Page 79 of Deadly Little Hearts
Chapter 41
Freya
Ipullback,restingmyhands on Hazen’s chest.It rises and falls at the same pace as mine.We’re okay.Dominic is gone.Hazen’s right—he can’t hurt me or us again.Everything is right in the world.The asshole is dead.I smile, teeth and all.
Arms wrap around me from behind.I look up into Lucas’s shining eye—the other is practically swollen shut—and squeal.He lifts me and my hands tangle around his neck.
“Is it good to see me, little thorn?”Lucas asks, and I chuckle, pressing my lips to his and putting everything into the kiss.He’s safe—well, apart from the swelling and a few bruises on his cheek and nose.Bear did a number on him.
I pull back and Lucas slaps my ass.
“Let’s celebrate our reunion later.We’ve gotta take back control of our town now that he’s dead,” Hazen says, getting up off the ground.
“Where’s Mia?”I ask.Last time I saw her was in the office, then she disappeared.
“No idea, who cares?”Gage moves in front of Ronald, and he gets to his feet.The rest of the men have left.“Before we round up and kill all those who aren’t with us, we need to deal with the elephant in the room.”Gage clears his throat.
Ronald is in the corner, holding his bleeding nose, watching us closely.I glare at him, the traitorous bastard.He should be dead for choosing Dominic over us.
“Why did you betray us, Ronald?”Hazen asks, towering over the older man.
He raises his hands in surrender.“I didn’t want to.Dominic had shit on me from my life before The Brotherhood.He threatened me, said that he’d use it to ruin my marriage.I couldn’t afford to lose Meredith.”His voice drops at the mention of his wife, and part of me feels sorry for him.
“You could have come to us about this, and we would have fixed it,” Gage says.
Ronald nods solemnly.“I know, and I’m sorry.I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you boys.You are the true leaders of The Brotherhood, and I want to be part of that.”
Silence fills the room.Lucas takes my hand and squeezes.
“Fine.You are on probation.One wrong move and you are done.Got it?”Hazen crosses his arms over his chest, and my stomach flips.
I’m going to lock these men up in my room later and let them control me like this.My cheeks burn, and I try to think of anything but fucking them.Seeing them be all bossy drives me crazy.
Ronald nods.
Hazen steps aside.“Gather up all the traitors and bring them to us.”
Ronald scurries out of the room, nodding at Lucas on his way past.
“What about the guns that the Hood are apparently owed?”I ask, dreading the answer.Either way we act, it won’t end well for us.
“Why give them more power?”Hazen asks.
I press my lips together.“If Kai gets his guns, he’ll have more power to use against us, but if he doesn’t, he’ll be pissed and use that anger against us.”I sigh.
Hazen scratches the back of his neck.“Let’s leave some cars from my father’s estate for them and give them a night to cool down.”
“It’s something,” I say.“We’ll ask for a meeting—they need to know Dominic was behind the town hall bombing too.Let me text Kai and get one of your men to drop them off at the park.”
Hazen nods and I text Kai.
“We’ll try to broker an agreement one last time for a new future, where we can work together.If that doesn’t work, then I’m sorry, Freya, but we can’t stop the inevitable,” Gage says.
I nod.He’s right, and I just hope to fuck we can come to some kind of agreement before it’s too late.
I’ve said it time and time again—I refuse to choose between my best friend and the men I love.If my brother is looking down on me now, which I know he is, I have one request:Please make this all right.Get Kai to accept peace and allow everything to be good, not go back to the way it was, because that wasn’t right either.I’ve lived in Daringhood; we have to make it better for everyone.
Five minutes later, the backyard of my childhood home is full of Dominic’s soldiers.The majority were once The Brotherhood’s men, and the others came from God knows where.
