Chapter Seven: Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace

"We tell ourselves there's nothing to fear but sometimes, we're wrong."

The tension had been steadily mounting since I had smacked Joey in the head with that textbook. He was still pissed at me and Billy was suspicious of the both of us. Bones was still an asshole causing Billy's stress levels to rise until he was being a dick to absolutely everyone. Add to the fact that I couldn't even go anywhere to completely avoid Billy and we had a dangerous situation on our hands. Three Darley's stuck in a small apartment and you knew things would get getting a lot worse before they got better.

"Get up, Maddie," Billy ordered one morning yelling at me from the doorway.

"No," I grumbled.

"You have five minutes," Billy warned.

I heard him move down the hallway as I settled back into my bed. I wasn't in the mood to wake up and I sure as hell didn't see the point because it wasn't like I'd be going anywhere. I accidently fell back asleep and only realized what a bad idea that was when I heard the combat boots back in my room seconds before my mattress, with me on it, was flipped to the floor.

"Asshole," I muttered.

"That was ten minutes," Billy growled. "You're welcome."

I crawled out from under my mattress kicking the stupid thing out of my way as I went to my closet to get dressed. I emerged from my room ten minutes later in a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans.

"There a reason why I'm up this early?" I demanded as I looked from Joe to Billy.

"You're coming with us today," Billy replied.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"You'll see," Billy shrugged. "Go eat something."

I walked to the pantry snagging a protein bar before sitting on the chair on Billy's left because Joe was on his right. I took a moment to look at Joe and noted, with some small surge of satisfaction that he had a small bruise by his cheek from where the statistics book had smacked him. I wasn't without my bruises too.

Five minutes later we were walking towards the mustang. I got into the back as Joe moved the passenger seat back and sat down. Once Billy was seated he started the car flooring it out of the parking lot. Suddenly I knew we were going and I sighed deeply.

"We're going to the office?" I snorted. I leaned up resting my arms and my head in the space in between Billy and Joe.

"You wanted to get out so badly," Billy replied.

"Billy, it stinks in there," I couldn't help but whine.

"Shut it, Madeleine," Billy ordered sharply. "You went in there without my permission and now you'll be spending the morning there."

I frowned at the back of my oldest brother's head. Figures that he'd use reverse psychology to teach me a lesson. The lesson? If I didn't sneak in here when I wasn't supposed to I wouldn't be forced to go there now. And the other reason was the fact that Joe probably told Billy that I wouldn't stop whining about not being able to get out judging by the way Joe was smirking. Oh, I'd get him for this.

"Get out of the car, Maddie," Billy ordered ten minutes later. The car was parked in the back of the abandoned mental institution otherwise known as 'the office'.

I got of the car and walked with my brothers through the front door and down one of the hallways to the first meth lab. Most of the gang was sitting around waiting while Bodie and Tommy worked on the drugs. Everyone stopped what they were doing when Billy came through the door.

"You go to the chapel," Billy growled pointing at me. "Joe, go with her."

"Why do I got to baby sit her again?" Joe whined.

"Shut up," I growled.

"No, you shut up," Joe retorted. "This is all your fucking fault."

"My fault?" I scoffed. "You're the one who…"

"Enough!" Billy shouted. "Both of you go, now!"

I glared before turning on my heel and walking towards the stairs that would lead to the chapel. Joe caught up to me quickly and smacked me upside the head in the process.

"I'll kill you, Joey," I warned.

"Try it, little girl."

By that time I was already on the stairs while Joe was about to start climbing them. Without hesitation I leapt off the stairs and onto my brother unsuspecting back. He slammed into the ground with me on top of him.

"I'm going to murder you!" Joe yelled grabbing my wrists and using the momentum to slam me to the floor so that he was on top of me. I squirmed in the position trying to get him off of me but it wasn't working. The sound of glass breaking down the hall distracted Joe long enough so that I could slip one of my wrist's out of his grip and punch him right in the eye.

"God damn it!" Joey snapped punching me in the side before hitting me hard on the cheek.

"Get off me!" I shouted.

"Don't start things you can't finish!" Joe retorted.

"You're such a fucking pain in the ass!" I groaned.

"Me?" Joe scoffed. "At least I follow fucking directions once in a while."

"Bullshit," I hissed. "You're worse then I am most of the time."

"Fuck you!" Joe snarled.

"Aw, Joey, I thought you had to pay people for that," I retorted bucking up suddenly throwing him right over my head and down the hallway.

He got up after a few attempts glaring at me all the while. He leaned against a wall gathering his breath before speaking, "You know what, Madeleine?" Joe growled. "I'm done. You're fucking pain in the ass and no one has ever wanted you around."

"That right?" I shouted.

"Yeah, that's right!" Joe snapped. "You do nothing but get in our way."

"Well, jeez, Joey, if that's the way you feel then I'll get out of your fucking hair!" I growled.

Joe's eyes widened in surprise before they became a dare. "You wouldn't."

"Joe, you might be my older brother but you don't know shit about me," I shrugged. "Oh, speaking of which, I'll be taking this."

