Page 34 of Deadly Little Hearts

“Fuck, how many?”Ronald asks, glancing over my shoulder.

“I want a body count ASAP, and the name of every single person in there,” I snap and glare at him, stepping right up in his face.His breath lingers against mine.“You were against this meeting from the moment we mentioned it.How do I know it wasn’t you who did this?”

Ronald’s eyes widen.He stumbles back, raising his hands up in surrender.“Jesus Christ, you can’t be serious?”He looks between me and Gage, who’s joined me.I don’t stand down.“I may think your idea was fucking stupid, but I would never put my brothers in harm’s way.”

I stare at him for several long breaths, his jaw tight and eye twitching, but eventually, I step back.He’s right; one of our own wouldn’t put our brothers in danger.We protect our own above all else.Ronald leaves in a huff, and I grab my phone from my pants and open a text from Brax.

Brax: Dominic is still alive and getting a haircut at Rebel’s.Doesn’t seem to have the slightest clue about the blast.

My shoulders relax slightly, and I shove my phone back into my pants pocket.

A car speeds toward us and skids to a stop just in front of us.Dirt fills the air, and I use my hand to block it from getting into my eyes.Ronald moves in next to us, grabbing his gun and aiming it forward.

Car doors slam, and Kai, Zion, and Bear get out.Kai stares blankly at the town hall, his hands clenched at his sides.Bear’s jaw tightens, and he glares between Gage and me with hatred.Zion reaches into his pants, and Ronald goes to step forward, but I shoot my arm out, placing my hand over his chest.He growls but stays put.

Bear pulls out a small pocketknife.He flicks it open and closed, watching me with his crazy bright-green eyes.

Kai makes a clicking sound through his teeth.“What the fuck did you do?”His voice is full of anger.

I scoff.“I was about to ask you the same.”

“Where the fuck is Freya?”Kai asks, staring behind us and around the parking lot.

“She’s fine, and no concern of yours,” I say, and Bear laughs.

Kai crosses his arms over his chest.“Killing innocents isn’t really my MO, but it is The Brotherhood’s—and yours.”He steps forward, coming within arm’s length of me.He looks me up and down, judgment clear in his eyes.

“Did you set this up?So all these innocent people would die?”

I shake my head.“What makes you think that?”

“Gee, I don’t know—we get nothing but terror and oppression from you lot for twenty years, and now, all of a sudden, you’re offering peace—only for it to end in fucking murder?”Kai’s voice is thunderous.“Why do you fuckingthinkI think that?”

“We didn’t do it.”

“You may not have done it, but you called this meeting.It was your job to keep these people safe.”Kai stabs a finger toward me.“You could have saved them.”

His words hit me like a knife to the heart.My chest rises and falls at a rapid rate.I can’t breathe.Everything around me disappears into darkness.Kai glowers at me, his eyebrow raised.

Those words are exactly what I’ve said in the past, about that night when I killed the little girl.I took her from this world, and I could have saved her, just like I could have saved everyone inside the town hall.

Kai opens his mouth, but before the words can leave, my fist hits him square in the jaw.There’s movement around us, but I can’t see anything but Kai.

Zion jumps in front of him, throwing his fist, connecting with my stomach.I keep my legs firmly in place as the wind is knocked out of me.

Kai shoves Zion aside, getting up in my face and gripping the collar of my shirt.

“You don’t know shit,” I growl, and Kai laughs.

“You’re just like your father,” he snaps, and I push against his chest hard.He falls back, landing on the ground.Zion rushes to his side, and Bear stares at me, his eye twitching, that knife still flicking in his hand.

Am I like my father?Am I nothing but a killer without a heart?I’ve been brought up in a bloodthirsty environment.Killing is all I’ve ever known.Maybe Iamlike him.Look what just happened to all those innocent people inside the building.I arranged this, told them to be here, and now, boom—they’re dead.Fuck.

Kai takes Zion’s hand and stands back up.Zion whispers something into his ear, and Kai watches me, glaring.He runs his hand across his throat.Is that a threat?

“Do it,” I say, and Kai’s nostrils flare.

“Nah, that would be too easy.You deserve much worse than a bullet to your broken heart.”Kai moves around Zion, coming closer to me, within arm’s reach.

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