Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Gage
Fifteen minutes earlier
F uck Lucas. He was supposed to meet me down at the docks to deal with a shipment and some useless workers, but he ghosted me and didn’t even bother picking up his damn phone. I had to deal with those useless members myself.
I reach into my glove box and grab another wipe, using it to carefully clean the blood off my knuckles. I hate getting my hands dirty; that’s why I’m so mad. As I discover more on my steering wheel, my chest tightens, and a heavy weight bears down on me. Fucking gross.
As long as I remain untouched by blood, I have no qualms about eliminating my enemies with my firearm. However, tonight presented a challenge as I found myself facing a group of five on my own. You have no choice but to get your hands dirty to get out of a situation like that.
I pick up my phone and quickly send a text to Phillip, my personal assistant. He responds right away, promising to pick up and clean my car from Lucas’s. At least I can rely on him, not my so-called best friend.
Lucas’s house comes into view, along with his car in the driveway. So he is here, along with a swarm of other people pulling up in gowns and suits. Fuck, I forgot about the stupid ball. Why does my best friend love to party so damn much? Could this day get any worse? All I want to do is bury myself in a bottle.
I drive my car straight into the underground garage and park it there, so no one messes with my Bentley Mulliner Batur. Only Phillip is allowed, and even the thought of him in it makes my skin crawl.
I brush off the staff and take the elevator up to Lucas’s floor. When I open his bedroom door, I freeze. The moment our eyes lock, a wave of blood floods my head, intensifying the connection. What the fuck is she doing here in Lucas’s bedroom? And why is he naked in between her legs?
The girl who won’t leave my every fucking thought. The girl who blew my fucking mind. The girl who I vowed to never see again after I tried to protect her, put her before The Brotherhood, and paid the ultimate price for it. Yeah, I fucking hate her, and now here she is again—underneath my best friend.
Lucas remains perfectly still, his lips curling into a subtle smirk. He’s dead.
I slam the bedroom door shut, the sound reverberating through the room, and stride confidently toward the bed, my footsteps echoing on the hardwood floor. My fists clench against my sides.
She places her hands on Lucas’s chest, attempting to push him away, but he stays firmly in place.
“Care to explain?” I growl, folding my arms over my chest.
Lucas’s gaze playfully shifts between Freya and me, his lips curling into a mischievous smile. “Just about to eat her out. Here to watch?”
My nostrils flare, and he opens his mouth, but Freya momentarily distracts him by throwing her body sideways to evade him, and then she scrambles to her feet.
“That would never happen. In your fucking dreams,” she snaps, looking back at Lucas. Something crosses over her features, and I clench my teeth. She’s a liar . “I’m just here to find my brother, then I’m gone.”
Her brother? Interesting. He’s becoming a great asset to The Daring Brotherhood, according to Hazen. The kid has skills, ones that we have been taking advantage of.
I frown. “I’ll deal with you later,” I say, giving Lucas a side-eye. Lucas just shrugs and saunters into his walk-in closet like it’s no big deal. “And you.” I look back at Freya, trying to ignore the way her black silk dress clings to her body, accentuating every curve. With her straight brown hair flowing down her back, she nervously bites her plump bottom lip, a habit she can’t seem to break. God damn.
Memories of that night come rushing back, threatening to consume me with their power. The way her eyes lit up when my hand was around her throat. She loved it. And when my cock was buried deep inside her—fuck. Her pussy clenched around my dick like a damn vice.
I clear my throat, trying to ignore everything that happened that night. “You just don’t fall in line, do you? You just love playing with trouble.”
With a roll of her crystal-blue eyes, she delicately runs her fingers down the smooth fabric of her gown. “You’ve got me all figured out, don’t you?”
“You wear your heart on your sleeve, Freya. You’re too easy to play with.” The corner of my mouth lifts and her fists tighten at her sides.
“I’m done playing games. I’ve got more important shit to do.”
Lucas reappears, dressed in a stylish black suit with a white shirt unbuttoned at the collar. He holds a black lace mask and passes it to Freya. She takes it and walks toward the door, brushing past me on her way. It takes everything in me not to grab her by her throat and fuck her against the wall for the second time. Nope, never happening again. She’s one of them. I only fuck women of the elite. She was the one exception because she once was one of us, and it clearly worked out terribly.
