DRASTIC (Book 4 of the Soundcrush Series)

Chapter 79: Drummer Boys Sins Come to Bear Part 2

Here it is folks...the climax of all Bodie's desperate plans. It's long enough to be two chapters, but I didn't want to break the action....after this, its all downhill. Nothing left but the layers and layers of fallout....

Bodie

I fight to get to Row. It's not much of one, considering my hands are still tied. A few blows from Daemon puts me on my ass again, and then he picks up the lead pipe and delivers a few more across my exposed arms.

Then the pow of it hitting the back of my head and then...nothing.

When I come to, Connor is slapping me half-heartedly on the face. "Well, hello. You're not dead." He turns, "He's not dead!" Back to me, "Do you know me, man?"

"I know I'm going to kill you, you piece of fucking Irish shit," I growl.

I reach for him even though the slightest movement makes me nauseous. I grab him by the shirt and that's when I realize, they've cut my hands free.

"He's alright, not too damaged," Connor says, cheerfully, then to me, lower, he says. "We were just going to throw you in the shop shower back there, to revive you, but no need now. I'm glad you're not dead, Bodie. I like you. I hope it's not you, you know."

I don't know what the fuck he's talking about. I push away and try to rise. I get halfway to me feet, vomit, sit back down.

That's when I become aware that Darius is hovering near me, helplessly, anger and fear pouring off him like a July sun.

I reach out to him, and he grabs my hand. "I'm okay."

"Dad."

"I'm okay. It's okay."

It's so fucking not okay, but we're all still alive, and my hands are free now, so that's something.

I can hardly stand the light, but I force myself to look around. They've cut us all loose, but now Pat and Derrick and the three unnamed pricks that kidnapped us have guns instead of knives and other torture instruments.

To my surprise, Daemon is sitting in a chair and Derrick has a gun to his head. Row is slumped against the wall, Marley and TJ kneeling in front of her. TJ's t-shirt has become strips of bandages that TJ is wrapping around her hand. Marley is trying to help, but the pain from her burn must be bad, because she's mostly only using her other arm to provide assistance.

Row is watching without much expression, sweat pouring down her face, a whiskey bottle in her other hand. I watch her take a long swallow, and bang her head once against the wall. Then her eyes land on me.

"You have some serious fucking explaining to do. It better be good too, or I'm gonna kick your ass, and then I'm gonna let my brothers kick it all over again," she huffs at me.

It seems strange that I laugh, but I can't help it. Row del Marco. I love that girl like the little sister I never had. She's scared shitless just like the rest of us, but she refuses to show it.

"I'm more afraid of you than them," I tell her. That earns me a wan small that makes me want to cry, but of course I can't do that.

"Aye, that one has fire," Hugh says casually, of Row. "You have some Irish in you, Darlin'?"

"Fuck you, and all your limp dick Irish friends," she replies with fervor and all the Irish laugh. Except for Lorcan who bears down on Daemon.

"I should lynch you for that, you dumb coon bastard. We are not savages, and no one delivers permanent damage here, except at my order."

Everything coming out of Lorcan's mouth is bullshit right now. He just had Marley branded like an animal. He and Daemon are cut from the same filthy fucking cloth, but Lorcan's beef with Daemon is easy for me to see: Daemon doesn't know his "place."