Ruthless Reign

Chapter 1

The wind rushing in through the open passenger side window of the Bronco was the only thing keeping the flames from engulfing me completely. I flexed my fist, pressing knuckles into my chin as I watched the pre-dawn landscape speed past in a blur of shadowed, muted color.

FindingBecca alive and unharmed at the safehouse was enough to soothe the inner beast, bank its coals, leaving it pacing somewhere in the hellish underbelly of my soul.

Butthat relief was already fading. How much longer could we expect to protect her—to protect any of them—with an unhinged psychopath like Séamas walking our streets?

Visionsof Archer’s wife pounding on Dad’s chest fill my mind. Her angry, grief-stricken features so at odds with the blank, pale ones of her eight-year-old son as Dad told them that Archer wouldn’t be coming home. That she’d lost her husband. Her son lost his father.

MyDad lost his best friend.

Itwasn’t until Ma pulled Archer’s wife away that she finally calmed enough to stop striking out, but Dad took every blow she wanted to give and then some. His face would bear the bruises of her assault for the next week or more.

Ifelt little for Archer’s loss aside from a bone-deep possessive rage that someone—an outsider—could take him from us. He was ours. Ours to protect. Ours to wield.

Andnow he was gone.

Iflicked my gaze up to meet Becca’s in the rearview as Kaleb drove us silently through the SantaClarita streets, past the Row, and down toward our house. Becca didn’t protest for once. Didn’t ask for us to take her back to her apartment.

“Are either of you going to tell me what happened tonight?” she asked, pressing her palms between her knees, her shoulders hitched high, no doubt sensing the tension in the Bronco.

Iturned my attention back to the streets, scrutinizing every alley, every side street, every vacant window. Looking for prey.

Kalebsighed beside me.

“He won,” he said after a moment. “The fucking bastard has us by the balls, Vixen.”

Myupper lip curled back. “Not for fucking long,” I hissed so low I doubted Becca or my brother could hear me over the whistle of the wind filtering into the cabin.

“What do you mean ‘he won?’”

We’dgotten Becca out of there fast, not trusting the Irish madman not to blow the place despite our agreement. Ma and Dad had the others evacuate to their homes with a promise to our inner circle to have a meet tomorrow morning. Apparently everyone needed the time to process. To rest.

I’ddisagreed, but Dad pulled his boss card and everyone folded to his will. Gone to hold their families extra tight tonight before the shitstorm of tomorrow.

“He had explosives at the safehouse,” Kaleb said, eyes fixed on the road ahead, hands tightening on the wheel.

Beccagasped.

“Said he’d blow the place if Dad didn’t bend the knee.”

“Oh my god.”

Iheard the hitch in her voice, watched her face pale in the side mirror before I had to tear my gaze away from her fear-filled features. It only made me want to rip the head off the bastard even more, and right now I was about three seconds from tucking and rolling out of the Bronco to go find the bastard and gut him no matter how pointless the mission would be.

We’donly been looking for the Irish snake for nearly a month now, what the fuck made me think I’d find him in one night?

Anythingwould be better than sitting still.

Sittinghere.

Havingto watch my girl curl in on herself like she might crumple on a dime.

Iwanted to tell her she was safe. That we’d never let anyone hurt her, but I wouldn’t make promises I couldn’t keep.

“Dad works for him, now,” Kaleb continued. “Twenty percent of our take on the 1st and 15th of the month.”

…over my dead body.

Iscoffed to myself, rubbing a palm over my mouth as my jaw clenched hard.

“And if Damien doesn’t do it?” Becca pressed, her eyes shining with anxiety in the backseat as she leaned forward, crushing her hands between her knees.

Kalebbristled. “He’ll kill another one of our crew.”

“Well, what about Diesel and his crew up in ThornValley? Can’t they help?”

Isaw Kaleb nod quietly to himself in the driver’s seat. “Maybe.”

Ishook my head, knowing Dad wouldn’t involve them in this. Or at least he’d involve them as little as possible. We weren’t dealing with the usual riffraff here. Séamas was another breed. Someone who’d already wiped out TheWarden’s entire crew. Who planted explosives at a safehouse full of women and children.

