Deadly Little Hearts (The Daring Brotherhood #2)

1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Lucas

F reya reaches out to me, her face a mixture of pain and worry.

I stumble backward, my foot hitting something, and I fall to the ground.

My heart rips in two, and it’s all her fault.

She did this—the only person I’ve ever let in.

The woman I’m falling for.

She killed my mother.

She pointed the gun at her chest and pulled the trigger.

All for what?

Revenge for her brother’s death?

But is killing my mom going to bring Alec back?

No.

My chest aches, and I want to rip my heart out.

I’ve watched Hazen and Gage seek revenge on people countless times, but I’m more of a free love kinda guy.

And if she really loved me, how could she kill my mom?

How could she make me an orphan?

Do I believe my mother killed Alec LeClair?

Yes.

Did I believe my father when he said Alec was his son?

Fuck.

It hurt to find out that Freya and I shared a brother I knew nothing about.

I have so many questions that I won’t ever get answers to.

Maybe my mother made some mistakes when I was younger.

She did everything my father ordered.

She helped create the man I am today—someone who sold himself to The Brotherhood, a soldier.

But she only did it because she wanted me to make the best out of my situation, to become someone that people respected.

She was always someone I could count on, and maybe we didn’t have the traditional mother-son relationship, but in our world, having someone believe in your worth felt a lot like love.

I lost my father and mother tonight as I became a leader of The Daring Brotherhood.

It’s a night to go down in history, when I became one with my brothers Hazen and Gage.

Signing away my body, soul, and spirit.

“Lucas!” Freya calls to me again.

I harden my gaze and stare at the dead leaves beneath me on the ground.

What a shit show.

I can’t even look at her.

I need to go.

I need—fuck, I have no idea, but I have to do something to take away this pain inside.

I push to my feet, and without looking back, I walk away, my footsteps crunching against the gravel underfoot.

“Take her back to my place and clean up,” Gage says from somewhere behind me, and I stop just through the archway, spinning back around.

“The fuck?” I snap.

“What?” Gage asks.

“I don’t want to be anywhere near her. Send her back over the tracks. That’s where she belongs,” I say, watching as Freya’s face morphs into an expression of torment.

Her lip trembles and her beautiful ocean-blue eyes water.

Fuck, I can’t be around her.

I can’t let her bring me back in.

Hazen shakes his head.

“Lucas, don’t—”

“Don’t what?” I say, raising my voice.

“She killed a family member of The Brotherhood. I should be pulling her heart out of her chest for this!” Just like she’s ripped mine out , I want to add, but I don’t.

Freya pushes herself to her feet.

“I didn’t mean—”

“Just fuck off, you good-for-nothing gutter rat.” The words ring through the tomb, echoing off the countless graves and right back at us, sounding nothing like me.

I catch a silent tear tracking down her cheek.

Part of me wants to comfort her, to hold each other until the pain subsides, but the other part doesn’t want to be anywhere near her.

My father was right about one thing—girls are mere distractions and will use you, then dump your ass, taking you for everything you’re worth.

He said to never let them in.

Well, it’s too fucking late for that.

She’s already within me, her fingers clawed around my heart, and now she’s pulled it clean out.

The air around me closes in and I can’t breathe.

I need to escape.

My fists clench, and I hate myself for how I feel.

I hate that I want to reach out to bring her close.

No, she betrayed me.

She killed my family .

Even though my mother has done some terrible things, she always put me first, and to The Brotherhood, family is everything.

Fuck.

Family .

I’ll have to break the news to my little sister that both our parents are dead.

She’s been looked after by her nanny, but this will destroy her.

Does this mean I’m like her pseudo dad now?

Fuck!

I can’t deal with this.

I need some time to process.

Hazen is standing at the archway next to me.

He opens his mouth, then closes it.

“Gather all the members and meet at my place,” I say to him, then move through the archway.

“We’re getting drunk.” I push open the heavy doors, and they slam shut behind me.

Darkness surrounds me like a warm blanket.

The cool air wraps around my bare chest, and I stare down at the new mark branded there: the famous hourglass with the three skulls inside it, along with the words Daring Brotherhood .

