Page 73 of Deadly Little Games

I lower my eyes to the engraved marksabove my heart. The lettersDBthat I got when we were first initiated in are there, but now, down my stomach is the symbol only the leaders wear. At the top of an hourglass are the wordsDaring Brotherhood, with three skulls inside.

I raise my gaze, locking eyes with my brothers, and we become united.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Freya

Without any objections, the guards grant me passage back to Daringville; it seems my photo is on the approval list. When I step over the tracks, my shoulders relax a little, which confuses the fuck out of me. Although this isn’t home, it now feels like it. The trailer has never felt that way—home was only ever Alec.Hewas that comfortable place where I could just be myself, and he never judged me or told me to act differently. Fuck, I’ll never get used to the fact that he’s gone. My heart feels like it’s completely shattered and I’m trying to put a million pieces of it back together.

Having the guys by my side has been precisely what I needed, but the thought of going home and feeling lonely is not what I want. I want to be with them and that’s fucking crazy. Never in my life did I think I’d be back over these tracks, falling for the most feared members of The Brotherhood who are getting initiated as I wait. Those same men I warned my brother about. Despite the lump in my throat, I continue walking through town toward their private estate.

I arrive at the guard’s box and request access.

“Sorry, ma’am, but I’m not authorized to let you in,” a younger guy says before shooing me away. Fucking asshole.

I kick a rock on the ground, then sit on the curb opposite the box.

As I reach for my phone to call Lucas, I mistakenly open my photo app and find a picture of Alec’s face. He took a selfie one time when he stole my phone. He’s sitting on the toilet with his tongue out and holding up two fingers in a peace sign. Tears fall onto the screen, and I don’t bother wiping them away. He’s really gone. They could have taken anyone else—hell, even me.

The gates open and a car drives out, but it’s not until the car door slams that I bother looking up. I frown as Lucas’s mom, Nadine, kneels in front of me.

“Oh, sweetie, are you okay?” she asks, her eyes the same brown as her son’s.

My head shakes involuntarily as I struggle to express myself, the words eluding me. My life is a mess, and I can’t think straight.

“Do you want something to take away the pain?” she asks, opening up her purse and pulling out a bag of powder.

My eyes widen. “No way! That shit only causes more headaches.”

Nadine kneels in front of me, placing her hand on my knee. “Are you worried you’ll end up like your mother?”

“She made her choice. I’m not weak like her.”

Nadine blows out a laugh. “No, sweetie, you aren’t, but once or twice won’t make you an addict. You’re strong, your mother is weak.”

I shake my head. There’s no way I’m touching that shit no matter what she says.

She places the bag in my lap. “My boy needs a strong woman in his life, and with this, you’ll have the power to take on the world. Just think about it.” Before I have a chance to utter a word, she’s gone, effortlessly slipping into her car and driving away.

I raise my gaze and spot an older man in the backseat of the car. His face presses against the window, and my mouth drops open. I feel like Alec’s ocean-blue eyes are looking right at me. In a flash, they’re gone, the car zooming away down the road.

I stare at the bag of powder in my hand and shake my head, throwing it to the ground. My phone buzzes in my other hand and a message appears from the unknown number.

Looks familiar, doesn’t it?

Why did she give me drugs? What does the text mean? Why would it look familiar? I reread the text over and over... and then it clicks, just as another message comes through.

Your mother didn’t become addicted to drugs by accident.

All the blood drains from my face, and I think I’m going to be sick. My phone drops out of my hand, and I lean forward, spewing up bile. Memories flicker in my mind of Mom back when we lived in Daringville, back when things were happier. She’d been fine for so long—but what if someone gave her drugs, too?

Nadine’s the mother of the man I’m falling for—but what if she’s not what she seems? Jumping up, I retrieve my phone and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. She’sdead.

I hit dial on Lucas’s name, and he answers straight away. “You okay?”

“Yeah, where’s the graveyard?” I ask in a hurry, and he givesme directions before I hang up without saying goodbye.

The gate opens once more, and without pause, I sprint through it toward Hazen’s estate, evading the guard’s attempt to halt me, and I don’t stop until I’m outside his place. The garage is open and there’s a guy cleaning Hazen’s dirt bike right outside it. I peer around while leaning against the side of the house. After five minutes, the man stops, dropping the rag into the soapy bucket, and goes inside the garage. Before I can second-guess myself, I sprint toward the bike, swing my leg over, and start it. I feel the vibration as it stirs, rumbling between my legs.

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