The Way Home (Lights of Peril Book 2) (21 page)

Hem is heading
his way into the whiskey now. He hasn’t moved from his leather chair in roughly two hours, which means he hasn’t done anything, but catch up with the buddies and celebrate with shots.

“Sade, we need to make a liquor run.
Shame says we’re low and the boys are drinking like fish. It’s still early so we were elected to go.” Mace isn’t pissed about having to be someone’s drink-bitch, so something has to be going on, but I’m going to play along to find out.

“Sure, let me grab my purse and we can go.
Just you and I?” I’m gathering more data from my secretive little friend here. She just can’t see it.

“Nope, Cherry and April want to go
, as well… think they need the break.”

On the way to the liquor store I feel eyes on me, as if everyone is in on yet another story
line, and I’m clueless, but the evening has been good and the weather is perfect, so I’m just enjoying the breeze while we are out of the smoke filled club. Cherry hasn’t said a single word to contribute to the conversation and she hasn’t looked at me either.

“So, spill the dirt
, Sadey. What’s up with you and Hem now that he’s back?” April, always blunt and ever-to-the-point.

“We don’t know.
We aren’t defining it right now. One day at a time. We have a responsibility to our son to do this right…make the right decision for all of us.”

There, that was diplomatic.

“I see. I guess then that includes screwin’ each other’s brain out in Crickets room?”

Thanks, April.
Shit. That was most definitely not diplomatic. Damn, that was Crickets room?

“Don’t need a lecture, April.
I have missed him. There’s no secret in that, so if you’re going to try to give me some sermon, don’t bother. If I’m screwing someone’s brains out, it rightfully should be Hem’s.”

Cherry finally speaks and she’s definitely sending me a passive message all wrapped
in an untidy bow of rudeness.

“Yeah, I guess I would agree.
Now if you could just stop emotionally screwing Ace’s heart to smithereens, maybe he could sail off to the sunset with someone who cares about him rather than sit here and watch you and Hem live out your happily-ever-after.”

No one say
s another word as we continue our way to the liquor store.

Once there, we all pile out and it isn’t until I hear a screech from Cherry that all of us come out of our daze.
She’s standing near the front door of “Shadow’s Wine and Beer. She’s dropped her purse and she’s shaking, staring out into the dark parking lot.

Mace happens to make it to her first, wobbling as she goes.
“What is it? What’s the matter, honey?”

Cherry is still staring.
Mace has grabbed her arms and, at the touch, Cherry comes out of her trance.

“Nothing, I just thought I saw someone that I recognized.
I didn’t. I still get spooked every so often. I’m fine. Let’s go so we can get back Peril, please.”

She’s been through so much in her young life
. Seeing her like this, even with her blatant dislike for me at the present time, makes me really sad for her.

“Alright, let’s make this fast…boys are going to be anxious for our arrival back, anyway, and poor Honor and Raider back there are wanting to be back with the celebration.” Mace smiles. She knows we are being trailed.

I look back to her car and she’s right
. There sits Honor and Raider, both looking at us like we are as boring to them as watching paint dry rather than seriously standing at guard.

Why couldn’t they just make the run for us?

This furthers my concern that something else is brewing for me back at the club.

Awesome
.

We’ve made it back
; safe, sound, and tailed. The moment I hit the door I’m met with Ace. He looks concerned and upset. I’ve not really talked to him much the last two days, but I know with everything going on around us he has reason to look concerned in regards to my reaction to him. Ass.

“Heya
, Bug.”

“Ace.”
I don’t know how to address him. Calling him by another name such as ‘adulterer’ or ‘liar’ … or maybe ‘traitor,’ seems a little callous and in the wake of Hem’s arrival, I would just appreciate if he and I could agree to disagree on his state of marriage bound with his attempt at making me the other woman.

“So, I wanted to talk to you.
You’re mad and I get that. I know you didn’t want to see me again. I don’t blame you. I just didn’t want to leave until I knew you were alright, after Hem coming back.”

“Ace, you
helped
him stay away from me. I don’t know how I feel about that. One minute I’m so thankful you hid him and the other I want to cut your eyes out. Either way, you are here and you finally get that you and I can’t… I mean we won’t ever…”

“Jesus
, Sade, I get it. Enough already. You’re Hem’s. I don’t need that shit in sky writing.”

I feel bad
. I don’t mean to make him feel worse than he does. “I’m sorry. I just… I don’t know… it’s all still so confusing, ya know?”

“Should
n’t be anything to be confused about. I mean, this is what you’ve wanted. You wanted your man back. Well, there he is.” He points to the chair behind him, in which Hem still currently resides. With Ace’s big ole body standing in front of me, I can’t see all of him… just the head of another person talking to him.

“I know
… I just don’t know… I’m not making sense, sorry.”

“Yeah, well, I’m leaving this party.
Too much celebrating for me. Glad you’re okay. If you need anything you just need to call me, alright?”

“I will.”

Moving Ace to the side, as much as my small frame can move his large one, I don’t appreciate the picture I’m seeing.
Shit.

My look
alike, nemesis, tormentor, whatever you want to call her, is sitting on the armrest of Hem’s chair and she’s running her hands through his hair with one hand and holding his chin to her with the other. He pushes her hand away roughly and turns his head in the other direction to avoid looking at her. He’s pissed, but says nothing to get her to move. Moments pass and her eyes catch mine as she smiles at me and mimics blowing me a kiss.

