Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Gage
A s she looks down at her phone, her eyes widen and a deep frown forms on her face, her grip on the device tightening as if it’s her only source of security. She bites down on her bottom lip and my cock twitches, begging to be released so I can shove it down her throat until she can’t breathe. Fuck. Why is she the only one who can make me feel like this? Why her, of all the people I could have?
She’s all I can think about. It’s driving me insane. Having her around is a major distraction, and I absolutely cannot afford any distractions at the moment—or ever.
Work is my number one priority. Always has been and always will be. That’s why I’ve never had a serious girlfriend, because they take me away from what’s important. What I’ve been trained to do before I could even walk.
She shoves her phone into her back pocket, then drops the menu onto the booth between us.
“Did you send that? How?” she snaps.
“Send what?” I frown.
“The message! How would you know?—?”
“Show me the phone!” I growl, reaching for her pocket. She stumbles back, shakes her head, then walks away.
She talks to someone behind the counter, dropping her apron off, and then she’s gone, hurrying out the front door.
Pushing myself out of the booth, I feel the weight of stares on me as if everyone in the diner is watching my every move. Fortunately for them, I’m not here for that. I’m here cause her brother is causing us fucking problems, and the sooner I find that fucker, the better. He owes us money, and he’s meant to be helping with the next supply run. He should know better than to fuck with The Brotherhood. Next time I see him, he’ll have a bullet in his head and be hanging from the fence. But, fuck, can I do that to her? Fucking hell, this is exactly why I can’t afford to let anyone in, yet Freya’s forced herself inside without even realizing it.
She’s outside, phone in hand, raising her voice as she speaks into it. She’s casually leaning against my Range Rover, a sight that would normally make me furious if anyone else dared to touch my car. She’s always had a way of getting under my skin, like an itch I can’t scratch. Stripping away layer after layer until only the bones remain. It’s a shame she hates me just as much as I hate her.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I ask, coming up right in front of her. She peeks through her thick lashes, hangs up the phone, and curses.
“I have no idea if I should tell you or not,” she says with a sigh, her words hanging in the air, and I resist the temptation to make a snarky remark. She needs me and fuck, that feels good.
“What do you need?” I move around my car, then jump into the front seat. She slides into the passenger seat next to me.
“A search party for my brother,” she says, and I laugh. Her eyes lock onto mine, filled with anger, and she reaches over to the door handle. I hit the lock on the doors so she can’t run.
“Chill the fuck out. Don’t you think I’ve already sent out a search party? We need him just as much as you do,” I say.
“Well, you didn’t try hard enough, obviously, ’cause he’s still missing. I’m coming with you to Daringville and I’ll search myself,” she retorts, looking out the windscreen into the bush.
“Isn’t he off at college like you keep telling us?”
“I thought so, but I got a message saying he’s still here, so now I have no fucking idea,” she huffs out.
There’s no use arguing with her because when she has her heart set on something, she doesn’t back down. If she doesn’t come with me, she’ll find another way, and it’s better like this. She’s already on Dominic’s radar.
In silence, we start to drive, and she keeps her face pressed against the window as if longing to spot her brother in the distance. I have a bad feeling about why we haven’t found him, but I don’t want to share that with her. At least not yet.
We fly over the train tracks without stopping for security.
Dominic’s name fills the screen on my phone. With a sudden movement, she locks eyes with me, her chest rising and falling against her black T-shirt. I hit answer.
“Meeting at my place,” he says, his voice trailing off as tension fills the car. As soon as our eyes lock, she squirms in her seat and turns her attention back to the window. ‘“Bring Miss Freya LeClair with you.”
The moment he hangs up, my grip on the steering wheel tightens, my knuckles turning white from the pressure. Fuck. How did he know she was with me? Stupid fucking question. He knows everything. The sooner he retires and hands the reins fully over to us, the better.
“I can take you back,” I say.
She breathes out a heavy sigh. “You and I both know that nothing good ever comes from disobeying him.”
I swallow hard, my throat constricting as her words sink in, memories of the scars etched on my skin resurfacing. She has them too.
Neither of us speaks as we continue driving to Dominic’s place. Through the security and into the gated community, past Lucas’s house, mine, and then turning down the long driveway, Dominic’s house sits on the edge of the cliff like all our houses. The sounds of the ocean hitting the steep rock face never get old.
