Sex & Mayhem 02 The Devil's Ride (45 page)

Tooth’s lips crooked into a small smile. “Promise.
Go, kiddo. I’ll be here,” he said, indicating the wounds with a low
grunt of pain.

Only as he ran back to Vanilla across the parking
lot did Luci realize he would have to face Bell’s dead body again.
How much was he supposed to take today? How much could a person
take before they completely collapsed?

There was no time for these thoughts though. He
needed to be strong for Tooth. Find the fucking gun. Clean
the
fingerprints off it,
clean the fingerprints off the one he’d dropped for that matter.
Yet another stupid thing he’d done.

Bell lay on the table, just as before, like an
eerie statue Luci tried not to look at because it wouldn’t be easy
to find anything with eyes full of tears. His big brother. Who
stood up for him and tried to be okay with Luci being gay despite
his own prejudice. He couldn’t handle the fact that
Bell was dead because of him.
It should have been him lying in this shithole.

Swallowing sobs, Luci rushed behind the bar where
he
’d found Tooth. Now
that Tooth wasn’t here, it was harder to stand the coppery smell,
but he would push himself to do it. For Tooth. The room seemed to
pulsate around him, and he pushed his hand into his pocket to pull
out the cell phone, even though the knowledge of what he’d see was
choking him with nausea.

One more trembling breath later, he used the
flashlight app in his phone and searched in the sea of glass,
blood, and alcohol. The smell was sickening. It made his head light
and dizzy, but at least he found the gun in a far away corner. He
got a towel from a shelf under the counter and rubbed the metal as
vigorously as if there were a genie inside. But no one came to
grant him three wishes. He only had two anyway. Save Tooth and
bring Bell back.

He was only finishing with his own gun when he heard
the roar of an ambulance outside. The cops would be there as well.
He put the gun away and ran out.

He had to blink when he rushed out into the sun,
only to see two paramedics rushing to Tooth’s side. One of them
helped Tooth lie down while the other ran back to the ambulance to
get some supplies. It was something like out of a movie. It
couldn’t be real.

He could only imagine how ridiculous he had to look
with a hoodie over bare skin, with blood smeared all over and with
shards of glass sticking to his jeans. “I called in the emergency!
He’s my friend. How can I help?” he yelled as he ran over.

The paramedic looked up, blinking. “Jimmy, we have
another one.”

The other paramedic jumped out of the car with a
large bag and gave Luci a
once-over. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

In the distance, Luci could hear another siren,
but he ignored it for now. They
would
question him later, so this was his last opportunity. “Does
he need blood? I’m 0 negative, I could donate,” he said, following
them to the ambulance.

He watched Tooth being put in a stretcher and then
transported into the ambulance. Jimmy the paramedic gave Luci a
small smile as he put something around Tooth’s arm. “We’ll see if
that’s necessary.”

The other paramedic jumped off the car and put a
blanket over Luci’s shoulders.

“We need to go to the hospital. Get in.”

Luci hopped into the ambulance. It was a relief to
finally see Tooth in the hands of people who knew what they were
doing, so unlike his useless attempts. Tooth was already hooked up
on something but his mouth spread into a smile when he saw Luci.
He’d be okay.

But even so, Luci’s heart trembled when the sound
of an approaching car made him think that maybe Rick was coming
back to finish the job. With
Bell’s face in the back of his mind, he sat down, directed
by a paramedic.

This wasn’t over.

Luci sat in the waiting room of the hospital with
a cup of coffee and stared at the wall. He was exhausted. Bleached
out of thoughts and emotions after the roller
coaster he’d been through. Tooth got out
of surgery about an hour ago, and the doctor said he would be fine.
The bullet missed all vital organs, and he should be okay very
soon. Relief made Luci limp, as if all the strings tugging on his
nerves suddenly let go. But that left room for Bell, who was now
resting in the coroner’s fridge. Just imagining it had Luci tremble
with grief. He had called Priest and all he could think of
throughout the conversation was that it was all his fault. He had
to tell his father that his favorite son was dead. A little part of
him died during that call. It was short, but Luci told Priest about
Rick. All Dad had said was that Luci should stay put at the
hospital and wait. And then he hung up.

