Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Lucas
H azen slides a glass across the marble bar, and I grab it before it falls off the edge, my fingers wrapping around the heavy crystal. Then he does the same for Gage after filling it with two fingers of scotch.
“To new beginnings,” Hazen says, raising his glass, and I follow suit. As I bring it to my lips and toss it back, the whiskey sears a path down my throat. I slam the glass down and Hazen pours another.
The deafening sound of a loud bang fills the foyer, its echoes reaching the living room. My shoulders immediately tense up and I lift my gun, pivoting toward the source of the noise. Gage and Hazen are right behind, keeping a close distance. Shouts echo and footsteps clatter across the marble floor. I spot a cop in all black, fully geared up, and quickly hide my gun in my waistband.
As police occupy Hazen’s home, we find ourselves in the archway between the foyer and living room. She’s done it. We haven’t talked to Freya since she left earlier this morning, and part of me wasn’t sure if we could pull it off, but now seeing the police here, it’s real. Fuck .
The cop forcefully pushes Dominic forward with his hands restrained behind his back. Holy shit. More cops come back through the foyer with Dominic’s security, who are all in handcuffs and being forced out the front entrance. Looking over at us, Dominic’s eyes light up, and he licks his lips.
“Hazen, get my lawyer,” he snaps, yet Hazen doesn’t respond or react. When I look at him, he is motionless.
“On it,” I say for Hazen, and Dominic nods before getting led outside. As they all go, the house is left in complete silence.
“Fucking hell, she did it,” I say, and Gage slaps me over the shoulder.
“Did you really doubt she would?”
“I mean, I know what she’s capable of, but this is crazy. Are we really going to be the top dogs?” I ask, eyes widening.
Gage laughs. “We’ve waited our whole life for this and now it’s time to make it official.”
Hazen remains silent, watching the front door intently.
I snap my fingers in front of his face. “You all good, brother?”
He blinks a couple of times. “Yeah, I think so, but we don’t have much time. Go get your father and meet us at the graveyard in thirty,” Hazen says before heading to the stairs, climbing them two at a time. As I watch him go, a nauseating sensation settles in the pit of my stomach.
“He’ll be all right,” Gage assures, and I give a nod. I fucking hope so because he needs to be.
I’ve heard about what happens during these initiations. My father used to tell me bedtime stories about it, and I’d have nightmares because they weren’t just stories—they were descriptions of a real event. Now we’re about to go throug h the process, and I just hope to God we all come out the other side for her.
“This is the day I’ve been waiting for. My son taking over The Brotherhood and being the ruler I raised.” Mom pulls me in for a tight hug, plants a kiss on my forehead, and I close the front door. Apparently, news spreads like wildfire around here. Jesus.
“Thanks, Mom, but Dad has to agree first,” I say, letting her go, and she laughs and pats me on the arm. “Don’t worry about your father, dear. He’ll do it.”
She’s right, I doubt he’ll refuse initiating his son to lead, but I’m still worried. Do I want to lead The Brotherhood? Yes, this is what I’ve been training and waiting my whole life for. I’m eager to shake things up and have a say in what goes on in our town. We’re already the most feared ones, but now it’s official.
Sometimes I wonder what life would be like without The Brotherhood, without all the stress, just living with my best friends and Freya. It’d be all right at first, but then I’d start missing all of this. The authority, the will to make people fall to their knees in front of us, the action and shit that goes on every day.
I was born into a world of chaos, and I never want to leave. But now I want Freya by my—our—side. She’s the missing puzzle piece for us, and I just hope to fuck she’ll say yes. I’ll force her to if she doesn’t. She’s one of us now, and that means she doesn’t get to walk away. She can try, but I’ll bring her straight back and land her where she belongs: on my cock.
I follow Mom into our mansion’s elevator and ride it up to her and my father’s level. Then we exit into the long hallway and come to a stop outside his bedroom. She refused to have his machines and everything in her room, so he’s been here, rotting away. I take a deep breath and force back the tears that prick the backs of my eyes when I think of him dying someday–someday soon. My father may not be a good man, but he has always gone to great lengths to protect me.
