t changed it probably would have been fine. But in this world, I would have been pretty useless.”

I press my lips together and shake my head. “You sound jealous.” That’s a new one. I ain’t never had somebody be jealous of me. Never been a reason to.

Trey shrugs and chuckles like he can’t believe it neither. “Guess I am. You know who you are and where you fit in. I’d be lost in all this if it wasn’t for the things you taught me. I owe you.”

I got nothin’ to say to all that. It’s an uncomfortable feelin’, havin’ somebody think I’m better than them. Never happened before. Except maybe back when I played high school football, and all that was bullshit. It weren’t real like this.

I say the first thing that pops into my head. “I didn’t wanna go get you. Vivian and the doc did all that. I was on Angus’s side.”

Trey laughs, which is nuts. He should be pissed. “That’s what I like about you, Axl. You always tell the truth. I never have to worry about what’s going on inside your head.”

“Never saw a reason to keep my thoughts to myself. It ain’t like they’re all that deep or nothing.”

Trey lets out another laugh just as Winston walks into the room. He looks me over in a way that makes my scalp tingle. He scratches at his beard and shakes his head. “You look like shit. You get any sleep?”

“I’ll sleep when Vivian’s safe.”

Winston frowns even more. “You’re not going to be much use to Vivian if you don’t get some rest.”

“I’ll be fine,” I snap, then press my lips together even harder. That sounded too much like Angus. Shit.

Winston don’t seem to care. He just shakes his head and gets busy gatherin’ his stuff. Gettin’ ready to go.

Angus and Darla walk in a few minutes later, and by then I can’t hold still. I’m ready to go. They’re draped all over each other just like last night, and Darla’s dressed like she’s plannin’ on comin’ with us. I try not to glare at her, but it ain’t easy. I don’t know why she’d want to come. Vivian don’t mean nothin’ to her.

Angus catches my eye and puckers his lips. “You got a plan?” He’s choosin’ to ignore the fact that I’m glarin’ at Darla. Figures.

I nod because I do have a plan. That’s what happens when you don’t waste time with sleep. You’re ready for anything. “Been up all night thinkin’. Best thing may be to head on back to Paris where Vivian and me spent the night. We could see a lot of the Strip from up on that roof. The Monte Carlo ain’t that far, we should be able to get a good look at it.”

“So you want to just drive up the Strip and walk into the casino?” Trey says doubtfully. “We could hardly get down the Strip before.”

“We’ll have to create another diversion,” Winston says.

“What if they don’t go for it?” Trey don’t look very confident. Damn. I wish he’d stay behind. He’s useful, but I don’t wanna see somebody else get hurt.

“We’ll work it out,” I say. “We gotta.”

Trey nods, but the expression on his face don’t change.

I ignore it and turn to Winston. “We all that’s comin’?”