AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 9
Kincaid~
Every vicious thing that Fox had raged about hurt me deep in my soul, but I’d taken it like I deserved. At least, up until he had tried to besmirch my friendship with Saxton. That was a line that I would never let anyone cross. However, the rest of it had been his right.
The really awful part about it all was that telling him about Apollo had never occurred to me. When Saxton had told me that Fox’s name was on that list, I’d been instantly hit with a decision that needed to be made. It never occurred to me that Fox loved me enough to give up his future for me after only three months of dating me.
Breaking up with Fox had been the second biggest heartbreak of my life, but I’d done it because of the first one. Letting Apollo down hadn’t been an option. It still wasn’t. The only difference now was that I couldn’t take down The Order without giving the people in my home a chance to save themselves.
Every face in the room was staring at me like I was a feral tiger, ready to obliterate every living thing in my path. However, if they were waiting for me to have a breakdown, they’ll be waiting a long time. I wasn’t strong enough to show my vulnerability like that. Only my parents, Apollo, and Saxton have even seen me during an emotional breakdown. I didn’t have them often, the most recent being when Fox had come back into my life. The worst one being when my brother had died.
Taking a deep breath, I straightened my back, a sign to Saxton that he could let me go. As much as I would love to cry myself to sleep over the realization of just how much I hurt Fox and how much he still hated me for it, now wasn’t the time. Once everyone was gone, then I could let the hurt come. I could let it come, absorb it, then go on to do what I do best; move the fuck on.
“I’m okay,” I lied, looking over at Saxton and praying that he’d let this one go.
Nodding, knowing that I was lying, Saxton said, “Okay, why don’t we all sit down again, yeah?”
Everyone took a seat, and with me back on the couch, I was able to look at them all as I continued with the clusterfuck that was my life. “I called this meeting because things have changed,” I began. “While I still have every intention of finishing what I started, I wanted to let you guys know what was going on because…well, after yesterday, I owe you guys.”
“What do you owe us?” Rylee asked, a little tartness in her voice. “We’re friends, Kincaid.” Her brow furrowed. “Plus, after the way you helped me when…well, when all that crap was going on with Stone, I’m pretty sure that I owe you.”
“You’ve let me live with you rent-free and have always had my back throughout our entire friendship,” Hastings added. “And I also got Saxton out of the deal. Yeah, I’m pretty sure that I owe you, too.”
“You killed August Remington,” Stone harrumphed. “I’d say we all owe you for that one. At least, I know I do. Me and my wife are sleeping easier these days, thanks to you.”
“Like we told you yesterday, we got you,” Sutton said, throwing in her two cents.
Ross looked over at Saxton. “Is this why you asked all those questions the other day? About what would we do if the organization didn’t exist?”
I looked over at Saxton. “You did?”
He nodded. “We were all talking and when we started talking about the possibility, I brought it up.”
I glanced back at everyone else. “And?”
Stone shrugged. “As long as I have Rylee, I give two fucks about anything else.”
“Same here,” Ross echoed, and Saxton just winked at me.
“Well, in light of all these new friendships, I’m giving you guys until the end of the year to come up with a plan-B,” I informed them. “Nothing is stopping me from going forward with my plan.”
“When are you going to make your first move?” Ross asked.
“I’ve already made it,” I admitted. “I broke into Alexander’s hotel room on Halloween. I waited for him to show up, told him what I suspected, then threatened to gut him with a kitchen knife when he tried to deny any foul play.”
“Jesus,” Stone murmured under her breath.
“Christ, what did he do?” Sutton asked.
“Nothing,” I answered. “I told him I would give him some time to decide if he wanted to save himself or go down in flames with the rest of them.” I cracked my neck because I could feel the deep knots of tension threatening to form. “After the meeting last night, I stayed back to inform him that me killing August hasn’t derailed anything. I was still coming after them.”
“What did he say?” Hastings asked.
I grinned like a fucking lunatic. “He expressed his concern that I might want to tackle one problem at a time.”
“What did you say?” Rylee asked.
“I pointed out that it’s all actually one problem. The Order is behind both deaths. My brother’s because something happened that they’re covering up, and August’s because he failed to do anything about him.” I smirked. “He didn’t appreciate that.”
