Page 35 of Deadly Little Games

“He wouldn’t have that kind of money lying around. Besides, I can’t hurt my boss. Next?”

Gage huffs. “The bear we’re finding is bad. He’s raped and treats women like shit. You want to kill him. Trust me, Freya, you want this. Just wait and see.”

I have to do this. I have to do this for my brother.

Chapter Seventeen

Freya

I’ve never killed anyone before—or anything, for that matter. The thought of taking another life sickens me to my very core. Here I am, against my better judgment, in a car with three men I made a promise to keep away from. Three trained killers who are taking me to kill some stranger. All to clear my brother’s debt. But the only thing that matters is freeing my brother, so he can come home.

The moment I slide into the front seat of Gage’s car, my phone vibrates in my back pocket, breaking the silence. My heart pounds relentlessly in my chest. Each time my phone buzzes, I anxiously anticipate Alec’s name, only to be met with a wave of disappointment. This time is no different.

Mia - Have you heard from him?

I grimace down at the phone screen. I can’t deal with her now, and I should be the one asking her questions. She was in Dominic’s office looking way too comfortable on his couch. I don’t have time for her little mind games. I knew she was nothing but trouble when Alec first introduced meto her.

Shoving my phone back into my pocket, I stare down at the black gun between my feet. How many people has this gun killed before? What stories lie beneath the surface? A shiver works its way down my spine.

A hand lands on my shoulder and squeezes. Lucas shoves his head between the headrests. “You nervous, little thorn?” He leans in, pressing a light kiss to my cheek, and my stomach flutters.

I nod slightly, unable to form the words. Death doesn’t scare me; I’ve been around it enough in my life. But it’s never been at my hand.

Living in Daringhood, if you look hard enough, you’ll see violence everywhere. Every person you pass has a similar hardness to their features, borne of survival. They will do anything to survive, and that’s exactly why I’m here in this car and about to kill someone for the very first time.

Lucas forcefully grabs my jaw and turns my head toward him. His intense, light-brown eyes lock onto mine, seemingly delving into the depths of my mind, leaving nothing hidden. Everything around us fades into the background until it’s just us. My hands ache with the need to touch every part of him, to understand this pull toward him. I’ve never been interested in anyone, but there’s something different about Lucas Fox. I want him, and he wants me, too. His tongue flicks across his lips, and I want nothing more than for him to shove it down my throat.

The car jerks to the left, then right. My head collides with Lucas’s and pain explodes. My head throbs with a splitting headache and I squeeze my eyes shut.

“What the fuck, man?” Lucas growls, falling back into his seat and rubbing his head.

Gage meets my gaze, a smug look playing on his lips, and I resist the temptation to smack it away with my palm.

“Sorry, there was a rabbit on the road, and I didn’t want to hit it and mess up my baby,” he says, patting the dashboard, and I scoff.

“Bullshit,” I say under my breath. He knew exactly what he was doing. Gage has never been able to hide his jealousy well.

“Yeah, I agree. That’s total bullshit. Next time, warn a fucker before you do it. My head is fucking killing me,” Lucas says from the backseat before kicking his foot into the back of Gage’s chair.

We don’t say anything for the rest of the ride. Lucas stares daggers into the back of Gage’s headrest, and Gage taps his steering wheel along to the music. Hazen sits silently behind me, the tension in the air growing with every passing minute. We drove over the tracks ten minutes ago, heading east on the outskirts of town.

We turn onto an empty dirt track that I haven’t been down before. I haven’t spent much time on the east side of the town—never had to. It’s just endless forest, lakes, and wilderness. Everything happens in the middle of town or near the trailer park. People only come out here to camp if they dare. The Brotherhood prefers us to stay in town, and if anyone gets caught out here, they’re dead. Stupid politics. The number of bodies that line the forest floor could even make a serial killer squeamish.

Surrounded by trees on both sides, the headlights cut through the darkness, illuminating the dirt road. After five more minutes of driving, we reach a clearing. Just ahead of us, there’s a parked car, its lights casting reflections on the lake. Shadows of two people sit in the front seat and movement comes from the back.

I sit up, reaching for the gun, like it’s going to save me from whatever Gage has driven us into. What if this was allpart of their plan to get rid of me? What if I just walked straight into their trap? Fuck.

Gage turns the car off but leaves his lights on as well. He gets out, then Hazen and Lucas hop out of the back. Hazen opens my door and my fingers curl around the gun like it’s my lifeline. Even though I have no idea how to use it.

He offers me his hand and I take it. His large hand engulfs mine, and a shiver works its way up my arm. I’m not sure if it’s from the cold or because of the way his warm grip feels.

He lets go and the shivers disappear. I step out into the crisp night. The wind flicks my hair back off my face and kisses my cheeks.

Hazen looks from the gun to me, shaking his head. “You have no idea how to use that, do you?” He knows the answer before I even open my mouth.

He reaches down and pulls something out of his boot. Taking the gun from my other hand, he replaces it with a knife. Its black handle fits my palm perfectly.

“If you don’t want to do it, just give me one look and I’ll do it for you,” Hazen says. “This job isn’t just yours to carry. Your first kill will always haunt you, and I’d tell you it gets easier, but you don’t need to know that.” He looks at me intently before walking off ahead.

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