I was everyone’s last choice.
Always.
“My boys,” Dad said, leading us into the house. “You did well on the island. I watched all the footage and couldn’t be more proud of you.”
I cast a sideways glance at Bastian. He shook his head, disgusted with himself for all the horrible shit our pledge class did in the name of The Devil’s Knights.
The prisoners on the island were vile criminals and deserved to die. But the “bonding” exercises were the worst. We had to complete tasks as a group. Most of the time, that meant enduring hellish conditions without food or water. Sleeping in filth and blood with rats clawing at our skin in the darkness.
Dad ushered us into the sitting room, stopping in front of the bar to pour four glasses of scotch. We talked about The Devil’s Knights and our four remaining months of the six-month training. However, we could finish the next part while attending Harvard.
I was not the same man who left Devil’s Creek two months ago. The shit they put us through on the island changed all of us. Even Bastian wasn’t very talkative.
Luca took everything they threw at him in stride and never complained. He led our pledge class and did whatever they told us with a sick grin. One day, he would make an excellent Grand Master, like our father.
I was ready to throw in the towel a few times. I didn’t know if I would have made it if not for Bastian. He would not have lasted that long without me.
Our dad’s phone rang, and he left the room to answer the call. He never took a day off. It didn’t matter that it was a Sunday. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t seen us in months. Arlo Salvatore loved money more than anything in this world.
Luca put his feet on the table, leaning back in the armchair like a king. “We’re not visiting Alex in Providence.” He drank from the highball glass, downing half the contents. “No calls. No texts. No contact. She’ll be compliant when she sees us again.”
Alex refused to speak to Luca at the graduation party. After he called her white trash and said it was all a game, she was done with him. Her rebellious act set Luca off, and he had been stewing over it.
Luca hated her again.
He would make her life a living hell, and this time, he would use us to help him.
“Get over yourself,” Bastian snapped. “You fucked with her head and screwed us over. Alex had every right to be mad at you. That was two fucking months ago. Grow up!”
Luca drained the glass and slammed it on the table, eyeing up Bastian with those cold, blue eyes. “She needs to learn her place. That girl has gotten away with too much shit because the two of you let her. You went fucking soft on me in high school. That’s why I laid my claim to her. I did that for both of you.”
Bastian shot up from the couch, cheeks flushed with anger. “I’m not in the mood for your shit right now, Luca.” He turned his back on us, walking toward the exit. “I need a fucking shower and a nap before I can talk to you.”
Luca gave me one of his challenging glares, which said, “Are you going to run like a scared bitch, too?”
So I stayed.
I was not afraid of him.
“You’ll do what’s necessary.” Luca rested his elbow on the armchair, eyeing me up. “Talk some sense into Bash. This is a smart move. Alex needs to learn her place. No more babying her. No more treating her like a spoiled princess. To become the Queen of The Devil’s Knights, she needs to toughen up.”
He had a point.
Our girl wasn’t ready to become our queen. But one day, she would be, and she had to learn how to swim on her own. But we would never be far, always watching, waiting for the day she had to choose.
CHAPTER 23
DAMIAN
Eighteen months later
It had been too long since we were in the same room as Alex. Well, too long since she knew we were there. But tonight was a special occasion.
Alex finally stopped waiting for us to appear in Providence. She hadn’t texted us to ask when she would see us again.
We ignored her texts.
Sent her calls to voicemail.
