Page 26 of Deadly Little Games

“What was that about?” Freya asks, standing and stepping back, creating some distance between us.

I swallow hard, running my hands over my face. “It’s best you don’t know,” I say, pulling myself up and off the ground, unaware of how I even ended up there. “It’s as you said. I did this.”

She frowns, and before she can ask any more questions, I take one last look at the cupboard door and then leave.

I never found out what happened to the boy in the cupboard, but that’s the hope I’ve held onto for the rest of my life. That at least he got out.

I saved one of them.

Chapter Thirteen

Freya

Without looking back, he walks away while I remain motionless. He’s right—The Brotherhood did do this, but the look in his eyes and the way he broke down tells me he didn’t want to. Whatever happened here wasn’t his choice.

Hazen Hendrix is the devil. Those stories we told each other at sleepovers, the ones that turned into nightmares about being taken and killed—they were about Hazen, lead enforcer of The Brotherhood. However, all that fearlessness I see in his eyes was gone moments ago, replaced by a haunted look. I saw a different person, someone whose eyes reflected kindness and compassion. He regrets some of the shitty things he’s done.

I never knew the people who were here before; it’s been empty for as long as I can remember. There was talk about a family that used to live here. Their bodies were found hanging over the fence near the railway tracks as a lesson to everyone. If you went against The Brotherhood, if you didn’t pay your dues, you died. In my youth, I brushed it offas a rumor, but as I grew older, I realized there was truth to it.

I head back outside and find the shadow of Hazen’s figure leaning back against a tree a couple of houses down. As I make my way over, the flickering flame of his lighter casts an eerie glow on his face. With a slow, deliberate motion, he brings the joint to his lips and takes a long, satisfying drag before passing it to me once more. This time I accept, needing something to take the edge off.

I feel a burn in my throat as the smoke hits me and I sink down. We stay in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, looking out into the street. The party is still going strong at the house down the way, the thumping bass reverberating through the air.

“When I was ten, we raided that house,” Hazen says, and I freeze, joint midair. My heart races, pounding against my chest. Hazen’s eyes are cast down, and I can see the weariness etched on his face as he runs a hand over it. My heart breaks for him. He looks broken, his shoulders slumped and his eyes vacant. Even though I know what he did was wrong, I can’t help but feel sorry for him.

He stays silent for a few more minutes, and I don’t know if I should ask more.

“I killed her. She was my age, and she’s dead because of me.” He chokes back a sob, and I find myself moving closer to him until I’ve pivoted to face him. His body slumps as he leans back against the tree. “I’ve never thought about this before, but how different would my life have been if I didn’t kill her?”

Time slows down and everything disappears, leaving just us. I reach out, tracing my finger along the contours of his jaw, then I gently tilt his head to meet my gaze. His eyes,once as blue as the ocean, now take on a darker hue, churning like a brewing storm.

He embraces me, wrapping his arms around my back, and draws me closer until our bodies make contact. I rest my head against his chest. His heart races, thumping against my ear with increasing intensity. With one hand, he supports my head, while his other hand gently rests on my lower back.

“It was my first kill, and he made me pull the trigger,” he breathes out, and tears I never knew I had well up behind my eyes. I know exactly who he’s talking about, and anger cuts through the sadness like a knife, stopping the tears from falling.

“I’ve killed hundreds since without a second thought. I’m a killing machine, just like he made me. But this one still haunts me.”

I tremble, and Hazen wraps his arms around me tightly.

“I hate him,” I whisper into Hazen’s chest, more to myself than him. I hate his father more than anyone in the world. He ruined my family and our life.

I lean back, looking up and into his eyes. He firmly grasps my shoulders, his touch sending a shiver down my spine.

“Do you remember me from when we were younger?” I ask the one question that’s been on the back of my tongue from the moment I saw him again.

The slight frown on his face and the way he tilts his head to the side tells me everything I need to know. Pushing against his chest, I manage to pry myself out of his tight embrace.

How could he forget? How could he honestly not remember the day they changed my life forever?

Freya - Ten Years Old

The place we once called home is now a mere memory, erased without explanation. Mom refuses to shed light on its disappearance or the fate of the money, but I can’t help but speculate. She’s been getting worse lately, and I don’t know how much longer we can put up with it. Alec’s been disappearing more with The Brotherhood and coming back with money, but it’s never enough. He’s only eleven—he shouldn’t have to, but Mom doesn’t care. She only cares about one thing, and that’s supporting her habit.

I’m walking down the Hendrixes’ hallway, trying to find Mom. She’s been gone for ages and we need to pick up Alec.My attention is drawn to movement coming from Dominic’s bedroom door, so I step closer. My chest tightens as I watch my mom moving around their room with a sense of purpose.

“Mom, come on, get out of there. Please, you can’t do this. What if he catches us?” I beg, reaching out for her hands, but she swats me away. Snarling at me like a dog would at someone it hates.

Stumbling backward, my heart races as I catch sight of her distant, wide-eyed gaze. She’s on that stuff again. I wish she never touched it. I don’t like her when she’s like this, which is every day lately. That blonde who dresses so nicely is always with her, supplying her with more. I just want my mother back—we both do. Alec’s been helping when he can, but he’s always disappearing with members of The Brotherhood, and when he’s back he doesn’t tell me much.

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