With the car now off, Freya sits silently in her seat, her attention focused on the house, her chest rhythmically rising and falling. Just as I’m about to say something, she rushes out the door and forcefully slams it closed. I don’t think she’s been back to the Hendrix manor since they left, and part of me wants to comfort her, but the other half has no fucking idea why. She’s a big girl and she can clearly look after herself.
I trail behind her as we ascend the concrete stairs, and one of their staff opens the door to usher us inside. Freya’s shifting uncomfortably, checking out the foyer. She bites down on her bottom lip and my cock twitches against my jeans.
Footsteps pound against the stairs, and Hazen comes running down but freezes when he sees Freya. He looks at me and I shrug. He obviously has just as much of an idea as me why she’s here. The front door opens, and Lucas struts in .
“What the hell?” he asks, eyeing Freya up and down.
“No idea,” I reply, shrugging out of my jacket and passing it to one of the staff.
“She shouldn’t be here,” Hazen says, moving down the rest of the stairs.
“No shit, I’d rather be anywhere else.” She shakes her head. “But your father summoned me. You haven’t seen Alec, have you?” she asks with a look of hope sparkling in her eyes.
Hazen just shakes his head. His eyes dart between her and me, his nostrils flaring with anger, and I instinctively raise my hands in surrender. It’s not my fucking fault.
“He will see you now in his office.” The sound of a maid’s voice carries down the hall.
Hazen swears quietly before taking the lead. With a gentle gesture, Lucas envelops Freya under his arm, leaning in to share a whispered message that brings a smile to her face. She doesn’t push him away, and my teeth clench together watching her with him. She’s really getting on my nerves, and it’s driving me crazy. Distancing ourselves from her seems impossible, especially with her brother missing. We need her and she needs us.
I step into Dominic’s office and a chill runs down my spine. He’s the only one who scares me. There is something about him that commands respect and strikes fear in grown men, making them quiver in his presence. Behind his wooden desk, he sits with a cigar dangling from his lips, filling the room with a smoky aroma. His eyes are laser-focused on her, the corner of his mouth lifts, and Lucas removes his arm from around her. Hazen stands on the other side of her, and I stay behind them, closest to the door.
Mia is cozied up on the couch, her fingers delicately flipping through the pages of a book. She looks at me and I frown. What the fuck is she doing here, and why does she look so damn comfortable?
“Little Freya LeClair,” Dominic says, his gaze slowly scanning her from head to toe, and I step forward, ready to protect her but think better of it. “My oh my, haven’t you grown up?”
She alternates her weight from one foot to the other under the scrutiny.
My fists clench, and the urge to forcefully escort her outside and instruct her to flee overwhelms me. To run as fast as she can. But that would only get a bullet between my eyes and hers.
“Looks like it. Now why am I here?” she snaps, and I let out a heavy exhale. Fuck. She needs to learn to keep her mouth shut.
Dominic laughs, biting into his cigar. “You’ve got your mother’s feisty attitude. I always loved that about her until she ran her stupid mouth too much, and we all know what happened then.”
With no response, Freya thrusts her hands into the pockets of her jeans.
“I’ve heard your brother is missing, and he owes us a lot of money. You wouldn’t know where he is, would you, Miss Freya?”
“I thought he went away to college,” she says, and the room stays silent for several heartbeats.
“Whatever the case, I need him or the money he owes. I don’t give a fuck how you get it, but there better be fifty grand sitting on my desk within forty-eight hours. Now leave,” he snaps, and Freya hurries out of the room. “I meant all of you!”
“What?” I ask, frowning.
“This is your mess, too. Now clean it up. ”
I maintain a composed expression until we exit his office and step outside. We have to help her, not only to get the money back, but also to address the underlying problem. Alec stole from us, and we need to find him.
I slide into my car and Freya, Lucas, and Hazen jump in. We don’t talk until we’re out of his driveway and heading to Lucas’s.
“How in the fuck are we going to get that money?” Lucas curses from the back seat, and I huff.
“We don’t have to get anything.” I pause, looking to Freya. “She does.”
Her lips curl into a scowl, radiating anger from the corner of her mouth.
She’s way too easy to play with.