Burning Truths (Consume Me #2)

20. Ryker

Chapter Twenty

RYKER

“Kenna.” I call her name.

Her hazel eyes and blonde hair match the woman that left me that day but the person standing before me is a ghost. My eyes take in every inch of her that’s changed. Sunken eyes, pale skin, and her weight. She’s lost so much weight her collar bones are standing out even from across the room. The black sports bar is loose on her and the gym shorts hang slightly off her hip bones. Oakley tenses next to me, our shock keeping us from making a move. Dim eyes flick between us but what I see behind them is something I didn’t, couldn’t, predict.

Anger and fear. When my eyes finally zero in on her face after drinking in every single change I start to put more pieces together. Blood boils in my veins when I see the teeth imprinted into her flesh on the side of her neck, my hands fist at my sides, gaze falling to the metal clamped around her throat. A goddamn collar is locked around her like a fucking mutt off the streets and the skin around the edges is raw and swollen.

“Ryker.” Oakley whispers, her stare never leaving Kenna.

She’s telling me to tread carefully, I can hear it in her tone, because my little killer is broken. Holding my hands up I step forward to move closer when I hear several footsteps rushing towards us. Oakley swings around with her knife in hand but I keep my gaze on Kenna. She hasn’t moved since we stepped into the room like a scared cat cornered. She's frozen in place.

“Dear God.” West breathes behind me. “Hey Princess.”

She flinches at the name, finally moving for the first time. West steps up beside me so I look over my shoulder to see Havoc and Silas. My brows dip in confusion.

“What the fuck is he wearing?” I say under my breath trying to keep from scaring Kenna.

Beside Havoc stands Silas but covering his face is a mask with the face of a snarling wolf. Ignoring the weird shit I tend to see around this group turning to West.

“Where is he?” I ask.

West looks to me from the corner of his eyes then back to her. “He didn’t want to freak her out.” He responds.

Blowing out a gust of air I waive off Havoc and Silas, “Go find G I think he may have something else to handle.”

After they walk off West and Oakley step back giving Kenna space. Her eyes are wide, her lips cracked and bleeding, her teeth currently biting into her bottom one. Moving another foot forward I hold my hands up so she can see my palms are weapon free, showing her that I’m not a threat. Everything inside me fucking burns with the need to snatch her up and drag her into my chest but I hold myself back. It takes maximum fucking effort to hold my mask in place to hide my rage. She starts to pick at her nails walking backwards until she bumps into the dresser.

“Easy, killer.” I murmur.

That name does something to her because her entire body starts to tremble. Oakley warns me from behind my back but I ignore her. Another foot forward. Dainty hands fly up to her head pulling at the strands.

“Stay away from me!” She wails.

West goes to move forward but I hold up my hand stopping him. My heart beats faster behind my ribs, it hurts to pull in oxygen, the pain of seeing her like this is too much. Memories of the scars I caused along the way flicker through my thoughts showing me the small fingerprints I’ve left along the way. Have they built up so much that I’ve caused too much damage for us? Was my affection the source of her pain? The look in her eyes when I move towards her is earth shattering.

“Killer, it’s okay. We’ve got you.” I try.

Shaking her head she starts to sway side to side in a manic-like episode so I do the only thing I can think of and I reach out to touch her.

“Ryker.” Oakley snaps when my hands make contact.

Kenna freezes in my hold for a split second before she starts to scratch, claw, and kick at me. Her touch soothes something deep inside me so I welcome the sting of her nails clawing down my arms.

“If you force her out of here without her consent you’ll break any trust she may have left for you.” Oakley snaps, her irritation spilling out.

“I’ll break every line of trust if I have to but I’m not leaving her here.” Looking into shallow hazel eyes, “Baby, I’ll burn everything we have to the ground as long as you’re breathing because without you there is nothing left for me.”

She blinks.

“We have company.” Someone shouts from across the building.

Shit. West moves to head towards the front when Havoc and Silas are heard shuffling around with someone between them. I can barely see through the dark hallway so I turn back to Kenna to see her starting to shake with her fingers pulling at the collar around her neck.

“This is your fault.” She says, but I can’t tell if it’s for me or herself.

She’s so focused on what her hands are doing that she doesn’t see the moment Oakley lunges forward out the room heading to meet Hank head on.

“No!” I yell after her.

Havoc and Silas come back into view now that they are closer to the bright bedroom light. Hank, who looks different than the last time that I saw him, is bleeding from his nose. A small amount of blood also drips from his lips when he smiles and it takes me a second too long to realize that he’s smiling at her. Pushing her behind me, my hand slides against the cold metal of the gun, pulling it from the loop I placed it in. Oakley slams her fist into his stomach forcing him to double over from the hit. Havoc and Silas grumble from his weight but they keep their hold on him. Havoc eyes Kenna and I can see the shock in his stare when he notices the condition she’s currently in.

“I see you found my little doll.” Hank grins.

West pulls out his phone looking at the lit up screen a dark look crosses his face before masking it. He jerks his head to the doorway and then he’s gone slipping down the hallway and through the door to the left that G went into. What the fuck is in that room? Kenna pulls against my hold trying to step around me so I shift to the right allowing her to move on her own hoping she decides she can trust us.

