Page 5 of Deadly Little Games

“You didn’t?” Tears pool in her eyes as she looks between the both of us. My heart breaks in two.What the fuck have I done?

“Amirah, I’m so sorry. I didn’t . . .”

“After all I did—sneaking you in here? If Dominic found out, he would have made me pay in the worst possible way...” Amirah’s voice wobbles.

“Is that your concern?” Gage jeers, pulling up his pants. “Or are you worried that your little hood rat prefers my cock to your friendship?”

Amirah bolts and I freeze, the wall holding me up, but my knees tremble. What have I done?

Gage zips the fly of his pants, the movementsnapping me out of my shock. I forgo my underwear, tugging down my dress so I can run straight after Amirah.

I sprint down the stairs, watching as Amirah rips open the front door and rushes into the night. Footsteps pound in my wake, but I don’t dare look behind me. All I care about is my best friend. I can’t lose her. I can’t.

The cool night air kisses my cheeks, and I look left and right, trying to find Amirah. There are cars everywhere still, and a few people from inside have spilled out onto the lawn.

Finally, I spot Amirah in the trees next to their house, pacing back and forth. I walk toward her, but a hand lands on my shoulder. Whirling around, I come face to face with Gage.

“Let me go. I need to fix this,” I say, taking a step back.

Hurt passes between his eyes before he shakes his head. “Go back to where you came from, Freya, and never return. You aren’t welcome here in Daringville anymore—you never were, you hood rat. Go back to your junkie mother and be gone.”

His words hit me like a nail in my heart, and I don’t know why I thought anything else would come out of his mouth. Hazen and Lucas, the other members of The Brotherhood, stride over from the steps of the house to flank either side of him, scowling at me with so much hate.

With one last breath, I storm off into the trees, ready to save the one thing I hold dear. I can’t lose her. Even though I fucked everything up, I will do whatever it takes to fix this.

Chapter One

Freya

One year later

Alec pulls his car into the dirt parking lot. It’s full of a mixture of cars from both sides of the tracks. Some belong to those who are rich as shit, and some are absolute bombs that look like they’re about to fall apart.

Before Alec can give me another lecture about being safe, I’ve unbuckled my seatbelt and am out, slamming the door shut. He curses, following me. We usually go to these parties together, and I always feel his eyes watching me. It is a little annoying. I can’t really let my hair down when my brother is here.

I follow the concrete steps down into the forest, and the music echoes louder around the trees. People come into view as the forest clears. A massive bonfire sits in the middle of the area, and tonight there are people everywhere. They’re talking in groups, with the elite sticking to their circles and a lot of hood people mingling in between, passing around the elite’s drugs and God knows what else. Even if it’s neutral ground, we’re still runningafter them.

That familiar curtain of black hair moves in my direction through the crowd, meeting me as I jump off the last step. The person it belongs to crashes into me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

“About fucking time. You know how much I hate being here without you,” Amirah huffs out. Then she pulls back, and I smile at my best friend.

She waves over my head at Alec, and we head into the sea of people together. I look back over my shoulder and catch Mia, his girlfriend, running into his arms. He smiles down at her like she’s the only woman in the world. I’m happy for him, but I don’t trust her. Every time we chat, she manages to rub me the wrong way.

Amirah shoves a red cup already full of something into my hands, and I chug most of it in one go. These parties on the tracks, a mix of the elite and the everyday people, are the best I’m going to get for a while. After everything that happened last year, I don’t want to go back to her house again, afraid Gage will be there, and Amirah thinks that’s for the best. It’s part of our treaty, the reason she forgave me—I’m never to be alone with her brother again. That hasn’t been a problem for me, given the hateful words that spilled from his lips, anyway. I’m better off staying on my side of the tracks. Fuck him and The Brotherhood.

“Ahh, what are they doing here?” Amirah blurts out, pointing across the fire. “They never come here.”

Hiseyes clash with mine. He licks his lips, and I fight the urge to flip him off. A redhead runs her fingers down his chest and jealousy flares deep within me, but I shake it off. Next to him are Hazen Hendrix and Lucas Fox. They both watch me intently.

Hazen runs his tattooed hand over his chiseled jawline.Lucas grips his bottle, bringing it to his lips. His blond hair is brushed back out of his face, and his throat bobs up and down as he swigs his drink. For a moment, I’m caught like a deer in headlights. It’s unfair that three friends should be so incredibly good-looking.

My eyes move of their own accord back to Gage, and he pulls the redhead forward, his lips touching hers. I look away before I do something stupid. There’s no way I’m going to be pulled back into that drama.

I won’t be losing my best friend again. He wasn’t worth it; he still isn’t. Nothing good ever comes from The Brotherhood.

“I wish he’d just fuck off and let me have one night.” Amirah huffs, glaring at her brother.

“Just pretend he’s not here. Don’t let him ruin our night,” I say, finishing off the contents of my red cup while trying to take on my own advice. The strong booze in my last mouthful burns a trail down my throat. It’s a welcome distraction.

---