Page 52 of Deadliest Throne

My eyes can’t help but drift around. Everything looks different, yet the same somehow.

The most surprising part is, I don’t get that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach I used to live with.

My eyes find Travis’s, and they tell me he feels the same way.

Stepping into the clubhouse though, I see that some things have changed.

“Damn,” Travis mutters. The place is empty right now. Not surprising since we’ve driven all night to get here and it’s only noon. “This place is...”

“Clean?” Titus snorts. “Yeah, that was a bitch to make happen.”

I remember this place being a cesspool coated in cum, sweat, and other bodily fluids. Now it’s clean and gutted into a whole new club.

“How come you're not more on guard?” Hunter asks me.

I’m about to open my mouth when Titus answers. “Because he knows that we don’t kill blood.”

It’s true. Ridicule, beat, and treat us like we don’t exist, sure, but kill? It’s oddly the one thing my father stood strong by. Maybe it was just some sort of pride thing, not being able to live with something he made being taken away from him.

“Oh, well, that must be nice. My dad sure as hell would have loved to get his hands on me. Good thing he’s fucking dead.” Hunter snorts. “Although, I’m not sure Link won’t kill me when we get back.”

Link. He's still locked up, some of the crew members keeping an eye on him. It wasn't easy getting people to agree, knowing there could be a good chance he would shoot them as soon as his hands were free.

We follow them back to the office, another room that's changed. Any trace that this was my father’s space is gone. It’s like this whole damn club got a makeover.

“Sit,” Titus instructs, taking a seat behind his desk, his men moving to his side. He sits back in his chair and raises his chin. “I know why you’re here.”

“You do?” I ask. “And how the fuck do you know that?”

“My sources tell me they brought your girl in the other day.”

My stomach sinks, my heart pounding painfully in my chest. “What the fuck do you know about my girl?” I snarl.

“That her name is Raven West. Pretty little blonde thing I might add. Tyrone has been looking for a very long time for his daughter. I do have to give that leader of your’s a pat on the back. You lot have been so well hidden, that none of his men, or mine could find her.”

“So you work for him.” I try to keep my composure but this could go one of two ways. If he’s working for Tyrone, then he could warn him. Although I’m sure he already knows we’re doing our damn fucking best to find him. Now more than ever. Or, he gives us the information we need so we can find her. If he’s right, then he already knows where Raven is.

Titus runs his tongue along the top of his teeth and looks up at his guys. “You trust them?” Otto asks.

Titus looks at me, really looks at me. “Yes,” he says, and honestly I’m surprised. “Because we have a mutual goal.”

“We do?” Travis asks.

“You want your girl, we want ours.” Titus nods.

“Wait, he has your girl? Then why haven’t you stormed the palace down to get her?”

Titus lets out a frustrated breath. “It’s not that fucking easy. Trust me, if it was, we would have gotten her by now. The fact is, he wants both of them for different reasons. To him, they are pawns to play with and move around on the board. Here’s what we know. He’s not dead, but he’s close to it. It was all a ploy to get eyes off his back so he can work bigger and better things. It also means he’s desperate to get things done before he does die. And we can’t take the chance of him doing something to our girl.”

“Who is she?” Hunter asks.

“None of your business,” Otto hisses.

Titus holds up a hand. “We’re offering our resources if you offer yours.”

“So, like, team up?” My brows furrow.

“Pretty much.” He shrugs. “We’re not as big as you. We don’t have as many men as you. Yet. We plan on changing that once he really is ice cold and in the ground.”

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