Page 39 of Deadly Little Hearts

“I’m okay, just a couple of burns, nothing major.”I shrug, moving toward the couch and falling back into the seat.

“Fucking hell, what a shit show.I have been worried sick about you.Don’t you ever leave me worried like that again,” she growls, concern evident in the tone of her voice.“I don’t wanna lose another kid.I can’t.”

She pulls out a smoke from a pack on the kitchen counter and lights it up.Her hands shake before she takes a long drag and puffs out the smoke.

Guilt claws its way through my body at the mention of my brother.She wasn’t there for him over the years, but she’s still grieving after losing her only son, and I get it.I haven’t found a way to process, and I’m not sure if I ever will.I’ll never be able to fully accept that he’s gone forever.

“Sorry.I’m glad Amirah told you I was with Kai,” I say, and Mom nods.

“I hope he fucking gives those dogs what’s coming to them.”

I don’t reply, because no matter what I say, she’ll argue until she’s black and blue.She’ll never forgive The Brotherhood for what they did to her and us, and I don’t blame her.There’s no choosing for her; she’ll back Kai and the Hood until her dying breath.

She fumbles with her phone.“I haven’t heard from Jessie.She was going to that meeting.Did you see her?”

I shake my head, and Mom breathes in and out before she snatches her smokes off the counter and walks out the front door without another word.I look around the living space for any sign of drugs lying around, but there’s nothing.She’s keeping to her word.

Fuck, I hope her friend is okay, because if she loses one more person, that could be the end for her.There’s no turning back.

Chapter 20

Gage

Sweatdripsdownmyface as we bury the last of the bodies in the large hole.I count a hundred and twenty-three men and women.Eighty from Daringville and forty-three from Daringhood.Twenty of those were our men—councilors or soldiers, distributors or dock workers of some sort.People who help The Brotherhood function.Our lifeblood.Most of them are unrecognizable due to the burns on their faces.We are still processing the DNA records to get names of every single person.

What a nightmare.To see this many people gone and have no fucking clue as to who’s responsible?That’s what pisses me off the most.I need answers before I lose my fucking mind and kill anybody who questions me or our choices.We’ve been getting looks from our men as they bury the bodies, as though they are waiting for us to give them answers that we simply don’t have yet.I know they suspect someone from Daringhood.How could they not?The numbers are in their favor.And why else would so many of them have refused to come to our meeting if they didn’t know something was going on?I won’t sleep until I find out who did this.

We buried each body in the same hole out back of the town hall as a reminder of what happened today.Some of the men wanted to stake the members of Daringhood, like we usually do when they dare disobey us, but it’s not appropriate this time.No matter what side they are from, they all deserve a proper burial.Everyone who was in that town hall was there because we asked them to be.We didn’t ask for this massacre, but fuck do I feel responsible for it.

Hazen drives us back to his new place and we remain silent, my thoughts tangled in a revenge plot against whoever did this.Someone will come forward and claim responsibility—it’s only a matter of time.What else would be the point?Killing is power, but there’s no point having power if no one else knows about it.

I shoot off a group text message to our councilors to gather all The Brotherhood and meet at Hazen’s place.The full moon shines brightly against the dark, clear night sky.The sun has just set over the horizon; it took us all day to sort through the bodies and bury them.

Lucas pulls up behind us, and I step out of the car, expecting Freya to be with him, but he exits his car by himself.

“Where’s Freya?”I ask, and Lucas slams his door shut, moving around the front.

“Gone back to the Hood after she was discharged.”Lucas storms past me, and I grab his arm.He stops and whirls around, glaring at me.

“For fuck’s sake, why’d you let her go back there?”I growl.

Lucas pulls free, scoffing.“You know better than I do that she does what she wants.”He walks off toward Hazen’s front steps and looks back over his shoulder.“And that dick-tard Kai came to get her.Apparently, he’s her next of kin.”

Lucas storms inside and my body shakes with anger.Hewhat?Fuck me.That kid needs to die.He keeps pushing and pushing, and soon enough, he’ll be gone.I can’t have Freya in the middle of this fucking war.She needs to be on our side of the tracks and stay here—there’s no going back and forth anymore.This is it.She’s here or she’s gone.

As much as it would fucking kill me, I’d let her go if it meant that she was safe, but fuck that.She’ll never be safe in Daringhood with Kai.We can’t protect her there, not like we can here.We can’t protect her from them.

“I should have killed him when I had the chance,” Hazen says, lighting up a blunt, and he passes it to me.The smoke hits the back of my throat and does fuck all to calm my racing heart.

Cars drive down Hazen’s driveway, and members follow us inside Hazen’s front door.We don’t usually have full Brotherhood meetings at our houses, but after what happened, today is different.Our security is our top priority, and I won’t be losing any more men if I can help it.

I follow Hazen inside, heading downstairs into the massive open den.There’s not much in here yet; Hazen is still setting it up.A large pool table sits to the left, next to a kitchen, and a couple of couches.There’s not nearly enough furniture to fill all the space.Lucas is already leaning back against the living area’s wall, bringing a bottle of vodka to his lips, and for once, I’m not going to say anything.Hell, even I want a drink to numb everything that’s happened today.

Each member comes through the set of double doors and finds their place, sitting on the couches or standing around the den.I stand next to Lucas and Hazen’s next to me.He leans back against the pool table, gripping the edge, and I know he’s blaming himself for this just as much as I am.We didn’t light the bomb, but we organized a group of sitting fucking ducks.

We haven’t talked much all day, and there’s nothing we can say other thanwhat the fuck.I have no idea how this meeting is going to go, but I’ll do everything I can to reassure our brothers that we’ll sort this out.

Now that we’re leaders, everything comes back to us—this is our responsibility, and these men, like us, want answers.

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