Page 70 of Deadly Little Games

“What is it?”

“My brother never took this off—we’ve got matching ones. I found this in Dominic’s office. Can’t you test it for blood or something?”

“Ah, yeah, we can try, but with your DNA on it, too, I’m not sure if we’ll get a hit. Let me grab some papers so you can write down your statement, and I’ll take that in for testing.” He leaves, and a little of the weight on my shoulders lifts.

He returns with some papers and takes the necklace, putting it into a Ziplock bag. I write out my statement and sign it, handing it back to him.

“What happens now?” I ask, praying that they can just go and arrest him.

“We’ll go over all the evidence. It’s enough to arrest him as a suspect, but I’m just not sure if it will stick. I’ll do my best,” he says, and I smile.

“Thank you, and if you can keep him here for as long as you can, that will help.”

“Do I want to know what you have planned?” he asks, collecting the papers and standing from his chair.

“Nope,” I say, shaking his hand, then I head back out the front door to meet Kai.

“All good?” Kai shoves his phone back into his pocket and hops up off the curb.

“Yeah, I think so. Things around here are going to change. Hope you’re ready.”

Kai side-eyes me, shaking his head. “I’m ready for a war, kid.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Lucas

Hazen slides a glass across the marble bar, and I grab it before it falls off the edge, my fingers wrapping around the heavy crystal. Then he does the same for Gage after filling it with two fingers of scotch.

“To new beginnings,” Hazen says, raising his glass, and I follow suit. As I bring it to my lips and toss it back, the whiskey sears a path down my throat. I slam the glass down and Hazen pours another.

The deafening sound of a loud bang fills the foyer, its echoes reaching the living room. My shoulders immediately tense up and I lift my gun, pivoting toward the source of the noise. Gage and Hazen are right behind, keeping a close distance. Shouts echo and footsteps clatter across the marble floor. I spot a cop in all black, fully geared up, and quickly hide my gun in my waistband.

As police occupy Hazen’s home, we find ourselves in the archway between the foyer and living room. She’s done it. We haven’t talked to Freya since she left earlier this morning, and part of me wasn’t sure if we could pull it off, but now seeing the police here, it’s real. Fuck.

The cop forcefully pushes Dominic forward with his hands restrained behind his back. Holy shit. More cops come back through the foyer with Dominic’s security, who are all in handcuffs and being forced out the front entrance. Looking over at us, Dominic’s eyes light up, and he licks his lips.

“Hazen, get my lawyer,” he snaps, yet Hazen doesn’t respond or react. When I look at him, he is motionless.

“On it,” I say for Hazen, and Dominic nods before getting led outside. As they all go, the house is left in complete silence.

“Fucking hell, she did it,” I say, and Gage slaps me over the shoulder.

“Did you really doubt she would?”

“I mean, I know what she’s capable of, but this is crazy. Are we really going to be the top dogs?” I ask, eyes widening.

Gage laughs. “We’ve waited our whole life for this and now it’s time to make it official.”

Hazen remains silent, watching the front door intently.

I snap my fingers in front of his face. “You all good, brother?”

He blinks a couple of times. “Yeah, I think so, but we don’t have much time. Go get your father and meet us at the graveyard in thirty,” Hazen says before heading to the stairs, climbing them two at a time. As I watch him go, a nauseating sensation settles in the pit of my stomach.

“He’ll be all right,” Gage assures, and I give a nod. I fucking hope so because he needs to be.

I’ve heard about what happens during these initiations. My father used to tell me bedtime stories about it, and I’d have nightmares because they weren’t just stories—they were descriptions of a real event. Now we’re about to go through the process, and I just hope to God we all come out the other side for her.

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