Page 61 of Deadly Little Games

Tears stream down my face and soak into Gage’s shirt, my body shakes, and I ache with so much pain. I want to go back to where this all started and change everything. To never have gotten involved with The Brotherhood or to never have even been born here. For my mother to not have developed a habit. To Alec never needing the money for college. We should have moved away years ago. If we did, none of this would have happened. Alec would be living his dream at college—we could have made it work.

Time blurs, and I have no idea how long I stay there in his arms, but eventually, Amirah appears next to us and takes me from Gage’s warm embrace.

“Let’s give your brother the farewell he deserves, then we’ll avenge him. I promise,” Amirah says, squeezing my hand. I nod, unable to form the words.

Today, I’ll say goodbye to my brother, and then tomorrow I’m going to get answers.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Freya

The front door opens, then slams shut, and I practically jump off the couch. In a flash, Hazen moves, standing up and swiftly placing himself in front of me.

Dominic rushes past the living room, his voice booming as he yells into the phone pressed against his ear. As I turn back to Hazen, I catch his frown, but he quickly dismisses it with a shrug and plops down in the seat beside me. Now that I’ve laid my brother to rest and said my final farewell, I need to find out if Dominic knows anything more about Alec. He’s still in charge of The Brotherhood and nothing happens without his final say.

“Where’s the bathroom?” I ask, and Hazen cocks his head to the side, studying me for a beat too long.

“Go left, and it’s the first door.”

With a nod, I leave the living room and follow Dominic. The echoes of his voice reverberate through the foyer, and I vaguely recollect that his office is down the corridor. Guided by his voice, I stop outside a set of large double doors made of dark wood.

Pressing my ear against them, I can make out Dominic’s voice. I keep my ear to the door as I look back the way I came, making sure no one catches me.

“Kill the cunt if you don’t get answers. He’s dead to me anyway.” He pauses, and I freeze. Shit. Did I breathe too loud? My heart pounds against my ribcage, loud and relentless. “Yes. The LeClair situation has been resolved.”

Is he talking about my brother or me? My phone vibrates against my leg.

“Deal with it.” His words are clipped, and the sound of footsteps grows nearer and nearer. Fuck.

I stumble backward, my hands desperately searching for something to steady myself, and I finally reach the bathroom door and enter, slamming it shut. I fall back against it, then reach for my phone hidden in my underwear.

There’s another text from the unknown number.

Revenge sounds like healing, doesn’t it? Find me the killer or you’re next ??

My stomach churns, and I can taste the remnants of breakfast rising in my throat. But at least I have an idea of who the killer could be now—the only man with motive.

Dominic.

He must have hated having us hood trash working with his heirs. He’s always looked at us with such disdain, and Alec did owe him that money. Oh God. Is he the one sending those text messages, too? Everything is one big head fuck and I’m going to get to the bottom of it.

I need to break into Dominic’s office and find answers, even if it kills me in the process.

The day drags on painfully slowly as I anxiously keep an eye on corridor across from the living room, hoping Dominic will come out of his office. The weight of Hazen’s scrutiny is palpable as he frowns, his words seemingly trapped on the tip of his tongue.

I lean back into the couch, leveling him with a raised brow. “Just ask.”

“Why do you keep looking down the corridor?” he asks, and I contemplate if I should tell him or not. Without his help, it will be hard but not impossible to find what I need. If we do get caught, it will make it easier to get out of it if he’s there, but if it’s just me, then I’m gone. There are no second chances with The Brotherhood.

I motion for him to come over, and he reluctantly rises from his recliner and plops down beside me, his knee brushing against mine. I turn and am captivated by his piercing blue eyes that mirror the vastness of the ocean.

“Promise me you know nothing about what happened with Alec?” I ask, and he frowns.

“We’ve already been over this. I told you we have no idea what happened. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been searching for him with you. That would have been pretty fucked up if we knew the whole time, wouldn’t it?” He takes my hands in his, and I glance down at his large ones clasping my much smaller ones. “Look, I have no idea what’s going on between us, but what I know to be true is I want to be near you every second of the day. I want to help you avenge your brother’s death. But I’m not a good person—I play with death every day, and mostly at my own hands. I live and breathe The Brotherhood. That always comes first, and you need to know that.” He pleads with his eyes, even though his admission is harsh.

I nod and squeeze his hands. I get it. Blood in, blood out kind of thing.

“Whatever is going on between us... this”—he lets go of myhands and points from himself to me—“I want. Do you?”

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