Page 51 of Deadly Little Hearts

“We’re working on it,” Gage says, speaking up for me.My words are lost deep inside me and I’m finding it hard to speak.This is what he wants.The guilt is too much to bear.

“You know as well as I do that the Hood did this to us,” Dominic says, anger lacing his voice.“They sacrificed their own.They are trying to create a divide between us, but I won’t allow this when I’m in charge.”

I rise quickly from my chair, and it hits the back wall with a thud.

“What the fuck did you just say?”I growl, and Dominic stands, followed by Gage.

Dominic steps forward, leaning over my desk until he’s right in my face.“You boys aren’t ruling The Brotherhood anymore.I won’t stand for it!”he yells, his eyes turning into slits.

“We are in charge now, and there’s nothing you can do about it.You know the rules have been in place since the beginning.You have two choices,” I say, walking around the desk to stand next to him.He turns, rolling his shoulders back.I stare into his ocean-blue eyes that are a mirror of my own.

“You can walk out of here now alive, drop this shit, and never contact me again.You leave Daring and don’t ever come back,” I spit.

His jaw twitches.“Option two?”

It takes everything in me not to wrap my fingers around his throat and squeeze until he has no air left in his lungs.He’s impossible.He brings out the very worst in me.Fuck.

I release an audible exhale.“Or choose to go against The Brotherhood and—”

Lucas kicks off the wall, closing in on us.“I’ll put this bullet down your throat.Open wide, princess.”

The air around us thickens, making it impossible to breathe properly.

“You disrespectful, fucking—”

Loud banging hits my office door, and Dominic stops.Gage walks over, opening the door to find Ronald, his eyes widening when he sees Dominic.

“What’s going on?”Gage asks.

“Sorry to interrupt, but there’s been an incident,” he says, showing Gage his phone.

Gage curses before saying something to Ronald, then slams the door shut.“There’s been another attack.This time at the track crossing,” Gage says, and my stomach sinks.“Our guard station has been destroyed.No casualties, but a lot of our comms equipment has been taken out.”

Dominic laughs, taking several steps back.“See, like I fucking told you.It’s them!”he yells, and before I can open my mouth, he storms out my office door.

“Follow him out,” I say to Lucas, and he doesn’t argue.

I stumble backward, my back hitting the wall, and my head falls into my hands.

What a fucking mess.Not only do I have to deal with my off-the-rails father, but now there’s been another attack against us.

Battle lines have been drawn, and I have no fucking idea if I have what it takes to keep my chosen family safe.

Chapter 27

Freya

Iquicklytapoutanothertext.Message after message goes unread.After finding out about the attack on the tracks four days ago, I’ve been trying to get in touch with Kai, but he’s gone MIA.He won’t answer any of my calls, either.I’m so close to storming back over to Daringhood, just to punch him in his smug face.I need to talk to him, to explain that I didn’t choose them over him.I told him I wouldn’t, but now he thinks I have.

I hadn’t thought he was responsible for the bomb at town hall.But this train tracks thing?It does seem targeted at Daringville specifically, and Kai said it himself—they’re going to war.What if I was wrong about the town hall bomb?What if my best friend is behind ...everything?What the fuck was he thinking, causing havoc like that?Everything is fucked.

A pillow hits me square in the face, and I look over at Amirah, who’s sitting next to me on her bed.

My lip curls back.“What the fuck?”

“I’m so sick of you being glued to your phone.Let’s go do something.Anything.”She groans, falling back against her pillow.

She’s not wrong.I want to do something too.

---