Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
Freya
M y bare feet sink into the forest floor, the rough ground biting into my skin. Voices carry around me, getting louder and louder. They can’t catch me. I push harder, ignoring the pain shooting up my shins. I have to make it. I have to save my brother. He needs me. I’m the only person he’s got.
A shadow jumps out in front of me, and I scream, skidding to a stop. A neon-red skull mask stares back at me. Then another, then another, until I’m surrounded by glowing skulls. One of the masked figures steps forward, coming closer until they are only an arm’s length away.
“Let’s play a game,” a robotic voice says. “If you beat me, your brother will be saved.”
“And if I don’t?” I draw in a sharp breath.
“Then you die with him.”
I’m off running again before the person in the mask can react. His footsteps crunch against the forest debris, getting closer and closer. No, I have to move. The forest opens up and train tracks stare back at me. Keep pushing. Figures surround me, closing in. No, I’m so close. I make it over the train tracks and to the fence. I look up and scream. Alec’s lifeless eyes stare back at me.
His head jolts, his eyes open. “You could have saved me.”
I scream until my throat becomes dry. As my body trembles, I force my eyes to open. Ocean-blue eyes collide with mine.
“Just a nightmare. You’re okay.” Hazen holds my gaze for several heartbeats until I look away.
“Is my brother really gone?” My voice is quiet, just below a whisper, and I don’t know if I’m asking him or myself.
Hazen rolls onto his back, the bed dipping, and he pulls me under his arm. All the energy in me is gone, so I don’t fight him.
“I’m sorry.” He rubs his hand up and down my arm, but I barely feel a thing.
My brother is dead. My whole body feels numb as though I’m hovering above it. I can’t move. I just want this nightmare to be over. If only I could build a time machine, so I could bring my brother back and switch places with him. So he can fulfill his dream of attending college. I don’t have anything good to live for; he deserves this life more than me. I need this to be a fairytale where I find a witch to cast a spell and, poof , it’s all okay. But that won’t happen—this isn’t a fairytale, and witches aren’t real.
Time seems to vanish, and I have no idea how long we lie there in each other’s arms. I wait for the regret of last night to come, but it never does. I feel safe in his arms. Protected. Which is something I don’t understand. He’s the bad guy, a demon in disguise, but the more time I spend with him and the other two, the more my disdain toward them fades. They might be the most feared men in Daring, but to me, they have soft spots. My body wants them, my heart is falling for them, and I don’t have any power or say in it.
The bedroom door opens and shuts softly, and I look up. With silent steps, Lucas makes his way to my side of the bed. I ease out of Hazen’s embrace, and he mumbles something in his sleep, then rolls over to his other side.
“You hungry?” Lucas asks, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. I nod, my tummy rumbling.
Shifting off the bed, I look down at the plain dark-gray T-shirt I’m in, remembering that Hazen gave it to me last night to wear. His masculine sandalwood smell still surrounds me.
Lucas’s eyes move up and down my body before he shakes his head. “You shouldn’t be allowed to wear that. All I want to do is rip it off to see what’s underneath.” My usual smartass remark stays lodged at the back of my throat. Without saying a word, he pulls me close and guides us out of Hazen’s bedroom.
Voices come from an open door down the hallway, and I freeze when I spot a young boy and girl who look to be around four, playing dolls together. The boy plays with one of the dolls, doing everything the girl demands. My heart breaks in two. My brother used to do the exact same thing. No matter what, he just wanted to make me happy. So he played with my dolls instead of his toys. We made up stories and dreamed of a better life. Like those fairytales he used to read to me.
The little boy looks up, his eyes widening as he catches us. Staring back at me are eyes as blue as the ocean, just like Hazen’s. As Lucas approaches, his face lights up with a smile, and he excitedly waves. Tears stream down my cheeks, leaving a salty taste on my lips, and I find myself paralyzed under the child’s curious gaze until Lucas steers me away.
I’m a mess. My heart aches and these tears won’t stop. I’ve never been a crier, always keeping my emotions locked up inside, but since last night, that box has been opened and it won’t close. No matter how hard I try. I don’t want them to see me in this position. Vulnerable. Weak. I just want to go back to the safety blanket of Hazen’s bed and sleep forever, but that won’t bring my brother back. That won’t help solve his murder. I need a distraction—I need revenge.
We head down the stairs in comfortable silence. Lucas flips his black cap backward, his blond hair fanning out underneath. He gets to the last step and reaches out his hand, and I take it, his large hand engulfing mine.
