38. Chapter 38
Chapter 38
Gage
W e’ve gathered fifty of our old and the best of the newest recruits.
Now, we’re grabbing the last of our weapons.
With the last shipment being low, thanks to Dominic, we don’t have what we need.
“Get the transport ready, and I’ll get Freya and Mia,” I say, grabbing my phone and keys from the office table.
“Freya shouldn’t come, it’s too dangerous,” Hazen says.
I shake my head.
“You know our girl. She won’t let us leave without her. We need her with us, to know she’s safe.”
He releases a loud exhale.
“Fine. Meet you out front in ten.”
I leave, moving out of the office, then through the training center, keeping my head down, staring at my boots.
I’m worried about Lucas, and the longer it takes us to sort this mess out, the more my chest constricts.
We need to make sure we have enough manpower to confront Dominic, just in case he did anything reckless.
He’s unpredictable, and we can’t afford any more losses.
Stepping back inside Hazen’s house, I take the stairs two at a time and storm down the hallway.
The door to Freya’s room is open.
I take one step inside and my heart sinks.
Where the fuck is she?
I move through the room and into the bathroom, but it’s empty.
There’s a knock on the door, and one of the new guards clears his throat.
“Where the fuck are the girls?” I ask.
He frowns.
“Freya and Mia left about twenty minutes ago. They said you approved it.”
“They what?!” I yell, and his face pales.
Of fucking course she left.
Fuck me, this girl.
“Where?” I ask, barging past him, and he shakes his head.
I raise my gun and pull the trigger.
As he falls to the ground, I storm past him.
Fucking useless.
The front door opens and slams shut.
I run down the hallway and stop at the top of the stairs.
Mia’s standing on the landing, her face red, eyes wild.
I’m down the stairs and off the bottom step in seconds.
I reach her, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her.
Hazen comes through the door, his gaze moving between us.
“Where’s Freya?” I ask Mia.
She shakes her head, her brow furrowing.
My grip tightens, and she winces, but I can’t pull away.
If anything’s happened to Freya, I’m going to kill the motherfucker who caused her pain.
“He’s got Freya,” Mia sobs, and I’m frozen, unable to move or breathe.
Everything turns dark, and I can’t see straight.
Mia’s face blurs.
“You have to come. I managed to escape, but we don’t have much time.”
A hand lands on my arm, and it takes a moment for my vision to come back into focus.
I release Mia, and she stumbles backward before spinning around and running toward the door.
We follow her out and all pile into my car.
My foot hits the gas.
The security gate opens just in time for us to fly through.
I’m not stopping for anyone.
My girl is in trouble, and if anyone walks in front of the car, I’ll run them over without remorse.
My fingers grip the steering wheel so tightly it feels like I might be able to rip it off.
I pull the car to a stop a few houses back from where Dominic is holed up, my tires screeching.
I’m out the door, running after Mia and Hazen.
The smell of burned rubber fills the air.
“Where is she?” I ask, and Mia stops at the house next door.
I want to scream at her for coming here with Freya alone, but now isn’t the time.
There are at least a dozen guards patrolling Freya’s old house, and I recognize most of them; they are members of our Brotherhood.
What the actual fuck?
I should just pull out my gun now and shoot them because they are dead to us anyway.
You betray your brothers, you pay with your life.
“We have to go through the secret passage. Dominic uses the old underground passages that connect Daringhood and the Ville. I’ve used this one to escape a few times,” Mia says, moving onto the porch of the house next door.
“Do we need backup?” I ask as we step into the house.
Mia looks over her shoulder, scrunching up her nose.
“You guys can’t handle a little trouble?”
“You know we can, but I still think we should alert someone. Message Ronald and tell him Freya’s been kidnapped and to send out the men,” I say to Hazen, and he nods.
I pull out my own phone as we follow Mia deeper into the house and tap out a message to Amirah.
Me: Freya’s been kidnapped.
Be on alert.
Don’t do anything stupid or reckless.
Stay put.
I hope to fuck Amirah listens for once.
I can’t lose her or Freya.
It’s not an option.
We follow Mia down a flight of stairs into a dark basement, the stairs creaking under every step.
Hazen flicks the light on, and there’s nothing in here, apart from a little door in the middle of the wall straight ahead.
If Mia fucks with us now, I’ll lose my mind.
The stale, musty air clings to my nose the longer we stay down here.
Mia stops in front of the wooden trapdoor.
She opens it, and I peer inside.
There’s nothing but darkness ahead.
“Give me one good reason to trust you,” I demand.
Mia snorts.
