Chained Hands (Chained Hearts Duet 1)

He wanted to get out, I did not. But, of course, I went with him. Even when I should have stayed in bed. He picked it out, brought it home, then proceeded to sit in front of it all weekend like I didn’t matter to him at all.

There were so many signs.

So many obvious signals things were not right.

What was wrong with me?

Or better yet, what is wrong with me?

“I don’t want anything else.” I pull my bags in tighter and walk out the door.

“He has your phone. Did you know that?” Dillan’s voice rings through the air, and I spin back to him. “I saw you looking for it. It’s not here. He took it.”

I look to Roberto for confirmation, but he doesn’t answer.

“I know,” I reply. Dillan doesn’t need to know I don’t have it.

Dillan smirks and shakes his head before he takes a step closer to us. Lifting his hand, he grabs the edge of the door and slams it shut in my face.

Asshole.

Chapter Nine

Keir

She’s sleeping when I get back to my room. I should have put her in another room. It would have been the wise thing to do. I don’t want to have her smell and her things taking over mine, which they are already doing. All the lights are on, and she has changed out of that dress she had on earlier.

Now she sleeps in a pair of pajamas with dogs all over them.

Roberto walks in, looks to where she is sleeping, then to me. “Joey doesn’t like her,” is all he says.

I know what that means, and what others think it means is the exact opposite.

Joey likes her.

I know Joey well.

Joey likes a lot of things, so it’s no surprise.

“Dillan is at the front door.” Roberto looks at her. “Should I wake her?” he asks, confirming with me before he does.

“No, she would be of no use.” I walk out and he follows.

Why that dickhead keeps coming here is beyond me. You’d think he would use his brains after the first time and listen. Out front, I find him pacing on the pavement—back and forth, back and forth—clearly drunk.

Dillan stops when he sees me and places his hands in front of him as he starts to talk, “You can’t have her. I want her back.”

I say nothing in return, as there’s nothing left to say. We made a deal, and that deal is done. I turn to walk back into the house when his words stop me.

“I’ll take her. She isn’t yours, you scum. I know what you do. I know who you are. Once she knows, she’ll run too.”

When I face him again, I see pure madness written all over his features.

It takes three seconds—I know because I count down.

One to pull it from my trousers.

Two to raise it.

Three for the bullet to hit his leg.

He goes down like the piece of shit he is, his screams piercing the night sky.

“Oh, my god!” Sailor stands at the door directly behind me, with a mixture of disbelief and horror written all over her face. “You …” She goes to make a move toward him, but I catch her by her hip, holding her back as Dillan screams behind us. “How could you? Let me go!” Her fingernails dig into my arms, and I can feel her drawing blood with her strong grip.

Roberto steps over to assist, but I shake my head at him. I place the gun in my back pocket before I move her so I’m holding her with both hands. “Calm the fuck down.”

Sailor’s face goes bright red, but she shuts up and looks directly at me, her eyes wide as they lock on mine, her fire simmering within them.

“You shot my husband, and now you’re telling me to be calm?”

“Would you like me to shoot you too, to make it even?”

Her body locks up, and I let her go. She almost drops to the ground but catches herself.

“Now, get back inside.”

She glances at her husband, and before I can stop her, she’s kneeling in front of him and touching his face. He instantly stops crying at her touch before she opens her mouth and speaks, “You are a fool. You did this. Remember that.” She pulls away from him and stands, seemingly unaffected as she walks away leaving him to bleed. His blood is soaking into my concrete, and it’s making me rage. Such a mess for this worthless piece of shit.

“Sailor,” he cries out for her.

But she ignores him.

When she reaches me, she gives me a look that could rock the skies, then whips her head around and goes back inside like she owns the place.

“She’s going to be so much fun,” Roberto says, smiling.

“Leave now, because the next bullet will enter your fucking skull,” I tell Dillan before I turn and head back inside, not waiting to see if he does as he’s told.