Chapter 152 MAMA, I'M CHASING A GHOST
LUCIEN’S POINT OF VIEW.
My bones felt lagged as I sat in the cop car beside Valeria, Ace, and some of the officers. Bystanders would think we were on some movie shoot with the number of police officers we gathered, or that we were on the way to capture some terrorist. The fleet of heavy-duty cars raced off the road without inhibitions, and all I could do was rest my head against the seat, my eyes closed as I tried not to think of the worst possible scenario.
I had seen first-hand what Eldric does to people he hates, or wants to inflict pain on….and the fact that Sloane is right in his grasp……I am fucking panicking.
“Everything will be fine, Lucien,” Ace whispered, grabbing my shoulder in a firm grip as if to show support. And for the first time since all this happened, I stared at Sloane’s stepbrother. Just like the rest of us, he looked like he had aged a couple of years in the few hours all this happened. I caught sight of the slight stubble grazing his jaw, and my eyes softened.
Ever since I’d found out about Killian’s betrayal, the guys and I were devastated. Because to the rest of the school, we were just a couple of guys who hung out; the sons of the richest families in the world in one close-knit group……but what no one else saw because we never let them see it, was the days and nights we spent together in brotherhood. Because each of us came from the darkest backgrounds.
The families with the most wealth, connections, and reputation but also filled with the most darkness and filth.
My father was a fucking pathetic woman abuser whose eyes were always on the family wealth, and not the son he should have fought to be better for.
Theo’s father was a sick bastard who got off on the pain and suffering he inflicted on his family.
Cassian’s mother abandoned him when he was much younger, and his father replaced her with some pimply faced, big boobed twenty four year old a couple of weeks ago, stepping on the legacy Cassian fought to protect. It was why he was so… enamoured with the new girl at school, who also happens to be his stepmother’s sister.
The fucker is practically glued to her side for some weird reason and has forgotten the supposed girlfriend he has overseas. I’d love to see how this would play out, though, because the girl he’s chasing hates his guts.
Kai’s parents… well, they’re criminals. Both of them were responsible for a series of murders in the city, and he was adopted by his uncle and Aunt, whose sole concern is the property his grandparents left him.
We all lived these horrors as children, and believed it rewired our brains to be the absolute bastards we are now, and that is what made us brothers. But Killian left a huge gap between us, and I wasn’t seeing how we would survive it.
“What’s your story?” I whispered, narrowing my eyes at his wry smile. He inhaled shaply and let out a breath that felt like it had years of tension behind it. I saw how he was with Amara, and the only other person I’d seen look at another person like that was me….and Theo.
“My mother was a prostitute, and she gave birth to me in a brothel; the very one I escaped from and had to survive on garbage for weeks…until Valerian saved me.”
I smiled at that, because yet again, the best brotherhood would be formed by an association of utterly broken people. “Well, my father kidnapped my girlfriend, who is also your sister. Killed my mother, and is now demanding her legacy as ransom.”
He smiled too, and for some reason, perhaps it was the look in his eyes, or the way I felt….But I knew, I’d found the fifth horseman.
“We’re here.” The chief of the police convoy declared, diverting my attention from Ace to the sight before me.
“Fuck.” Ace whispered, and Valerian drew in a sharp breath, but all I could do was stay still, my blood rushing through my veins, as my heart rate spiked. My dad stood beside a younger-looking Valerian, with Sloane between them, and a weird-looking person draped in complete black. My eyes now widened at the sight, but as soon as the real thing that made my heart rate spike came into vision again, I wanted to scream.
It was Sloane….now standing in front of Eldric….with a gun to her head.
“Shit,” I whispered, my body kicking into action as adrenaline flushed through me, so I rushed out of the car. “Stop!” I hissed, but the fucker only dug the gun even deeper into her head.
“Ah….son, you’re finally here.” He laughed. “Welcome to the show; you want popcorn, or perhaps a soda would be more…suitable…oh wait….the son of Alicia Ravenscroft would want something….finer.” He hissed back at me through clenched teeth; his eyes full of hatred as he spoke my mother's name as if it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“Do not speak of my mother,” I whispered, but by some magic, he caught it.
“Why? You’re still that pathetic little boy she birthed, aren’t you?” My shounders went rigid instantly, but I refused to do anything rash. The gun still digging into the side of Sloane’s head was enough motivation for me to shut the hell up. If I somehow got the psychotic bastard wielding a possibly loaded gun as if it were a toy, Sloane would be in even more danger.
“We already have the signed agreement. Please, let her go, and you’ll have it.”
Something dangerous flashed in his eyes, and I saw a flash of it before he lost contact with me to stare, or rather, glare at the person draped in all black. “No….the show isn’t over yet.”
My nostrils flared, but I reigned in my anger, stifling it anyhow I could as I, with a cool tone, “The agreement was that we would bring you a signed agreement and we would get Sloane….and even Seraphina back.” I said, my mind reverting to her, because I still hadn’t seen Theo, or heard from him. If he had seen her, he would have called or texted to inform us about it.
“Oh, Seraphina isn’t with me…..but that's a villain story for another day.” He cackled, and even as my anger simmered beneath the surface, I stifled it again.
“Just take the damn thing already.” I threw the agreement at his feet, but he didn't even look at it. And for some reason, it felt like there was something I was missing. His gaze remained on the person draped in black; his eyes shining with sick mirth.
“My son…..you see, I have kept a present for you for over a decade now.” He said, and I swear, I heard Sloane flinch and inhale sharply. And in that moment, I set aside my guilt over not protecting her well, and I made eye contact with her.
Her eyes were filled with an insurmountable sadness, and shiny with tears….and in that moment, I was hit with a heavy sense of unrest.
“I’m so sorry.” She whispered, her tears streaking down her cheeks this time around.
“Lucien, I present to you, Alicia Ravenscroft.” My ears felt like they were on fire at the mention of my mother's name, but I couldn’t even focus on the burn. All I could see was the black veil lifted off, and I glanced with the one person whose lifeless body I had clung to just before she was placed in the casket.