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Carter huffed. “Jesus Christ. Emma’s going to freak the fuck out when I tell her. Have you talked to Seth?”
“Yep. He’s supposed to call me back at some point. He said he’ll handle it. What I want to do is go after Sellinger and end it myself.”
“I know but that’s not how those people work,” Carter pointed out. “They have too many connections. Which is why I’m calling. I have some bad news.”
Reagan and I looked at each other, and I could feel my stomach fall. Reagan was the one who spoke up. “What is it?”
Carter sighed. “Trey Miller’s dead. It’s been all over the news this morning out here. He was found in an abandoned warehouse, beaten to death.”
Gasping, Reagan slapped a hand over her mouth, tears forming in her eyes. “He was one of Finn’s fighters.”
“I figured you’d find out eventually,” Carter said, “but I wanted to go ahead and tell you. What you’re dealing with isn’t child’s play; it’s more dangerous than you could ever imagine. I want you both to be careful and not do anything stupid. I know how hotheaded you can be, Braden.”
I huffed. “I’ll be fine.”
But if I ever got the chance to fuck Finn up, I wouldn’t back down. We finished the call, and I held Reagan as she cried over Trey’s death until she passed out. It wasn’t long before sleep overtook me, too.
CHAPTER32
REAGAN
TWO DAYS LATER
For two days, Braden and I pretended everything was okay. He fished with Jason in the pond while I helped Aylee in the gardens. We also walked through the fields and wandered along the trails. I wanted to relax, but I couldn’t. We hadn’t heard anything from Seth since we called him two days ago. It was nerve-racking.
Braden busied himself helping Jason mend one of the fences, so I decided to take a walk around the field. There were wildflowers everywhere in all sorts of colors; it was breathtaking. The air was fresh, and the breeze brought in the scent of honeysuckles. I wanted to bottle it up and take it with me.
Once I reached the top of the hill, I sat down on the soft grass and made some phone calls. The first one was to my mom, who said she’d told my dad that Braden and I were together. He was looking forward to roughing him up in the ring when we returned. I happily told him that he was getting old and that Braden would probably put him on his ass. Needless to say, it made him want to challenge Braden even more. I just hoped we’d be able to make it home at some point in our lives.
My second call went to Emma. I could tell she was worried about me, so I only talked about her wedding. It was coming up in two months. Through hell or high water, I was going to be there. Nothing was going to stop me from being by my sister’s side on her big day.
Then, finally, the third call went to Peyton. I didn’t tell her anything about what was going on. She needed to keep her focus on the movie. However, I did tell her I was thinking of finding my own place to live, only I kept out the part that it might be with Braden.
Braden and I discussed it briefly, but it got me thinking … why not? Even though we hadn’t been together long, I was ready to take that step. Setting my phone on the ground, I laid back on the grass and stared up at the clear blue sky, watching as wisps of white clouds floated by.
My phone vibrated beside me and I reached for it, only for my stomach to drop the second I saw who it was.Finn.I wasn’t scared of him, but I was angry. I didn’t know if I could answer his call and keep my wits about me without saying something I’d regret.
The phone stopped ringing, but then Finn called right back again. Heart pounding in my chest, I sat up and blew out a shaky breath. I had to answer it.
“What do you want?” I snapped.
“I guess I deserve your hostility,” Finn replied.
“Deserveit? Are you fucking kidding me right now? You deserve to be institutionalized.”
“I’m not crazy, Reagan. I’m determined.” He said it so matter-of-factly.
“Yeah, I guess your sister is, too,” I hissed. “Was it you or her who tried to have me poisoned?”
Finn growled, his voice laced with fury. “I would never do that, Reagan. If Annika weren’t my sister, I’d have already put a bullet through her head.”
“So, itwasher?” I already figured it was; I just wanted the confirmation.
“Yes,” he answered. “It was payback for me trying to have Emerson killed.”
I scoffed. “You two are seriously messed up. I will never forgive you for that.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