“You’re giving me exactly what I want—more power. So why would I fuck that up?”
She’s right, but still, I don’t trust her.
“You first,” I say, and Mia shrugs, kneeling and crawling through the hole.
I wait a couple of seconds before following her in.
Hazen comes in behind me, leaving the door open.
I shine my phone light ahead while my knees and hands sink into the hard dirt.
The air closes in around me, and I want to get out of here as fast as we can.
It feels as though the walls are getting smaller, closer, like I’ve got nowhere to go.
If I die in here, I’ll be fucking pissed.
It’s no way to leave this world, in a closed-off dirt tunnel.
No way in hell.
Mia suddenly stops, and I bump into her ass.
“What the fuck? Give me some warning before I’m sniffing your butt,” I snap.
“Shut up,” Mia whispers.
“I’m about to open the door, and I don’t know what’ll await us on the other side.”
She twists the handle.
The door creaks before light fills the tunnel.
She sticks her head out and then opens the door fully, sliding out.
“Ready?” I ask Hazen, and he pushes my back without saying a word.
That’s a good enough answer for me.
I grab my gun from its pouch.
The cool metal rests in my palm, and I follow Mia out, exiting into an empty, brightly lit bedroom.
The floorboards creak under my feet.
“Where is she?” Hazen asks, moving toward the closed door.
“In the room next door. Follow my lead.” Mia brushes past Hazen and opens the door slowly.
She waves us through, and we move into a quiet corridor.
Voices carry from the front of the house, but no one seems to be back here.
I push past Mia and run to the next room.
The door is open, and anger rages through my blood.
Freya is tied to the chair behind the desk, her eyes wide and her mouth covered in tape.
Hazen moves quickly, reaching her before I do.
He starts untying the rope from her bound hands and legs.
She looks at me, her eyes wide, and I fall to my knees in front of her, my hand caressing her cheek.
She’s yelling something behind the tape.
I rip it off as gently as I can.
She licks her dry lips.
“It’s a trap!” she screams, and before I can find my feet, footsteps slap against the floorboards.
“Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to show up and rescue their little pet.” Dominic’s voice sounds like nails against a chalkboard.
I stand, pulling Freya up, trying to keep her behind me, but she rips herself free from my grasp and stands between me and Hazen.
Mia is gone.
Has she betrayed us, or did she get lucky and escape?
I don’t know, and right now, I don’t care—we have bigger issues at hand.
Four guards fill the room, and Dominic stands in the doorway.
With a smirk, he snaps his fingers together.
“Finish them!”
“Would you really order the murder of your own son?” Hazen asks, and Dominic steps inside the room, within reach of us.
“You’re still welcome to join me.” Dominic reaches out, landing a hand on Hazen’s shoulder.
When he winces, I fist my hands at my sides.
“Remember how things used to be, son, how we were a team.” Dominic pauses and releases a heavy breath.
“I’ve taught you so much—you need me.”
I scoff, and Dominic looks at me, the corner of his mouth lifting.
“That goes for you, too, Gage. You’re like a son to me. We can all lead together.”
“Not a chance,” I say, and Dominic steps back, putting some distance between us.
“Son?” Dominic looks back at Hazen, and he shakes his head.
“We may have a common enemy, but we won’t be giving up our leadership to a man who’s made so many shitty decisions,” Hazen says.
Dominic’s lip curls.
“You had your chance, and since you’re not leaving this house alive, I’ll admit to one last thing.” His gaze focuses on Freya.
“The town hall wasn’t the Hood’s doing—it was mine.”
Someone gasps and my ears ring.
Everything around me closes in.
I can’t breathe.
I can’t see straight.
He disappears through the door.
“Kill them!” he yells, before slamming the door shut.
Everything comes back to me, and we’re closed in the room with four guards.
“You really want to turn your back on The Brotherhood and work for him? Someone who took all those innocent lives?” Hazen says, taking a step forward and shoving his gun into its holster, raising his hands up in surrender.
He’s offering them a peace treaty.
Fuck that—they betrayed us the moment they traded sides and chose to work for him .
They don’t get a second chance in my books.
“He was our leader first,” one of the older guards says, and I recognize him.
He’s always been a soldier, never moving higher up the ranks.
“Wrong answer,” Hazen says, before he charges forward and chaos erupts.
I turn to Freya.
“Leave through the door at the first chance you get and run.”
She shakes her head.
“No. We fight together.”
I open my mouth to argue, but a fist lands against my cheek, knocking my head backward.
Ringing pierces my ears, and it takes me a second to get my bearings before I release havoc.
The only way we are getting out of here is by killing these dogs.