Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Freya
T he moment I entered his office, my heart started racing and hasn’t calmed down since. Being in his presence again was like a painful stab in the chest, reopening old wounds. I never wanted to see him again, ever, after what he did to me and my family. And now thanks to Alec, I’m stuck picking up the pieces. Fucking hell. I can’t breathe. And what was Mia doing there in his office looking like she was ready to move in? Does she not care about my brother at all? I never liked her, and now I know why.
Gage pulls up in front of Lucas’s house, and as soon as the car stops, I quickly exit. With each step, I inch closer to the edge of the cliff. I stop, then look out into the deep blue ocean. The waves crash against the cliff, one after another. I open my mouth and unleash a deafening scream that echoes around me. The desire to jump like I did two weeks ago, to let the raging waves consume me, lingers within me, yet my legs remain rooted to the earth.
I squeeze my eyes shut, attempting to suppress the flood of memories, but they overwhelm me. Being back in that house, the one place I swore I’d never step foot in again, was like a dam breaking.
Ten Years old.
My cheek stings, and I fight back the tears that threaten to fall. I can’t let him see me weak, it’ll only push him further. He reaches back and I squeeze my eyes shut as his hand cracks against my face and whips my head to the side. He grips my cheeks and wrenches my head back toward him.
“You fucking open your eyes and show me some fucking respect, you little whore,” Dominic growls, and I reluctantly open my eyes. A lone tear falls down my cheek, sliding over his hand.
Three boys surround him in a circle. One with light-brown eyes and blond hair. One with mossy-green eyes and midnight-black hair, and the last boy with ocean-blue eyes and short brown hair. They just stand there, watching Dominic hurt me. I try to plead with them with my gaze, but they don’t do anything.
The last thing I see is my mother crouched in the corner of the room with a glass pipe between her lips. She watches us with glazed-over eyes but doesn’t move. He squeezes harder until everything fades away into nothing.
I’m going to fucking kill Alec myself when I find him. How could he put me through this? He’s my protector. My constant. The only person in this world I can rely on, and now I’m picking up all the pieces and trying to put everything back together.
If he stole that money, he must be hiding at college and that message was wrong. It has to be. I’m not going to stop until I find him.
Footsteps crunch against the gravel, coming up behind me.
“I’m not going to have to follow you in there again, am I?” Lucas asks, then Iaughs despite all the shit that’s happened tonight.
“No, but I do need to find a way to let go of all this pent-up frustration,” I say, mesmerized by the relentless crash of waves against the cliff. The water is sparkling with the bright reflection of the full moon.
“I’ve got some pretty good ideas on how you can release,” Lucas says, wrapping me under his arm. Despite my urge to shove him off, being in his arms provides an unexpected sense of comfort, preventing me from leaping into the icy depths of the ocean.
“Don’t you think we have more important things to talk about?” Gage snaps from somewhere behind us, and I straighten my shoulders, shrugging out of Lucas’s embrace. Turning around, I start walking toward the house and barge into Gage’s shoulder on my way past.
“Let’s do it then,” I growl.
One of his maids opens the door for me, and it’s way quieter than the last time I was here for the grand ball, which feels like forever ago. The night that kicked off this crap. This mess could’ve been avoided if Alec didn’t get caught up with them.
Getting out my phone, I fire off a message to Alec mentioning the money I now have to come up with if he doesn’t show his face, hoping he sees it. He will come back now that he knows the shit I’m in. He wouldn’t leave me to pick up the pieces. It’s just not like him. If I don’t hear from him soon, I’m left with no choice but to go to Bexley and find him.
I gaze at the unfamiliar number, puzzled by the cryptic messages it holds. I attempt to reply for the second time, only to have the message bounce back. Fuck.
I text Kai, asking again to let me know straight away if he sees Alec. My phone vibrates in my hand, and I anticipate Kai’s message, but it turns out to be the unknown number.
Your brother is in deep. Will he return in a heap?
Gripping the phone tightly, a tremble runs through me as I stare at the screen. In a swift motion, Lucas passes by and grabs it from my hand.
“Hey,” I snap, trying to grab it back, but Lucas keeps it just out of my reach.
