Page 56 of Deadly Little Games

Rough hands suddenly seize me, forcefully lifting me and tossing me over a strong shoulder. Everything that surrounds me is drowned out by the ringing in my ears. I hit the ground with a thud, and I don’t move, letting myself sink deeper into the ocean of numbness. A figure hovers over me, I can’t help but feel a sense of detachment, my gaze passing right through them.

My phone is taken from my hands. “Freya!” a voice yells, and a hand lands gently against my cheek.

“Come back to me.” Soft lips touch mine, and Iblink, slightly taken aback. The light-brown eyes lock onto mine, pulling me in and holding me captive. A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.

“Thank fuck for that.” Lucas sighs, shifting back slightly. “Now, what the hell were you doing?”

Swallowing hard, I sit up quickly, my elbows digging into the gritty dirt. Lucas moves backward, resting on his knees.

Hazen hovers nearby, while Gage stands next to him with his hands in his pockets, watching me closely.

“She has a death wish,” Gage snaps, and anger bubbles up inside me.

I can’t deal with him. I have to find my brother.

Lucas extends his hand to me, and I accept, wiping off the dirt from my ass. He passes me my phone, and I put it in my back pocket.

“Thanks,” I say before taking off along the track.

“Freya, wait!” Lucas yells behind me, but I don’t stop. I can’t. I need to see who’s hanging from the wire. The Brotherhood utilizes a section of the fence to hang dead bodies as a lesson for us. Those who disobey pay the price.

I refuse to accept that it’s my brother. The message has to be about somebody else. The faster I run, the more my legs burn. The crunch of footsteps on the dirt trails behind me, but I am determined to keep moving without slowing down. The closer I get, the more sweat drips down the back of my neck. The moonlight provides enough illumination for me to see a little, although I am familiar with this area. Spotlights become visible in the near distance, and I can’t bring myself to look. I lower my head until I’m facing the wire fence.

My feet carry me across the tracks. Someone grabs my arm, and I stumble backward.

“Freya. Don’t look up,” Lucas begs, his voice laced with worry.

I break free from his hold and glance upwards. I’m met with the lifeless gaze of my brother’s eyes.

I scream until my throat feels parched and devoid of moisture. No. It can’t be. No, please! Suddenly, my legs give way beneath me, and I find myself on the ground, kneeling in a puddle. Every muscle in my body quivers and shakes uncontrollably. Why him? His body slumps over the fence, his white shirt covered in red. His hand is outstretched as if it’s waiting for me to grab it. To save him. But it’s too late. He’s gone, and whoever sent those messages was right. I should have saved him.

Tears stream down my face. It should have been me. Alec had a future outside of here. I didn’t.

Strong hands wrap around me, lifting me effortlessly and bringing me close to a comforting, warm chest. I pull back before my fists relentlessly pound into his stomach, each blow delivering a jolt of pain. The moment he catches me, my legs turn to Jell-O and my chest heaves, struggling to find air. All the fight leaves me. I can’t. My cheek rests against his chest, tears flowing freely and soaking into his shirt.

“I’m so sorry,” Lucas whispers, pressing a kiss on my head.

This has to be a nightmare. Please. I can’t live without my brother. He’s my everything. My best friend. The one person in this world who loved me no matter what. Who protected me from everything. I can’t go on without him. It’s all too much.

I find myself slipping out of the warm embrace and falling backward. My hands instinctively shield my ears, trying to muffle the piercing ringing insidethem. My heart pounds relentlessly, and I struggle to catch my breath. I can’t move.

“It should have been me!” I scream into the night.

Chapter Thirty

Lucas

As Freya crumbles before my eyes, my heart shatters into fragments. I want to make it all better, to take away the pain. I collapse onto my knees in front of her, the sharp fragments of rocks and other debris piercing my skin. She throws herself at me, and I catch her in my arms, bringing her against my chest. As she wraps her arms around my neck, I hold her close, feeling the warmth of her embrace and the weight of her body against mine, reminiscent of my mother cradling me in her lap when I was young.

She clings to me desperately, believing I have the power to make it all go away. I want to, butfuck, this is a low blow. He’s dead, and I have no fucking idea how. Nothing goes on in our town without us knowing about it, but this did. Directly in front of us.

Hazen storms off along the tracks with his phone to his ear, and Gage stares at her brother in disbelief. Freya’s sobs reverberate through her small body, and I run my fingers up and down her back, providing a comforting touch. The air is tainted with the unmistakable scent of decay—a smell I’m used to.

Gage kneels in front of us, gently wiping away the tears that trickle down Freya’s cheeks, but she remains motionless.

“I’m sorry, Freya,” he whispers, and she turns away, shoving her face into my chest.

Footsteps crunch against the ground and Hazen reappears. “We gotta go. Clean-up is on its way,” he says, running a hand over his short, clipped hair.

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