She reaches the door and rips it open.
“The games haven’t even started yet, little Freya.” My voice lingers in the air as she storms out of the bedroom. I whirl around, glaring at Lucas. “What the fuck was that?” I breathe out. “You know she’s off-limits.”
With a casual shrug, Lucas’s lips curl into a faint smile before he strolls into his bathroom, paying no attention to me. I storm in after him and dart my hand out to grab the collar of his shirt tightly. His smirk remains plastered on his face, and I have to restrain myself from forcefully knocking it off. I shudder at the thought of more blood touching my skin.
“She’s off-limits to you, but not me,” he says, licking his lips. “You never mentioned how sweet her pussy?—”
I smash his head into the tiles, and he moans in pain.
“If you don’t stop talking,” I snap, my voice dripping with irritation, “you’ll regret it.”
Lucas finally gets the hint and nods. I let go and put some distance between us, leaning back against the vanity .
“Is this where you’ve been all night? I needed you at the docks,” I say, releasing a long breath.
“Oh fuck. Sorry, brother. I had to meet up with that scumbag Gavin to collect, then I ran into her, and she was looking for her brother. She’s sure something,” Lucas says, kicking off the wall like what he just said isn’t a big deal.
He never thinks any girls are special. He fucks nearly every night of the week, but then they are gone, thrown out like the trash. He grabs some gel from the cupboard, running it through his hair.
“Don’t let it happen again. I’m using your shower.” I don’t bother waiting for him to leave—it’s not like he hasn’t seen everything before. We grew up together, our lives intertwined so tightly it’s impossible to imagine a world without him and Hazen.
I toss my dirty clothes on the black tiles and hop into his shower, the water turning on automatically. It takes me twenty minutes to scrub away every trace of blood and grime.
Lucas is chilling on his bed, scrolling through his phone when I walk into the bedroom and head straight for his closet. He’ll have something in here for me to wear to this ball. Thank fuck we’re the same size.
As I rummage through his vast array of clothing, my gaze lands on a pair of black slacks that closely resemble his. Beside them, I spot a button-up shirt in a rich, deep shade of red. I can almost feel the smoothness of the slacks and the silky texture of the shirt. These will do nicely.
Hazen leisurely leans back against one of the bars, a joint dangling from his lips, and a glass of amber liquid in his hand. I slide in next to him and snatch the joint from his lips, and he rolls his eyes. I blow out a smoke ring and the wind catches it, wafting it away, fuck I hope this weed will help calm my anger. There’s been a constant stream of drama tonight, and all I want is to relax and unwind, but it seems like that won’t be possible. When you are The Brotherhood heirs and practically rule over Daringville, you never stop. There’s always something to take care of. It’s fucking exhausting.
“How’d the docks go?” Hazen asks, bringing his glass to his mouth. He scans the crowd, his eyes darting from face to face, no doubt searching for his next target. Lucky for him. Ever since that night, I haven’t been able to properly scratch that itch. Since her .
She’s fucked with my head, and I hate her for it. She’s the forbidden fruit, tempting me with memories of its sweet taste that I long to savor once more. I won’t. She’s a distraction, one I can’t afford.
“Fucking nightmare. You need to recruit more workers for the docks, but make sure they’re trustworthy. You’ll find the shit in the garage, start...” I spot her in the midst of the bustling crowd who are milling around the pool. She’s still here. Her eyes meet mine as the black lace mask hides her identity and her long brown hair cascades down her back. I want nothing more than to wrap that hair firmly around my fist and watch her swallow my cock.
“Start what?” Hazen asks, but I pretend like I didn’t hear him.
She’s scanning the area, checking out every guy to find her brother, no doubt. It’s why she’s here. Lucas steps in front of me, obstructing my view of her, and then turns his head to look in the same direction I am. He turns back around with a playful smirk on his lips. He whips out a bag from his pocket and does a line of coke on the bar behind us before turning back around.
“Oh, looks like the little thorn is lost and needs a helping hand. See ya,” he says, and with a determined stride, he sets off toward her. Fucking hell.
Lucas catches up to her and leans down, whispering something in her ear. I’m dying to know what he’s saying. I need to know. She says something back to him, then they stare at one another, exchanging words for far too long before she shoves her empty glass into his chest and walks off.
