Page 131 of The Devil's Chaos

I knew I had no leverage, no choice.

With a shaking hand, I raised the dagger to my chest and positioned the tip over my heart. I took a deep, shuddered breath and steeled myself against the pain to come.

Alex's hand closed over mine, his fingers dug in cruelly. “Remember, sis. Nice and deep. I want my mark to be with you forever.”

Kai made a muffled noise behind his gag as he strained against his bonds, again, in desperation.

Alex huffed in annoyance. “Hold on, someone seems to have something significant to say.” He turned on his heel and yanked the cloth out of Kai’s mouth. “What is it?”

My head snapped up at the sound of Kai’s laughter, so incongruous in this terrifying moment. Even Alex looked taken aback, his brow furrowed in irritation.

“What’s so funny, Montgomery?” he snarled while he pressed the gun into his temple. “You find this situation amusing?”

Kai's laughter subsided into a cold, humorless chuckle. He met Alex's gaze unflinchingly, and a smirk played on his bloodied lips. “Actually, yeah. I do. Because you see, you smug bastard, you just lost.”

Alex scoffed. “Lost? I'm the one holding all the cards here. I have the gun, the hostages, and Haven's complete submission. So please, enlighten me—how exactly have I lost?”

Kai's smirk widened. “Because while you were so busy monologuing and tormenting Haven, my team had plenty of time to get into position.”

As if on cue, the skylights above us shattered in a rain of glass. Dark figures rappelled down on cables, assault rifles at the ready. They landed in a circle around us, their weapons trained on Alex and his men.

I recognized Damien among them before more of The Brotherhood's security personnel flooded in through the exits, effectively surrounding and trapping Alex's group.

Alex snarled in fury as he whipped his gun towards me. “You treacherous bitch! You set me up!”

I stood frozen, the dagger still poised over my heart, my mind reeling from the sudden turn of events. “No, Alex, I swear I didn't?—”

“She didn't know,” Kai cut in, his voice hard. “This was all me. Did you really think I'd come here without a backup plan? Without ensuring Haven's safety first?”

Alex's face contorted with rage, his finger tightened on the trigger. “Then you can watch her die before I kill you!”

Several things happened at once. Kai roared, “Now!” The sound of shattering glass exploded overhead, and a single gunshot rang out. I braced myself for the searing pain of a bullet, but it never came. Instead, Alex staggered back, his gun clattered to the floor as he clutched his bleeding hand.

I saw Theo, a smoking rifle in his hands, perched in the rafters. He'd shot the gun right out of Alex's grip.

Chaos erupted as The Brotherhood swarmed in, quickly subduing Bruno, Rocco, and the other guards hidden throughout the club. Theo swiftly cut the bonds on the four captives my brother took and helped them to their feet.

Alex lunged for his fallen weapon, murder in his eyes, but Kai was faster. He kicked the gun away and delivered a brutal punch to Alex's face that sent him sprawling to the blood-slicked floor. Kai followed up with a flurry of vicious blows as he channeled all of his pent-up rage into each strike.

“It's over, Benson,” Kai growled while he planted his boot on Alex's chest to keep him pinned. “You've lost. Haven is free of you.”

Alex spat out a mouthful of blood as he glared balefully up at Kai. “This isn't over,” he hissed. “I'll never stop coming for her. She's mine!”

Kai pressed down harder, making Alex gasp in pain. “She doesn't belong to you, you sadistic fuck. She belongs to me. And you will never lay a hand on her again. She’s free of you. Forever.”

With a final, devastating punch, Kai let Alex's unconscious body slump to the floor. He turned to face me, his chest heaving, eyes wild with emotion.

I stood there, trembling, the dagger fell from my numb fingers and clattered to the floor. Tears streamed down my face as the reality of what just happened crashed over me. It was over. The nightmare was finally over.

He crossed the distance between us in two strides and gathered me into his arms. I clung to him desperately while I sobbed into his chest as all the fear and pain drained from me, and he held me tightly as I wept. “Shh, it’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe now,” he murmured as he gently stroked my hair.

I lifted my tear-streaked face to meet his intense gaze. “H—how? How did you…?”

“I knew you wouldn’t stay put even if you did promise me you would. So, I did what I thought you’d do.”

Fresh tears spilled over as the depth of his love for me overwhelmed my battered heart. “Kai, I…”

He cupped my face tenderly, his thumbs brushed away my tears. “I know. I love you, too. More than anything.”

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