Page 74 of Released

LOKI

Once we’re all cleaned up and dressed in clothes that we’d placed there before the fun began, Kai and I exit the bathroom to find Ash and Jax carrying Julian down the stairs, Rafe and my sperm donor already situated, slumped in chairs. Sweat drips down the side of my temple, the heat on full blast to confuse the time of death.

It seems so strange to have shared such an intimate moment with Kai, our relationship moving up to the next level, one moment, then being faced with the remnants of our revenge plan. My fingers tingle in Kai’s grip, his hand in mine as we approach the others, careful to avoid the blood on the floor, plastic covering our shoes.

After heaving Julian in the final remaining chair, Jax goes about putting their shoes back on their feet while Ash carefully carries the various tools that we used on Stephen to each of them, wrapping their hands around the handles of different ones so that it’ll be their fingerprints that the Feds find.

Fingerprints on a murder weapon is a surefire way to earn a conviction, plus with the other evidence we’ve planted; footwear marks in the blood and the digital trail of my uncle betraying the company, there’s no way they’ll be able to avoid rotting in jail for a very long time.

We watch as Jax takes the blood that we collected from Stephen’s slit throat, and using the knife, dips it into the container and flicks it over the three comatose men, before wrapping his own father’s hand around the murder weapon.

“We’ll get cleaned up, then join you guys upstairs,” Ash informs us, stripping where he stands and dropping his clothes in the open bag that Enzo will take to be incinerated.

We’d brought clean sweats and shirts down before the torture party got started, leaving them in the bathroom, ready for this phase of the plan.

“Sure, I’ll take these up,” I reply, snapping another pair of gloves on and grabbing the bag.

Kai remains silent as we make our way upstairs, but it’s a relaxed quietness, and a light-hearted feeling fills me up to think that, just maybe, he exorcised his demons tonight.

“It is done?” Enzo asks as we step into the living room from the basement, and I nod.

“Yep,” I answer, for once no jokey comeback on my tongue.

“Good,” he replies, glancing over at Kai with a shrewd look before taking two big steps and pulling him into a hug. “You did well, caro mio.”

I watch as Kai takes a shuddering breath, wrapping his own arms around the older man and hugging him right back. A sense of calm washes over me at the sight of Kai not only accepting an embrace but returning it. He’ll be alright.

“Right, boys,” Ash states, jogging up the stairs with damp hair. “We’re on the home stretch. Enzo, you take that final bag, burn it with the others. Give us thirty minutes, then call the cops.”

“Si,” Enzo agrees, taking the bag from me and then heading out of the door. He pauses when he reaches the threshold, turning and looking back at us. “I’m proud of you, boys, and honoured to watch you become the men you were always meant to be.”

My throat tightens at his declaration, and I notice the others shift and stand a little taller at his words. With that, the older man walks out, leaving us to implement the final part of the plan. The part that I’m dreading if I’m being honest.

“Come on, let’s get this over with,” Ash says with a sigh, clearly feeling the same reluctance as the rest of us.

We enter the living room once more, collecting the glasses that our elders dropped, and Kai takes them to the kitchen to rinse them out. Jax sorts us new drinks, this time with enough GHB to knock us out for an hour or so, just enough time that if all goes to plan, we’ll wake up in hospital after the cops have found us all. If it doesn’t go to plan…well, who the fuck knows what happens then.

Jax hands us our glasses, giving Kai his when he returns.

“Bottoms up,” I toast, raising the glass and slugging the measure back in one go. Best to just rip that band-aid off, I always think. I grimace with the burn of good quality scotch, wincing slightly at not taking the time to appreciate it fully.

“See you on the other side,” Ash comments, drinking his next, not even making a face as he swallows. He’s used to drinking this shit more than any of us, his father practically bottle-fed him on it.

Jax doesn’t say anything, just throws his back like a badass before setting his glass down on the side table. Kai is the final one to bring his glass to his lips.

“Here’s to a new life,” he says, drinking it down.

The drug doesn’t take long to take effect, and I feel a pleasant buzz start to loosen my limbs just as we hear a door crash open.

“Whath the fuckth?” Ash slurs, all of us unsteadily rising to our feet as the door to the basement flies open and Jax’s dad is just fucking standing there, blinking and weaving around, gun in hand.

Everything happens too fast then, his unfocused eyes catching my gaze as I’m the closest to the door. The gun raises, and all I can do is watch as he levels it at my chest. My ears register the loud bang, my body jerking, and I watch as Rafe topples back down the stairs.

My ears are ringing, and I sluggishly shake my head, catching the red that’s spreading across my left pec.

“Wellth, f–fuck,” I stutter, looking back up to see horrified looks on the faces of my brothers before their eyes roll and they fall to the floor. I follow them down, darkness taking me in its embrace before my head hits the floor.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE

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