Page 11 of Deadly Little Games

After leaving the message, I feel a throbbing headache coming on and pinch the bridge of my nose. This isn’t like him. He’d never normally leave me to walk home like this.What if he’s been hurt? What if something bad has happened?

“Damn it,” I mutter, angrily typing out another text message to him. I can always count on him to be my designated driver, ensuring I get home safely. Now I’m going to have to walk.

“Who are you waiting for?” Lucas approaches and stands by my side, the scent of blueberry lingering in the air as he exhales.

“Don’t you have somewhere else better to be?” I ask instead.

“Yeah, I do, actually,” he says, a smile spreading across his face as he pushes off the wall and strides confidently toward his car. “It’s where your brother is waiting.”

He... what? Running to catch up, I stumble after him.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

He opens the passenger-side door for me. “Hop in and I’ll show you,” he says, but I shake my head, crossing my arms tightly over my chest.

“Hell no. Tell me where he is. Now,” I say, my voice growing louder with each word.

Lucas’s playful smile fades away as he shakes his head, his expression turning serious. Taking a firm hold of my arm, he squeezes, inflicting a sharp wave of pain that forces me to clench my teeth.

“Get in the fucking car. I won’t ask again,” he warns, his words tinged with a touch of menace, sending a chill down my back. Under different circumstances, I would delight in the excitement that comes with defying him, but my brother’s safety is at stake, and I can’t afford to take that risk.

I manage to break free from his firm grip, my heart racing, and quickly slide into his car. With a forceful slam, he shuts the door, and I immediately sink into the plushupholstery, the leather soft against my skin. Beads of sweat form on my palms and I anxiously rub them on my shorts.

Lucas jumps in, the engine roars to life, and we speed out of the parking lot.

“Where are we going? Just tell me.” The intense speed and sharp turn force me to hold onto the seatbelt tightly, basking in a mix of excitement and fear.

“To the masque ball in Daringville, little thorn,” he says, and the sound of my racing heartbeat drowns out everything else.

My brother is at a masquerade ball with some of the wealthiest, most dangerous people on the wrong side of the tracks?

Damn it, Alec, what the hell are you doing?

Chapter Four

Freya

Lucas races through town at a breakneck speed, his fingers tapping away on his phone. I’m on edge the entire time, gripping onto my seatbelt.

Alec is a big boy and can look after himself—but what if he’s in trouble? He always has my back, and it’s unlike him to leave me to get home from work by myself, which makes me worry that something is seriously wrong. Has he been seeing his therapist? He’s been a little on edge lately, but I have, too, with the stress of getting enough money to get out of here. He isn’t like he was before—he has something to look forward to. A way to get out of here for good. It doesn’t stop me from worrying, though.

Unfortunately, the only person who can give me a ride to him is this jerk, who happens to be one of the heirs of The Brotherhood.

Something jumps out in front of the car. My scream fills the interior of the vehicle as I instinctively latch onto his thigh, my nails digging deep into his flesh.

Lucas narrowly avoids hitting whatever the hell that thing was. My heart pounds in my chest, a restlessrhythm begging for action, demanding a release of this built-up adrenaline. Shifting in my seat, I subtly cross one leg over the other, my hand still tightly gripping his thigh. It’s as though it’s keeping me from falling off the edge and doing something reckless.

“Deathwise” by Stand Atlantic rumbles through the car and my eyes lock with Lucas’s. His mouth quirks up at one side, his eyes leisurely taking in every inch of me, leaving me paralyzed. I don’t dare move. I can’t. He continues driving, constantly shifting his gaze between me and the road.

“Don’t tell me you’re one of those girls who can’t handle a little reckless fun?” he asks, switching gears and turning back to watch the road.

A scoff escapes my lips as I exhale the breath I’ve been holding. “You’ll have to figure that out for yourself,” I say. I refuse to give him any details that he could twist and use against me. He’s the enemy, and the only reason I’m here in his car is because I’m worried about my brother.

I remove my hand from his thigh and instinctively pull away, but he reaches out and grabs it, guiding it to his crotch, where I feel his hard erection. Holy crap.

“That’s what the thrill does to me.” He smirks, his voice filled with an intoxicating combination of excitement and danger, and I quickly withdraw my hand.

“Touch me without my permission again, and I’ll bite off your dick. I don’t give a fuck who you are,” I snap. His frown deepens, and his eyes shimmer with an indiscernible glimmer.

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