So Luci did as he was told. Cuddled up in a
blanket as the only person in a small waiting room, unable to
process what had happened. He couldn’t even go see Tooth yet. Alone
with his thoughts, not knowing when
Priest was gonna come for him. Somewhere in the
back of his mind he believed his father wouldn’t want to see him at
all. Luci was just a liability to this family. All he could hope
for was that Tooth wouldn’t lose his affection for him because of
it. Then again, how could Tooth possibly not resent him. It was
because of Luci they had been attacked in the first place. Tooth
and Bell, both Coffin Nails, they could as well be blood brothers.
Tooth would never forgive Luci. How would Luci even talk to him
about it?

The door creaked, and the last person Luci wanted to
see slid into the waiting room with all her dark energy and black
lace finery. Dolly looked at Luci with eyes so red they reminded
Luci of Bell’s dead whites.

It was almost like seeing him come back to life.
She rushed across the empty room, her dress pulling over the floor
as if she were a ghost. A harsh slap to the face made him turn his
head and look at a water dispenser in the corner. His cheek burned
as if Dolly
had rubbed
it raw with a nail file.

“It’s all your fault!”

He slouched, unable to choke out a word. Then again,
he didn’t even have the chance because Dolly spoke again.

“
I knew it was a bad sign when you appeared, but
this? My son?
You
led him to
that filthy whorehouse. You should have stayed there and sucked
cock until your lips fell off, you little shit.” She squinted and
took a step closer, wheezing. “You know what I found out from the
police? That my son was still dying when you chose to only take
care of Tooth. No one will ever forgive you.”

Luci’s eyes went wide, and all blood drained from
his face. No. This couldn’t be true. He had been sure Bell was
dead. Shot in the head. Could he have still lived?

Dolly continued in the same bitter tone. “You
probably don’t care about my approval, but Priest will rip you to
pieces. He
will
come for
you and take you to a place where no one will hear you scream. And
your precious friend won’t help you either. You let Bell die. Tooth
will
never
forgive
you. If it were his choice, if Tooth knew, he would have stayed to
help Bell, not fled like some faggy coward!” She poked Luci’s chest
with her sharp nail to emphasize it.

The room fell silent, and Luci was positive if
anyone opened their mouth, there would be an echo. Dolly’s dark
eyes burned like two pieces of coal, ready to scorch his heart
while she scratched his eyes out and sacrificed them in
Bell’s memory. She frowned and
slapped him again. “And? You’re not gonna say anything?”

Luci cowered, rubbing out the tears already
forming in his eyes. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, I was sure he
was
…” He couldn’t even
finish without choking up. His chest was empty. “I did my best.
Does Priest think it’s my fault?” Her presence was so intimidating,
he could hardly speak, all the emotions tumbling inside of him and
twisting his organs inside out. He was such a failure of a human
being.

Dolly let out a hiss and pushed him in the chest.
“What do you think? He only took you in because he’s a responsible
man. Why else would he take you to his own home! And now he lost
his beloved son because of you! You will never be able to replace
our Beelzebub, you little freak!” She let out a strangled sob and
walked off, facing away from Luci, but he could still see her
shoulders shaking.

“What can I do?” Luci sobbed. “I’d take his place if
I could, but I can’t… I can’t tell them not to go. I can’t un-do
this.” With each word his voice became weaker. “This is my only
family.”

Dolly turned around, a low rumble echoing in her
chest. “You have no family here,” she said with dark streaks
trailing down her face. “You were on probation, but the honeymoon’s
now over. If you don’t want to die, you should go.”

“I didn’t mean for them to go there… I was supposed
to just go with Tooth,” whispered Luci, curling in his chair. He
wanted to disappear. He wished it was still yesterday, and he’d be
in Tooth’s arms, with Bell throwing a silly fit of anger if he
walked in on them. Wouldn’t that be just fucking lovely? Instead,
he was here, in this fucking reality that he didn’t want to be a
part of. With all the shock from being shot, did Tooth even know
Bell was dead?

