Chapter Twenty-Five
TOREN
She sits there with her mouth slightly ajar and her gaze focused directly at me. “What did you tell him?” I push in a clipped tone.
She shakes her head. “Nothing. I told you, I gave him updates on how you were doing and that’s it, I swear.
” She implores me with her eyes to believe her.
“I had no idea he was crooked, Toren. I swear on my life. When he came to me he offered to get me out and I jumped at the chance, but the night he took me to the beach, he told me he wanted updates about you but never directly said about what.”
I mull over her words for a minute before I nod.
“Over a year ago, there was an accident as you all know. Everything started from there. I just didn’t know it until I was released from Walter House after my year of banishment so my father could keep his reputation intact.
Once I got home, I was dropped into enemy territory and Xaden took me in.
He may not have lied to me but he sure as fuck manipulated me.
” I subconsciously place my hand over my stomach, which makes Harper squawk drawing my attention to her.
“Are you pregnant?” she yells, making me cringe.
I spy Carnage stiffening out of the corner of my eye. “I guess there isn’t any point in hiding anymore,” I mutter. Harper squeals and claps her hands like a damn sea lion.
“I’ve always wanted to be an aunt!”
I stare at her like she’s crazy. “I’m nineteen, Harper, and pregnant to the guy who wants to murder me and eradicate my family.
Please save the applause until after I survive the impending war!
” The happiness vanishes from her face and I feel a pang of guilt, but I can’t get caught up in the feeling of new life growing inside me when my future is so uncertain.
I wish I could have confided in her about the pregnancy sooner but I never had the chance.
She was with Cas and I was trying to gather the help I needed to fight this war.
I didn’t want anyone to know. The more people that know, the greater the chance that Xaden would find out. Too late for that now.
“You’re having his kid?” Carn’s tone is tense.
I look over at him and nod. “Yeah,” I whisper.
He purses his lips and nods. “He know?”
A whoosh of air escapes. “Yeah, he found out at the rink before he… before… he…” I clamp my mouth closed, unable to finish the sentence.
Pain lances through me. When I close my eyes, all I can see is Kellan’s face and the vacant look in his eyes as he stared up at me.
I shiver and shake away the feeling, forcing those horrible images out of my mind as I focus back on the task at hand. “He knows,” I state.
“And?” Vat hedges.
I shrug. “He denied it as his and doesn’t care.” I hate that I can hear the hurt in my own voice.
“What else?” Omen barks, bringing me back on track.
“The night I escaped… well, I actually had help,” I admit.
“Caspian,” Harper breathes out.
“Yes,” I answer, feeling guilty for betraying him by telling these guys.
“He got me out. Before I could escape Kellan was there. He knocked me out. Long story short, I woke up on the ride to Walter House. We fought and he told me the truth.” Tears burn the backs of my eyes as I fight to keep my emotions in check.
“I thought the worst of him. Don’t get me wrong, he behaved like a total asshole and hurt me but he was…
good. In his own way he was trying to help me and I had no fucking idea.
I treated him so badly.” Tears roll down my cheeks as guilt consumes me.
Carnage wraps an arm around my shoulders and draws me into his side, offering me comfort. I melt into him.
“I got you, Tor.” His reassurance means more than he will ever know.
“He told me what he was up to and it all made sense.”
“What did he tell you exactly?” Halo presses.
I swallow and force myself to breathe as what I’m about to tell them is going to shake the foundation of their worlds. I’m going to make them rethink their trust in me and question if they should even be here helping me.
“Kellan gave me files on all of you the night he dropped me at Walter House.” The four brothers in front of me stiffen.
Carnage remains relaxed beside me but I can see the pinched expression on his face and know he is trying to remain calm.
I know that these guys have worked their asses off to keep their identity a secret and even their boss flies under the radar.
There is not a single picture of them or Alex on the internet and I learned from Halo’s file that it’s because of him.
He makes sure their faces are never seen or pictures of them that were taken are wiped.
I can see it in their expression that they are wondering how the fuck he got files on them to begin with.
“Why?” Pope pushes in a clipped tone.
“He also gave me files on Xaden, Lorenzo, Caspian, his own father as well as my own, and my brother. He wanted me to know exactly who I was dealing with before I made my decision.”
“And what decision is that exactly?” Omen grits out in a cold tone.
I brace myself for their outrage as I answer.
“To help take down the Devlin Cosa Nostra and Kellar Cartel by garnering intel the CIA needed to take them down and grant him and someone else immunity.” Carnage grows tense beside me and the four in front of me look murderous.
I don’t blame them, I knew if they learned the truth they would be furious.
