He never did tell me…
I realized that as I stood there clutching my mother’s diary in my hand. When we’d left the diner, before Tobias collapsed, Nick had promised to tell me the reasons why Mom had handed me over to those sick fucking pieces of shit. But as I stood there, holding the small leatherbound notebook, I realized he never had…
As the words blurred on the page in my hand, now I wished he never had.
I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice, only to whisper. “Breeding program.” I lifted my gaze to Nick’s sad stare. “That’s what I am?”
“No.” Caleb shook his head. “That’s not what you are. All that is, is how you came to be.”
“They were bred, Caleb,” I whimpered, and lifted the journal. “My mother, other women, they were bred.”
“And if they had the chance, they’d do the same to you,” Caleb added.
You’re a natural.
A natural.
A nat—
The kitchen spun, blurring under the savage rush of my panicked breaths. Oh, God…oh, God…
“Easy.” Tobias gripped my arm, shooting a savage glare C’s way. “A little bit of fucking tact, huh?”
“Tact won’t give her answers,” Caleb bit back. “And it sure as hell won’t keep her safe.”
Tobias shook his head as anger burned in his stare. “And you think scaring her half to death will?”
Caleb turned away, raking his fingers through his hair, his unbuttoned crumpled white shirt flapping as he turned, and paced the length of the kitchen counter. “Fuck, this is a mess.”
I thought it was a lie.
That it was all some sick, twisted lie. But it wasn’t, was it? Not only wasn’t it a lie…it was far worse than I’d thought. “I don’t know whether to throw up, scream, or get drunk.”
“We can try all three at once if you want,” T muttered beside me. “’Cause that sounds like an average Saturday night out partying to me.”
I let out a bark of laughter, shooting him a glare. “Way to crack a joke at a time like this.”
There was a quirk at the corner of his lips as he gave a shrug. “Hey, it worked, didn’t it?”
I was about to give him a jab in the ribs, but Nick’s phone vibrated on the counter. Then what little laughter I had inside me died away in an instant. Nick glanced at me, then pressed the icon on his phone, putting it on speaker. “We’re here.”
“My guys are almost there to pick her up.” Ben Rossi’s deep growl echoed huskily through the phone. I doubted he’d had a second of sleep. “Thought I’d give you a heads-up.”
Nick stared at me, then reached out, his finger hovering over the phone. “Thanks. Keep us informed.”
“Will do.”
I surged forward. “Wait!”
Nick stilled from ending the call. My heart hammered, my chest was tight. “Can you stay on the line?” I asked. “I just want to make sure she’s safe, that’s all.”
“Ryth,” Nick cautioned.
There was a sadness in his stare. One I didn’t need to see right now. “I’m not getting my hopes up,” I muttered. “I know what she did was wrong. But if this…” I lifted the diary. “If this doesn’t speak volumes as to her state of mind, then I don’t know what does.”
“She seemed fine when she had them abduct you from that warehouse,” Nick growled.
“She also seemed fine when she shot our fucking dad,” Tobias snarled.
I flinched at the words. After Tobias told us what had happened that night, I couldn’t believe it. That…murderer wasn’t the woman who’d given birth to me, who’d raised me…who’d cared for me. She was a stranger. A—I gripped the diary in my hand—by-product of vile men.
Hate seethed in the kitchen, making goosebumps race along my arms. I hugged my body as Ben’s voice came again. “Let me call my men on the other phone. I’ll put them on speaker and as soon as we have her, then you can rest easier.”
He knew. I didn’t understand how, but he did. “Thank you,” I whispered.
I waited as sounds filtered through the phone, until the voices of other men echoed. “Yeah, we’re coming up on the Pier now.”
“Do you see her?” Ben asked.
“We’re looking…there’s…” his man started.
“What the fuck?” Ben snarled.
Nick snapped his head up at the sound. “What is it?”
“I just got a goddamn text from a private number…there’s been an explosion.”
“Wait!” his man’s voice cracked through in the background. “Wait, WHAT THE FUCK!”
