Page 56 of Deadly Little Hearts

Mia stands in front of us, frozen in place, watching them leave.I almost forgot she was even here.Her phone rings.She checks it, and her chin wobbles slightly before she answers and walks off ahead of us toward Daringville.Where is she going?

My heart hasn’t stopped beating at double its usual speed, and the farther we move away from Kai, Zion, and Bear, the harder it gets.I wish I could just pull my heart out of my chest and be done with the stupid bitch.I’m over feeling so much.Whoever designed us to have all these feelings, I need their number to call and ask for a refund.

“This isn’t good at all,” Amirah says, and she isn’t wrong.Kai isn’t bluffing—blowing up the train tracks is just the beginning.“Did you hear me?”

I realize I haven’t replied yet.I’m stuck in my head.“Yeah, sorry.It’s not, but I’m going to do everything in my power to prevent an all-out war,” I say, meaning every word.I have no idea how, but I’ll try.

“Fuck,” Amirah blurts, pulling out her phone, and she stops in the middle of the road.“We have to get back to the house now.They know we left, and it won’t be long until they find us.”

“Where’s Mia?”I ask, searching the quiet, dark road.I can’t see her anywhere.

“Mia?”Amirah yells, but only silence greets us.

“Just leave her.Let’s go.”I take Amirah’s hand, and we walk quickly along the road.I try to watch out for Mia, but she’s the least of my problems at the moment.She’s a grown-ass woman and can take care of herself.

Headlights illuminate the road, and tires screech to a stop in front of us.Gage rolls down the window to his red Range Rover, with Lucas and Hazen in the backseat.He glares at me before shaking his head.

“Get in the fucking car,” he growls, and I scoff.

These guys never learn.

Chapter 29

Gage

“No,we’rewalkinghome,”Freya replies with a smug smile on her pretty cherry lips, moving past my door.

My fingers grip the steering wheel, and I can’t fucking deal with even one more disobedient person today.I’m already exhausted after recruiting new members, and I have a shit ton more to do tomorrow.The last thing I wanted was to come home, expecting to find Freya in my bed, but finding an empty house with no sign of the girls instead.

We’ve been driving around for the last thirty minutes, trying to find them, and I’m beyond pissed off.I need sleep and my girl in my bed, preferably with her tight cunt around my cock.

“It wasn’t an offer,” I growl, and she ignores me.“Get her,” I say to Hazen.

The back door of my car opens, and Hazen jumps out, grabs Freya around her waist, and shoves her inside onto the backseat.Amirah slides in next to Freya, glaring at me through the mirror.

They should know better than to be sneaking around, especially with the state of things.If I don’t know where they are, then how can I protect them?I fucking can’t.I might need to buy a lock for my sister’s bedroom and for Freya’s room at Hazen’s—then at least I’d know where they are.We’ve got enough shit to deal with.Neither of them would be happy with that, and they might try to burn down their doors, but at least it would buy me some time.

We’re not ready for a war, and that’s exactly why Kai’s attacking us now.He knows that, and fuck, I’d actually applaud him for it if he wasn’t our enemy.We’ve just taken over leadership.We’re new—fresh meat.Even though we’ve been training our whole lives as young pups for this, this time, we have to stand tall.We can’t afford to look weak—it’s fucking embarrassing.

I drive home, the entire trip silent.We move past Dominic’s place, and the lights are on.

“Is he still living there?”Freya asks from the backseat.

“Under our watch,” I say.“Brax has eyes on him.”

We can’t afford to have him attacking us too.He craves power too much to sit back, and we can’t entertain that fight right now on top of everything else.If he comes for us, we’ll end him.

I drop Amirah back at my place.Freya goes to follow her, but Hazen leans over her, pulling the door shut, and I hit the locks.Freya flips me off, falling back into her seat with a huff.I watch her from the rearview mirror, raising my eyebrow, challenging her to bitch at me, but she doesn’t.She rubs her eyes and looks back out the window.

I make sure Amirah gets inside, and one of the security guards waves at me before I drive toward Hazen’s house.It’s quickly becoming a place we all call home.

Hazen, Lucas, and I stay here most nights, as well as Freya since she’s been back.It feels like a home—all of us being together under one roof.I’ve always loved living with family.That’s why Amirah and I were so close growing up.Sure, we never had much to do with Mom, since she was overseas all the time, but our nanny, Lillian, was a great substitute mother who we adored.

I pull into the underground garage and switch the car off.Freya rips open her door and slams it shut.

“Well, someone’s cranky.Looks like you’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”Lucas chuckles.

“Piss off,” I grunt, sliding out of the car.

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