“Toren!” I ignore Harper as I push on.
“Kellan never told me who his handler was or anything like that. All I knew was that the CIA wanted intel and that Kellan wasn’t to trust the local police or any FBI agent because they are all dirty and on one of their payrolls.
I didn’t want to believe it but Meekan knew where Walter House was, and that can only mean he is working with my father,” I add.
“Why does he get immunity and not you?”
I nibble on my bottom lip and debate how to answer Halo. I could lie and try to hide my true intentions but I’m sick to death of all the secrets and half truths, so I decide to be honest.
“His deal included immunity for me but I refused it.”
“Why?” Carn pushes.
I turn and look him directly in the eyes as I answer.
“Because when I cut off the head of both those snakes I want to be the one who takes their place.” Harper gasps behind me and I hear the others inhale sharply, but I don’t look away from Carn.
I need to see his reaction. I need to know if my friend will judge me for my choice.
“Vivian told me if you cut off the head of a snake you need to replace it. I’m choosing me as the replacement.
I want what is best for both towns and I want to repair the damage mine and Xaden’s father’s have done. ”
I didn’t want any of this. I wanted to run and be free of it all and raise my child in a safe place, but I see now I can never have that life.
I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing I turned my back on these towns.
The residents may hate me and treat me like shit, but I don’t blame them.
They don’t know the truth about that night but I plan to make sure everyone does when the time is right.
Carnage’s eyes soften. “This is the mafia, Tor. There is no repairing what they have done. The damage is blood deep and the people of these towns crave it. Some may hide it better than others but they all want the same thing. Power. Money. Control. What you want will get you killed. You need to be bloodthirsty and hungry. You may be those things right now, but when your war against your family has ended, so will your anger.”
“No.” I shake my head denying his assumption. “I’m going after the Devlin Cosa Nostra,” I state.
He smiles sadly. “You can end them and take them all out but you will never be done with the Devlin Cosa Nostra, Tor. You carry the heir to his family inside you and as long as there is a Devlin out there, those who are loyal to him will come for your kid and place it back on the throne its father once sat. Blood means everything is this life. You can take out your father and Masen but whether you like it or not, you are a Kellar and you will be forced to become the head of your family. The only way out of this life is in a pine box.”
His words wash over me like a bucket of ice water.
My heart is thumping so fast and my airways seem restricted.
The walls feel like they are closing in on me.
I’m trapped. I have no way out. I thought helping Kellan meant I do the right thing and help, but I was a fucking idiot.
I can’t do this. I can’t kill and sell drugs.
“Tate may have convinced Alex to allow it to appear like you own real estate in Hollow Hills, but none of that will matter unless you can convince your father and Xaden to be in the same room. You aren’t even a contender in this war yet.
You are just a puppet either side is using to bait the other.
If you really want to fight this fight and take out the head of your family, becoming the queen of the cartel, you need to start thinking like one and make boss moves.
” I stare at Halo with my mouth slightly ajar as everything he is saying makes perfect sense.
“How do I do that?” I ask.
All five of them and even bloody Harper stare at me with cunning gleams in their eyes and a wicked smirk on each of their faces.
“First, we call Alex and tell him the truth about everything.” I cringe but Omen doesn’t stop talking. “Then, we teach you how to manipulate both sides and start taking from them.”
“Take what exactly?” I ask in a worried tone.
“The fastest way to get a reaction is to go after their money,” Vatican states.
“Before you ask how,” Pope interjects before I can ask that very question. “We cut off your father’s supply of narcotics at the same time we cut Devlin’s supply of guns and ammunition.”
“When they figure out that it wasn’t each other who fucked them over, they will go hunting for the person who dared to fuck with them,” Carnage adds.
“Me?” I breathe out, making my friend smile and nod.
“Yes. We keep acting the same, you go to school every day and act normal. But when the time comes for us to make our move, we will be back in Hollow, waiting for them to come to us and that’s when we show them that you are the one in power and not someone to be fucked with.
” Elation fills me and hope begins to unfurl inside me that maybe, just fucking maybe, I might be able to pull this off.
“That all sounds great and everything but…” We all turn to look over at Harper.
“If Kellan was working with the CIA and is no longer… present.” She shoots me a sympathetic look before carrying on.
“Won’t his handler come looking for him, which in turn means more heat on all three towns that we don’t need. ”
“We have his phone.” I balk at Halo who just shrugs. “I lifted it from him at the rink. It will take me some time to crack the code on the phone but when I do, I’ll go through his call logs and texts and find out who was running him.”
Let the game of cat and mouse begin.