“It was, like, less than an hour ago, so yeah.”
We each take a few bites of our food, and he seems to be trying to find the words to explain. Eventually, he sets his half-eaten burger down and levels his gaze on mine.
“I had an older sister, Ally,” he begins. “She was, hands down, the best big sister I could’ve asked for. She wasn’t like a lot of older siblings, ya know?” The question is rhetorical, and he continues. “Ally always included me when she hung out with her friends. I adored her, and I knew the feeling was mutual. We were nine years apart, but she didn’t treat me like I was a pesky baby brother. Even when she went off to college, she would let me visit some weekends, or she’d come home to spend time with me.”
When he stops to eat some fries, I say, “She sounds amazing.”
He gets a faraway look in his eyes and stares off into space. “She was. Then she met Brian. I still remember when she brought him home to meet our parents.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” I say, his pain washing over me to mix with my own.
Screamer whips his eyes to mine. “Yeah, I do.”
“Okay.”
He takes a deep breath. “Brian was great at first. Our parents seemed to like him, and when Ally married him, I was excited because I was getting a brother. But after the wedding, everything changed. Ally stopped coming around as much, stopped calling and texting. Family dinners were somber because she always found a reason to back out. Mom and Dad were worried about her, and so was I.” Screamer scrubs his hands over his face. “When my dad and I finished fixing up his old Harley, I made the two-hour drive to see her, to confront her about what was going on with her. At first, she didn’t want to let me in the door, but I forced my way into the house.” After blowing out a breath, he continues. “Fuck, Roxie, the bruises. She’d tried to cover them with makeup and certain clothes, but I saw them.” At this admission, I cringe, knowing I’d done exactly the same thing. “I begged her to leave with me. For hours, I pleaded, but she refused. She kept insisting that Brian hadn’t meant to hurt her. Fucking hell, she was so brainwashed, conditioned to believe the best of him and the worst of herself and everyone else.”
I got lucky.
As he talks, all I can think is that I got lucky. Jace was an asshole, and yes, he hurt me badly, but I got out. I left, and I’m alive because of it.
“What happened to Ally?” I ask when he goes quiet.
“I was eighteen, and she’d promised me she’d come see me for my birthday. When she didn’t show, my parents suggested we go see her.” He shrugs like none of this is a big deal, but his eyes shine with unshed tears. “I was mad that she didn’t come, so I chose to stay home and prepare for the date I had the next day. I needed condoms of all things.” Waving his hand dismissively, he goes on. “Anyway, the best the police were able to piece together is that Brian had murdered Ally and was trying to clean up the crime scene when my parents got there. He killed them so there wouldn’t be any witnesses. I’m sure he would’ve come for me next, but the neighbors heard my mom’s screams when she saw Ally’s body and called nine-one-one. Cops picked him up that night.”
“Good,” I say vehemently. “At least the bastard is behind bars.”
“Fucker’s six feet under.”
“Oh. Well, even better,” I tell him honestly.
“I killed him,” he admits, and I should be surprised, but I’m not. “He was deemed incompetent to stand trial and admitted to a state mental institution. Soulless Kings helped me break him out, and I took his life the same way he took Ally’s, took my parent’s.” Screamer reaches across the picnic table and grabs my hand before I can pull away. “I meant what I said, Roxie. Not all men are the same. I’m nothing like Brian. I’d never hurt a woman, never lay a finger on one. But I am like him in one crucial way… I’m a murderer.”
My mind tumbles over his words in an effort to read between the lines. But there are no lines. He’s baring his soul to me, admitting his flaws, his sins. While I don’t condone violence, don’t agree with vigilante justice or biker justice, I get it. Someone had to make Brian pay for his crime, and unfortunately, that someone was Screamer. The system failed him.
“I’m sorry you had to go through all of that.”
“That’s just it, sweetheart. I don’t want your sympathy. I told you because I want you to know that you might be able to hide whatever happened from your brother, but I see more than most. I’ve made it my life’s purpose to see what others don’t.”
“I…” I pull my hand out of his and rest it in my lap. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I showed you mine,” he says. “Time to show me yours.” Screamer softens his tone with a smile, and I find myself wanting to tell him. “Besides, if you don’t tell me, I’ve got other ways to find out what I want to know.”
“Let me guess… your club’s tech guy?”
“Honestly, I’m surprised Shuffle hasn’t had LTMC’s techie do some digging.”
“He knows I’d kill him if he did. My brother may be oblivious and an asshole, but I know he loves me in his own way. He’s just more focused on the club, which has worked to my advantage.”
“Still, I don’t get how he didn’t pick up on the broken ribs, the yellowish tint under your makeup, the timidness you’ve displayed despite being raised around bikers.”
My eyes widen. “How… How’d you know?”
“Like I said, I see more than most. So, care to enlighten me?” When I don’t say anything, he asks, “Did you know the man in the diner?”
“What?”
“The man in the diner, the one dressed like a pussy. He came in, and your entire demeanor changed.”