I’m a motherfucking leader of The Brotherhood now.

Holy fucking shit.

But you don’t have a mother, or a father.

And the woman you thought you loved didn’t care for you enough to even blink before she pulled the trigger.

I want to drink a shitload and forget the pain, even for a moment.

To bury it all so far down that I won’t ever be able to feel it.

Hazen better follow my orders.

Freya better not come anywhere near me.

My backyard is filled with members of The Brotherhood— our Brotherhood.

Fuck.

I still can’t believe it.

That Gage, Hazen, and I are in charge of this now.

I’ve waited my whole life for this moment and now we have it at only twenty-three.

To watch as every single soldier looks up at me with respect, like they all want to kneel at my feet and take my cock into their mouth.

They probably would if I asked.

I scoff, bringing the bottle of vodka to my lips.

Fuck using a glass.

One less thing between me and drowning myself in liquor.

Music thumps out of the speakers.

My favorite band, Dead Glow, rocks away on the stage.

The beat of the drums echoes through my chest.

I can’t believe my boys managed to get them on such short notice, but fuck am I glad.

Nothing like live music, a party, and drugs to block out everything else.

Hazen and Gage come through the back door and my heart beats faster, waiting for her to appear, but she doesn’t.

Thank fuck they respected my word.

I need space from her—fuck, we all do.

We are now the kings.

All that responsibility lands with us, and yeah, I love the sound of that.

Tonight, we party and then tomorrow, we take the reins and rule this city.

Everything is about to change here in Daring.

The people over the tracks in Daringhood don’t know what’s coming, and I want to keep it that way.

Keep them on their toes because there are new leaders, and we aren’t messing around.

It’s time for change.

Hazen snatches the bottle from my hand and finishes the rest of it in three gulps before throwing it to the ground at our feet, where it rolls away on the grass.

“Thanks, asshole,” I spit out.

He reaches into his pocket and dangles a little bag of white powder in my face, and I forgive him, taking it.

I rarely indulge in our own supplies, opting for a clear head, but tonight is different.

I want to numb everything inside me until Freya’s betrayal is a distant memory.

Until all I can feel is pure ecstasy.

Hazen places a hand on my shoulder.

“You know she didn’t—”

I shake my head.

“Leave it. Tonight, we don’t talk about her or what happened back there. Tonight, we celebrate. Got it?”

“Crystal clear,” Hazen says, raising his hands and walking backward across my yard toward the bar set up in the corner, manned by a topless waitress.

Gage stays quiet beside me, and I’m thankful for it.

There’s no denying that I fell head over heels for Freya LeClair, and so did Hazen and Gage.

Although, I’m not sure that Gage will openly admit that yet.

I didn’t know what the future held for us with her by our side, but now it’s all fucked.

I don’t think we can come back from this.

Fuck.

Why can’t I stop thinking about her?

Taking the bag, I empty half the contents onto my wrist and inhale quickly.

The coke hits the back of my throat, and I throw my head back, then pour the rest out and shove my hand in Gage’s face.

“Fuck, no. I don’t get high on our own supply,” he snaps, and I laugh more to myself than him.

“Your loss,” I say, before finishing the rest of the cocaine and shoving the bag into the pocket of my jeans.

“What are we going to do about Dominic?” Gage asks.

I run a hand over my face.

“No business tonight, for fuck’s sake. Let your hair down for once. We are the kings now,” I say, and a smile plays on Gage’s mouth.

Reaching out, I put my arm around his shoulders and pull him closer.

He struggles against my hold, laughing, but I maintain the headlock.

“Fuck off,” he growls, and I let go, shoving his chest.

He stumbles back, glaring at me but grinning at the same time.

I spin around and move into the crowd of our soldiers gathered near the stage.

They close in around me, hands pulling and shoving me in every direction.

I allow it, moving to the front of the crowd.

The music pulses through my body, and fuck, it feels good.

The bass is so powerful, it’s like the entire ground is trembling beneath me.

This is exactly what I want—a night to forget, and then tomorrow I will deal.

One thing I do know?

Freya LeClair is dead to me.