Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Freya
W ithout looking back, he walks away while I remain motionless. He’s right—The Brotherhood did do this, but the look in his eyes and the way he broke down tells me he didn’t want to. Whatever happened here wasn’t his choice.
Hazen Hendrix is the devil. Those stories we told each other at sleepovers, the ones that turned into nightmares about being taken and killed—they were about Hazen, lead enforcer of The Brotherhood. However, all that fearlessness I see in his eyes was gone moments ago, replaced by a haunted look. I saw a different person, someone whose eyes reflected kindness and compassion. He regrets some of the shitty things he’s done.
I never knew the people who were here before; it’s been empty for as long as I can remember. There was talk about a family that used to live here. Their bodies were found hanging over the fence near the railway tracks as a lesson to everyone. If you went against The Brotherhood, if you didn’t pay your dues, you died. In my youth, I brushed it off as a rumor, but as I grew older, I realized there was truth to it.
I head back outside and find the shadow of Hazen’s figure leaning back against a tree a couple of houses down. As I make my way over, the flickering flame of his lighter casts an eerie glow on his face. With a slow, deliberate motion, he brings the joint to his lips and takes a long, satisfying drag before passing it to me once more. This time I accept, needing something to take the edge off.
I feel a burn in my throat as the smoke hits me and I sink down. We stay in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, looking out into the street. The party is still going strong at the house down the way, the thumping bass reverberating through the air.
“When I was ten, we raided that house,” Hazen says, and I freeze, joint midair. My heart races, pounding against my chest. Hazen’s eyes are cast down, and I can see the weariness etched on his face as he runs a hand over it. My heart breaks for him. He looks broken, his shoulders slumped and his eyes vacant. Even though I know what he did was wrong, I can’t help but feel sorry for him.
He stays silent for a few more minutes, and I don’t know if I should ask more.
“I killed her. She was my age, and she’s dead because of me.” He chokes back a sob, and I find myself moving closer to him until I’ve pivoted to face him. His body slumps as he leans back against the tree. “I’ve never thought about this before, but how different would my life have been if I didn’t kill her?”
Time slows down and everything disappears, leaving just us. I reach out, tracing my finger along the contours of his jaw, then I gently tilt his head to meet my gaze. His eyes, once as blue as the ocean, now take on a darker hue, churning like a brewing storm.
He embraces me, wrapping his arms around my back, and draws me closer until our bodies make contact. I rest my head against his chest. His heart races, thumping against my ear with increasing intensity. With one hand, he supports my head, while his other hand gently rests on my lower back.
“It was my first kill, and he made me pull the trigger,” he breathes out, and tears I never knew I had well up behind my eyes. I know exactly who he’s talking about, and anger cuts through the sadness like a knife, stopping the tears from falling.
“I’ve killed hundreds since without a second thought. I’m a killing machine, just like he made me. But this one still haunts me.”
I tremble, and Hazen wraps his arms around me tightly.
“I hate him,” I whisper into Hazen’s chest, more to myself than him. I hate his father more than anyone in the world. He ruined my family and our life.
I lean back, looking up and into his eyes. He firmly grasps my shoulders, his touch sending a shiver down my spine.
“Do you remember me from when we were younger?” I ask the one question that’s been on the back of my tongue from the moment I saw him again.
The slight frown on his face and the way he tilts his head to the side tells me everything I need to know. Pushing against his chest, I manage to pry myself out of his tight embrace.
How could he forget? How could he honestly not remember the day they changed my life forever ?
Freya - Ten Years Old
The place we once called home is now a mere memory, erased without explanation. Mom refuses to shed light on its disappearance or the fate of the money, but I can’t help but speculate. She’s been getting worse lately, and I don’t know how much longer we can put up with it. Alec’s been disappearing more with The Brotherhood and coming back with money, but it’s never enough. He’s only eleven—he shouldn’t have to, but Mom doesn’t care. She only cares about one thing, and that’s supporting her habit.
I’m walking down the Hendrixes’ hallway, trying to find Mom. She’s been gone for ages and we need to pick up Alec. My attention is drawn to movement coming from Dominic’s bedroom door, so I step closer. My chest tightens as I watch my mom moving around their room with a sense of purpose.
“Mom, come on, get out of there. Please, you can’t do this. What if he catches us?” I beg, reaching out for her hands, but she swats me away. Snarling at me like a dog would at someone it hates.
