Page 27 of Pucked Around and Found Out

I sniffle and draw back. He looks up at me with pain in his eyes that he tries to mask. Guilt gnaws at me, it was my fault he was shot. He could have died trying to help me. Whatever he sees on my face has him reaching out to grip my hand, squeezing gently.

“None of this is your fault. This is the hazards of the job.” He keeps his tone light but it does nothing to dispel the feeling of anger rolling through me. I want to find the bastard who shot my friend and tear them apart, piece by fucking piece!

“Told you.” I flick my gaze to Omen, who is looking across the table at Tate with a smug look on his face.

Tate pushes her lips to the side and rolls her eyes. “Whatever, O. The one time you were right and now I’ll have to hear about it for months,” she whines, making Omen chuckle and me frown. I look around the table, Ezekiel, Hayze and Archer all stand behind Vivi, who is sitting at the head of the table. To their right is Vox who has his arm slung over the back of Nova’s seat possessively.

To Vivian’s left is Pope, Vatican, Omen, then Carnage. I slowly lower into the seat beside Carn and look across from me. Halo sits opposite me, Tatum is across from Omen, but the one who draws my attention is the man sitting between them.

I’ve heard the stories. Everyone has. Alexander Denver. The Butcher. A name that didn't get spoken above a whisper in the right circles or the wrong ones. They said he had slaughtered an entire room of men and felt nothing. That the De Santis family had unleashed him like a weapon on the world and the world had never quite recovered. I had told myself the rumors were exaggerated, that men like that only existed in cautionary tales designed to keep people like me in line. I had believed that right up until the moment his gaze met mine and I see the monster inside him.

He is beautiful, and that is the most terrifying part, because nothing about him is soft. His hair is swept up into a man bun, with tattoos peeking out from the collar of his shirt. Those green eyes stare at me with a coldness that makes my stomach hollow out, cataloguing everything and giving nothing away. He takes his time studying me, deliberate and unhurried, like a man who has never once needed to rush because everything and everyone always waited for him. My palms are damp and my throat has closed over entirely.

Tate clears her throat, making me jump in my seat and Omen snorts out a laugh that earns him a glare from the stunning blonde before she focuses back on me. There is a warning in her eyes that has me frowning. “I get it. His reputation precedes him and all that shit considering there are no pictures of him out in the public. I understand you staring for a minute but not five!” I cringe. A ghost of a smirk touches the corner of Alex’s mouth. He leans over and places a kiss on the top of Tate’s head.

“All I see is you, Bambi,” he says in a gruff tone, that has me sucking in a sharp breath and the Denver Kings groaning.

“No one, and I do mean no one, wants to see mom and dad making fuck me eyes at each other,” Halo grumbles. The Filthy Few and their two girls laugh, which brings a smile to my face. Every person in this room is dangerous, capable of slaughtering your entire family if you threaten theirs.

The love they share for each other has envy blooming inside me.

“Toren!” I snap my head to the side and lurch out of my chair, meeting Harper halfway across the room. We slam into each other and hold tight.

She’s safe.

I pull back and look at my friend, feeling like a piece of shit for everything she is going through. If it wasn’t for me she wouldn’t be in the middle of all this shit. She would be safe and out of harm's way.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“I can’t help it,” I answer quietly.

Harp places her hands on my shoulders and smiles softly. “My life was a mess before you came along, Tor. This world isn’t new to me, I was raised in it.” Her admission has shock rippling through me. There is so much about my friend that I don’t know. She’s a mystery to me and from the hardened look in her eyes, I know now isn’t the time to push her to say more. “Come on, they’ve been waiting for you.”

My brows bunch. “How long was I out?”

Her features pinch. “A little over twenty-four hours.” My eyes widen to the size of fucking saucers.

“What the fuck!” I screech, then cringe and shoot her a sheepish look. She ignores my outburst and leads me back to the table. I claim the seat beside Carn while Harp sits on my other side. Alex’s gaze bores into me and I suddenly feel like I’m in the presence of Xaden’s maker—the Devil himself.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

TOREN

I fight not to fidget under the pressure of his stare. His presence is commanding, draws you in and makes you feel inferior without any effort. It’s not something he does or even tries to do, it's just him.

“Your war has become an issue for me.” His tone is unyielding and filled with accusation. It’s on the tip of my tongue to apologize and place blame on my father and brother, that’s what the old Toren would have done. This new version, she doesn’t give a fuck and will do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of her unborn child and be the victor of the impending war that is about to happen between me and Xaden Devlin.

There will only be one winner and I plan to make sure that it’s me standing on top of the ashes of his empire.

“All wars become messy, you know that. You knew sending me back home and allowing Carn and the others to accompany me would draw attention when people found out who they were.” His face remains impassive, giving nothing away. I decide to continue on because I’m not going to stay quiet anymore, I’ll no longer be silenced or repressed. “If you’re here to collect the guys then so be it, but I won’t be stopping. I’m going to war against the Devlin Cosa Nostra with or without your approval, not that I need it.”

A shadow falls over his features, he’s no longer hiding his disdain for me. It’s clear he doesn’t like me or even want me here, and something tells me the only reason I’m here isn’t because of the girls, but because of my relationship with Carnage.

“If it wasn’t for my brothers, you would have been dead weeks ago. Don’t presume to think you remain breathing because you earned it. You live because of the protection of the Denver Kings.” White hot fury rolls through me. I clearly have a death wish because I don’t keep my mouth shut, I do the opposite.

“I survived without them or you and I’ll continue to survive long after you are gone ,because unlike Xaden and my brother, I actually have something worth living for.” His gaze doesn’t waiver or even drop to my stomach but I can tell from the flicker of emotion in his eyes that he knows about me being pregnant. I know the guys report everything to him. I’m not mad at them, I know where their loyalty lies and I respect that.

“From what I hear, Xaden doesn’t even claim your child as his.” The air whooshes out of my lungs.