Page 18 of Deadly Little Games

“I’m sorry, Freya,” Alec says from behind me, and I shake my head. No amount of apologizing is going to fix this.

“We’ll talk tomorrow afternoon,” I say, pushing Hazen aside, and I stride back into the drug den.

Gage is blocking the exit, and Lucas looks bored with his phone in his hand where he sits on one of the tables.

I need to get out of here. As I approach the door, Gage stands in my way, running his fingers along his jaw as he watches me. With a deep exhale, I forcefully barge into him, causing him to move aside as I stumble into the hallway. Without warning, Gage, Hazen, and Lucas close in on me, trapping me in the hallway.

“You’re not going anywhere, Freya,” Gage growls in a gravelly voice, and my knees become weak.

“Yeah. Seems you owe us about a hundred grams of coke. How are you gonna pay for that?” Hazen asks, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ve got an idea,” Lucas counters with a wicked glint in his eye. Midnight deeds flash in my mind before I can stop them, and I blink them back because it doesn’t matter how attractive these three are—they’re trouble, and that’s the last thing I want.

Shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have flushed their product down the toilet.

No, fuck them and fuck the consequences.

“If your idea has anything to do with you shoving yourdick down my throat, forget it. I’d rather choke on a cactus than have your cock.”

Lucas laughs, running a finger down my cheek, then my neck. Goosebumps scatter over my arms and my belly tightens. “It didn’t seem that way earlier when I had you on my bed, ready to drop my head between your knees and?—”

“Enough,” Gage snaps, moving closer until his knees hit my thighs, and he wraps his hand around my throat.

My eyes widen and I stumble backward until my back slams into a wall. They all surround me. My underwear soaks and I hate myself for it. Why do I get so turned on when a guy wraps his hand around my throat? I have no fucking idea, but there’s just something between pain and lust that gets me off.

“You know we’ve gutted guys for less than this, right?” Gage says, tightening his grip and cutting off more of my air supply.

“Do it,” I say, my voice coming out all husky.

Gage’s eyes darken and Lucas kneels at my feet. He runs his hand up my leg, getting higher and higher. My breath hitches and Gage moves my head back to him. Hazen has a pocketknife in his hand, flicking it open and closed. Shit.

Lucas’s hand disappears up my dress until his fingers run over my soaking underwear. My eyes close for a second before I snap them back open.

“What the fuck is going on here?” someone yells, and Gage curses but doesn’t move. Not until my best friend Amirah pushes us apart. I gasp in several deep breaths, rubbing my sore throat. Fucking Gage.

“Thank God you’re here. Let’s go,” I say, moving toward her and grabbing her hand.

“What have I told you? Stay away from my friends,” Amirah says, glaring at her brother.

Gage laughs. “Hey, she came to me and caused problems. Like usual. Keep your girl on a leash from now on or you won’t see her again.”

A sudden chill sends a shiver cascading down my spine. There’s not a doubt in my mind that he can and will get rid of me if he wants to. They rule everything and everyone. You are stupid if you go up against them. Guess I’m the stupid bitch here.

Gage disappears back into the room, with Hazen and Lucas following closely behind him. Lucas throws me a wink and I shake my head.

“Don’t tell me you’re fucking my brother again?” Amirah asks, tugging me through the hall.

“Fuck no, you know that won’t happen again,” I say, shaking my head.

“Okay, then what the hell was that?” she asks with a sigh.

“I’ll fill you in later. I’ve gotta get out of here,” I say, pulling my hand out of hers and running down the remainder of the stairs.

Amirah yells something, but I don’t hear her over the ringing in my ears. I kick off my heels when I reach the front door and stumble out into the cool, crisp night.

I need to release this built-up tension and there’s only one way. Goosebumps scatter over my bare arms and I don’t think twice as I run to the edge of the cliff face that surrounds Lucas’s mansion. When I was a kid, I’d come here with Amirah, and the landscape feels familiar to me. Like coming home in some crazy fucked-up way, even though this place hasn’t felt like home for years.

Angry waves crash against the rocks and it’s like musicto my ears. Thunder booms from somewhere in the distance. The night sky lights up with a crack in the air. My heart pounds faster and faster. Don’t do it. Part of me screams, but the other part eggs me on.

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