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35
We gather in the living room, another huge space that’s more than big enough to seat all of us comfortably. Louisa sits between Hudson and Max, with Bryce at her feet. Her leg is hooked over his shoulder and he’s massaging her foot. She’s leaning her head against Max’s shoulder, relaxed, comfortable. Hudson has his hand on her thigh. They look perfect together and something about their ease with each other makes me feel envious. Louisa notices me staring and smiles. My cheeks blush and I look away.
To the right of us, Cal is sitting on the smaller two-seater, Grim is sitting beside him smoking a cigarette. The five of us are all piled on the long L-shaped sofa opposite. Camden sits at one end, Ford the other just about as far apart as they can be. I’m sandwiched between Sonny and Eastern even though there’s plenty of room. On the coffee table between us is a bottle of whisky and enough glasses for the adults. We’ve got Cola and tumblers, which grates my last nerve. They’re talking to us like adults but treating us like children, fucking hypocrites. I could use a damn drink,.
“Well, who wants to start?” Cal asks, leaning forward and perching his elbows on his knees. He grabs his drink and takes a large gulp.
“I will,” Hudson’s states, looking at the five of us. He looks tired, worn. Dark circles sit heavy under his eyes, and his chin is covered in a week-old stubble. The guy looks like he could do with a good night’s sleep.
“As you know, I’m Hudson, the oldest Freed brother and the smartest by a long shot,” he grins.
Max reaches behind Louisa, clipping Hudson on the back of his head. “But not the best looking, arsewipe,” he says, smirking.
“Shut the fuck up both of you, we all know I’m the beautyandthe brains of this family,” Bryce says, from his position on the floor.
“Be serious,” Louisa admonishes. They listen.
“The truth is,togetherwe’re going to get you out of this mess you’ve got yourselves into,” Hudson says, including Grim in his sweeping statement. They exchange looks and she tips her head in acknowledgement, saluting him. “But we can’t do that unless you trust us. We need to know that you won’t do anything rash. That you’ll come to us if anything happens. Do I have your word?” He looks directly at Camden then as the one with the most to lose in the circumstances given his mum is the King’s property.
Camden crosses his arms over his chest defensively. “Well, that all depends. Cal told us about your issue with Santiago. So, don’t bullshit us into thinking you’re doing this solely for us. Can I trustyounot to fuck any ofusover to get what you want?”
Hudson regards Camden, respect filling his gaze. “I appreciate your frankness and I can assure you that I’m not trying to bullshit anyone. But you’re correct, I do have a vested interest in taking down the King because it will lead to Santiago and he’s the oneIwant. Cal has already filled you in about my friend. I need payback but I refuse to do it at the cost of putting you kids in danger. You must trust us.”
“You do realise that none of us trust easily. Trust is earned not promised. I don’t know you, any of you,” Camden points out.
“Sonny,” Bryce says, pointing at him. “Are we trustworthy?”
Sonny locks eyes with him and nods. “More than my own father,” he admits, quietly, his fingers brushing against mine as he reaches for my hand. “I loved my dad, but was he trustworthy…? When it suited him, I guess? But mostly he was just a criminal with his own agenda. I was lucky these guys took me in. They might all get on my last fucking nerve with their happy family shit, but I trust them.”
“Your dad loved you, Sonny. He might not have won any father of the year awards, but I know you were his heart. Don’t forget that,” Bryce says gently.
“Yeah…” Sonny mutters, his head dropping. I squeeze his hand tighter.
“We’ll help you deal with the King, Camden,” Hudson continues. “But we have to know you’re not going to talk. I need your word. The success of this all depends on you keeping your head. I know he has your mum, and we’re working on finding a way to help her too, but I’m going to be straight up with you, she’s at the most risk. I know this isn’t easy. In fact, the easy choice for you would be to tell the King everything you know.”
“He won’t do that,” I say with absolute certainty.
“I believe you, Asia. Camden’s a smart kid. He wouldn’t be here otherwise. So, I’m going to ask you one more time, son. Do we have your word?”
Camden grits his jaw, then nods his head once. “You have my word,” he says.
I’m pretty sure the whole room lets out a collective breath. I eye the whisky on the table suddenly wishing I could have a shot. Instead, I lean forward and grab a tumbler of coke, making do.
“And what about this Santiago dude?” Sonny asks.
“Santiago is for us to deal with. He has nothing to do with any of you, and that’s the way it’s going to stay,” Hudson says, picking up his own glass of whisky and knocking it back in one go.
“So what’s the plan then? How in the fuck are you going to take down the King when no one before has ever managed to do it?” Camden asks, swiping a hand over his face.
Eastern shifts in his seat. “Camden’s got a point, what makes this attempt any different?”
“Well, that’s where I come in,” Grim says, locking her gaze with Camden. “Over the last couple years, the King has been investing in his own underground fight club fronted as a high-end spa hotel. On the surface it’s just like any above-board business. Wives of the crime underbelly go there to get pampered whilst their husbands meet to do business and to bet on fights behind closed doors. We believe that a great portion of the drugs Santiago ships in are distributed from there also, though we have no proof of that… yet.”
“Where is this place?” Ford asks.
“Not far from Oceanside, actually. The spa hotel is in Rye, about half an hour away from Hastings.”
Eastern rests his hand on my leg, squeezing my thigh, trying to steady my jittering leg. It hasn’t stopped jumping up and down since I sat down on the sofa. I really need a drink, or a joint. Both would be good. “Okay, so where do you come in?” I manage to ask, despite my growing anxiety.
