Chapter 45
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Christian
I’m so damn pissed. The fact that Ash and Jackson imprisoned the leader of Shadow and Ash without even fucking telling me is insane. That’s not how the Burning Crown works.
The short drive to Rush house is quiet. Eve is looking out the window, her body tense. It feels like she’s a million miles away, and fuck, I wish there was something I could say to take her anxiety away—but the fact is, I’m a Sacred Son, one of them , and for the first time in my life, that’s not a good thing.
“Don’t worry,” I say, my hands gripping the steering wheel tighter. “I’ll talk some sense into them.”
“If he’s hurt—” She cuts herself off and swallows back tears.
My chest feels like someone’s cracked it open with a sledgehammer.
“I know,” I say, reaching over to squeeze her hand. “Believe me, I fucking know.”
As we walk into Rush House, a strange energy buzzes through the air. Members part like the Red Sea when they see us, whispers trailing in our wake. We find Jackson and Ash in the living room, playing video games, and smoking weed like they don’t have a care in the fucking world.
“You’re back,” Jackson says, his gaze flicking between Eve and me. His tone is chill, but there’s tension simmering just below the surface. I’m sure he knows exactly why we’re here.
Eve steps in front of me. “Where the fuck is Sin?”
Jackson pauses his game and leans back, giving us his full attention now. “Listen?—”
I take a step toward him. “Where is he, Jackson?”
“The basement.” He looks directly at Eve. “But he’s not going anywhere.”
Eve tenses beside me. “I want to see him.”
Jackson’s jaw tightens, and for a moment, I think he might refuse. Then with a curt nod, he turns and heads toward the kitchen, expecting us to follow. Eve moves to go after him, but I catch her arm, holding her back.
“I’ll handle this,” I say.
Her eyes flash with both anger and determination, which is a dangerous combination. “I’m going down there.”
“I know how to talk to them.”
Sin is being held in what we call the Panic Room—a cement room in the basement with a vault door, and a drain in the floor. We call it the Panic Room because anyone down there is usually panicking. And if Sin is down there, then it’s not pretty. I don’t need Eve to see that.
“I’m coming with you,” Eve says, and at this point, I know better than to argue with her. If I deny her this, I know she’ll scheme and plot until she finds her way down to her brother. Might as well get this shit over with.
We make our way down to the dank basement, past the decked-out home gym, all the way to the room in back. The vaulted door is closed, and Cash is leaning against it casually, smoking a joint. His knuckles are raw, and there’s a distinct smile on his face.
Fuck, this isn’t good.
When he spots us, his eyes immediately settle on Eve.
“Why are you still here?” I ask him. “Your job is done. You should be long gone.”
He shrugs one shoulder. “I was given a new assignment.” Then he nods at Eve. “She shouldn’t be here.”
“Open the door. Give her a few minutes with him,” I say forcefully.
He pinches off his blunt and pushes off the wall. “That’s not a good idea, man.”
“What have you done to him?” Eve seethes, trying to push past me. I hold her back, my arm across her chest.
“Cash,” I say, my tone dangerously low. “That wasn’t a fucking request.”
Cash glances over at Jackson, who gives him a slight nod. What the fuck? I’m gone less than a week , and Jackson’s suddenly the one in charge?
Cash lifts his hands. “Alright, man. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Five minutes,” Jackson says.
Cash pulls the heavy door open, the metal creaking, echoing through the basement, revealing a dimly lit room beyond. Sin is tied to a chair in the middle of the room, right above the drain. His head hangs limply, and his hair, his clothes are covered in blood. He doesn’t stir when the door opens.
Fuck. Me.
If he’s dead, I swear to God…
With a broken sob, Eve pushes past my arm and rushes over to her brother. She mumbles something, trying to get him to look at her, her hands hovering, too afraid to touch him.
I face Jackson. “What the fuck were you thinking?” I motion to Sin. “This kind of shit should have been sanctioned by all of us. You’re going to start a fucking war.”
Jackson laughs. “Dude, wake the fuck up. The war has already started.”
Sin rouses a little when he hears Eve’s voice, and I motion for Jackson and Ash to follow me into the gym area. When we’re far enough away, I turn on them both. “What the fuck?”
“You disappeared, man,” Ash says, not angry, just matter-of-fact. “Someone needed to handle things, so we did. Simple as that.”
“And anyway, Lucas signed off on it,” Jackson finishes.
My jaw tightens. “Lucas doesn’t speak for me.”
“Well, like Ash said—we needed to make a decision in the moment.”
“Let him go,” I bite out.
Jackson crosses his arms over his massive chest. “Can’t do that,” he says. “Shadow and Ash has attacked Rush House three fucking times now—and they’re not gonna stop until we put this fucker down.”
“The last two times they attacked, it was because we had Eve,” I point out. “She’s free to leave now.”
Jackson cuffs me on the shoulder. “Sorry, man. I know this complicates shit with Eve, but we can’t let her piece of shit brother run free. He’s got a hard-on for the Burning Crown, and we have a duty to keep our members safe.”
I don’t like it, but he’s right. If we let Sin go, there’s no guarantee he won’t come after us again—even with Eve free.
Tilting my head back, I pinch the bridge of my nose. How has shit gotten so damn complicated? Before Eve, I wouldn’t have hesitated to kill the bastard. Then that would be it. Problem solved.
“ Fuck ,” I say, lowering my head. I look between Jackson and Ash, hesitant to concede. But I don’t have much choice. “But I’m calling a meeting to figure this shit out.” I jab my finger in the air. “In the meantime, you can’t kill him without everyone’s vote. Got it? I don’t give a fuck what Lucas says.”
“Yeah,” Jackson says with a shrug. “Sure. Understood.”
It’s not what I wanted, but it’s something. It’ll at least buy me time to find a solution that doesn’t involve destroying the woman I love…because deep down, I know with every minute her brother remains our prisoner, the thread connecting us gets thinner.
And when it finally snaps, I’ll lose her for good.