Crack!
Crack…crack…crack crack crack.
I flinched at every sound. Panting breaths consumed me. “What is it? What’s happening!”
“Nick!” Rossi roared. “Get the fuck out of there NOW!”
Crack!
I stared at the phone on the counter, but the screen was dead now…the call disconnected.
Crack!
“What the fuck?” Nick snapped as a blur of movement came in the corner of my eye from behind me.
I spun as Tobias whirled around, and found three men dressed in black and wearing balaclavas striding toward us with their guns raised in the air.
Crack! The shot rang out as Caleb lunged sideways. Tobias was savage, pushing in front of me, protecting me with his life as the men spread out, each one of them going for my brothers. But it was the middle one who shifted the gun in his hand, taking aim at Tobias’s head.
Until Nick unleashed a savage roar, vaulted clear across the kitchen counter, and kicked the gun from the attacker’s hand. Crack! The shot went wide, hitting the counter next to me. There was a second where Tobias jerked his gaze to mine, then found the bullet hole, then turned back to the asshole.
“You fucking bastard!” he screamed and lunged, driving his fist into the black mask. “You almost hit her!”
Thump!
Thump!
Crunch!
Rebel’s savage snarls came from around the corner of the dining room. Her black lips were curled back, and rage shone in her midnight eyes. She lunged at the attacker as he lashed out at Nick, sinking her fangs into his leg. He bucked with the pain, kicking out. But there was no way she was letting go. If anything, she held on even tighter, thrashing her head from side to side.
“The fuck!” Nick’s gunman screamed.
They were an unmerciful blur of fists and balaclavas and a savage pup who was my brother’s protector. I shoved away from the counter and stumbled backwards as all three of my brothers fought for our lives. But I wasn’t running. No fucking way…I was done with that…I was so fucking done. I rounded the edge, moved into the kitchen, and grabbed one of the butcher knives from the block instead, then turned back to them.
They were here to abduct me…
No. They were here to kill them…
I gripped the knife tightly and plunged back around as grunts and snarls and the sickening sounds of fists on flesh followed.
“Shoot this motherfucker!” one of the attackers roared.
Nick was throwing fists, then swept out his leg to take the gunman down. But he was so focused on Tobias that he took a fist to the jaw. He stumbled backwards, then went down himself, while the other man went for Tobias’s wounded leg.
“I’m gonna kill you!” Tobias roared. “I’m gonna fucking kill you!”
Crack!
A gunshot rang out, deafening in the space. I gripped the hilt of the knife and searched the walls to see where the bullet had hit. But it hadn’t made a hole, not in the walls or the counter. Instead, Caleb tumbled backwards, blood blooming neon red at edge of his shoulder.
They’d shot him.
They’d shot Caleb!.
Something savage unleashed inside me. A feral, uncontrollable rage just…snapped. I lunged across the dining room and drove the knife through the air as Caleb stumbled, trying to stay upright. The gunman snapped his head toward me. But it was already too late as I plunged that wicked point right into him.
The blade carved deep, sinking steel into flesh until there was no more steel left.
Numb, I stared down at his middle, where the glint was swallowed by black, then lifted my gaze to his. There was a stunned widening of his stare as the grunts and howls of my brothers came behind me.
“Ryth!” Caleb grabbed my arm, tore me away, and pulled me behind him. “You fucking touch her…” he warned. “You fucking touch her and I’ll kill you.”
But the gunman just looked down and stared at the big knife embedded in his middle, then he gripped the hilt and pulled it out. Wait! The cry ripped through my head. But that’s where it stayed. The idiot jerked the knife free, carving upwards and all I could hear in my head was Tobias as he’d showed me just where to stab. Jerk it up, little mouse…do more damage that way.
And it did do more damage.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Thud!
Tobias lunged, driving himself between us and the man whose blood began to flow out from under his black shirt to enlarge the pool of his blood already on Ben’s beautiful floor. “Game over,” Tobias snarled, wrenched his fist backwards, and unleashed it right into the man’s face.
