Page 41 of Fighting Shadows

I hate it.

I hate that his plan actually makes some sense and sounds like it would work.

“Do you care if we kill him?” Dominic asks.

I look to the others, noticing how quiet Tobias and Atlas have been, but they’ve not moved from Autumn's side; Brenn stands near her head, taking up the place her dad usually stands.

“No, I want to help. I was in that room with her for four days. I seen the way he looked at her, what hedidto her, and I want him dead for it,” Noah’s voice rises with every sentence, and hisanger radiates from him as he shouts about how much he hates his dad and something about not listening to his brother.

“W-what did he do to me?” Autumn’s voice shakes as she stares at him with terror in her eyes. I cut my eyes back to him, glaring at the side of his head as he stares at Autumn with wide eyes.

“Um…”

The door to the room bangs open before Noah can answer her. A tall figure none of us recognize storms through the door, making us all jump to our feet.

Dominic pulls out another knife, brandishing it at the man who pays no attention to any of us as he grabs Noah, shaking him violently.

“Why didn’t you listen to me? I told you Charlie was bad news; now look at you. I looked for you for days. You didn’t answer your phone!” He shouts in his face.

“Do you think Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome would shake me about like that?” Brenn mutters to Autumn.

Nobody reacts apart from Autumn, letting out a small giggle at her brother's words.

“In my defense…” Noah starts.

“No, you have no defense. I want him dead, Noah; I don’t care if he’s your dad.”

“Aidan, if you would breathe for a moment and let go of me because I have a concussion, and I’m sure shaking me is only just turning my brain into a smoothie, you would realize we were just discussing killing him.”

Aidan, who I’m assuming is Noah’s brother from the similarities, pulls back and looks around the room like he’s only now noticing us. His eyes land on Brenn, flaring in recognition and a little bit of lust.

“So? Tall, dark, and handsome?” he quirks an eyebrow.

“If I weren’t so angry and confused right now, I’d swoon,” Brenn whispers into Autumn's ear, loud enough for us all to hear, but his eye contact with Aidan tells me he did it on purpose. “Yes. What about it?”

“Didn’t realize the Carraher heir was into Irish gangbangers,” Aidan smirks, then mock pouts, “You don’t recognize me?”

“Am I supposed to?”

“They like to hurt feelings, brother,” Noah laughs, leading his brother to sit down. Noah smiles at us all but falters when he looks at Dominic with the knife still in his hand, “Didn’t you leave yours in your girlfriend's dad?”

Dominic looks down at the knife in his hand and then back up to Noah, frowning. “You don’t think I carry spares? I’m not an amateur.”

“So you just carry a spare in case you need to stab someone?”

“You don’t?” Dominic cocks his head to the side.

“Wasn’t in the honor code I swore to follow, so no,” Noah says.

“Pity. We could change that; you could come to work for us with Doc instead, and I can show you my knives!”

“Dominic!” I shout, “He isn’t your friend.”

“Yes, he is. He saved Cupcake.”

“Jesus Christ, spare me, please,” I groan.

“Noah?” Autumn speaks up again, gaining the attention of everyone in the room.

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