Page 28 of Deadly Little Games

We spend the rest of the night looking for Alec, but no one has seen him. Hazen drops me back at my place in the early hours of the morning.

I reach my door and Hazen clears his throat. I turn around, and he rubs the back of his neck. He opens his mouth, then closes it again.

“I do remember you,” he whispers, and my heart breaks in two. “As if I could forget you.”

“Have you ever thought you could have saved me, too?” I ask the question that’s been on my lips since we left that house. Part of me doesn’t want to know, but the other part desperately does.

Hazen steps forward and I step back, hitting my trailer. He cages me in, eyes never leaving mine. “Every fucking day. It’s my only regret not saving her.” His chest rises and falls. “And you.”

I swallow hard, a tear falling down my cheek. Hazen reaches out, catching it with his thumb and pressing it against my lip. I take his thumb in my mouth, licking off the saltiness. He groans, closing the distance between us. His lips press against mine slowly, then he forces his tongue inside, and a flush of warmth spreads through my body. I grip onto his shirt, deepening the kiss and a low noiserumbles in his chest, causing my underwear to soak. I need to stop. I can’t do this. I pull away breathlessly and he takes a few steps back.

He opens his mouth, but I shake my head—I don’t want to talk about this. I spin around and slowly close the trailer door without saying goodbye. I lock the door and collapse against it, leaning back with a sigh.

Alec is missing. Hazen confuses the fuck out of me. And my head is about to explode.

The house is dark and quiet. My mother is nowhere to be seen, and part of me is grateful that I don’t have to put up with any more shit tonight. I just want to go to bed and forget.

Pushing off the door, I head down the small hallway toward my bedroom. My door is slightly ajar and the hair on the back of my neck sticks up. I clearly remember shutting my door when I left earlier; I always keep it closed.

With a kick from my foot, I open the door, flick on the light, and step further inside. Nothing’s changed since I left. Clothes are still all over my bed and the floor. A light floral perfume fills the air, and my breathing picks up. Someone’s been in here. I quickly check my cupboards, but there’s no one here. I remove my shoes, turn off the light, and settle warily onto my bed. Placing my phone on the table next to my nightstand, I tap the screen, and it brightens enough to illuminate the room.

My phone vibrates, startling me, and I grab it within a second. My heart rate skyrockets as I see a text message from Alec.

Freya, I’m so sorry I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye. You were right. I shouldn’t have started working with them. I shouldn’t have gone near their drugs. We both know the damage they can do. I’m so sorry, but I’ve left without you tostart fresh before college starts. I’ll message you when it’s all good for you and Mom to come. See you soon.

I read over his message again and again, trying to piece together the puzzle.

He left without me? Without us? This doesn’t make any sense. We were meant to go together. That was the whole plan—the reason he didn’t just up and leave when he first got accepted over a year ago.

Part of me is relieved that he’s gone, and he’s safe, but the other half is pissed off and skeptical as hell.

He left without me. Now I’m stuck in this town for who knows how long. My brother is gone. And the only person who seems to care is the most dangerous member of The Brotherhood.

Chapter Fourteen

Freya

The front door slams shut, and I jump up from my bed, looking frantically around my room, expecting someone to be there... but it’s empty. Picking up my phone, I check the screen, and it’s six in the morning. What the fuck?

Banging comes from the kitchen, and I throw my head back with a sigh. Cupboard doors open and close, followed by cursing. I follow the noise down the hall, the sound growing louder with each step until I finally reach the kitchen. With a wide grin stretching across her face, Mom grabs a frying pan and gleefully spins in circles.

I lean back against the fridge, observing her as she fumbles around, searching for something. Eventually, she finds a bottle of pancake mix in a shopping bag. She sings to herself and moves her hips as though she’s dancing to a beat inside her head.

She’s high as a kite, but I don’t mind when she’s like this, when she comes home with food and cooks for us. It’s a rare occasion, those happy highs. It’s better than experiencing her hiding in the cupboard, afraidsomeone is coming to get her and kill her. The paranoia takes her over, and she takes it out on me, on us.

As she turns around, her face lights up with recognition when she finally notices me standing there. A scream escapes her lips before her hand instinctively lands on her heart.

“Fucking hell, Frey, do you want to give me a heart attack?” Her expression quickly shifts from a scowl to a smile in a matter of seconds. I let go of the breath I was holding.

“Pancakes?” she asks, flicking around the spatula in her hand. I smile and nod as she puts the pan on the stove and gets it heating up.

“Did you see Alec earlier tonight?” I ask, moving over to the cupboard. I get out a cup and start filling it with water from the sink.

She continues singing while slipping in beside me to add some water from the tap into the pancake mix bottle. She puts the lid on and gives it a shake before she replies. “I don’t think so. I’ve been in and out.”

“He’s gone,” I say, taking a sip from the cup.

She laughs. “Don’t be silly, he’ll be back soon.”

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