He’s never told me he loves me or shown any affection at all, but he’s always put me first. Gave me the most treats as a kid, gave me the deadliest knife on my fifth birthday, and taught me how to kill someone in one move. For as long as I can remember, I’ve admired him, but in the past few years, I’ve watched him slowly lose himself. Fuck, it hurts.
Taking one, then two steps inside, I freeze just inside the door, struck by the sight of my father, who looks pale and translucent, like a washed-out ghost. In the corner of the room, he sits up in a chair while a nurse stands before him, carefully examining him. She is holding a needle as she looks for veins. With a soft click, I close the door behind Mom and me, and he raises his eyes to meet mine, a subtle smile forming.
“Son,” he says in a husky voice, and I move over to his side. The nurse finishes her work and goes away. Watching us intently, my mother takes a seat on his bed.
“Hey, Dad, how are you?”
He chuckles before coughing. “Well, they haven’t managed to kill me yet, so that’s good.”
“Listen, Dad, I know Dominic’s meant to initiate us in, but he’s been arrested.”
He frowns. “What for?”
I look at Mom and she shrugs. Clearly, she hasn’t filled him in about Alec. “Killing Alec LeClair,” I tell h im.
My father’s eyes widen, and he exchanges a glance with Mom, silently communicating something. “He didn’t do it.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, kneeling beside him.
Mom springs off the bed and is standing in front of him in just two quick strides. “We don’t have much time. Will you initiate them or not?” my mother asks, grabbing my father’s hand.
He takes a few deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly, before nodding. “Of course I will.”
“What were you—?” My words are cut off as Mom claps her hands together and ushers me out of the room. I look back at my father, and his mouth is slightly ajar as if he wants to say something, but then the door slams shut, trapping him inside.
What did he mean, Dominic didn’t kill Alec LeClair? How would he know that and what did he want to tell me? My mother forcefully pulls me down the hallway, heading toward the stairs.
I yank my arm free, and she stops. “What the fuck was that?” I snap.
“Just forget it. He said yes, so we have to do this now. You go to the graveyard, and your father and I will meet you there.” Before I can ask her more, she quickly spins around and disappears back into his room. I should follow her and demand answers from my father, but I don’t want to jeopardize our initiation while Dominic is detained. Who knows how long they’ll be able to hold him?
I take the stairs two at a time, slam the door to the garage so hard it shakes, then slide into my black Ferrari 812 GTS. Reversing out of the garage, then switching gears, I rev the engine and speed down my driveway, using voice commands to get my phone to call Gage.
“Is it done?” he asks by way of greeting .
“No, hello, or how’s your day, sweetie?” He grunts and I laugh. “I’d like a warm welcome before you fuck me, brother.”
“Just answer the fucking question,” he snaps, and I scoff. Someone isn’t in the mood for a little banter.
“Yes, I’m on my way, and they will meet us at the graveyard. You guys there?”
“See you soon,” he says, then hangs up. Fucking grumpy asshole.
Turning up the stereo, “Bad Things” by I Prevail fills the car, and I tap against the steering wheel. Are we really going to take over leading The Brotherhood? Am I ready for this? I thought we’d have more time before this happened, but it feels right. It’s time for change.
I roll into the dirt parking lot next to Gage’s Range Rover twenty minutes later. Slamming my door shut, I follow the familiar, well-worn trail into the forest that leads to the graveyard. Here, in this sacred ground, all members of The Brotherhood find their final resting place, regardless of their rank or role. This is our private estate, where all significant meetings are held.
The imposing wrought-iron gates tower above me, and my hand hesitates on the handle. This is the moment—once I step inside, a new chapter begins. A new era. And I’m fucking ready for this.
I steel myself, then cross the threshold into the graveyard.
Gage and Hazen are already waiting outside the famous arched entryway of the tomb of our great, great, great grandfathers, who created The Brotherhood. They look over us now and will be part of the initiation.
“Can you believe this day is finally here?” Hazen says as he heads through the archway, with Gage by his side and me fol lowing closely. As we move further into the tomb, the darkness becomes suffocating, wrapping around us like a thick blanket.
“It feels like I’ve waited my whole life for this moment,” Gage says, flicking his lighter and lighting the candles in the sconces one by one, so we can see where we are going.
“Just didn’t think it would be like this. With my father in jail and everything a mess,” Hazen says.
