Page 123 of Pucked Around and Found Out

He steps toward me and I back into the hallway.

“Just you, me, and payback.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Xaden-fucking-Devlin,” Masen snarls, and the rage in his voice is terrifying. “He destroyed everything. My scholarship. My NHL dream. My entire fucking future. And you, my own fucking flesh and blood chose him over me! You spread your legs for the man who ruined my life.”

“You ruined your own life⁠—”

“No!” he roars. “I made one mistake! Xaden made sure I will pay for it forever! He beat me so bad the scouts said I'd never play professionally again. They didn’t even give me a fucking chance to prove them wrong!” He’s unhinged and the wild look in his eyes is terrifying. “To make matters fucking worse, I just found out that cunt is being offered a full ride scholarship to play for one of the best fucking schools until he gets drafted!”

He advances, and I keep backing away.

Yet again I am a fucking fool for wanting so desperately to see the good in him. I once thought Xaden was chasing the ghosts of his past… Turns out, I am too. I need to realize that the brother I once knew and loved is no longer here. That brother died the same night my best friend, Emery, Neave and Miles did.

“Twenty years old and my dream is dead. Because of him. Because he had to have his revenge for his dead fucking sister!”

“You killed four people,” I say, my voice shaking. “You killed Kenna. You killed⁠—”

“And I've been paying for it ever since!” Masen shouts. “But not anymore. Tonight, I will take back some of what he stole. I take away his future the way he took away mine.”

Understanding crashes over me with sickening clarity.

“The baby,” I breathe.

“The baby,” he confirms, his smile vicious. “His child. Growing inside you. The future he doesn't even know he wants yet.”

He raises the gun, pointing it at my stomach.

“When I kill it—when I kill you—Xaden Devlin will know what it feels like to have everything ripped away. To have his dreams destroyed. To lose the one thing that could have saved him from being a monster.”

“You're insane,” I whisper.

“I'm vengeful,” he corrects. “There's a difference.”

“No,” I grit out. “You’re delusional because what you’ve failed to see, you slimy fucking snake, is that Xaden already gave into his beast. He embraced it two years ago when you murdered his sister and best friends!” I scream.

“He was supposed to die that night!” he shouts back.

“So were you! Both of you were meant to be in those cars alone. You’re fighting for a fucking empire that was never meant to be yours. Dad wanted you out, Masen! Why can’t you see that? He wanted you dead so he could gain power. I was being used as leverage so he could marry me off to gain a favor⁠—”

“Shut the fuck up!”

I don’t hang around.

I turn and run.

Through the hallway, my feet pounding on marble, terror flooding every vein.

Behind me, I hear Masen's footsteps. Fear is gripping me by the throat but I can’t allow it to overcome my being. If I give in, I’ll shut down and that is not an option.

“You can't run from this!” he shouts. “There's nowhere to go! No one's coming! And when I'm done, I'll tell Xaden exactly how you died! How you begged me to spare the baby! How you screamed his name!”

Anger floods my veins, threatening me is one thing, but to threaten the life of my unborn child is another. I will fight tooth and fucking nail if I have to, I won’t let anyone hurt my baby.

I burst into the kitchen and start yanking open drawers.

Knives.