Page 69 of Deadly Little Games

“Ah fuck. Just tell me.”

“He’s gone,” I say, and Kai frowns.

“But we’ll find him,” Kai promises, andfuck, I can’t.

I squeeze my eyes shut. “He’s dead, Kai.”

Silence greets me. Then a bird screeches from above, and I open my eyes, but Kai’s gone. He’s halfway up the street, and I run to catch up. When I reach him, I yank on his arm, but he won’t stop.

“They’re dead,” Kai growls out, staring off ahead toward the train tracks.

“It’s not them,” I say, standing in front of him with my hands on his chest, forcing him to stop.

“Like fuck it isn’t. Don’t fucking tell me you’re with them now? Is that why you’ve been spending so much time over there?” His chest rises and falls against my palm.

“You know I’ve been looking for Alec, and they’ve been helping me,” I say, swallowing the words I really want to admit. That yes, I’ve fallen for them.

“You’ve fallen right into the enemy’s hands, Frey, and they killed him.” The way he says Frey almost brings me to my knees. Alec always called me that. Fuck. Everything is too much. My hands fall from Kai’s chest.

“I’ve gotta go deal with this shit, but it’s not them. It’s Dominic, and he’s going to pay,” I say and start walking off toward the cop shop.

Kai follows me, falling into step beside me.

“Go home, Kai.”

“Fuck off, little one. I’m coming with you, or I’ll be storming over those tracks and killing every motherfucker. You know this could start another war, right?”

“Yes, but I’ve got a plan. So don’t fuck this up for me,” I say, and Kai sighs, not uttering another word. My best friend knows when to shut his mouth. I have no doubt in my mind that he’d go to war to avenge my brother, but then it would only get him killed, and I can’t lose someone else.

“Does ya mother know?” he asks.

“Yeah, I told her this morning, but she didn’t believe me. She’s high as a kite,” I say, kicking a rock along the road.

By the time we walk across town, the cop shop is open. Kai waits out the front, refusing to come in, and begs me not to go to the pigs. He hates them just as much as I do, but I’m hoping that one guy I spoke to earlier will be able to do something.

The lady behind the desk greets me. “Can I see Drew please?” She smiles and disappears through the glass door.

“Back again?” Drew asks, meeting me in front of the desk.

“Yeah, I’ve got some information about my brother. Can we dothis in your office or?” I ask, staring through the glass door behind the front desk at some other cops in uniform watching me. There are dirty cops everywhere, in The Brotherhood’s pocket. If what I’m about to tell this guy gets to Dominic before they take action, I’m fucked.

“Ah, yeah, follow me,” he says, moving down a hallway and into an interrogation room. He shuts the door behind him, and I take a seat behind a large table.

“What is it?” he asks, dropping into the seat opposite mine.

“My brother is dead.” Pain rips through my chest, and I don’t think it’ll ever get easier saying those words. I swallow hard, trying to force down all the emotions swarming inside me. “And I’ve got evidence that Dominic Hendrix did it.”

The cop stares at me for several painful seconds before he runs his fingers through his curly black hair. “Show me what you’ve got.”

I spend the next twenty minutes showing him the texts from Mia and the motivation for killing my brother.

“Where’s the body?” he asks.

“A white van came and took it off the fence. He’s buried on the Hendrix property.”

“You’ve got something here, but I’m just not sure if it’ll be enough.”

My fingers clutch onto his necklace in my pocket. “Wait, I forgot this,” I say, placing the necklace on the table.

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