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I’m not meant to find happiness.
Cursed from the moment I was brought into this world. Agony is more than my name. But at the same time, I’m not ready to accept it yet. I’m not ready to give up and let these assholes take my woman—my baby.
Fuck that. I love Reese.
Making my way to the armory, I watch as the men line up to gather more guns, more ammo, more everything. I do the same. After I load up with equipment, I turn around and face Legacy, who is watching me closely.
I don’t give a shit. He can watch me as closely as he wishes. I’m still going to arm myself and fight for my fucking family.
“You cool?” he asks.
“Absolutely not,” I snap.
He chuckles, although I can tell he doesn’t find this the least bit funny. He clears his throat and takes a step back, then jerks his chin.
“Let’s get our women back and end this bullshit with the Dead Phoenix, Logan, and Douglas once and for all.”
REESE
The stranger isn’t a stranger.
Except he is.
Once we’re inside the warehouse, I watch as the two men disappear into a small office off to the side. I am under no illusion that I would get anywhere if I tried to escape. If they didn’t catch me, we’re so far out that the desert would no doubt kill me.
“Who is this man?” Piper asks as soon as the office door closes.
“I don’t know his name, but he is the one in charge,” I state.
There is a moment of silence, and I can feel the women’s gazes on me. One of the babies starts to fuss, and my heart squeezes for these poor little babies in this situation. A moment of the true unknown, and I know they feel our fear.
Turning my head, I look at the women who are supposed to be my sisters. My family. And I feel nothing except intense sadness and guilt. This is my fault. All of it. If I had stayed away, this wouldn’t be happening.
Every fear I had has come true, and now I have to figure out how to save everyone I love.
“How do you know that?” Henli asks, her voice a soft trembling whisper.
I wonder if she’s going to be okay. She doesn’t seem like she’s going to be able to hold it together for much longer, and honestly, I can’t blame her. I don’t know how I would be in this situation if my baby were here and I had to try to keep it calm.
“Douglas doesn’t bow down to anyone, and he is very much following this man’s lead. I think this is the one in charge of it all. But I can’t figure out why he has us here. Why this warehouse in the middle of the desert? Why didn’t he keep us at the other one with the other women?”
Before anyone else can give me their opinion or even discuss the situation, the office door opens and the two men walk out. Their gazes roam over us, then the stranger takes a step forward.
“Ladies,” he says, his deep voice purring.
His eyes almost sparkle, and as much as I want to hate him on sight, he’s obviously beautiful and very charismatic at the same time. A devilish combination. He takes a step toward me, then stops when Douglas growls.
“Douglas, you are acting as if I am going to steal your property, which is preposterous as you own nothing.”
I suck in a breath, holding it for a moment as I wait for Douglas to absolutely lose his shit. But he doesn’t. Instead, he says and does nothing except dip his chin and shift his gaze to his shoes.
He submits.
I’ve never seen such a thing.
“Reese?” the stranger calls out. “I am Christopher. I’ve only ever seen you from afar. It is nice to finally be in the same space as you.”
I’m not sure what to say, so instead of blurting out something ridiculous or stupid, I keep my mouth closed and watch, waiting to hear what he’s going to say next. He hums, and I’m unsure if that’s a good thing or a bad one. Douglas is still staring at his shoes, so I can’t gauge his reaction.