My phone rings, and I pull it out of my pocket, seeing Freya’s name.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, where’s the graveyard?” she asks in a hurry, and I give her the directions, then she hangs up without saying goodbye. I frown, shoving my phone back into my pocket. I hope she’s okay. It’s not tradition for people outside of our families to watch the initiation but fuck the rules, I want her by my side on the biggest moment of my life.
The tomb opens up into a large area, the air heavy with the scent of aged stone and candle wax. Rows and rows of headstones stretch out before me, each one a solemn reminder of the important members of The Brotherhood who rest here. Nestled in the middle, an imposing gravestone pays tribute to the legendary founding fathers: Nicolas Ledger, Herold Hendrix, and Julius Fox. The entire area is blanketed in moss, and three skulls are perched on top as if they are staring directly at us. Fucking creepy, but cool.
We carefully traverse the space and stop in front of the center gravestone. Gage drops some twigs and logs into the fire pit that lies in front of the skulls. With a flick of the fire starter, Hazen directs sparks onto the kindling and the fire takes hold, marking the start of the ceremony.
For years, we’ve immersed ourselves in the stories of the initia tions, delving into the rich history of our ancestors and the sacred ritual. Now standing here, on the threshold of going through it, everything feels surreal.
The flames of the fire flicker and sway, casting eerie shadows on the walls of the tomb. I pull my hood up to cover my head as Gage takes out the branding iron and places it into the fire. I fist my hands to mask the tremor that runs through them. Fuck, this is really happening.
The sound of hushed voices precedes my parents’ arrival, then they enter the chamber and make their way over to us.
My mother pulls me in for a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you,” she whispers into my ear.
She releases her grip, and my father shakes my hand, then he limps over to the gravestone.
“Welcome, sons, to your initiation,” my father yells, his voice echoing off the walls and it’s the strongest his voice has sounded in weeks. “It’s your time to take over the reins, to sacrifice yourselves to the founding fathers and rule over The Daring Brotherhood.”
He lets go of his walking stick, handing it off to Mom, then he places both hands on the gravestone and bows his head. He murmurs something that I can’t fully comprehend before approaching me and standing in front of me.
I lower my head, the hood concealing my face, and stretch out my hands. He takes them in his.
“Do you, Lucas Julius Fox, vow your life and the life of your brothers to The Daring Brotherhood until your dying breath?”
“I do,” I say without any hesitation.
I signed my life away to them when I was first initiated in all those years ago. This is my life, and nothing stands in the way of The Brotherhood. Freya’s face appears in my mind, and it kills me, but that applies to even her. She’s one of us, and I love her like I do my brothers, but they and The Brotherhood will always come first. I’ve signed away my heart, soul, and spirit. She has part of me, but not everything. It’s just the way it is. The Brotherhood is my life.
“Do you agree to lead The Daring Brotherhood in the path of justice and be the voice of our people?”
“I do.”
“So be it,” my father whispers, letting go of my hands.
I take off my hoodie and T-shirt, placing them next to me. My nipples harden as the cool air gently brushes against my skin. When my father steps aside, I am fully aware of the next move to make.
I carefully stand on the gravestone of our ancestors and lie on their skulls, feeling their sharp edges against my back, yet I remain still. The fire comes close to my legs but doesn’t quite touch them. The sound of metal hitting the fire pit is painfully loud in my ears. Beads of sweat trickle down my forehead and back, and the real pain hasn’t even started. Fuck.
With the branding iron in his hands, my father leans over me. Chanting softly, he gradually lowers it.
“Fathers of The Daring Brotherhood, open your arms and welcome in your new leader.” He pauses as the hot iron sears my stomach and I bite down hard on my molars, holding in the screams. The smell of burning flesh fills the air. “Lucas Julius Fox!” my father’s voice booms, and loud clapping and cheers fill the cavern.
“And so be it,” my father finishes, taking my hand. He helps me off the tombstone and brings me into his waiting arms. He allows our heads to rest together briefly, then withdraws.
I lower my eyes to the engraved marks above my heart. The letters DB that I got when we were first initiated in are there, but now, down my stomach is the symbol only the leaders wear. At the top of an hourglass are the words Daring Brotherhood , with three skulls inside.
I raise my gaze, locking eyes with my brothers, and we become united.