Nick joined us a second later as the gunman dropped to the floor. “We have to go.”
“Where?” I whispered, staring at all the blood. “We have nowhere to go.”
Nick’s phone vibrated on the kitchen counter where we’d left it. He crossed the space, grabbed it, and answered the call. “Yeah?”
There was a second of sickening silence, where the only sounds were the choked off crackle of escaping air and the slick sound of dripping blood. I don’t think I really heard that, or maybe it was my mind playing games. Still, I was riveted—like we were all riveted to Nick as he turned pale and muttered, “What the fuck?”
“Speaker!” Caleb demanded as he lurched toward him.
Nick lowered his hand instantly and hit the speaker icon. “Say that again, Ben.”
“Something’s gone down at The Order. There’s been an explosion. Jack…Jack’s” dead, right? Dad’s dead. “Escaped and headed this way.”
I jerked my gaze upward. All three of my brothers stared at me as the mafia boss kept talking.
“Ryth, honey…there’s no easy way to say this, but your mom’s dead.”
Mom’s…dead?
“When my men turned up, so did three men from The Order. They killed her, right there in front of my men. They opened fire, but by the time they got there, it was too late.”
It was too late…too late. My knees trembled, but Tobias was there, wrapping his arm around my waist, holding onto me like I was about to become adrift.
“But her dad is alive,” Nick insisted, drawing me back to the only flicker of hope I had left.
“Yeah, and he’s on his way here.”
“How the fuck did they get him out?” Caleb stepped closer and braced his good hand against the counter.
“How the fuck do you think?” Tobias snarled next to me. “It’s King…King, who seems only too happy to help him, as long as he can get to Ryth.”
I flinched and jerked my gaze to his. Those dark brown eyes sparkled with malice. “He’s not getting anywhere near you, little mouse,” he promised. “No one is.”
“Then we’re heading your way.” Nick gripped his phone and turned toward us.
“Take the back roads,” Ben warned. “Call me when you’re close.”
“Will do,” he acknowledged, then ended the call.
I looked down at the blood that had almost reached my bare feet and flinched, before pushing into Tobias. He followed my stare, then pulled me away.
“I’ll get the car started,” Nick growled. “You get the guns.”
“Hurry, princess,” Caleb urged. “Grab your clothes and we’re out of here.”
But I turned on him, searching body. “Your shoulder.”
He looked down, the smear of blood on his shirt hadn’t grown. “I’m okay, just a flesh wound. Grab your things, princess. We have to move.”
Fuck the things. “Rebel?” I searched the space, finding her sitting near the end of the counter, panting hard. I lurched forward and dropped to my knees beside her. “You okay, girl?” I ran my hands over her head and gently searched her body. “Did you hurt yourself? Did you tear a stitch?”
“In the car, princess,” Nick snapped, gathering our attackers’ weapons and searching their bodies. “I’ll get the dog.”
I pushed upwards as my pulse boomed in my ears and snapped me out of it. “You’re right. I’ll be quick.” I didn’t bother to look behind me as I rushed for the stairs.
“Five seconds, Ryth!” Nick roared behind me.
Five seconds. Five damn seconds. I took the stairs two at a time and the deafening sounds of heavy steps behind me closed in. Strong hands around my waist lifted my feet from the stairs and thrust me faster up to the first floor.
“Hurry, little sister.” Tobias gently shoved me forward.
But he didn’t follow me. I didn’t slow long enough to see where he went, just raced to the room I’d been sharing with my brothers and grabbed every piece of clothing I could find before yanking on jeans, boots, my bra this time, and a shirt, then grabbed my jacket.
I wasn’t five seconds…but I was damn fast.
I stumbled out of the room, finding Tobias waiting at the stairs with a heavier duffel bag filled with guns. Corded tendons strained in his neck with the weight. Still, he motioned me first, leaving me to slip around him and race down the stairs.
The heavy throb of a car’s engine beckoned. We were heaving our bags into the rear in a blur of movement, climbing into the car…and tearing away from the Rossi house.