Oakley turns towards Kenna, “Kens.” She says.

“You did this to him.” Kenna says, her voice raspy.

Oakley looks to Hank and then back to my girl with a confused look, but a laugh spills from his lips.

“She isn’t yours anymore. I carved her into the perfect toy.” He says.

“I’ll break you.” I spit.

Looking at Kenna he licks his lips, “You’ll never get her back now. I’ll always own a piece of her.”

Leaning back I slam forward, throwing my forehead into his nose crushing the bone and shooting blood across my face. Pulling back I let the blood spill down my face smiling wide showing him how wild and volatile I am. Driving him backwards his back hits the wall and I pause the air in my lungs rushing out on an exhale. Photos are plastered across the walls showcasing the past few months. In some of them my face is carved out of them leaving only my body and the background. How did I not see this when we walked in? I was too focused on Kenna and the way her body has been beaten and bruised that I failed to look at our surroundings.

“You sick mother fucker.” I grit.

Striking out with my right hand I hit him again this time at the edge of his eye socket most likely fracturing the bone there. Another hit. I’m lost to the blinding rage that’s built up inside me since he took her. She’s no longer my killer instead she’s lost, broken, a shell of who she was. The fire and fight she had behind her eyes has been extinguished into smoke.

“Stop!” A soft voice screams.

She pierces through the fog pulling me back into the room where Hank is now slumped against the wall covered in blood. Heaving I straighten allowing myself to catch my breath before I turn to look into those broken eyes. She’s pulling against Oakley who is actively whispering in her ear saying God only knows. The way she’s looking at me right now makes me want to cut my own heart out and hand it to her because she owns it. It only beats for her.

“Stop.” She cries. Her entire body shaking with the sobs wracking her chest. Scratching at her skin she repeats the same word over and over.

Turning away from her I lift Hank to his feet and drag him towards the door knowing I’ll have to pass her. Havoc and Silas who have been silent through this mess shift behind me staying back in case they’re needed. They’re not.

“Let her go.” I call to Oakley.

Giving me a nod she releases Kenna, who steps in front of me, blocking the doorway. I’m not sure what I thought I’d find when I got here but her crying over the man who’s tortured her for months cracks something inside me. Oakley tried to warn me that he may have dug his claws in too deep. Kenna places her hands on each side of Hank's face, lifting his slumped head up so his eyes meet hers.

“Ryker.” She whispers.

My name falls from her lips and fuck I almost hit my knees right from the sound.

“Killer.”

She keeps her eyes on Hank, “I won’t let them break us, Ryker. I promise.” She says, her words broken on a sob.

Ice spreads through my veins when I finally realize that she’s talking to him calling him my name. Anguish floods through my chest tearing apart the organ beating for the woman in front of me. My fist tighten on Hank hauling him into me with one hand while reaching behind me with the other. Silas doesn’t move.

“Silas.” I snap.

Metal meets my fingers. Pressing the gun to his head I let my gaze meet hers once again but this time I’m begging her to see me. A hand lands on my arm, Oakley. Kenna looks from the hand back to me and I can see it then he’s gotten so deep in her head that she thinks she can’t trust any of us.

“You’ll come back to me even if I have cut away everything that we were.” I rasp.

Kneeing Hank in the back of the legs I drop him and step towards Kenna ignoring the way she tries to escape. Pulling her into me I press our faces close enough that our noses touch.

“Come back to me, Killer.” I breathe inches away from her lips.

She stares blankly back at me unmoving. Releasing her I step away from her to move back behind Hank who is still kneeling on the floor. Lifting the gun my anger takes over and I’m done listening to this sick bastard. Pulling back the hammer my finger curls around the trigger. Hank doesn’t make a sound, his eyes on the side of her face, he doesn’t even beg. Ready to pull the trigger I smile at the mother fucker.

“No!” A wail comes from beside me. A blur of blonde hair rushes past me covering his body with hers.

A booming laugh, “Good girl.” He coo’s.

Oakley jumps into action shoving Kenna off him forcing her to the side but she trips and everything slows down. Falling to the side Kenna slams her head into the bedpost at the foot of the bed. Silence. The room is blanketed with an eerie quiet right before chaos breaks out. Oakley drops to her knees beside Kenna lifting her still body onto her lap but when she pulls her hand away from her covered in blood my body freezes. Havoc and Silas drag Hank from the room rushing to the front of the building to get the car.

“Hurry!” Oakley screams.

Her carefree attitude long fucking gone now covered in my girls blood the crimson liquid soaks her jeans. Falling to the floor beside Oakley I try to pull her into my arms but Oakley tightens her hold.

“Let her fucking go!” I seethe.

Shaking her head she keeps her hand behind her head, “I’m holding pressure.” Her words are strained.

Grey eyes blink up at me, dark eyelashes fanning across ashen skin.

“Killer, baby, stay with me.” I whisper.

Leaning down my lips press against the soft skin behind her ear, “Don’t you fucking dare leave me, Killer.”

Tears roll down her cheeks wetting her face. My thumb swipes at the drops, smearing them into her skin.

“This blood filled beating organ in my chest has your name stitched into the walls so keep yours beating for me, baby, so I can return the favor.”