Page 149 of Where Sinners Repent

She loves us.

Us.

And she left.

My eyes drag over the bedroom like I might see her buried in the blankets the way she does, smirking at me with those pouty lips before telling me this is some kind of cruel joke.

But when I see her baseball bat is missing, I know this is no joke. My fist closes around the letter, the paper crumpling in my grip.

Please forgive me.

Something happened. Something fucking happened, and she didn’t tell us. This isn’t her. It can’t be. I refuse to believe it.

With the note in one hand and Kaleb’s knife in the other, I make my way back to the club. This plan of ours just got pushed up. Because I’m going to kill those boys, and I’m going to make it as painful as fucking possible.

A stillness settles over me with each step. The one I find myself slipping into often. Anger makes people do stupid things. Like make mistakes. My empty, deadly precision makes me the nightmare I’m known for.

Reaching the ground level, an icy wind blows through the stairwell. The back door is wide open, swinging with each gust and banging against the wall.

That door is never left open.

And it wasn’t open when I left to go upstairs a minute ago. Slowing my steps, I scan the space. Wind whistles through the open doorway, carrying the smell of damp concrete.

My eyes roam over everything. The muddy footsteps, too many to count. They lead through to the door of the clubhouse. No blood.

I stride into the club through the other door, but no voices find me. Not Ash grumbling or Leon joking. Fucking silence, except for the door, a constant bang of wood on wood.

By the time I step into the meeting room, I already know what I’m going to see.

Up turned seats. Smashed glass. Blood. Too much. And none of my fucking family. Kaleb’s chair on the floor, tossed across the room. Blood stains the wood behind it, and I crouch beside it. Running my fingers through it. Wet and warm. I’ve missed them by one fucking minute.

My twin. His absence is a missing limb, ripped straight from my chest.

My teeth grind so hard I’m surprised they don’t crack. They have my brother. Ash, Leon, and Xavier too.

Maybe even Roxy. I look down at the crumpled letter still trapped in my fist.

For what I’ve done. For what I’m about to do.

She wasn’t apologising for running. She’s apologising for whatever this is.

This happened minutes ago. I could go out and chase them, but whoever did this brought enough men to take down four of the strongest Devils.

No, I need a plan.

I force air slowly into my lungs and stare at the destruction around me until the rage and fear settle back into the numbness I need.

This time, when I enter the stairwell, I go to the penthouse, my fist knocking furiously on the door. Sounds of happiness and fun echo in the room, sounds that I’m about to steal.

My thumb dusts over the sun, inked into my skin. It’s the only thing keeping me tethered.

Footsteps skip towards the door as I knock again, rougher this time. Maddison pulls the door open, eyes widening when she sees me.

“What happened?” she whispers.

I push past her to where Griff and Matt sit at the table with cards in their hands. Half-empty glasses sit between them, a pile of chips in the middle, and music blasts from a speaker.

Maddison tugs at my arm. “Kai? Is Ash okay?”