Stumbling backward, my heart races as I catch sight of her distant, wide-eyed gaze. She’s on that stuff again. I wish she never touched it. I don’t like her when she’s like this, which is every day lately. That blonde who dresses so nicely is always with her, supplying her with more. I just want my mother back—we both do. Alec’s been helping when he can, but he’s always disappearing with members of The Brotherhood, and when he’s back he doesn’t tell me much.
She dives back into Dominic and Eveline’s dresser, pulling out jewels and wads of cash, shoving them into her duffle bag. My stomach churns with a heavy weight, a sense of dread settling deep within me. The fear of getting caught fills me with sheer terror, and I can’t help but shudder at the thought of what might unfold.
Dominic’s anger toward us has been escalating, and he frequently directs his outbursts toward my mom and even me. No matter how hard I try, my efforts to be a good girl are constantly criticized by him.
“Help me or fuck off!” Mom yells, and I don’t want to help. This isn’t right. Even if I don’t like Dominic, I don’t want to steal from him. It’s wrong.
The door to their bedroom unexpectedly swings open, and I lose my footing, stumbling backward and slamming against the wall, my breath catching in my throat. Dominic storms toward my mother, his rage evident in his every step, and without hesitation, he tightly grips her hair and yanks her up. My scream fills the air as I charge at him, but I’m halted by a pair of hands gripping my waist tightly. When I glance up, I find myself captivated by the depth of Hazen’s blue eyes. He pleads with me to stop, but I can’t. Dominic is hurting my mother.
“What the fuck are you doing, you little crack whore?” Dominic growls, and my mother just laughs.
“You know I’ve killed people for less. You are done. I can’t keep you around here anymore. You are gone,” he says, and I break free from Hazen’s embrace, running at Dominic. I hold onto his arm tightly as he gazes down at me with an intense, penetrating look, causing my heart to race.
“Please don’t hurt her,” I plea. He releases my mother, causing her to collapse at his feet. His hand closes around my neck, applying pressure. I can’t breathe. Without making a single move, Hazen stands there and watches us. Help me, I try to say, but my voice is blocked by Dominic’s hand.
I’m thrown to the floor, my head hits the carpet, and pain echoes in my ears as I struggle to catch my breath. He pulls out a knife, its gleaming blade catching the light, and I scream.
I kick my legs, adrenaline surging through my body as I try to stand and run, but he’s too strong. My mother remains motionless on the floor. Her eyes are vacant, like windows to a soul lost in another world as she stares right through me.
“Hold her down,” he growls, and Hazen doesn’t move. “Now!” Dominic yells, and he moves to hover over me. He holds me down and I’m completely immobile. I look up into his ocean-blue eyes, begging him to release me, but he doesn’t. He whispers an apology, but it’s not enough.
My top is sliced open by Dominic’s knife, and I scream once more. My chest rises and falls in a frenzied rhythm, my heartbeat pounding in my ears.
“No, please!”
The moment the knife descends, a wave of intense, burning pain engulfs me.
I’ll never forget that pain; my scars are a daily reminder of it. And I can still feel the knife carving my flesh.
“Freya, wait,” Hazen yells behind me, but I don’t look back. I can’t.
All my childhood memories of being with them shatter into a million pieces. Of course, he doesn’t fucking remember, but to me those memories will never go away. They are sewn deep in my past, and I’ve still got the scars to prove it.
I don’t stop walking until I’m deep in the party house. People are crowding around me, and I grab a bottle of liquor from the kitchen, unscrewing the lid and chugging a quarter of it. It sears a fiery path down my throat, providing the exact sensation I crave.
The music is so loud that it drowns out all other sounds, making it impossible to hear my own thoughts. I move around, asking a couple of people if they have seen my brother, but their faces remain blank, clueless. Hazen gets lost in the crowd, and I’m glad. I’m done with him for the night. I need to find my brother and get the hell out of here.
Without warning, someone’s shoulder collides with mine. I whirl around with my fist cocked back, ready to retaliate, but I come to a sudden halt as I lock eyes with Kai, who greets me with a sly smirk.
“Fuck, that bad of a night huh?” he asks, snatching the bottle from my other hand, and I laugh as he takes a swig.
“You have no idea,” I admit with a sigh. “Have you seen Alec?”
