Crown of Sins - Chaelisa

-Chapter Thirty Two-

*Roseanne's POV*

Jennie meets me outside in the parking lot of the club.

Her blonde hair is like moonlight itself, platinum and bouncing around her. But her mouth is set in a line and her normally light eyes are darkened over. At least she'll always understand me.

No matter what, I know Jennie always has my back.

Either she heard my motorcycle coming or she was watching my progress on her phone to time it so perfectly. Either option is fine with me. Seeing her face first is somehow better.

Caleb's only a few seconds behind her, though. And they're both on the edge of talking as I yank my helmet off. As I shake my hair out, the sweat still clinging to my scalp, they both start at the same time, so nothing is understandable.

"I have to-"

"You need-"

"He's-"

"We don't-"

They continue to talk over each other, starting and stopping, but not getting their shit together fast enough to figure out who is going to say what and when.

Something snaps in my chest, like the tensile strength of whatever's been holding my shit together just past its max. And my temperature rising at the same time my heartbeat does.

"Will you both shut the fuck up," I yell. It's loud enough to cut into all of the words floating around. But it's also quiet enough to show just how little patience I have left.

And they do. Immediately.

If I hadn't been exhausted before the marathon of fucking that just happened, I sure as fuck am now. My knees hurt, and my head is throbbing. Plus somewhere behind my chest is aching, but I don't think that's actually a physical problem like the rest.

Not that any of that matters. I have all the energy in the world needed left to do what I need to do. I can last.
I have to. But it just means my patience is past empty. It would have felt better to scream in frustration.

To swear and throw my arms around hoping to hit one of them. But it wouldn't have gotten my point across as well. And, yes, I know how fucked up that sounds. But whatever.

Even though they're still silent, I can't help myself when I add, "Enough." It's a little bit petty, maybe even spiteful, but it feels great. For half a second. "What is going on? One of you," I say as I look back and forth between them.

I really don't give a shit which of them starts talking, and I'm not going to figure it out for them either. Jennie nods to Caleb, and motions her hand at the same time, giving him center stage.

"Devin's missing too," Caleb says as gently as he can. But it doesn't matter that his voice is soft, that his eyes are full of passion and concerns for me.

None of it matters as I fall straight to the asphalt, to my knees that were already sore. Now my kneecaps may be shattered, not that I give a fuck.

With my entire world crumbling around me, there's absolutely nothing else I can do in this moment. My family. My brothers. It feels like nothing in the entire fucking universe is ever going to be okay again.

The money, the power, the fact that I almost always get exactly what I want the moment I want it-none of that matters. It's all for nothing right now if it can't protect my family. It's all been bullshit, my entire life, and I couldn't see it.

Nothing matters more than those I love.

So, with the rest of my plan changing in my head as I pull my legs around and beneath me in a sitting position, it only takes a few seconds for me to know what has to happen. And I'll do whatever I need to.

"No idea where he is?" I ask them. Meaning Devin. I don't look up; I can't see whatever's in their eyes. But I can do this. One problem at a time. One brother at a time.

"His phone is off. And-" I hold up my hand to stop Caleb there.

"Is there anything else I need to know?" I ask, this time looking up to Jennie.
There's a strength in those green eyes, the ones that mirror mine so perfectly, that I don't expect. And something there tells me that she'll follow me into the mouth of Hell-a gun in each hand and steel-toed boots laced up tight, ready to go down with her ride-or-die.

That's exactly what I didn't know I needed, that look. I nod at her, silently telling her that I can take whatever she has to say. Her chin twitches, not quite a nod, but it's meant to be.

"I have-" But before she can even get a third word out, one of the cell phones in my pockets starts ringing. Which means it's not mine. I haven't had my actual sound on in I don't even know how long. I didn't know anyone had ringers on anymore. It's Lisa's.

And when I pull it out to see if she's figured it out already, calling me from her house or someone else's phone, another sort of pain stabs into me.

This one is different. It digs in an unusual way, twisting instead of aiming for the kill. This one is meant to maim instead-maximum pain with minimum lasting effects.

A woman's name flashes in my hand, and it takes every ounce of my self-control not to smash the fucking thing on the ground next to me. Over and over again. But I can't do that, so I breathe through the frenzied rage. In and out through my nose.

Telling myself that Thora is surely a terrible lay and not nearly smart enough to spar with Lisa's wit like I can. It helps a little. It helps enough for me to calm down and hit reject without breaking her phone into a million pieces.

I need it for just a little longer. I need it if I'm going to have the chance to maybe fix anything. And I have to get up, I have to get started. I have to move before things get to the point where nothing can ever be fixed again. So I'll smash it later.

That's what I tell myself when I stand up and get back onto my motorcycle, not saying anything else to Jen or Caleb before kicking off and toward what will either save or kill me.