We move through the foyer and into the large open kitchen. On the bench lies a banquet of food fit for an army. Fruit, pastries, eggs, bacon, and my God—pancakes. This is insane.
“Tell me this is not just for us?” My eyes widen, taking in all the options.
“Just for us.” Lucas chuckles, leading me to a chair that overlooks all the food. He piles up a plate with everything, then places it down in front of me.
“Jesus, she’s not going to be able to eat all of that,” Hazen says, moving through the kitchen. He’s dressed in casual stone-colored cargo pants and a black top. I wait for the awkwardness to come from what we did last night, but it doesn’t.
“No, she might not, but I will,” Lucas says, stacking his plate double the size of mine. We eat in a silence. Each bite tastes bland, and I don’t know if it’s because of the flavor or my appetite is gone.
Once I’m finished, I take my plate and start washing up. Lucas turns off the faucet and takes the plate from my hands.
“That’s what we pay people for,” he says, and I roll my eyes.
“Come, we’ve got something to show you, but first you need to get dressed.” Lucas takes my hand in his and I let him guide me, not having the energy to argue and demand to know where we are going.
Ten minutes later, I’m showered and dressed in one of Hazen’s plain black tees that’s tied and sitting above my high-waisted black cargo pants. Moving down the staircase, I run my fingers through my hair, fanning it out.
Hazen meets us at the bottom of the stairs with a warm smile, and then he wraps me under his arm in a protective hold. I lean into his chest, inhaling his earthy scent reminiscent of a cozy embrace. I have no idea when the lines blurred from enemies to friendship, then feelings, but I don’t want this to go away. They are my anchors; without them I’ll drown.
The front door opens, and Mia comes walking in. Her eyes widen when she sees me, and I freeze. Does she know? And what’s she doing here again? I’ve got a million questions she needs to answer, but now isn’t the time. I have to tell her about Alec.
“Alec... he’s, he’s—” The words stumble out of my mouth, and I can’t bring myself to say it. She comes up to me, takes me out of Hazen’s embrace and pulls me in for a tight hug.
“I already know,” she whispers, her voice breaking. She pulls back, wiping away her tears, her mascara running down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she says before disappearing through the foyer.
I go to follow her to find out what she knows or if she wants to talk about it, but Lucas and Hazen guide me out the front door. The bright morning sun blinds me for a second, then we move around the side of the house and the manicured grass is soft beneath my feet as we make our way toward the line of trees. They could be leading me into something deadly, and yet here I am allowing it, lacking the energy to question them or fight.
The towering trees create a canopy that shields us from the harsh sunlight. I spot movement in the clearing ahead, and as we approach, I reach out and grab Hazen’s hand for moral support.
The crunching of leaves announces the approach of someone, and as I look around, Gage’s gaze collides with mine. From his jeans to his T-shirt, he is clad entirely in black. He comes to a halt in front of us, extending his hand, and I accept it. I don’t understand what’s going on, but I just go along with it. They could be leading me to my death for all I know.
My heart starts pounding harder as we near the clearing. I clutch onto Gage’s hand as if it’s the only thing keeping me grounded. When we step into an open space near the cliff’s edge, I come to a halt. There’s a large hole dug, dirt surrounding it, and a couple of people standing close, but I can’t see them. Everything around me becomes blurry. If I take another step, it’s truly the end. If I see my brother there, that means it’s not a dream—he’s gone and never coming back. My fingers clutch around my necklace as though I can somehow feel him within it.
I collide with Gage’s solid frame, relentlessly pushing against him to make him budge. Despite my attempts to make him move, he remains in my path. He embraces me and I surrender. The strength drains from my body, and I latch onto him, clutching his neck for dear life. If I release my grip, I’ll plummet and be lost forever.
He presses a kiss on the top of my head and whispers into my ear, “I’m so sorry.”
“How did you do this?” I ask, my voice breaking.
“I wasn’t going to let him take this from you.”
Tears stream down my face and soak into Gage’s shirt, my body shakes, and I ache with so much pain. I want to go back to where this all started and change everything. To never have gotten involved with The Brotherhood or to never have even been born here. For my mother to not have developed a habit. To Alec never needing the money for college. We should have moved away years ago. If we did, none of this would have happened. Alec would be living his dream at college—we could have made it work.
Time blurs, and I have no idea how long I stay there in his arms, but eventually, Amirah appears next to us and takes me from Gage’s warm embrace.
“Let’s give your brother the farewell he deserves, then we’ll avenge him. I promise,” Amirah says, squeezing my hand. I nod, unable to form the words.
Today, I’ll say goodbye to my brother, and then tomorrow I’m going to get answers.