We needed those guns from Dominic, but now that he’s dead, there’s no way Gage, Hazen, or Lucas will hand them over.Why would they give us more power to use against them?That’s just fucking stupid.Probably why they gave us those cars.
They blew up the fucking town hall, killing all those men.We had a deal with Dominic—more guns would give us more strength to take them down.
How can we bring them down now without the weapons?We can’t.We need weapons and an army.I’m done with The Brotherhood ruling over our town.
We need to build up our own army to fight them.To take over.There are some guys I trust—about ten or so in our 18hood rap crew.Another twenty from the trailer park down the street.A handful of good dudes from work at the meat-packing factory.
I sit in silence for at least ten minutes.
The curtain opens and Zion waves me over, his eyebrows drawn together and anger clear in his eyes.Fucking hell.What has Bear done?
Without a second thought, I follow Zion out.He opens a door leading into another room of mirrors.Sweat forms on my forehead and drips down my cheeks.I see my reflection everywhere I look, my dark-brown eyes staring right through me.Fuck this place.
The next room is full of butterflies.The hot, steamy air clings to my skin.Being in here isn’t so bad.It’s calming.Blue, red, and purple butterflies fly around me.They are pretty.The air shifts as we move through another door.The roof is open, and the dark, starry night glares back at me.
Rows and rows of coffins line the dirt, all old, cracked, and covered in cobwebs.Skulls and bones line some of the surfaces and look like they are staring right through me.Why can’t Bear live in a normal fucking house instead of this?Bear buries all his victims here, and I’ve lost count of how many people he’s killed.Some he clearly doesn’t even bother to bury, just leaving them on top of the graves.It smells like death.I cover my nose, trying to fight off the urge to vomit.I shake my head, moving into the next room, and all the air is sucked from my lungs.
There’s a girl strapped to a spinning target, her black, wavy hair covering half of her face.
Her green eyes look up, pleading with me to save her, and all I can see is my sister.I reach for Zion, clutching his shoulder.My heart squeezes.
The ground below me falls through, taking me into the depths of hell.
Chapter Eight
Amirah
After I passed out, I woke up strapped to some kind of target.The room spins around and around.Everything becomes blurry, merging.I squeeze my eyes shut and my stomach falls beneath me.I’m going to be sick.I’m jerked to a stop, but my head feels like I’m still spinning.Like I’m on one of those rides at an amusement park, except this one isn’t stopping, and it’s not fun.It’s torture.
My hands and legs are spread out, bound to a large, oversized target, the kind you’d find on a dartboard—and my chest is the bullseye.The rope digs into my skin, burning my flesh with every movement.Bear grins at me from the other side of the room, his eyes alight, his hand still on the lever that I’ve come to learn will send me spinning.
I take several fast breaths in and out.It takes me a second to calm down.
The door creaks open, then slams shut.Zion, another of Kai’s friends I’ve seen around the tracks a few times, stops just inside the door, staring at me with a blank expression.
Behind him, a familiar pair of dark-brown eyes meets mine.They belong to Kai, a guy I barely know but who my best friend trusts implicitly.They are wide at first, then turn to slits.
“What the fuck?”Kai growls, and I glance between him, Zion, and Bear, watching them closely.Taking in everything they do and say.My brother taught me to always be on alert, know where the exits are, and understand every situation.
Bear’s hand is wrapped around the lever, ready to pull at any second.He’s smiling and totally ignores Kai.
Zion watches me closely, his brows drawn in slightly, his head cocked to the side.He doesn’t move his gaze from my face, and I feel like he’s looking into my psyche.In the handful of moments I’ve seen him, he’s always been quiet.There’s something about him that feels safe, like he wouldn’t hurt me.
I lick my dry lips and mouth the wordhelp.
The corner of his mouth twitches ever so slightly, and for a second, I think I’ve imagined it.My head feels fuzzy, still spinning.He looks away, and my stomach drops.He’s not going to save me.
“Bear?”Kai’s voice turns deep.
“Oh, have you met the princess of The Brotherhood?This is Amirah,” Bear says, waving his hand my way.
Kai shakes his head.“I know who the fuck she is.I didn’t ask that.I meant, what is she doing here?”
“She’s your birthday present.I know I’m early, but you’ll forgive me?”Bear pushes out his bottom lip, and I fight the urge to throw up.Bile sits in the pit of my stomach, threatening to release.Preferably all over Bear.
“I don’t want a spoiled Brotherhood princess for my birthday, you idiot.Let her go.”Kai takes a step toward me, and the bile turns into what feels like a flutter of hope in my belly.He’s going to let me go?
I have no idea how long I’ve been here.Time stopped the second I woke up in this hellhole.If I spend another minute here, I’m going to go crazy, end up like Bear.Hell, the way I acted on that roller coaster with him, allowing him to get me off?Who the fuck even am I?
