Razing Grace: Razing Grace Part 1 (36 page)

“Done.” Beast quirks as we both look at Miles.

“Why are you still here? Shouldn’t you be out playing in the blood bath with the rest of the birds who flew from the cuckoo’s nest?”

Miles laughs. “Birds of a feather, bitch. You’re just the same.”

I grin at him. He looks behind me and his face pales. “Oh well…” he mutters, launching forward and pushing my body to the ground just as a machine gun fires off and everyone drops for shelter. My eyes zone onto Kurr who has gotten to his feet and now clutches a gun in his hands.

In slow motion, I stand while ripping the mask off my face and look to the left to see a body lying lifeless on the ground. Squinting my eyes, my vision clears and every inch of muscle in my body tenses. “No,” I whisper.

Miles’ eyes are open, staring lifelessly back at me. There are red holes imprinted into almost every part of his body from the fierce bullet holes and my breath hitches.

“Miles?? Fuck!!” The roar that ripples out of me shakes the walls of the building as my nostrils flare and my jaw slams shut. The blood pulsing through my ears is like a dark thunderous night.

I turn my head towards Kurr, who is lifting the gun back up toward me with a smile on his mouth. I launch forward quickly, forgetting the fact that all he has to do is pull the trigger and I’m dead on the ground. I swing my arm and knock the gun out of Kurr’s grip while my other hand flies up to his neck. Lifting him off the ground, I tilt my head and squeeze his throat until the crunching of his pipes vibrate through my palms.

I stare right into his eyes as my other hand pulls out the knife that’s sitting in the holster of my jeans. Switching it open, I slowly sink it into his pelvic bone. The grazing of his bone meeting my blade gives me satisfaction.

I grin as a tear builds in my eye. “You killed my brother.”

Kurr smirks, blood dripping out of his mouth. I push the blade in more, watching him slowly. His eyes clench shut and I watch as the pain he’s feeling dances over his face. Slowly, I slip the knife up until I feel the tight pull from his skin and bone separating around my blade. “You killed my fucking brother!” I roar, and in one quick move, I yank the blade up until blood spills over my hands and the tubes from his internal guts tremble over my arms, continuing until my blade finally connects with the base of his throat. One slit starting from his pelvic bone and ending under his throat. Dropping the knife, I bury my hand inside of his stomach and let out a guttural roar from my emotions ripping out of me. Clenching around his slippery organs, I yank my hand backwards until his guts, liver, and intestines are spilling out of his lifeless piece of shit body. He falls to the ground and I continue to stand there, my chest heaving and my shoulders pounding from my heavy breathing, still with his intestines clutched proudly in my grip.

“Raze?” Beast steps forward. “Fuck.” I look at him to find Shelby nowhere to be seen. Stupid fucker.

My lips stretch over my teeth and a hiss escapes me. My vision clearing slightly, I see everyone standing in the room watching me with careful, scared eyes. Pride? Respect? I didn’t give a fuck. None of that matters. I squeeze the tubes in my hands until blood and mushy matter spurt out, slipping between my fingers.

Heads began to bow. Men wearing Army gear, Kurr’s men, surrender to me. Roman and Hachiro also both display a new level of respect in their eyes. I look at Beast and his crew, who give me a curt nod. Looking over my shoulder, The 6 have all removed their masks and are watching me with pained eyes. They bow their heads and I swallow, clearing the tears that threaten to break out. I’ve never shed a tear in my fucking life. Never have I ever wanted to or needed to. But what I’m feeling now, the loss of the only person who was family to me, can tear my existence open. Shaking my head, the silence finally deafening, I open my mouth but nothing comes out.

The front entrance bursts open again and my head snaps up to see who it is as everyone in the room raises their weapons to the intruders. When her eyes connect with mine, everything snaps back to life. But when I see the palm that’s gripped around her mouth and the gun that’s pointed at her temple, I’m ready to raise hell, bring Kurr back to life, and kill these motherfuckers all over again.

MILLIE

One hour earlier

I pace around the kitchen, wrapping my cardigan around myself tightly. Raze has been gone for three hours. Three hours is surely enough time. What’s taking them so long? They took enough men to end the war in Iraq, so why the fucking around?

I pause my thoughts, listening closely to the sounds. The house is usually always a little noisy. There’s always some sort of sound to the silence, but it’s blank right now. Nothing.

A shiver of fear slithers down my spine as I step backward and collide into a body. I let out a scream just as a hand flies up to cover my mouth. “Shut the fuck up. I don’t like screamers.”

I breath heavily, my chest falling and rising in fear. Arms clutch my shoulders as my captor spins me to face him. It’s an older man who had to be around his early sixties. He smiles back at me and my eyebrows draw together.

“President La’ Mont?” I suck in a breath. Fucking corrupted government.

He grins. That’s when I notice Cassia standing at the threshold of the kitchen leaning against the frame and smirking smugly at me.

“What the hell do you want?”

“From you? Nothing. Where’s Raze?”

“I’m not telling you shit.”

Cassia rolls her eyes and walks towards us. “He’ll be at the base, Daddy. Let’s go there.”

“Daddy?” I inch my head back. “That’s rather formal for a love child who you don’t know,” I say to the man and cock my head.

“You got a death wish, child?” he asks, grinning slowly. “Because I have enough resources standing outside this very house to make you disappear.”

“Obviously you do if you think you can put your hands on me,” I reply.

Cassia laughs as her elbow draws back and her fist connects with my eye. A sharp crack sounds out and my eye throbs with pain. “Shut up, bitch. Raze doesn’t give a fuck about you. When will you learn?”

