Page 74 of What Lies Within

He glances at Minion, to the wet leather hanging off the edge of the kitchen counter.

“Fuckin’ did, didn’t you?” Minion takes a step forward. “You fuckin’ used our name to benefit yourself, didn’t you, you fuck.”

“Christ, Fox.” I turn away and scrub a hand over my face. It does nothing to ease the blooming headache. “The fucking Breed think they made this contract with the Reapers, don’t they?”

His whispered answer is as pathetic as he is. “Maybe.”

“Fuckin’ hell.” My gun weighs heavy in my hand. The anger slithering through my veins demands an out.Not yet.I need details.

I need to know how bad is this fuck-up. How much of a fucking headache I have coming at me.

“How long?” I demand.

“How long what?” he snaps.

"How long did you agree to do this for them?" I wait for his answer, my pulse throbbing through my limbs, legs wide.

He glances at Minion, then back to me before answering. "It has no end."

Motherfucker.Teeth bared, I lift the gun and aim at my brother's head.

Pull the trigger before I can talk myself out of it.

Close my eyes before the image burns too bright in my guilty conscience.

Then turn for the door to step into my new fucking future.

A future in which the Devil's Breed believes the Reapers have agreed to traffic their trade through the southern states.

Theirskintrade.

Fuck.

29

DIGGER

“Wake up, baby.” I whisper the words against Rae’s ear, my hand resting on her hip.

She opens her eyes, blinking into focus as she stares at the back of Maddie’s head and releases a gentle sigh.

“Need you to get up.” Hand tracing the dip of her waist, I slide it up to her ribs and give a slight squeeze. “Real quiet, okay?”

Her head lolls back on the pillow, and she stares at me with soulful eyes. "She's still in there, Dig."

I nod at her whisper, gaze sliding over to my niece, who sleeps soundly, Tyke's pillow clutched to her chest. "Glad to hear it."

And I fucking am. With the warning message I got from Minion, I’m assuming my brother is on his way back here in a ball of fucking fury. Finding his daughter still under the effects of the man he’s just laid to rest would have been gasoline on the fire.

“Come on.” I press a kiss to Rae’s temple. “Got things I need you to do.”

She glances at Maddie again and then nods. Slow and methodical, Rae slides her arm from Maddie's hip, easing her body weight onto her back as she rolls away. I offer her my hand, helping her transition off the bed, and follow Rae to the other side of the bed, toward the door.

She hesitates, leaning down to check Maddie's face for any sign she disturbed her.

Our joint concern continues to breathe deeply; lips parted a fraction as she finds peace in another faraway world. My chest aches. I fucking know what it is to wish for the oblivion of sleep to escape your troubles, but then I also know what it is to wake and find the same shit waiting for you as though all you did was hit pause on the rambling thoughts that made drifting off the night before so damn hard.

Our girl will need a while to get her head straight, and the best we can do is be her rock—something sturdy to lean on when the going gets tough.

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