Page 35 of Into the Light

“I am not kidding.” I tried to muster the courage to be the leader I needed to be. All of them still sat quietly, some even crossed their arms. These fuckers were being defiant, none of them wanting to rat on each other.

I gave a quick glance back at Pico, who nodded inconspicuously at me before moving from the shadows and standing next to me.

“Shut the fuck up, assholes,” he bellowed as he grabbed his gun and slammed it on the table. That was the voice of a leader, someone in charge, who created order out of a room and had a presence that when he entered, you listened.

The exact opposite of who I was. This was not the person Ember saw.

“I will personally cut each and every one of your fingers off and render them useless until someone confesses who is fucking with Tana Hosthrop at the salon on Main Street.”

No one was talking loud, but there were whispers with people looking around to see who I would pick out. Pico grabbed the guy, Roger, next to us by the shirt collar, lifting his finger to the knife.

“No one wants to talk?” He laughed maniacally, which only affirmed his leadership role. “I’m going around ripping off fingers then until someone does.”

Silence.

“Tommy’s girl,” a guy in the back shouted, and everyone whipped around to a small little dude sitting at the front. Tommy glared at the guy who ratted him out while Pico stalked toward his chair. Bringing the knife to his neck, he seethed at him, his face practically on top of his.

“The fuck took you so long to listen to Fortin?” Pico asked, and I just sat there watching the scene unfold because that’s where I preferred to be, blended in the background.

“Stand up,” Pico demanded, and the guy shuddered, but stood, walking in front of the room.

I gave him a quick nod of gratitude for handling it for me. “Your girl fucked over Ember.”

Tommy furled his upper lip at me but otherwise didn’t show an ounce of emotion. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

I shook my head, letting the corners of my lips twist into a smirk. “Get the fuck outta here. You planned this shit with her?” The silence from Tommy was more telling than his voice. “She purposefully fucked up my girl’s—”

“Oh, so she’s yours now?” he asked.

“No.”Fuck.

“No. Ember’s fucking hair.” I grabbed my Glock from my waistband and pointed it to his head, not giving a fuck about anything else.

“What did you tell her?” I seethed, my voice laced with anger and suspicion.

“The truth,” Tommy replied.

“Which is?” I tilted my head in his direction, the cold metal of the gun pressed against his temple a stark reminder of the seriousness of the situation.

“Ember killed Ash. She either drove him to his death or her brother—”

“No.” My finger tensed on the trigger. “Shut the fuck up,” I demanded, my tone taking on the weight of authority. This was for Ember, and I would do anything to protect her.

“Is it not the truth?” Tommy asked, his gaze fixed straight ahead, his composure unyielding.

“No,” I stated, taking a moment to scan the room. “For the fucking record, if any one of you breathes a word about Ember to anyone on this campus or in this house, you are fucking dead and out of the fucking organization.”

A heavy silence fell over the room as my words settled in. They knew the consequences of leaving the Den—a Cartel leadership role would be forever out of reach. This place served as a training ground for the organization, and leaving meant abandoning any hope of advancement.

“Ember doesn’t deserve any of this shit, and I am determined to uncover the truth about what happened to Ash . . .with concrete evidence.” I made it clear how resolute I was about getting to the bottom of it. “I will do all of this before the spring bonfire. If, for whatever reason, it remains unresolved, then you all can continue to point fingers at their family and blame whoever makes it easiest for you to sleep at night.”

No one dared to talk, and I didn’t move my weapon from Tommy’s forehead. Pico gave me a quick nod of approval, and I knew I was on the right page with how I was treating this situation. I knew, as their leader, regardless of my feelings over being in this position, I could show no weakness. Allowing these fuckers to rag on Ember was the line for me.

“Do I fucking make myself clear?” I asked again, and everyone gave a resounding “Yes” before I stared at Tommy, who remained as still as a statue staring out into the dining room.

“You all loved Ash? Appreciated him as a leader, no?” A murmur of “Yesses” were heard throughout the room. “He wouldn’t have wanted you to touch her. You all know it. So if you are not doing it for me, then do it for him.”

“Tommy?” I asked. “Do you understand why telling Tana about Ember and having her fuck her hair up on purpose was wrong?” I seethed through gritted teeth.

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