I snarl at her and the old man grips my arm tightly until I fear he might snap it clean off. He begins walking us back through the kitchen and out the front door. The sunset hits my skin instantly as they direct me towards a dark limo. Opening the door, they push me forcefully inside and climb in behind me before driving towards the base.

Pulling me out of the car, Cassia’s hand flies up to her mouth to stifle her scream. I step out of the car and see all the bodies scattered everywhere. Flies are already inching over the dead flesh and I know because of the humidity that it won’t be long before the stench of death will take over.

Fighting the need to gag, Peter pulls me into his body and looks at her. “Pull it in, Cassia. We need to be on our game, understand?” I look over my shoulder and see two other cars that were following us pull up behind the limo. The men get out with their weapons raised.

He nudges my head with his arm. “Focus, you little cunt.”

I swallow and watch as he leads me towards the front doors of the hall that sits beside Kurr’s house. I pray, even though I know God would have wiped his hands of me, that none of these bodies are Raze, Miles, Beast, Hella, Frost or any of the boys I know.

“Show time.” He launches his foot through the doors which swing open and I freeze, my eyes finding Raze instantly. His eyes are something else entirely right now and I instantly know something is wrong. I’ve never seen him look this… dark. Once he sees the hand that’s around my mouth, he bares his teeth and that’s when I drop my eyes to see him clutching…

Oh, shit. I’m going to be sick.

Peter chuckles from behind me and nudges me forward as Raze steps toward us slowly. “Now, now, everyone is going to need to drop their weapons right now or I’ll put a bullet so deep in this little nun’s skull that she will be praying to God to send her to Hell.”

Raze growls and I look around at everyone, searching for Miles. Raze steps forward again and pauses by a body lying on the ground.

“You’re going to need to let her go,” he says. “Right. Now.”

Peter tsks at his comment. “Nope, that’s not going to happen.”

My eyes rake down Raze until they fall onto the body on the ground, and it’s then that everything inside of me breaks. A painful weeping scream rips out of my chest as tears pour out from my eyes. “No, no, no!” I scream from behind the hand.

Peter growls, “What the fuck is—?”

I turn around, bite down on the palm of his hand, and he lets go instantly. Pushing his chest until he falls backwards, I snarl at him.

“You little bitch!” he shouts out.

Raze lunges forward towards the man, but my eyes are locked on Miles’ empty shell of a body. My eyes blur, my head spins, and my heart feels like it’s being ripped from my chest. I keep my eyes locked on his empty pale eyes, running towards him in slow motion, and then it happened. A loud pop sounds out at the exact moment a piercing pain shoots through the back of my neck. My hand reaches out for Miles’ hand that’s stretched forward and my body falls while the deep black depths of my abyss attempt to suck me in. Everything that was once there, is no longer. The pain disappears along with my vision, and I fall, my head landing on my arm with the final thing I remember being the tips of my fingertips connecting with Miles’ fingers and a deep chill slithering into the wound in the back of my neck.

My heavy eyelids peel open and onto the blank white walls of nothingness. Everything is pale and white—the floor, walls, and everything around me. It’s like I’m floating inside a cloud. Where am I? What’s happened?

“Puddin’?”

I spin around, my eyes locking on Miles. He looks the same in his trademark crisp suit and his hair falling tidily over his collar. “Miles?” I whisper.

He walks towards me, reaching his hand out. “It’s me.”

My hand finds his and I close my eyes at the contact. “Where are we? What’s happened?”

He looks at me sadly. “Puddin’, you’re gonna need to go back. Raze needs you.”

“What?” I whisper, and then everything comes crashing into me. Miles. Dead. Lifeless. Me, getting…?

I reach behind my neck to find it clean.

“Miles?” I cry, my sobs ripping out of my chest. “No,” I shake my head. “No, I’m not leaving without you.”

“You have to, baby. You can’t be here.”

“I’m here, and I’m not leaving without you.”

“Yes, you are…” he says with a cocked brow.

My tears continue to fall as I shake my head. “I’m not.” I wipe them away angrily. “I love you, Miles. God,” I breathe out. “You… you were who showed me how to love, Miles. Not because you gave it, but because you made me feel it.” I take his hand and press it against my chest. “This? You made it beat again. I love you.”

Miles smiles as a tear drops from his eye, landing in a perfect teardrop on my hand. He sniffs. “You’ll always be my puddin’, but you need to go back to Raze. He needs you now more than ever. Promise me you’ll take care of him.”

“No. I’m not leaving you.”

“Puddin’…”

“No.” I shake my head and weep. “I’m never leaving you…”

The End

For now…

This is usually where I place all my people in in order and say something really sweet about them! This time I’m just going to write a paragraph and hope for the best. My partner Simon, I couldn’t do all this without your support. Thank you for putting up with my smart mouth and witty come-backs, you really don’t get paid enough.

My four little spitfires, you drive me nuts but are the best little humans a mother could ask for. Isis, I could go on for days how much you mean to me but you already know. We in this together, a force to be reckoned with.

Anne Malcolm, you’re my sister from another mister, thank you for being your amazing self and here’s to so many more books to come!

Andrea aka US mama bear. At times you are my rock. You’re the one person I know who won’t judge but has no problem with whipping my ass back into gear! Always be your favorite cub (yes, favorite.)

Caro! My crazy globe from the UK. My PA and the first person I run to with all of my problems. Thank you for being the better half of me, and, let’s face it, the more organized half.

My Addicts! Love you girls so much, you pull me through some dim days.