Page 65 of Hell Breaks Loose

He’s way more qualified.

And he doesn’t want anything to do with it.

Why couldn’t Hellena have just stabbed that whack job in the throat and stuck around to help me?

My thoughts are drifting to unhappy places, missing my best friend. It’s a spiral I don’t let myself go down.

Normally.

“Which brings me to the worse news.”

“Yay.”

Alaya leans over the desk, pressing her arms together and giving me a front-row seat to titty-town. She’s such a good friend and sidekick, always cheering me up as she shits on my day.

“Hellena’s back.”

My head caves in.

“Uh, what? I mean, wait. Start over. Why is that bad news?”

“Because she came here with a squad of Vice clowns.”

“I’m going to take a wild stab in the dark to say she’s not in chains?”

“Looks like she’s chief cunt over the lot of them. And they’re making a fuss and a fire all over town. Especially down by the docks.”

“She’s stirring up shit with the Ghosts?”

“Makes you wonder if their leader just showed up to call the shots.”

“No. No fucking way. Hellena would never…”

“Tell told us what they did to her. She might be compromised.”

“It doesn’t matter. Hell is too fucking strong to give in.”

“But if she has, we gotta talk about contingency plans.”

“I’m not having that conversation again.” Tears spring to my eyes. Again. “Fuck, Lia, I am not cut out to make these calls.”

“We’re all a little broken, sugar.”

The only thing I hate more than her terrifying deadliness is when she calls me that.

When she says it in that voice.

I’ve only ever heard her use it with me.

And it makes me want to fall apart and let her put me back together again. Which has always been my weakness. To run when it gets tough. Get drunk. Get laid.

“Someone else should be in charge,” I whisper, burying my head in my arms.

“Not all of us are built to lead, Ore. For Gavin and me, it was Damon, especially Gav. And some things like that in people don’t change. Man’s about as flexible as a rail tie.”

“Then I have to believe Hell hasn’t changed, too.”

“I hope that’s the case. She’s a firecracker. And none of us are giving up, just… planning for the worst.”

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