“Tooth must be getting tired of you undressing him
with your eyes,” scowled Dolly, pacing around the room like a
madwoman. “He loved Bell like a brother, and you just left him
there... like a piece of trash!” She rushed to Luci again and
slapped Luci’s head with a pained cry.

“I don’t have anywhere to go to…” Luci whispered,
sliding his fingers into his hair and gripping the place where he
still felt her hand.

“
Is there anywhere you
want
to go?” Dolly scooted, to look into his eyes. “You
need to go, boy, you know this, right? I thought about it. I’ll
give you a ride to the bus station and a ticket. Just because
despite all you did, you grew on me somehow. Up.”

“Huh?” Luci looked up at her and rubbed his nose
with the sleeve of his hoodie. “But… I have to talk to Tooth
first.”

Dolly took a shaky breath. “No, you need to
disappear before Priest comes here. What do you want from Tooth
anyway? The man will resent you for what happened. He doesn’t
forget things like that.”

Luci swallowed. It was true, Tooth always
remembered shit. And this wasn’t just ‘shit’, this was the end of
the world. And they
’d
only had a relationship for what? Two weeks? Tooth had known Bell
for twelve years. The Coffin Nails were Tooth’s family. Tooth would
do what Priest asked. Maybe he’d give Luci a merciful death, but
he
would
follow the
order.

Luci got up, fighting the tremble in his knees.

Dolly got a tissue and cleaned the skin under her
eyes. “Let’s go.” She took a deep breath, and they left the waiting
room. It was like a dream, like being on the way out of his life.
First out of the hospital, then to the parking lot outside.
Luci had washed his arms and
face, but his hoodie was still stained. It wouldn’t matter where he
was going. They reached Dolly’s sleek black BMW, and she opened the
back door for him.

“
Get in,” Dolly said and when he sat down, she
slammed the door behind him.
Dolly got into the driver’s seat and started the motor. “I
got your cat.”

Only when she said that Luci registered the carrier
in the back seat, and the little eyes staring at him. As much as he
didn’t want to cry, tears spilled down his cheeks again. At least
he would get to take something into the new life that would most
likely lead to an early grave. Maybe it was for the better.

Tooth awoke to a throbbing pain in his side, but
it was bearable. There was a high-pitched noise somewhere in the
background, rhythmically tapping on the back of his mind, but he
was warm, comfortable in a soft bed, with his mind pleasantly
clouded. He absent-mindedly moved his hands about, looking for
Luci’s skin, but it wasn’t there, and as he extended his
hands
farther, a
feminine voice gasped his name.

“Tooth? Are you waking up?”

He groaned and fought to open his eyes, which seemed
like an unbelievably tough chore. But then it hit him. He knew that
rhythmic sound that worked in perfect sync with his own pulse. Rick
shot him. And then Luci was with him.

Tooth’s eyes opened, and he tried to sit up, but
something pulled him back on the mattress, as if a giant spider
caught him in its web, ready to feed. But it was only cables,
fastened to his body to monitor his vitals. He stared at the
bandage at his side, breathing hard.

“Tooth, keep it easy.” Astaroth. “You’ve been shot,
but it will be fine. You’ve had surgery.”

“Fine?” he uttered, disoriented and tired. His eyes
took in the room, the vase of flowers, and a bottle of mineral
water on the side table. “Where’s Luci?”

She avoided his gaze and tapped on her phone,
slouched. It occurred to Tooth that it was the first time in years
he’d seen her without makeup. She looked so young and tired. “We
can’t get him on his phone. But I’ll call
Dad that you woke up. Luci didn’t get hurt, just
so you know.”

All air left Tooth’s lungs. It was all coming back
now like a flash flood. He and Bell
had gone to confront Rick about his plans
regarding Luci. Rick started shooting as soon as he realized the
boy wasn’t there. With a freaking machine gun. Bell died. God, Bell
died.