Chapter 37
Lucas
Mybrotherwasn’tlyingwhen he said Tessa had a murderous side to her. And holy fuck was it hot. I’m almost disappointed that I missed catching her the first time, but attacking Brandi? Someone lit a fucking fire under my girl tonight, and I sure hope she drags my ass to hell right along with her.
“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I-I don’t know what came ov—”
“Hey, hey, hey, enough with that.” I gripped Tessa’s shoulders and held her in front of me upon entering our office. “Why are you sorry?” My brows knitted as I searched her hazy eyes, all ashamed and confused.
“I’m not supposed to act like that. That isn’t—”
“Normal? True to who you are?” I lifted her chin with my knuckle, wiping away a stray tear with my thumb as I cupped her cheek with my free hand. “News flash, princess. Levi and I aren’t fucking saints, and if you think what you did in there was wrong,then you still don’t understand who we are, even after accepting us into your heart.” Taking her left hand, I held it high enough for her to get a good look at the ring my brother and I crafted, specifically for her. “Lean into your darkness, Tessa. We’ll hold your hand the whole way through, and once you’ve reached the other side, there will be nothing and no one left for you to fear.Just you and us.”
“You make redirecting the needle on a moral compass sound so simple…”
“Because it is. But only if you embrace the direction for what it is instead of fighting to change it into something else—”
“Luke.” Levi interrupted, his voice sharp, concerned as he stepped into the room and quickly shut the door behind him. Before uttering another word, he held up his phone displaying a text message that he’d received only a few minutes ago.
“Her test. It’s been assigned.”
“And a shotgun one at that,” Levi added, turning his gaze to Tessa, who looked up at us in dumbstruck confusion.Fuck.
“When?” She croaked, wrapping her arms around herself, and I pulled her body to mine. This may very well be what frees her mind from the chains she continues to fight against, breaking them completely.
Maybe after going through with killing someone, she’ll realize that everything will be okay, and she can finally move past all the guilt and the unwarranted apologies.
“Tonight…” We answered as my brother and I stared at his phone, at the text that contained the information for her test.
Our time to prepare had run out.
Now it was up to our girl to complete her final step.
And I sure as fuck hoped she would make the right choice by pulling the trigger.
Drivingseparately,LeviandI pulled up to the Luminary entertainment center. A newly constructed hemisphere complex designed to host Vegas’s hottest concerts and shows in a unique, state-of-the-art experience.
Inside, the dome ceiling was lined from end to end with screens, allowing for an entirely immersive atmosphere. Seating was dependent on the occasion, and when more floor space was required, the stadium-style rows retracted into the outer edges of the space.
Luckily for us, this evening in particular, the event being held required an open space, a form of gala for whatever the fuck was being sponsored this week. Meaning that Levi and I wouldn’t have to skirt through rows of chairs to secure Tessa’s target.
“Wait in the car,” I ordered, pressing my palm against the passenger door, preventing her from opening it.
“Why? I don’t—”
“I said,waitin the car, princess.” A cool seriousness in my tone, emphasizing that this was for her own good. “Levi and I need to sort a few things out before bringing you inside. We didn’t get enough time to plan, and know absolutely nothing about your target. First and foremost, we need to ensure your safety.”
After hearing about Dallas’ wife nearly being strangled to death during her test, we wanted to take additional measures to guarantee that no target would have the ability to harm, even lay a finger on ours.
Tessa crossed her arms over her chest, huffing her disapproval, and that was fine. The decision regarding her safety wasn’t hers to make. Too many women have lost their lives in the MUR, and it’s just another reason why most members choose to never marry.
Who would want to gamble on losing someone they love?
Who would want the responsibility of putting a bullet in their woman’s head?
Rules were rules, and we’ve broken so many over the course of our lives. Except this one in particular, we couldn’t avoid or escape. So instead, we’d try our fucking hardest to skirt the edges the best we knew how.
As long as our girl is the one to make the kill, we are home fucking free…
