Page 68 of Deadly Little Games

“Not everyone is. I know a good cop. You guys are going to get initiated and become leaders, yeah?” I ask, looking at Lucas, then at Hazen across from me.

“Yeah, but not until Dominic is retired,” Hazen says.

“If I can get Dominic out of the way for at least a little bit, can you speed up that process and do it now?” I ask.

“But we need Dominic to hand over the reins. That’s how it works,” Gage says from behind me, and Lucas chuckles.

“Actually, The Brotherhood law states that if a leader is dead or out of action, and that includes being locked up, a past leader can do the initiation,” Lucas explains with a grin.

I lick my dry lips. “Who? Who would help us do this?”

“My father,” he replies.

“He wouldn’t go against Dominic,” Hazen says.

“He would for this. To have his son as a leader. And my mom is already worried about Dominic going too far. Besides, my father hasn’t got much time left before death takes him. Trust me, he’ll do it,” Lucas says.

“Your mom did help us earlier, so it seems like she’s on our side,” I admit, and Lucas nods.

“She will do this for me.”

“Well, it’s settled then. Tonight we become the leaders of The Brotherhood,” Gage rumbles at my back, then he spins me around and claims my mouth in a hot, demanding kiss.

Lucas hollers, clapping his hands together, and I grin against Gage’s mouth.

Checkmate, Dominic.

I’m back in familiar territory, and it feels like a lifetime ago since I’ve been home. Everything’s the same, yet everything’s different. Everywhere I look, I see him. The hill he took me down when we stole a bike, and he taught me how to ride by shoving me head-first down that same hill. When I fell off, with grazes across my knees, he was there with an ice cream, making it all better.

My feet carry me through the park that used to feel like home, but now it just feels like a distant memory. Without Alec here, this side of the tracks doesn’t feel like home. It never really did. Anywhere he was, was home. The closer I get to our trailer, the further I want to run back. Is she home? Does she already know? How’s she going to take it?

I stop just outside and take a deep, heavy breath in, then let it out. Just get it over with. Twisting the door handle, I step inside, and a figure jumps in front of me, pulling me into a headlock. I shove her off and she falls to the ground. Her wide eyes, the size of saucers, stare blankly up at me before a smile claims her mouth, and she laughs.

“Oh, Freya, it’s just you. Thought you were that slut, Harriet.” She shakes her head, then starts mumbling under her breath. She slaps her head, throwing her hands around. Yep, high as fuck. This is going to be fun.

I reach out my hand and she smacks it away.

“Where the fuck have you been?” she asks, lifting herself up and off the ground. She moves into the kitchen and starts pulling out drawers, throwing the couple of pots and pans we have onto the ground.

“Around,” I say, coming to stand on the other side of the kitchen counter so that the door is easily accessible. “Mom, Alec... he’s... he’s...” The words get stuck in the back of my throat.

She doesn’t stop, doesn’t hear a word I’m saying. I squeeze my hands into fists and bang them down hard against the kitchen counter. She jumps backward, holding a glass in her hand. Her eyes are wild and staring right through me.

“Alec’s dead, Mom,” I say, and she doesn’t blink, doesn’t move for several heartbeats. Nothing crosses her features and my heart breaks. “Did you hear me?” Tears well up in my eyes. “Alec is dead.”

“You’re a fucking lying cunt. You little—” she screams, throwing the glass toward my head. I duck just in time, and it smashes into a million pieces against the wall behind me. She moves like lightning, coming straight for me, and I manage to dodge out of her way. I bolt straight for the front door, slamming it in her face, and I run.

“Don’t you ever come back here, Harriet, or I’ll kill you,” my mother yells after me. She doesn’t even know who I am.Fuck. There’s no saving her, is there? The dream that Alec and I once had of escaping here and creating a better life for her is gone. Shattered. And I don’t think I can save her because she doesn’t want to be saved. Drugs are her life, and I’m nothing to her anymore.

The streets are quiet as the sun crests over the row of run-down shops. A loud whistle comes from across the street, and Kai steps out of one of the shops, shoving something into his jeans pocket.

“Where the hell have you been?” he snaps when he gets closer.

“Around,” I say, avoiding eye contact. Does he know about Alec?

“I haven’t seen you in ages, and that’s not like us. I haven’t heard anything about Alec—no one’s peeping a word. Have you?”

My chest squeezes tight. I open my mouth, but the words won’t come out. Kai moves closer.

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