Page 83 of Daughters of Chaos

Lace lets out a gasp as Raven's face blanches. I'm nauseous. Scar, the president of the Desert Bastards, was Dad's old friend and a fucking monster. My head is still reeling from the story, and my fear about what's to come multiplies tenfold.

"Why the fuck didn't Axel do something about him then?" Raven asks, her voice low and deadly.

Mason is the first to reply. "He couldn't bring himself to kill one of his own. He still saw Scar as a son. The rivals agreed not to retaliate, but only if they got their money back and Axel got rid of Scar. So, he axed him from the Sons, told him never to showhis face in Phoenix again, or he'd put a bullet in him. For a long time, no one saw or heard from him.

Axel died, Viper became president, and life went on. Scar was pissed when Viper took over and didn't let him back in. He felt betrayed by someone he saw as a brother and started pitching a fit. That's when Scar's Desert Bastards formed and started making noise. Every one of his guys is as twisted as he is, or worse. They've beefed with us back and forth over the years, but nothing too bad until now. Things have always been tense, but we all thought Scar mellowed out with age."

There's more to it—something he doesn't want to tell us, I can sense it. So can my sister. "And . . . " she says insistently.

A loud huff leaves Mason's lips. He doesn't want to say it—whatever it is he's holding back—but Rae isn't letting it go. "Come on, Raptor, you can't give us half the story and expect us to be okay with it. What happened that changed things?"

Mason looks at me, and I see the answer in his eyes. "After one of our feuds a while back, Viper and Scar came to an agreement—they'd stay on their turf, we'd stay on ours. It worked, and we hadn't heard or seen the Bastards for months. Not until—"

"We showed up," I finish for him.

He looks at me, and the agony I see in his eyes breaks my heart. "Yeah."

It feels like I can't breathe. Knowing such an evil person used to run with the Sons, and what he's done to people before—it's horrifying. It makes so much sense now why Dad always kept such a close eye on me and Rae after Dom showed up. He didn't want history to repeat itself.

"Viper thinks Scar wants to use us to get to him." Raven's words make me shudder.

Mason nods, and I hear Reaper's growl from across the table, "Not gonna fuckin' happen." His fists clench, and it looks like he wants to murder someone.

"No, it's not," Mason agrees confidently, pulling me close. "They won't get to you, Nix. I won't let that happen," he adds for only me to hear. "I won't ever let them get close to you."

I hold him tight like a lifeline as my heart beats erratically in my chest. My eyes fly to Raven, who's grown eerily quiet. She, like Reaper, looks murderous. I know if it comes down to it, she'll step up to defend us. She'll raise all hell to protect us if, God forbid, something happens to the rest of them. I only hope it never comes to that.

Dad will be back soon. Then it will all be over.

Just a little longer.

It's almost over.

It's almost over.

The thought echoes over and over in my head, but it doesn't calm the heaviness in my heart or the sinking feeling in my gut. Something bad is coming for the Sons, and there isn't a damn thing we can do to stop it.

50

Raven

I'm fuming. The story Raptor told us about Scar has my blood boiling. He'd been kicked out of the Sons for horrendous acts. His cronies had been doing his dirty work for months, and no one thought to clue us in on what we were up against—me, Nix, Lace. We were supposed to exist in oblivion while that sick fuck ran his boys all around town, every move bringing him closer to us.

Maybe if they'd told us about him sooner, we—I—wouldn't have pushed back so hard when Viper insisted we needed escorts everywhere. I get that they didn't want to cause a panic, but if that psychopath has had us in his sights since we got here, wedeserved to know what we were up against. Viper shouldn't have kept us in the dark.

My mind is moving a hundred miles an hour as I stare out my bedroom window.What a fucking mess.Someone moves in the darkness behind me, stopping only a foot away. Watching, waiting for me to say something. He knows I'm pissed, that's why he's hanging back a bit tonight, not jumping straight into the physical like we usually do.

Smart man.

The air is tense, and I know it's a matter of time before the storm breaks. I'm primed for a fight, and he sees it. If I know him at all, he's already bracing for it. Waiting for that first wave of fury to come rolling out of me and directed straight for him. He can take it. That's why I don't feel bad for what I'm about to do.

When I turn to face him, I can see his eyes harden—he knows it's coming. There's no stopping it now.

"Why the fuck didn't you say something?" My burning question is met with silence.

"Why let me stay locked in the dark when you knew that fucker was out there gunning for Viper? When you knew he'd try to find a way to use me or Nix to do it." I step closer, leaving only inches between us. "Why, Reaper? Why did everyone keep it quiet? Why didn't you say anything?"

His mouth tightens as he matches my glare. "Viper was clear—no one said anything to you girls about Scar."

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