“Who are these messages from?” Frowning, he looks back and forth between the phone and me.
“I have no fucking idea. The number is unknown, just give it back. I’ll deal with it.”
Lucas huffs. “The fuck you will. I’ll have a tech guy look into this for you.” He fumbles around with my phone before passing it back.
“Thanks,” I mumble, barely audible as Lucas strides ahead. I trail behind him, passing through a spacious kitchen and dining area. He stops in the open living area with a long bar that overlooks the ocean below through glass windows.
“What’s your poison, little thorn?” Lucas asks, moving behind the bar.
Leaning my elbows on the wooden ledge, I gaze at the array of expensive bottles of liquor.
“Whatever one is the most expensive. I’ll have that bottle,” I say, and the corner of Lucas’s mouth lifts.
“Coming right up.”
Gage takes a scotch bottle and divides it into two glasses. He hands one over to Hazen, who hasn’t spoken since being in his dad’s office.
Lucas passes me a bottle and a glass with ice in it. I plop down on the couch and pour myself a drink. Hazen takes a seat on the couch beside mine, while Lucas tumbles down next to me. Gage stays standing, leaning back against the bar.
“Do any of you have fifty grand cash sitting around?” I ask, knocking back my drink and pouring another one.
“Of course we do, but if it comes from our bank accounts he will know,” Gage says.
“Next question then. How in the fuck do I come up with that kind of money in forty-eight hours?” I say, checking my phone. “Make that forty-six hours.”
“There are a few ways, but you’re not going to like any of them,” Lucas says, placing a hand on my knee, and I don’t brush it off.
“The easiest way is to tell us where your brother is and hand him over,” Hazen grits out, finally breaking his silence.
Gripping the edge of the couch, I sit up straighter and glare straight at Hazen.
“For one, I have no fucking idea where he is or I wouldn’t be here, and secondly, the reason he’s in this mess is because of you,” I snap, and a pained look crosses Hazen’s features for a brief second before it’s gone again.
“Your brother chose to work for us, so that’s on him,” Hazen says, and I hate to admit he’s right. My brother did choose this, and now I’m here in this mess.
“Just tell me what I need to do,” I say, finishing off another glass.
I hate using a substance to block it all out, but it’s the only thing keeping me from running. Running as far away from here as I can.
I find myself in the same situation I warned my brother about, surrounded by three heirs of The Brotherhood. Stuck until I somehow come up with fifty grand. Fuck. I can’t do this on my own. I need them and I hate that more than anything. The last time I needed them the most, they didn’t protect me. They let him kick us out like trash.
Ten years old
My peaceful slumber is abruptly interrupted as a bag is violently thrown over my head, disorienting me. My screams are muffled by the bag as if swallowed by its suffocating embrace. The more heavily I inhale, the tighter and denser the air becomes, making it harder to breathe. Fuck.
I’m yanked up by my armpits, soaring through the air until I collide with a solid surface. A wave of pain surges through my stomach, eliciting a groan from deep within me. It’s still healing from the knife wounds from last night. The memory of the pain is so intense it makes my whole body shudder, and I black out.
An engine humming to life jars me back to reality, and I instinctively reach out for something to steady myself. But before I can react, the vehicle jerks forward forcefully, causing me to lose my balance and collide with a jarring impact against a hard object. Strong hands hoist me upright, and my body quivers uncontrollably.
What’s happening? Where are we going? Everything’s gone to shit, and I don’t know what will happen to us now. Dominic doesn’t want us here anymore. I can see it in the way he looks at my mother—he’s done with her. Is he going to kill us? I don’t want to die.
It feels like we’ve been on the road forever, the monotony broken only by the occasional rumble of the engine. Abruptly, the car stops, and the doors pop open. I’m yanked out roughly and met with the wind whipping all around me as if it’s beckoning me forward. With each step I’m forced to take, the hard gravel road sends a jolt of impact through my feet. I’m pulled forward, and without my sight, I struggle to keep up with the rapid movement. As I trip and lose my balance, a strong grip on my arm saves me from falling.
