Page 58 of Smoke the Enemy

“From who? Yourself!”

“Wow. You’re delusional.”

“Tell me who she is. You tortured me but never told me why. Who was it? Is this because Taylor’s with me? Or — because I killed Allison Dupree?”

Alex’s face goes white. He didn’t know.Fuck.I can’t think. My chest hurts and my eyes are feeling heavy. I was convinced he had been the one torturing me, but was it not him? Alex allows my body to fall to the floor. He bends down and whispers, “It wasn’tjustme. I couldn’t have pulled this off without some help.”

I force myself to remain conscious. The state of my body is making it so hard to know what’s real and not. He seemed shocked at my admission, but now he’s confessing. His lips graze my ear, “Shush. Don’t think so hard, you’ll hurt yourself. Nobody will believe you anyway. They’ll think you’re crazy and your brother is blind to his love for you and lust for Taylor. It gets my dick hard watching you Carmichaels fall.”

Footsteps sound outside, and Alex quickly moves away from me, clutching his chest.

“Soren…” It’s Taylor’s voice. She’s sideways but it’s her. The sun is shining behind her, and she appears to me like an angel. I scream in agony remembering my nightmares. “Soren, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not,” I cry. I feel so weak crying in front of everyone. But how can I not? I love her and I’m going to be the reason she dies. Alex is playing everyone, and there’s not enough creditability to my name to convince anyone otherwise. I’m so fucking tired. Life, the Brotherhood, business, family, all of it. I only want for Taylor to be safe and happy, and she’ll never have that with me.

The distinct sound of the click of a gun has me using the last of my strength to cover Taylor’s body with mine. Alex’s voice is shaking as he commands Taylor to get away from me. “He killed my mother. It was him. Taylor, you know what happened to me because of that.”

My back slides down Taylor’s front and I mumble, “I didn’t want… to. She told me to go ahead and kill her because my father was going to anyway. No point in us both suffering. She — her eyes, they begged me to protect her. I knew she had a son. I wanted to protect you by helping her. But I didn’t. I crumbled under the pressure of my father. I hate him.”

“Do you have any idea how much I’ve suffered because you killed the only person who ever loved me? I spent my life being raised like I was the son of the devil. If people keep treating you like you’re tainted and evil, eventually you become what they fear. I never stood a chance… because ofyou.” I hear Alex’s footsteps approaching me. Let him take me out. I deserve it. I’ve been my father’s soldier, and some of the shit I’ve done I can’t even blame it on him.

Steffan’s voice rings out. “Get away from my brother!”

There’s a struggle and a gun goes off. Taylor screams but doesn’t leave me, she continues to hold me tightly against her. “Here, Succo,” I hear her say. She gets under one arm, and Succo gets under the other. They hoist me up and my body screams in protest. The muscles don’t seem to remember how to work. I just want to go to sleep. I squint through the brightness and see Alex and Steffan staring at each other.

“Don’t I deserve to at least hold a trial? The crime was years ago, but I’m still suffering the consequences. He should face trial for the murder of one of The Illicit founding families.Thefucking founding family,” Alex fumes.

Taylor speaks up. “No. Alex, please.”

Alex’s voice sounds pained. “I know you hate me, but isn’t there a decent shred of you that can see he murdered my mother? Our lives might’ve been different — no, they would’ve.”

Taylor gestures for Steffan to take her place by my side. I watch in horror as she leaves me to go to Alex. “We never would’ve been. You never would’ve ended up in Mississippi. I am so sorry about what happened. I truly am. But Alex, Soren was only following orders. He was a kid who never should’ve been put in that situation. He’s a victim here.”

Alex reaches up and touches her face. “I’ll drop all of this if you’ll wear my tie. If you will agree to leave those two alone and be mine. That’s the only reason I came here. You’re the only reason I took my place with The Illicit Brotherhood. You for Soren.”

“My life for Soren’s.”

Alex releases a humorless chuckle that makes my stomach turn. “Oh, you’re worth more than that. It’s your life for the entire Charmichael family’s life. You’re saving an entire lineage.”

“Done.”

“The hell? No!” Steffan yells. But then he goes quiet, and his face turns pale white. He shakes Soren. “Sor? Soren!Soren!”

Blue Rose, Alabama

Taylor

I’ve lost most of the feeling in my arms, but I refuse to let go of Steffan, who is silently crying into his hands. We’ve been waiting in a private area inside the hospital. Not sure how the Brotherhood was able to get Soren in so quickly and quietly in his condition without having the police involved, but they did.

The door bursts open and Rhett Carmichael stands before us. He charges over to his son, and before I can react, his fist connects with Steffan’s jaw. “You had one job. One! How hard is it to manage a fucking fraternity? You’ve embarrassed our name —myname.” Steffan doesn’t even fight back. He holds his chin up and waits for the next blow as a single tear makes its way down his reddened cheek. “Sniveling little bitch. I put everything on the line for you.”

His eyes turn to me. “Go wait in my car. I need to find out what it is that’s made your cunt so addictive to my boys. Hell, a Dupree came out of hiding for it.”

Steffan lurches from his chair and shoves his father against the wall. His hands form a vise-like grip around the man’s neck. Mr. Carmichael begins to turn blue. I fear Steffan might actually kill him, but his father kicks his foot out causing Steffan to drop and loosen his grip. Two men wearing all black hurry in and pull Steffan away.

“Good to see you haven’t completely lost your balls. I’ll deal with both of you later. Your mother is on her way, and I need to go clean up your fucking mess.”

They keep Soren in the hospital overnight for observation since he was mostly dehydrated. Alex doesn’t push me on our deal. In fact, he allows me to help the brothers tend to Soren when he gets to return to the mansion.

---