No.

Dadwouldn’t risk getting Diesel or his sons, the Crows, hurt. Not over territory. Not unless there was absolutely no other option.

So, we’d need to make sure we had some options for him by tomorrow for the meet at his house.

“We’re going to need you to stay with us for a little while, Vixen,” Kaleb added after a beat of silence as we turned onto our street. I sat up straighter, eyes scanning the shadow soaked streets, my hand tightening on the grip of my gun in my lap.

“It’s either that or we can get you out of the city,” he offered when she didn’t reply.

Shebit her lower lip, looking out the window like at any moment she expected to see an unfamiliar face on the other end of a pistol.

Maybeshe should leave.

Iclenched my teeth, hating how the idea of her not being in my immediate airspace made me shake with some unnatural feeling. Made my nostrils flare and my stomach twist.

Whowas to say they wouldn’t find her wherever she went?

Nowherewas safe. Not from someone like Séamas. Becca was ours now. Our responsibility. And the only way I could ensure any bullets meant for her hit Saint bones instead was to be with her. Close.

“No,” I said and Becca’s dark eyes lifted to meet mine in the side mirror as we pulled into the driveway. “She stays.”

Amuscle in her jaw flexed.

Idared her to argue while Kaleb shut off the engine.

“Man, you can’t just?—”

“You don’t dictate my life, Hardin,” she said, interrupting Kaleb, her tone full of venom.

“You’re staying.”

Istepped out of the car, slamming the door behind me.

Herdoor opened a second later, and I ignored her shouting protests as I made for the front door, checking the chamber for a live round, ready to sweep the house.

Somethinghard hit me square in the back, and I whirled, my eyes slitting as I fixed them on her tiny form standing next to the Bronco. Becca’s teeth were bared. Her chest heaved.

“I’m fucking talking to you, asshole!”

Therewere so many things I wanted to say. To shout. To fucking scream. Instead, I only stared, willing her to see—to understand—that if she tried to leave I would drag her ass back here. I’d chain her to the fucking floor if I needed to. She wasn’t leaving our sight. And she could be as angry as she wanted about it.

“Say something!”

“Becca, come on,” Kaleb said, putting a gentle hand to her lower back to guide her forward, but she jumped away from his touch, her arms trembling as she glared at him. “Don’t touch me.”

“Becca.”

“No! I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want to be involved in this bullshit!”

Hereyes welled and something in my chest cracked.

“This is your fault!”

Sheshoved Kaleb, her back heaving with hard breaths as she sobbed. “Why couldn’t you just leave me alone!”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, just breathe, Vix?—”

Herbody shook as she cried, shoving him again. And again.

“Becca—”

“Why?”

“Becca, please?—”

“Why couldn’t you just?—”

Ipounded up the steps, unable to watch her break, not when something in my core rattled at every word she spoke. Because she was right. If we’d stayed away from her she wouldn’t be involved. She’d be painting her portraits and drinking quad shot americanos with her friends while she studied. She’d been watching horror movies on Friday nights and…and dating a guy who didn’t endanger her life just by being close to her.

Mythroat ached and I coughed as I shoved into the house, pulling at the collar of my shirt until the threads pulled and snapped, unable to get a full chest of air.

Iwas going to kill him. SéamasO’Sullivan was a dead man. I’d make her safe again. I’d make us all safe. She’d eat her words when this was over. She’d see.

She’dsee that she was wrong. That there wasn’t another soul on this earth that would protect her like we would. That would…care for her like we did.

Islammed the door to my bedroom and threw an arm over the top of my tallboy dresser, sending the items lined up there crashing into the wall. Denting drywall and shattering glass.

Theheady smell of cologne filled the tight space of my dark bedroom, and as I stepped on a broken shard of the bottle, the sharp curled glass stabbing through the bottom of my boot and into my foot, I fucking flew off. Giving in to the rage, letting it erase every other unwanted emotion, replacing them all with burning, pulsing wrath until I couldn’t feel anything I didn’t want to feel anymore.

Untilthere was only the sting in my knuckles and the fire running up my spine and a promise of more violence to come.