I held up a wad of money before slamming my way out of the office and down the stairs. I heard Joe shouting at me to come back but I didn't listen walking away as fast as my legs could carry me. A half hour later and I was nearly home my phone rang for fiftieth time and unlike the other times I actually picked up the phone.

"What?" I spat.

"Maddie, please come back," Joe whispered.

"Why ya whispering, Joe?" I taunted. "They don't know you fucked up?"

"Madeleine!" Joe warned.

"What do you want from me, Joe?" I demanded. "Just leave me alone."

"Well, well, well, can little Darley came out to play," A man's voice drawled from behind me.

I didn't react in time to an arm wrapping around my throat and pulling me into an alleyway. Meanwhile Joey was yelling into the phone that was still attached to my ear. The man pushed me in a wall pinning me there while he snatched my phone from my hand.

"Hello?" The man snickered. "Yeah, sorry, buddy boy, but you won't be seeing your sister for a while. She's gonna be a little busy riding my cock."

"Joey!" I shouted.

"Shut your mouth, bitch!" The man ordered backhanding me across the face.

I narrowed my eyes and kicked the person in the balls. I then kicked him again in the stomach before punching him in the throat. I heard a muffled choking noise before I ran out of the alley and down the street. A minute or two later I heard someone running behind me. I knew instantly that this was one of the up and comers running Ninth Street. Suddenly I heard the one sound I was praying for the roar of a mustang. It drove by me before swerving in front of me. I ripped open the door and jumped inside.

"GO!" I shouted.

"God, Maddie," Joe grunted as I landed full in his lap as someone hit the gas. I took the moment to straighten myself and saw, much to my relief, that it was Bodie in the driver's seat.

"Oh, thank god," I muttered.

"There will be no god where you're going, baby girl," Bodie sighed. "Billy's gonna kill you."

"Why'd you have to tell him?" I grumbled.

"He hit you in the head?" Joe demanded. "The guy said we were never gonna see you again. Of course I'm gonna tell him. Jesus Christ, Maddie."

"He didn't say ever again," I retorted. "He said that you wouldn't see me in a while."

"Maddie, just shut up," Joe responded.

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms huffing in response. I shifted around on my brother's lap and he wrapped his arms around my waist whenever Bodie took the turns too sharply. The trip went far too quickly as soon we were in the apartment complex. I got out of the car first and then waited for Bodie and Joe. Joe was leaning against the edge of the car as Bodie came around to join us.

"What happened to you, dog?" Bodie asked.

"What do you mean?" Joe responded.

Bodie pointed at Joe's shirt and Joe looked down seeing that the top of his jeans and the bottom of his shirt was covered in blood.

"What the fuck?" Joe growled.

Before anyone could answer Bodie and Joe turned to me and this time I looked down. It was my blood that coated my brother.

"Oh, god," Joe groaned.

"Madeleine Rose Darley!" Billy howled. "What the fuck were you thinking?"

"You're bleeding," Joe whispered.

"Dude," Bodie soothed.

I pulled the sweatshirt over my head and looked at my side. There was a wound on my side that was bleeding pretty profusely but I couldn't figure out what it was.

"He shot at you?" Joe demanded.

"I didn't hear anything," I responded.

"You stupid little brat!" Billy snapped. "He used a fucking silencer!"

Tears filled my eyes but I refused to let them fall as I set my jaw and jutted out my chin.

"Billy, she needs a hospital," Bodie scolded. "She's lost a lot of blood."

"She needs her ass kicked," Billy fumed a hard hand latching on to my bicep.

"You can kick her ass later," Bodie responded. "She needs to get this looked at."

"Get into the fucking car, Madeleine," Billy ordered shoving me forward.

I sighed getting back into the car as Billy had ordered. The drive to the hospital was short and not so sweet. Billy kept glaring at me through the rearview mirror and Joe kept shaking his head until Billy smacked him and I snickered. I pulled through the ER by both Billy and Joe before coming to the stop at the nurse's station.

"We need a doctor," Joe growled.

"Fill out this paper work and a doctor will be with you as soon as one becomes available," The nurse replied without looking up.

Billy slammed his hand down on the desk startling me, the nurse, and a dozen other people. The nurse then looked up with round horror filled eyes.

"I suggest a doctor becomes available before I give you another hole to fucking breath through!" Billy hissed whispering harshly so only the nurse could hear.

She paled dramatically before poking a few buttons. The next thing I know I was sitting on an examination table swinging my legs so it banged against the metal every few seconds. I did that until Billy smacked my thigh hard.

"Stop."

I scowled at him rubbing at the sore spot but stopping all the while. The doctor chose a few minutes later and started poking and prodding at the wound before finally stitching it closed. I rolled my eyes as I kept my out of the way. When it was done the doctor cleaned it again before giving me a lecture about how girls shouldn't play with guns. At least that was the lecture to the story that we told as a cover. We were on our way home when Billy decided to speak again.

"I'm gonna fucking rip his lungs out!" Billy seethed. "And then I'm going to fucking kill you! You do not walk around alone!"