“Dude, focus. That’s the second time you’ve ditched this conversation and not even to get laid—for an eye fuck. Don’t tell me you’re still obsessed with her?” Hazen says, sparking up another joint.
“Shit, yeah, sorry. Can you get the shit from the garage, baggie it up, and start circulating?” I snatch a glass of champagne from a waiter and down it. It tastes like shit, but it’ll do.
Hazen pushes off the bar and disappears.
I spend the better half of the night watching her every move. No matter how hard I try to avoid her, her presence lingers like a shadow. It’s driving me fucking crazy. She shouldn’t be here, for starters. I should get her kicked out and drive her back over to her side of the tracks, but part of me wants her here... and it’s fucking with my head. Any other fucker from Daringhood would be dead already, but not Freya LeClair. With an air of self-assurance, she waltzed into the place, leaving everyone unaware of who she is. They think she’s one of us. How wrong they are.
Her attention is abruptly captured by something, causing her to gulp down the rest of her drink and swiftly retreat indoors. I follow after her, my footsteps barely audible like a predator stalking its prey. Everyone gets out of my way and it’s not long until I’ve caught up to her.
With each step, her high heels create a distinct clicking sound on the tiled floor, effortlessly drawing attention to her confident walk and the gentle sway of her hips. My dick hardens, and not for the first time tonight. She’s really starting to get on my nerves. She’s too much of a distraction for me to handle.
With a lunge forward, I extend my hand, firmly gripping her arm, and she reacts with a surprised gasp, swinging her fist in defense. Just in time, I manage to duck and narrowly avoid her hand, then I spring back up and pin her against a nearby wall. Her body tenses as she tries to break free, her piercing gaze locking onto mine.
“Let go of me now, or I swear to God I’ll...” Her nostrils flare and I smirk. She’s too easy to play with.
“You’ll what? I don’t think you’ve got it in you.”
She takes a deep breath, a gentle smile gracing her lips. She pushes her hips forward, getting so close that her berry scent overwhelms me. Fuck.
When her lips meet mine, I forget who she is and why I hate her.
Gage - Age Seven
The piercing screams carry through the walls of Hazen’s house, fueling the fire of anger within me. I storm toward Dominic’s office door, my clenched fists trembling with rage. Peering through the crack, my heart races in my chest. Dominic is leaning over Freya, her body trembling under his, and her eyes widen with terror as he abruptly withdraws his hand. A loud slap fills the air. I flinch as though he’s hit me. He pulls down her pants and the anger I felt before is nothing compared to now. This isn’t right.
She’s so small compared to him. She’s only six. I have to help her. Without thinking about the consequences, I push open the door and run straight up to Dominic. He has one hand down his pants and the other moving over her stomach. With a trembling fist, I lash out, connecting with his side, my voice escaping my throat in a shaky scream. “Don’t hurt her!”
He whirls around so fast I lose my balance and fall straight onto the hard floor. Her bright blue eyes bore into me as she lets out a chilling scream that sends shivers down my spine. Dominic’s fist hits the side of my face, my vision blurs and her screams are the final thing I hear before the ringing in my ears takes over, and everything goes black.
A loud bang of metal against metal clangs in my ears, bringing me back to consciousness in a dark room. No, please don’t let me be here. Anywhere but here. The walls gradually narrow, suffocating me as Dominic secures the bars with a resounding click, trapping me in this claustrophobic prison. Clutching onto the cold, unforgiving metal, I look up into his dark-brown eyes, pleading for forgiveness and praying he’ll let me out.
“I’m sorry, please don’t leave me here!”
I know it’s weak to beg for mercy, but I hate this place. The memory of my previous visit lingers in my mind, a consequence of my defiance toward Dominic that I have no desire to relive. I was locked in here for two days that time, without any food or water, only me and my thoughts. I don’t want to experience that again.
“This is what happens when you put a girl before The Brotherhood. You will be punished. No one comes before us. Your brothers are kings, and anyone who breaks our code isn’t one of us. Understood?” His menacing growl sends chills down my spine, and I struggle to suppress the knot of terror constricting my throat .
“Yes, I understand.”
I have to forget about Freya—she’s a distraction, and she’s the reason I’m now getting punished. Because I tried to protect her, to save her from him. I’ll never make that mistake again or I’ll pay the ultimate price.