“Brazen wouldn’t leave her side if it wasn’t something very important. Besides, Grayson and Angelica both are very strong. They’ll be there if anything happens. Angelica has far more control over her gift than Araya did at that stage. It brings several questions to my mind.”
“Like what?” Hale asks while removing the tape from his hands.
“Araya is so special. She’s so fucking strong, but she didn’t have any control until after she was tortured. I need to speak to Nicholas and hear the whole story.”
“He said he wouldn’t tell anyone but Araya because he’s only telling this story once,” Hale grouses in objection. “Believe me, I’ve been trying to get answers. She deserved a hell of a lot better than she got in Cheyenne.”
Tears whelp up in my eyes, and I wipe them away hurriedly when I see Brazen walking into the room.
“What’s this all about? You shouldn’t be leaving her alone,” Hale snaps.
“I’m not leaving her alone. I already told you I sent Grayson and Angelica. This couldn’t wait any longer though. I know you lied to Araya about cheating on her with Alex. My question is why?”
My heart jumps into my throat before plummeting back down to slap my stomach. Brazen’s jaw is tensed, his hands are fisted at his side, and his eyes are blazing with expectations for truth. He lied? Why would he lie?
Hale looks a little caught off guard, and he tears away the rest of the tape before very casually countering, “I didn’t lie. I fucked up, and now Araya is yours because of it. Just go be with her and stop wasting your time interrogating me.”
Brazen’s eyes narrow as he walks over to take a seat on one of the leather chairs.
“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me the truth. I’m not interrogating you yet, but I’m about to. You see, I know you’re lying because Corbin was with Alex the night of Araya’s birthday party. I know because my eyes are forever scarred by the pictures he so proudly sent to my phone that night when he felt like boasting. Now my question is, why in the hell would you tell Araya you fucked Alex when you didn’t? There’s only one answer, and that means she’s in danger. Now I’m going to fucking find out who or what is after her before I leave this room.”
Tears drench my face now. He lied about Alex? That son of a bitch. I have been swimming in a pool of pain for nothing? This doesn’t mean he lied about never loving me.
Hale sighs out deeply before dropping to a chair of his own, and Clay’s lips tighten as he sips on his whiskey. Brazen has just punched a gaping hole in my hybrid’s web woven from the fabric of deceit, and now it’s time for the rest of it to unravel.
“You don’t want to know. If you do, then you’ll want to help me, and Araya will be in the same predicament she was with me. You’ll want to tell her so badly it hurts, but you’ll worry about her above all else - she’s not ready to deal with this. Too much shit keeps being unloaded on her, and this might send her too far over the edge for even me to bring her back. Just go back upstairs, climb back into bed, and be there for her. I’ve got this,” Hale exhales, and Clay hands him a glass of whiskey to comfort the stinging in his eyes.
“You’ve got this? I love her, Hale. You don’t have this by your-fucking-self because I’m not going to let someone fuck with her ever again. After tonight’s incident, I want us three to be on rotation with her. I’m not crazy about you being around her, but I know you won’t fucking let what happened tonight happen again. I can’t be with her all the time because I’ve still got field detail. I refuse to trust her with just anyone. Now tell me what the hell is going on so I know what I need to be looking for.”
Brazen’s adamant stance makes Hale sigh again, and Clay pulls up a chair of his own while lighting a cigar.
“Tell him, Hale. He’s right. He needs to know what might be coming. I still think you should tell Araya too.”
Damn straight he should tell me.
Hale chugs the glass of whiskey as if he needs it for strength. The glass shatters in his hand when he squeezes too hard. No one flinches at the sound of the pieces of the glass slapping against the cold tile floor. They all sit silently - Hale waiting for Brazen to drop it, Brazen waiting for Hale to speak, and Clay waiting to hear who caves first. But, Brazen’s gaze is still expectant, unwavering, and stubborn as he awaits the truth.
“They’re not dead,” Hale breathes out.
“Who’s not dead?” Brazen prompts.
“The Scorpions,” Hale almost whispers, and I get sick at my stomach in that instant. “The men who kidnapped, tortured, and experimented on her,” Hale rattles out with a chilling tone, and he winces as his mind rushes back to those terrible memories.
I’m frozen right now. I don’t know if it’s because of the overwhelming panic stinging me with a prickling sensation, or if it’s because I want to hear the rest. I need to hear the rest.
“How? I thought she killed them all?” Brazen panics.
“She killed everyone there, but that wasn’t everyone involved. I don’t think they’re just after her for her hybrid savage blood. They knew who she was to begin with. They fucking knew her blood was a healing component for full bloods. They probably know more about her than we do to be honest - as far as science goes anyways.”
Brazen grips his head, and then he stands up to start pacing back and forth like he does when he’s worried. He grabs a weight and throws it across the room to shatter the wall when he needs to find a release.
“How long have you fucking known?” he growls.
“About their knowledge of her blood or the fact they’re still out there?” Hale asks softly.
“Both, damn it.”
“Clay and I only recently connected the pieces of the puzzle to their knowledge of her blood. We believe someone from Cheyenne found out about the phenomenon that is inside her, and they’ve been plotting and scheming in secrecy for years. We believe they’re responsible for this new hybrid breed.”
