AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I nodded jerkily, breath still held high and tight.
“Garrett and Devan and I…we’re descendants of one of the original families. We’re cousins. We’re the only surviving members of the family.”
My breath whooshed out. That they were part of this whole…secret society crime family organization thing came as no surprise—it’d been clear from the start that they were tied up in the same nonsense I’d found myself in the middle of. But they were cousins? That I hadn’t expected. And the last surviving members? That meant…
“What happened to your families?” I asked cautiously, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.
Micah sighed. “Eleven years ago, on Thanksgiving Day, there was a…” he trailed off, as if he was unable to find the right words, his hand gripping tight to mine.
“A massacre,” Devan said in a flat voice. “There had been shit going on for years—fights over territory, little skirmishes, raids and kidnapping and ransoms, but mostly they’d gotten it under control. But on that day a bunch of members of the Fallen Eagles attacked out of nowhere when we were all gathered together for the holiday.”
I caught my breath, but he didn’t pause. “They killed our parents, siblings, uncles, aunts, grandparents…every last member of our branch of the family. We were the only three that managed to get away.”
My jaw hung open in horror, and I snapped it shut with an effort. “Eleven years ago? But you would have been…”
“Seven,” he confirmed. His eyes were tight and I couldn’t stop myself, I reached out with my free hand, claiming his and pulling it back to hold tightly in my lap alongside Micah’s. I wished I could reach out to Garrett too, but a glance in the mirror showed his eyes intent on the road in front of him, as if he weren’t even listening. The only giveaway was the white of his knuckles where they clenched around the steering wheel. My heart broke for the three of them. Parents, he’d said. Siblings.
“What did you do?” I asked. “Where did you go?”
“We ran,” Micah said, his eyes hard. “They chased us, but we ran, and got away, and another member of the organization took us in, but he didn’t have enough power or resources to protect us. We were put into hiding.” His shoulder pulled up in the barest hint of a shrug. “And here we are.”
“You’ve been hiding for eleven years,” I realized with a gasp. “That’s why no one knows anything about you. Why you don’t let anyone get close. That’s—wait. Is that why you never fought back against Drew? Oh my God, did he know who you are?”
Devan shook his head. “No, he didn’t know. No one did. Until now. But yes, that’s why we didn’t fight back. We couldn’t call attention to ourselves. Couldn’t risk expulsion.”
I stared between the three of them, my mind spinning as I tried to wrap my brain around all of this. My eyes fell on Micah’s face, and before I could stop myself my hand pulled free from his and reached up to trace his scar.
“That’s where you got this,” I whispered. It wasn’t a question, but he nodded anyway. “Oh, God, I’m so sorry.” I looked between them. Even Garrett met my eyes briefly in the mirror, and there was nothing I could do but repeat myself. “I’m so sorry.”
It had gutted me to lose my parents, and I’d been practically an adult. I couldn’t even fathom what they’d been through, and as children no less. Tears welled up and though I blinked hard to keep them back, I felt one spill down my cheek.
“Hey,” Micah said softly, brushing the tear away before recapturing my hand with his and lacing our fingers together. “It was a long time ago.”
Devan’s hand squeezed around my other one. “We’re okay, Millie.” I squeezed back, falling silent for a long moment as I wrapped my mind around their story, until a thought occurred to me and I narrowed my eyes at him. “Wait, if you’ve been in hiding—are those even your real names then?”
His cheeks grew faintly pink.
“They’re not, are they? I don’t even know your names!” I blanched as another thought occurred. “Oh my God, are we related?”
Garrett actually snorted at this, the first real reaction from him so far, and Devan hastened to reassure me. “No. You are from one founding family and we’re from another. I won’t deny there’s been some blending of families over the years, but you are not related to any of us. Not at all.”
I blew out a quick sigh of relief, and Micah cracked a smile at me. The somber air in the car lightened for a moment, and I was able to catch my breath.
“So…what does this all mean?” I asked. “Does anyone know who you guys are? Or where you are?”
Devan shook his head. “Just you, and our one contact in the Shattered Sun. No one else in the organization knows where we are, and only a few even knew we were still alive.” He shared a quick glance with Garrett. “Well…until tonight.”
I frowned at him. “What do you mean until tonight?”
He shifted a little in his seat. “Well, I mean, we don’t exactly have the resources to dispose of a body and cover up a death on campus by ourselves. We had to call for help.”
A shiver ran through me as I realized what he was saying. “You mean you had to give yourselves away. You gave up your location, and your cover…for me. This is all my fault.”
“No.” The harsh bark came from Garrett, and made me jump. “It’s not your fault. Drew was going to cause trouble at some point; it was just a matter of time. And keeping you safe was our top priority. Our secret would have come out sooner or later as well.”
I blinked rapidly. It was so much to take in. “But…why?” I asked, not even sure how to put my question into words. “Why was it so important for you to stay hidden? Are people really still after you, eleven years later? This sounds like more than just rivalry, or a feud, even. Who’s looking for you? And why?”
The three guys exchanged glances again, and I could tell I wasn’t going to get an answer to that one even before Micah slid closer, pulling his hand free of mine only to wrap his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into his side with a sigh, a sudden yawn cracking my jaw. I was exhausted, the weight of the evening starting to catch up to me.
