Page 163 of Love Me

I raise my fist, and Blake says, “I don’t want to fight.”

“You don’t want to fight, asshole?”

I push at his chest again and Hunter says, “Tell us everything.”

“All I did was make sure you wouldn’t be on their radar. All of you with your tough bullshit going against the Family as if you had a chance. I’m surprised they didn’t find out about the money we’ve been funneling from them, but that’s likely because the hacker is brilliant. And even if we faked our damn deaths, they would have found us. They have watched us twenty-four-seven because, except for Bailey and Celine, the three of us are fucking chipped. I had to buy us more time by any means necessary.”

I am in his face when Dane drags me from him. I have never had such a murderous energy coursing through me.

“Sugarcoating betrayal, asshole?”

Blake stiffens. “You wanted out, but none of you would like what I had to do. So stop fucking looking at me as if I am a traitor. We have had the same end goal. My tactic was just different.”

Abi crosses her arms over her chest, sending him an icy glare.

Hunter says, “If something happens to Celine, you can enjoy eternal freedom.”

“She knew. It was her choice.”

“You knew she would,” I scream in his face, fisting his collar.

“Celine was the piece we were missing. Fuck, man. I know you love her. She is family to me too. Now, let me fucking explain how things will go, so we can get her back.”

“Back doesn’t mean she’ll be the same,” Abi says, her eyes fixed on a spot on the wall, the ghosts of the past making an appearance.

“How long has she been there?”

Please, let it be under one hour. I can deal with a lot of shit, but not this.

“Eight hours.”

I roar and pound into him, yet he doesn’t even flinch.

“I’ll never fucking forgive you for this.”

He eyes me pointedly, wiping the blood from the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand. “She’ll handle this. You won’t lose her. I swear.”

I yank at the ends of my hair. “You didn’t go through the initiation, did you? You don’t know shit.”

Blake squints at me, a rare emotion flashing in his eyes. “You have no clue what I did or didn’t do. How fucking far I went to protect you!”

Abi shoves at his chest. “You’re not only a traitor, you’re a fucking liar and a coward.”

“Whatever. Do you prefer to rip me a new one, or should we fucking stop losing time and make sure no one gets killed tonight?”

“We had a plan,” I shout, curling and uncurling my hands at my sides.

“And that fucking plan wouldn’t have worked.”

Mia approaches Blake and asks, “What was in the letter?”

“What letter?” he asks, and Mia smiles.

Is everyone going crazy?

“Just so you know, Celine always has a Plan B. Don’t think she went in there without one. You’re right. She’s strong, but there’s more, isn’t it?”

Blake looks her straight in the eyes. “Her mother.”

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