I’m stunned and haven’t moved an inch.
Ace registers what is happening and looks at me with concern, as if I’m going to go crazy and do something stupid. The suck of it is that Hem isn’t exactly mine anymore. Of course he still loves me, and we are together, but if I walk over there and claim him, it would only be to remove her, not keep him. I don’t have to worry about what to do for long. Mace has beaten me to the punch, literally.

I see her walk to him with purpose and finally
non-moving Hem catches sight of her, but it’s too late. One swift hit to the back of his head sends Sylvie flying.

Sylvie
regains her composure then matches stares with Mace as Mace gets into Hem’s ass. “Hem, what the fuck are you doing? Do you let garbage hang on you now? You never did before.” Hem has no reaction, but he’s looking directly at me. I can’t move, I’m just waiting for something else to happen, hoping someone comes out of the closet with a video camera and the crowd shouts ;Gotcha!’”

“Hem
, do you fuckin’ hear me?” Hem breaks his stare and looks to Mace, then Sylvie.

I need to go to Mace
. She needs backup with this scary-ass bitch. Shame is nowhere to be found and everyone else is so wrapped up in party play, they aren’t paying attention to what is happening in the middle of the room.

“Yes, I hear you, Mace.
Fuckin’ India can hear you. Lower your voice. Jesus, the shrill of your voice cuts my ears.”

Mace says nothing but gives another look to
Sylvie who finally sees me arrive and stand next to Mace.

“Look Hem, it’s your ex.”
She’s sneering at me.

It dawns on me too late that she and Hem could have been an item while he was gone.

“Did you know Hem and I lived together while he was vacationing from you, the boring little girl?
He used to talk to me about you. How fragile you are and things you did as a kid to get his attention. He always spoke of your immaturity.”

My chest hurts.
Hem has given me shit my whole life about always being overly sensitive. Surely he didn’t talk of me like that to
her
. She’s not done hurting me, though. I can see it on her face. I send a quick look to Mace who has now disappeared. I feel alone in this now, with only Hem, who to me, is guilty and I want no part of him.

Hem gets up from his chair and blocks
our view of each other. His face is just inches from mine and he can see how harsh she is to me, but he’s so calm. “Sugar, go upstairs and let me handle this, okay?”

She interrupts him as he’s attempting to calm me.
“He used to touch me, too… my face and hair. He would ask me to hold him sometimes, so he could sleep. My favorite mornings were when he would walk around without his shirt. Those pecs are hard to the touch, but easy to admire across the breakfast table. Don’t you find it ironic that I held Hem’s body all these months while you held Ace’s heart? Makes us even… you agree?”

Now she’s pissed him off.
Telling someone’s
secrets
will piss anyone off. “Shut up, Sylvie. You’re a whore. Find your husband and get gone.” He towers over her and she smirks at him. Damn, she is fearless.

It d
oesn’t matter if I agree with all she said or not. My chest hurts. I haven’t said a word to her, I have nothing to say. I can hear small chaos erupting behind me and when I turn to look, I see Mace and Shame coming my way and Shame has his hand wrapped around Ace’s neck from the back. Ace is red faced and fuming, but not struggling with Shame’s grasp.

“Get rid of your fuckin’ cunt.”
I have never heard that word from Shame’s mouth, not even in jest or in reference, to that part of a woman’s anatomy. The fact he’s actually calling Ace’s wife that makes it obvious to those standing around that Shame is one massive pissed off brother.

“
Sylvie, enough. Let’s go. I told you not to start your shit here, damn it. Let’s go.”

Sylvie
looks at Hem, who is looking at me, and then her eyes follow his. I’ve got tears coming down my face. Hem hasn’t denied any of this. What if it’s all true?

“It isn’t
, Sadey. It’s not true.”

I’m so out of sorts
…I must have said some of my thoughts out loud. Shame is looking at me with his gentleness, still towering over Ace and Sylvie. “Sadey, you know better. Get a grip. Apparently, part of everyone getting their shit together is taking out the fuckin’ trash. Ace get her out of here. She’s not welcome. She comes within three hundred feet of Sadey again and I promise you, I will handle her and it won’t be easy.”

“
Sylvie,
let’s go
.” I have felt sorry for Ace before because of this person, but pity doesn’t begin cover how I feel for him now. No one deserves that wretch.

With that, they are gone.
With that, my heart is broken.

No one says anything to me for a few
seconds. I’m being given an opportunity to regain myself. Taking note of who is here, I see no one is missing. They have all come to my side to fight that vicious dragon. There stands Hem though. He looks broken, lost, and further, he looks guilty. It’s the latter that I’m most concerned with. Shame doesn’t leave me to rattle in my fear long before spouting at me.

“Sadey,
go with him upstairs and take his ass to bed. He’s done acting like a fuckin’ idiot for tonight. Celebration is over. Fuck, Hem.” Shame is disgusted with Hem. It’s a rare emotion that Shame feels towards Hem, but it’s evident and not something Shame is going to attempt to hide.

“What?
Why do I have be any part of this? You want someone who gives a shit about him, you should have asked that tramp to stay.” I say this to Shame, while keeping my eyes locked to an empty and emotionless Hem.