Deception. Betrayal. Mistrust.
It seems the closer Rayne gets to the truth, the more she finds herself wanting to run away from it. It's complex and terrifying-more than she ever fathomed.
New family members, good and bad, pop out at her like a br...
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𝗞ai pushed out of his twin's Corvette and closed the door; he gazed up at the tall, black structure of the warehouse, hesitant to walk any closer to it. As much as he desired to make amends, to fill the blaring hole in his heart, the weakness in his legs left him standing stranded.
It was just another repeated moment in his life; no matter what situation he runs into, he's always chosen to flee, rather than fight for his right to withstand it.
He drummed the fingers on his left hand against the sides of his thighs, feeling the tension radiating through the air before he even stepped inside. It would be difficult enough to see the secondary team's untrusting faces, but theirs were so minimal compared to the one that mattered.
The pad of his index finger rubbed against the cast on his left hand; it turns out that his heart was not the only thing he'd purposely broken the day he ruined everything.
"Hey," Kaedyn said, snapping him out of his head, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Kai shifted his body to face him. Under any other circumstance, if he looked at him the way he was right now – with so much sympathy – he would have punched him in the face. But at this moment, it was soothing. The care lining the coloring in his eyes reminded him that he was the only one who understood the truth.
He would have never ended things if he'd been given a choice.
"I have to talk to him," he answered, looking away, "I have to tell him the truth."
Kaedyn reached over and patted his back gently, "Okay."
"I'm scared," he admitted.
"Just follow my lead. I'll protect you."
"Yeah. I know."
He shoved his non-injured hand into his pocket and tucked his chin to his chest, keeping his vision to the ground as he followed his brother into the mafia palace.
Without needing to look up, he could feel the change in the atmosphere upon their arrival. Still, he needed to do so – he dug this grave himself, it was only fair he lay in it.
The interior was massive – high walls and a pointed ceiling gave off the intimidation a place like this needed to bask in. Mats upon mats covered the place, while workout areas filled most of the empty space. Despite all the room they had, everyone was huddled around one table in the middle of the room.
Breathing out a sigh, he trudged behind Kaedyn until he found his spot near one of the corners. He lifted his eyes just enough to see the setup.
Blaine, Franki, Eden, and Jase took up one side of the large glass table, while Rueben, Rayne, Jonah, and Asher took up the other lengthy part. To his left were Kaedyn and Auden, and to his right were Isaac and Taryn. And of course, directly across from him stood Maverick and Mason.
