Page 67 of Vengeful Devotion
The thought slams into me and I scream out into the nothingness. My guilt does not care about the justification, only that my brother’s blood is on my hands. I’ve never lost sleep over a kill before, but I have a feeling tonight will be different.
I sigh as the sun disappears. It’s time to go home. Pulling the car door open, I climb in. I pick my phone up off the passenger seat and tuck it into my pocket without looking at the screen. There will be no notifications. Cell phone reception out here is nonexistent. It’s exactly why I come to this place. It’s the only place a king can be alone.
As I pull away from the dirt path and onto the highway, all I can think about is my mother. When she hears of Warren’s death, she’ll be devastated. Even more so when I tell her the truth about everything. She’s never going to forgive me. But his death saved the family from whatever grand scheme Warren had. That has to be enough for her. It has to be enough for me.
I’m a few miles down the highway when I feel my phone go off. I pull it out of my pocket to see Balor’s name on the screen. My fingers hover over the ignore button before pressing it. I’m in no mood to deal with whatever he’s calling about. Probably a delay on the liquor license for the new club. That place is starting to be more trouble than it’s worth. There’s been a delay at every turn. It’s never taken this long to get a project off the ground. I slip my phone into the cupholder and focus on the road.
Balor’s name lights up my phone again. The never-ending quiet vibration annoys me enough to answer.
“What?”
“We have a problem.”
Have they found Warren already? I thought I’d have more time to talk to my mother.Guess not.When I don’t respond, Balor continues.
“Did you hear me, Deck?”
“Yes. What is it? Another club delay?”
I do my best to keep my voice even and hide any evidence that I know what he’s talking about.
“A few of Kane’s men were injured. Well, drugged really.”
I raise an eyebrow. Kane and the men beneath him are the best of the best. They were part of the military back home before I poached them.
“What happened?”
“It gets worse…”
“Just tell me what the fuck happened, Balor.”
“Gemma is missing.”
My world stops, shattering like a crystal ball. My ears ring with static. I can’t hear a goddamn thing Balor is saying. Fear grips my chest, replacing every single emotion I’ve felt today. It feels like the floor drops out from under me. I can’t breathe.
Hanging the call up, I race towards home. Every action made on autopilot as the world around me crumbles. Nothing else matters but finding my wildflower and putting a bullet in the person stupid enough to take her. How did someone get into the house in the first place? Her uncle is the only threat against her I know of and there’s no fucking way that idiot could overpower Kane and his team.
When I pull into the driveway, there are people everywhere. It looks like Balor called every single person under my employment. I take a deep breath, trying to rein in the monster inside me. But there’s no use. He’s hungry for blood and he’ll get it. It’s only a matter of time.
I step out of the car and slam the door. The sound grabs everyone’s attention. I ignore the looks of pity as I walk through the crowd, meeting Balor at the front door. Balor looks at me, his blue eyes dimmed with anger and disappointment.
“I’m sorry, Declan. I should’ve been here.”
“You and me both,” I reply, pushing the front door open.
The inside of the house is quieter. Only my sisters, mother, and a handful of bodyguards are here.
My mother’s tear-stained eyes find mine as I step inside. She’s up and clinging to me before Balor can shut the door.
“I’m so sorry, Declan. I never should’ve asked her for tea. This is all my fault.”
“No, it’s not,” I reply, my voice tight.
It’s taking everything I have left in me not to snap. Not because I’m angry at her or anyone here, but because Gemma should be safe in her own home, and she wasn’t. The only person here at fault is me. I made her a promise, and I fucking broke it.
I let go of my mother and turn towards Balor, Dean, and Kane. “Tell me what happened.”
Kane steps up. “We don’t know much of anything, sir. I had gone upstairs to check on your mother and Gemma. I didn’t realize that Gemma had come downstairs to make tea. She was taken from the kitchen.”
