Page 97 of Desecrated Saints
“Mum?” I vocalise gently.
Her head cocks, two washed-out eyes scraping over me.
“It’s… it’s me.” I inch closer with my empty hands raised. “Brooklyn. I’m your daughter.”
Mouth clicking open, she doesn’t speak a single word.
“I’m here,” I attempt to say through my tears. “Please… Mum. Drop the knife. None of us are going to hurt you. We don’t have to do this.”
I swear, the smallest spark of humanity lights her irises. Still, the blade remains in her grip, inches from Phoenix’s semi-conscious body. He’s losing so much blood. I’m almost close enough to pull the knife from his leg and bury it straight in my mother’s chest… but I can’t.
Despite everything, I fucking can’t.
I’ve lost so much.
Her. Dad. Logan.
My childhood. My innocence.
My freedom. My sanity.
My own mind.
“I can’t… I don’t want to lose you,” I whisper brokenly. “You remember the sun, Mum? Every morning and every night, we climbed up on the roof to watch it. You always said—”
“P-Put yourself… way… b-beauty,” she botches, her voice barely audible.
More tears course down my cheeks. “That’s right.”
“Where is h-h-he?”
Her grip on the knife slackens as she stares, her eyes melting my skin like battery acid.
“Who, Mum?”
“S-Such… good… b-boy…”
My shaking hand raises, close enough to whisper along the tattooed skin of her wrist. Expecting my touch to break that final boundary, I meet her eyes again. The dying embers of the car crash that stole my family from me stare back at me.
Her hand raises, fingers on the verge of wrapping around mine. I can see my mother. She’s there. Swimming back up to the surface, battling to find me again. I need to grab her, pull her up, save her…
The blast of gunfire explodes in my eardrums. The bullet tears into my mother’s shoulder and she stumbles with a vicious snarl. Blood hits my lips in a light spray before she falls, her mouth hanging open.
“No! Mum!”
“Grab them!” Hunter commands.
I try to reach for my mother. All I want is to cradle her in my arms, stop the blood flowing from her shoulder. She’s there, so fucking close. I could have a parent again. When someone’s arms band around me like great steel train tracks, I’m cruelly dragged away.
“I’m sorry, princess.”
Bucking and thrashing, Seven’s lips meet my ear as he orders me to stop fighting. I can see Hudson picking Phoenix’s limp body up like a baby before Mum can hurt him again. She’s down on the floor, clutching her shoulder and staring straight at me.
Seven tosses me over his shoulder, not giving me the opportunity to escape. All I can do is hammer my fists against his back, screaming for him to put me down. I have to get to her. If we leave her here, I’ll never see my mother again. Bancroft will crush what memories she’s accessed.
“Let me down! Stop!” I howl.
His arms tighten, pinning me to him. “She killed my sister. I’ll spare her life for you, but I won’t let you die for her.”