Broken Pieces Read online

  “He isn’t. You don’t know him like I do.”

  I go to tell her she doesn’t know shit, but her fist lands in the middle of my chest, and as she takes my jaw out with her elbow, she screams, “I can handle my fucking self!”

  “Guys, calm down,” JJ tries, but neither of us pays him any mind, our gazes locked in hostility.

  “Rebekah,” I try, but she’s still raging.

  “You treat me like a fucking baby. I’m stronger than most, and I’m human. What does that even say? Don’t know? Let me tell you,” she yells, going toe-to-toe with me. “That I’m a fucking badass!”

  With that, I push her so hard that she falls back and rolls twice, landing on her face hard with a loud oomph. JJ tries to stop me, but I shake out of his hold, going to her and looking down at her. “And what if you meet someone like me? You can’t beat me, sister!”

  “No one is like you,” she roars, standing up and stretching her shoulders back. “You big dick.”

  She’s a pain. “Rebekah, this guy, the one you feel isn’t dangerous because you ‘know him,’ he is obviously on a level we don’t understand. He isn’t like other shifters. He didn’t change automatically when the silver hit his wrist. He fought me off, almost broke my grasp. It took three of us to hold him before the silver should have taken him down. And then it didn’t, Rebekah! It was like a bracelet to the guy. His skin burned, but that was it,” I stress, my eyes pleading. “My sister, please, I beg of you. This guy is something insane. I don’t even know what to do. I don’t even know how to stress to you how you must stay away.”

  But I don’t think she is listening. Leaning toward her, I hold her gaze, dropping my voice so maybe she’ll listen. “I know you,” I say, slowly reaching out to her. She moves away, but just for a moment before I wipe the blood away from her nose. “I know you want to fix this. I know you want to redeem him, that maybe you have a crush. But, my love, it cannot happen. He was sent to kill you, Rebekah. And I’m sorry, selfish as it is, I cannot lose you.”

  That has her looking away, her eyes filling with tears. Holding her chin, I force her to look at me. “I love you, Rebekah, so much, and I just want you safe. I know you can fight the lot of them, and you would, but I can’t let you die. I need you to take a step back. Let us handle this.”

  “Why can’t I—”

  “Because you are a liability, sister. They got into our home, our sanctuary. This is mind-blowing. If I’m to protect this home, and you, I need to know that you are safe and that you won’t try to see this guy or fix anything. Just stay put.”

  “Stay put?” she asks incredulously. “I’m not fucking three, Osh.”

  I nod. “I know. We all know, Rebekah. But please understand, we are doing this because we all love you and want you safe.”

  JJ appears beside us, his hand coming to her back, his eyes full of love like mine. “We don’t doubt that you can take out anyone who comes at you, but we ask that you don’t put yourself in danger, my sweet darling. Losing you would break this family.”

  She is still fired up, I can see that, but I think I got to her. Especially when she answers, “Fine.”

  Making sure, though, I lift her chin, forcing her to look at me. “You understand why, though. Please don’t think it’s ’cause we don’t think you can handle yourself.”

  She nods stubbornly. “It’s ’cause I could die.”

  “Exactly. I love you, my sweet sister. Don’t forget that,” I say, and a part of me is scared that when I come back, she won’t be here. She won’t be alive. I fully expect her to go down and see that guy. I do, but I pray she will be smart while doing so.

  Eyeing me, she asks, “While I love you too, Osh, why does it sound like you’re leaving?”

  My lips curve as I let her face go. She really is amazing. “So quick.”

  “Told ya I can handle myself.”

  I scoff as I shake my head. “It sounds like I’m leaving because I am. We all are, except you and Cyrus. We are going to visit the clans, spend a few days with them to check things out.”

  “Stay with them? They live down the road.”

  “Yes, but we want to show our presence. Father does this a lot.”

  She nods. “Okay.”

  I can see in her face that she is excited we’re leaving. She will go down to the bastille. I should tell her not to go, to be careful, but I know she won’t listen. Instead, I remind her. “Okay, don’t do anything stupid.”

  “I wish I had a dollar for every time you said that,” she says, her lips coming to my temple.

  Laughing, I back away, shaking my head. “You’d be rich.”

  Along with dead.

  Deep inside my soul, I know that my words are falling on deaf ears and that she’ll go down there. She’ll go find him and talk to him. Not sure what will be said, but I’m sure she’ll want to save him. I just pray she isn’t stupid about it.

  But I’m pretty sure my prayers will go unanswered.

  “Do you think this will be our last date?”

  A sullen smile pulls at my lips as I look over at Taegan. We’re on the very back lot, near the river that runs around her family’s compound. Her eyes are wide and happy, and her face is flushed from our recent lovemaking. Closing my eyes, I suck in a deep breath, but I know the answer. Reaching over, I hold her face, rubbing her jaw with my thumb.

  “I think so.”

  “That’s depressing.”

  “It is.”

  This whole trip has been depressing. Our trip to the Kelleys’ was unsuccessful. They denied everything. Even when we came at them with the pictures of Thomas’s car, they said the car had been stolen. They even handed us police reports, but that gave them away. People of the Works never go to human police; they go to my father for any issues. So we all know they’re lying, but my father is sitting on it, which I think is dumb. I feel we should toss Frank Kelley into the bastille, throw away the key, let him rot away. But Father wants to wait a while, see what he can figure out.

  Which I think is naïve of him.

  We went to the witches next, and they guaranteed us they were loyal, and I don’t think any of us ever really questioned that. Next were the vampires, who, again, were solid. They were loyal and things were fine, but then Jonas said he was taking a side trip. None of us thought anything about it, but come to find out, he went to New Orleans with a girl who is not in a leadership position, and my father is pissed. Now the only way Jonas will ever lead the Patchwork is if the other four members of our family die, which is highly unlikely. I asked him what he was doing, and he told me he loved her. So I didn’t question him anymore. It’s his life, not mine.

  I think my father feels differently, which is why we are heading to New Orleans after this stop at the Conners’. This stop, which could very well be my last time with Taegan.

  “We should just say fuck it and be together,” she says then, and I smile.

  “’Cause that would go over great, I’m sure.”

  She laughs, an easygoing sound, and her body vibrates against mine as she lays a soft kiss to my jaw. “It would make us happy, though.”

  “It would,” I agree, turning my face to look at her. Her hair is falling in her eyes, and she’s gorgeous with her lips swollen from our kisses. “But it will also get you in a lot of trouble if word got back to your fiancé. Mutiny, I’m sure.”

  She rolls her eyes. “I hate him.”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes, he isn’t you, for one, and for two, he is a snob,” she says, the same distaste I have for him in her voice. “And while he is mighty attractive, I think he thinks I’m a good fit just because I’m pretty—”

  “Stunning, you mean,” I supply, and she gives me a deadpan look.

  “Whatever, and then I have this feeling inside me, like I know, I just know, he is going to smack me around. I can see it in his face.”

  Clenching my fists, I feel my nails bite into my palms. “I swear to God, Tae, he hits you, you call me.”