I am forcibly halted, and the voices around me fade in and out like distant whispers, their meaning lost in the noise. The sound of ringing echoes in my ears, and my body trembles with an intense sensation. I want this to stop. For everything to go back to the way it was before. I don’t understand. With a sudden yank, the bag over my head is torn off, and I blink repeatedly to clear my vision.
We’re on the edge of the tracks that divide our towns, from Daringville, where we are, to Daringhood—the bad side. Where the poor live, along with those The Brotherhood deem not good enough.
My heart races as Dominic locks eyes with me, and the overwhelming emotions cause tears to brim in my eyes. He scares me, and I hate him. Someone interlocks their hands with mine, and I glance over to see my brother standing beside me, his eye swollen and bruised. No. I try to move, to run, but he shakes his head ever so slightly and I freeze, attentive to his silent command. My brother always knows what to do. He’s my protector, my best friend.
Standing behind Dominic are Hazen, Gage, and that blond-haired boy, Lucas, who I haven’t really talked to before. They watch, unmoving, with their arms crossed. What’s happening? There are those Brotherhood men everywhere, even that blonde-haired lady who looks like Lucas.
“Get her,” Dominic snaps to one of the men near the white van across the street. He disappears behind it, and my heart skips a beat as he emerges, leading my mother by the hand. As I take a step forward, my brother’s firm grip pulls me back. My mother desperately struggles, her body thrashing against the man’s hold in a desperate attempt to break free. She’s wearing a torn white nightgown, the fabric revealing a glimpse of her chest.
Her gaze shifts between us and Dominic, filled with intense hatred.
“Fuck you,” she spits at Dominic, and the other guy pushes her. She lands on her hands and knees between Dominic and us.
“I’m done with you and your family. You are a disgrace to Daringville, and you belong over the tracks. You are nothing but a hood rat,” Dominic says with so much hate that my body trembles. With a shake of her head, my mother reaches out to him, pleading for him to reconsider.
I glance at the boys behind Dominic, desperate for their help and hope they can rescue me, but they remain motionless, shattering my heart in two.
As Alec scoops Mom up from the ground, he reaches for my hand, and we venture across the tracks together. I leave behind my old life, desperately clinging to the hope that this will be good for us, for Mom.
Hazen’s phone pings, bringing me out of my memories, and he looks from me to the phone.
“Well, will you look at that for timing? A job just came in and it’s paying exactly what you need,” Hazen says, standing up.
A wave of unease washes over me, settling in the pit of my stomach. Whatever the job is, I’m not going to like it, but I’ll do whatever it takes to clear Alec’s debt. Then he might come back home if he knows it’s been taken care of.
Hazen shows the phone to Gage, who nods in agreement before leaving the room and walking down the hallway. Lucas and Hazen talk in hushed tones at the bar, and I sit there sipping my drink.
“Are you going to tell me what it is or just stand around gossiping like little teenagers?” I snap, standing up quickly. A momentary dizziness overtakes me, but quickly subsides. No more alcohol for me. Whatever the job is, I need to have a clear head for it.
“We’re going on a little bear hunt and you’re going to find your prey,” Hazen explains, before looking down the hallway, and Gage appears carrying a large black duffel bag. He drops it at my feet and all kinds of guns fall out. I take a step back, shaking my head.
“And kill it,” Gage finishes, and a wave of nausea rises as I struggle to keep the bile down.
“No way, anything but this,” I say, my eyes not leaving the bag of guns.
“It’s a fifty grand reward and time is ticking,” Gage insists, his voice filled with urgency. He takes out a small handgun from the bag and hands it over to me, the weight of the weapon adding to the gravity of the situation. With the cool metal in my palm, a rush of emotions floods over me, making me want to let out a scream. I want to run. But there’s no running away from them.
“There has to be some other way!” I blurt out, looking from the gun to Gage, Hazen, and Lucas.
“We could rob the diner you work for?” Lucas smirks, and I shake my head.
“He wouldn’t have that kind of money lying around. Besides, I can’t hurt my boss. Next?”
Gage huffs. “The bear we’re finding is bad. He’s raped and treats women like shit. You want to kill him. Trust me, Freya, you want this. Just wait and see.”
I have to do this. I have to do this for my brother.