Returning to the Bad Boys

I unwrapped another piece of toffee, popping it into my mouth and chewing rapidly. It was a distraction from the throbbing pain in my arm, a pain I was trying to ignore without the help of any more painkillers.

I was eagerly waiting for Tayla’s arrival. The thought of seeing her was the only thing keeping me sane.

A nurse walked in, offering me a timid smile. There was a time when I would have taken her right here on this hospital bed, but that was before Tayla came into my life.

“May I check your vitals?” she asked, her voice soft.

“Does it involve needles?” I replied, half-joking.

She giggled, shaking her head in response. I watched as she approached, her movements professional and efficient.

She examined my bandage before moving to my uninjured arm to check my blood pressure. I could smell her perfume, see the gloss on her lips, but it did nothing for me.

All I wanted was Tayla.

She inserted a plastic thermometer in my ear, checking my temperature before flashing me another smile. “Can I get you anything?” she asked.

I shook my head.

“You should be able to go home tomorrow morning,” she informed me.

“Good,” I replied, relieved.

“By the way, how did you end up with a bullet in your arm?”

“Got shot in a brothel,” I answered nonchalantly.

Her face flushed a deep shade of pink, and she quickly excused herself. I unwrapped another piece of toffee, the sweetness momentarily distracting me from the pain in my arm.

I flexed my fingers, wincing at the ache that shot through my hand. I leaned back against the pillow, staring at the ceiling.

What was taking them so long?

I had a sinking feeling they were probably having sex. Not that I could blame them.

Once I was home, I’d be doing the same with Tayla. I clenched my jaw against the pain in my arm, realizing I was out of toffees.

Maybe the nurse could bring me some more?

I heard the sound of deep voices and recognized Walker’s.

Finally.

They sure took their sweet time.

I ran a hand through my hair, sitting up straight as Walker entered the room.

Something was off.

I could feel it.

He wouldn’t meet my gaze. I looked around him, but Tayla was nowhere in sight.

I heard people leaving my area, their hurried footsteps echoing ominously.

“Where is she?” I demanded.

Walker’s lips moved, but no sound came out.

Had he been crying?

Walker never cried.

“Gone,” he finally managed to croak out.

“She ran away again?” I asked, shocked.

He shook his head. “She’s dead.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, glaring at him. “Not fucking funny,” I snapped.

“Someone set off an explosion under the house. Tayla was inside,” he explained, his voice choked with emotion.

Walker started to cry, and I could hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.

He wasn’t joking.

I shook my head in denial. “No!” I shouted.

“They found her body in the house. In pieces,” he sobbed.

“You’re lying!”

Ignoring the pain in my arm, I jumped out of bed and advanced on him. I grabbed him by the arms, shaking him hard.

“Where is she?” I growled, my anger rising.

Walker felt heavy as I clung to him, desperate for answers.

“Gone…she…is gone,” he sobbed.

Tears stung my eyes, and I gripped him harder. “No! Walker, you fix this. You fix this now!” I shouted.

He finally looked at me, tears streaming down his face. “I can’t,” he sobbed.

“No!”

In a fit of rage, I flipped a hospital table over and ripped down the curtain in my bay. “Get me out of here!” I growled at him.

He nodded, taking my good arm and leading me through the hospital. A nurse handed Walker a bag as we passed, and we made our way outside.

He took me to his jeep, and we got in, the silence between us heavy.

We sat for a moment, Walker wiping his face. “Who did this?” I growled.

“We’re not sure. The police are investigating,” he replied, his voice broken.

“Where’s Dominic?”

“I don’t know.”

“Fuck! Don’t you know anything?”

Walker lunged forward, pinning me against the window. “All I know is I just lost the fucking girl I love and if you keep pushing me, I swear I will fucking kill you!” he growled.

He pushed me hard against the window before backing off and starting the jeep. As angry as I was, I knew better than to push Walker when he was this mad.

This kind of mad was a quiet volcano.

One spark and boom.

I sulked in my seat as Walker drove us to a cheap motel on the outskirts of town. He parked and rented a room, and I followed him to a green door on the first floor.

He unlocked the door and practically pushed me in before walking in after me. The room was small, with two double beds and a tiny bathroom.

“I’m going out to get supplies,” Walker mumbled.

“I’ll come too?” I offered.

“Don’t!”

He gave me a look. “Just stay here and rest. I have to find Dominic and bring him back too.”

I nodded, even though I hated the idea.

Walker left without another word, and I moved over to one of the double beds, sitting on it.

It couldn’t be true.

Tayla couldn’t be dead.

I glanced over at the bag that Walker had brought back from the hospital and walked over to it. Inside, I found the pain medication. I popped two pills out of the foil packet and went into the small bathroom.

I filled a small glass with water and swallowed the pills.

Moving back to the bed, I sat down.

Tayla?

I closed my eyes, picturing her face.

She couldn’t be gone.

Not my baby girl.

I sat there, staring into space, until I felt tears falling down my face.

Fuck.

I never cried.

Laying down on my good arm, I curled up on the bed, my chest aching.

Was this what a broken heart felt like?

I felt my stomach churn, and then I was rushing to the bathroom, emptying my stomach into the toilet.

Tears poured down my face, and I roared out in anger, my cry echoing off the bathroom walls.

I stood up, stalking over to the mirror on the wall. With a cry, I punched the mirror, shattering it into pieces.

I reeled back when I felt something sharp pierce my skin. Looking down, I saw a shard of glass embedded in my fist. I pulled it out slowly, the pain somehow comforting.

Blood poured from the wound, dripping into the white sink.

Watching it drip from me, I felt a strange sense of peace.

Blood had to be spilled.

The only peace I knew was to hurt or inflict pain.

Looking at my pale reflection in the mirror, I stared into my own blue eyes, a darkness settling there.

I would hurt.

I was hurting.

Someone else would hurt.

I needed to find who had done this.

My arm gave a sharp, painful protest, and I gritted my teeth angrily.

I found myself staggering back into the room, collapsing onto the bed and sprawling out on my back.

A fierce determination ignited within me—I would track down any remaining members of the Black Skulls and make them suffer until I discovered who was behind this.

It had to be them. Who else would have the audacity to strike at our home?

I would hunt down the person responsible for this chaos and relish in tearing that bastard to shreds.

They would pay dearly for tearing away the only thing that ever made sense in my life.

The only beacon of light in this messed-up world.

Tayla.

As I envisioned her sparkling green eyes and radiant smile, I felt a fresh wave of tears prick at my eyes.

The mere thought of never being able to hold her again made my stomach churn violently.

Glancing down at my bleeding hand, I noticed it was still oozing and hastily pulled off my T-shirt.

I wrapped it around my hand and leaned back against the bed, my mind racing.

I would make every single person who had a hand in taking Tayla away from me pay.

I would ensure they suffered.

I would make them bleed rivers.

I would revel in every scream and cry of agony.

My eyelids felt heavy, and I wondered if the painkillers were starting to take effect.

If people thought I was unhinged now, they were in for a real shock.

I wouldn’t hold back.

I would unleash the monster that Walker’s father had shaped me into.

Because that’s what I truly was—a monster.

And Tayla was the only one who had ever been able to tame it.

But now she was gone.

I would exact my revenge and nothing, absolutely nothing, would stand in my way.

And when my thirst for blood was finally quenched, I would drive to the woods, use my gun, and finally join her.