Kai shakes his head, passing the bottle back to me. His gaze drifts above me, his eyes growing darker.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Kai snaps, taking a step forward. I place my hand on his chest before warmth hits my back.
“Chill, Kai, he’s looking for Alec,” I say, glancing between them both. Kai breathes in and out against my hand and Hazen seems unfazed, even as Zion and Bear come up and surround us.
“You have no business here. Leave now,” Kai growls, his hand reaching into his jeans pocket. The silver of his blade catches my eye, and I shake my head. For fuck’s sake. All this “my dick is bigger than yours” shit is starting to piss me off.
“Anything going on here is my business.” Hazen looks Kai up and down before the corner of his mouth lifts. “Do you forget who runs this town?”
I have to use all my strength to keep Kai from moving forward by pressing my hand against his chest.
“Enough. He’s with me so just fucking drop it, Kai,” I say, letting out a sigh. “Please.”
Kai looks between us before he steps back, snatching the bottle from me once again, then he turns his back and disappears into the crowd with Zion and Bear behind him.
I whirl around, leveling Hazen with a glare, and he shrugs as if to say, “What did you expect?” And he’s right. It’s no secret that Kai and the boys from 18 Hood hate The Brotherhood. Hate that they rule everything. They have been trying to take back Daringhood for years, but The Brotherhood just holds too much power here. They control too much. It wouldn’t be impossible to kick them out, but it would take an all-out war to do so.
We spend the rest of the night looking for Alec, but no one has seen him. Hazen drops me back at my place in the early hours of the morning.
I reach my door and Hazen clears his throat. I turn around, and he rubs the back of his neck. He opens his mouth, then closes it again.
“I do remember you,” he whispers, and my heart breaks in two. “As if I could forget you.”
“Have you ever thought you could have saved me, too?” I ask the question that’s been on my lips since we left that house. Part of me doesn’t want to know, but the other part desperately does.
Hazen steps forward and I step back, hitting my trailer. He cages me in, eyes never leaving mine. “Every fucking day. It’s my only regret not saving her.” His chest rises and falls. “And you.”
I swallow hard, a tear falling down my cheek. Hazen reaches out, catching it with his thumb and pressing it against my lip. I take his thumb in my mouth, licking off the saltiness. He groans, closing the distance between us. His lips press against mine slowly, then he forces his tongue inside, and a flush of warmth spreads through my body. I grip onto his shirt, deepening the kiss and a low noise rumbles in his chest, causing my underwear to soak. I need to stop. I can’t do this. I pull away breathlessly and he takes a few steps back.
He opens his mouth, but I shake my head—I don’t want to talk about this. I spin around and slowly close the trailer door without saying goodbye. I lock the door and collapse against it, leaning back with a sigh.
Alec is missing. Hazen confuses the fuck out of me. And my head is about to explode.
The house is dark and quiet. My mother is nowhere to be seen, and part of me is grateful that I don’t have to put up with any more shit tonight. I just want to go to bed and forget.
Pushing off the door, I head down the small hallway toward my bedroom. My door is slightly ajar and the hair on the back of my neck sticks up. I clearly remember shutting my door when I left earlier; I always keep it closed.
With a kick from my foot, I open the door, flick on the light, and step further inside. Nothing’s changed since I left. Clothes are still all over my bed and the floor. A light floral perfume fills the air, and my breathing picks up. Someone’s been in here. I quickly check my cupboards, but there’s no one here. I remove my shoes, turn off the light, and settle warily onto my bed. Placing my phone on the table next to my nightstand, I tap the screen, and it brightens enough to illuminate the room.
My phone vibrates, startling me, and I grab it within a second. My heart rate skyrockets as I see a text message from Alec.
Freya, I’m so sorry I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye. You were right. I shouldn’t have started working with them. I shouldn’t have gone near their drugs. We both know the damage they can do. I’m so sorry, but I’ve left without you to start fresh before college starts. I’ll message you when it’s all good for you and Mom to come. See you soon.
I read over his message again and again, trying to piece together the puzzle.
He left without me? Without us? This doesn’t make any sense. We were meant to go together. That was the whole plan—the reason he didn’t just up and leave when he first got accepted over a year ago.
Part of me is relieved that he’s gone, and he’s safe, but the other half is pissed off and skeptical as hell.
He left without me. Now I’m stuck in this town for who knows how long. My brother is gone. And the only person who seems to care is the most dangerous member of The Brotherhood.