The Devil’s Chaos (The Brotherhood #2)

13. Thirteen

13

THIRTEEN

KAI

I moved through the chaotic crowd, shoving people out of the way to get to Archer—my thoughts on protecting my brothers. When I reached him, two of Alexander’s men had already pulled him away from his intended target. I chuckled when I saw Alexander holding his broken nose, spitting blood on the stone beneath him.

“What are you going to do, King?” Alexander taunted.

“I’ll fucking kill you for touching her,” Archer bellowed. “You made a mistake showing your face here.”

“That’s funny because it looks like you’re outnumbered. The time of your reign is coming to an end.”

Archer broke free from the men holding him and lunged for Alexander. Acting quickly, I grabbed the man on Archer’s left and slammed his head into the ground. Chaos erupted as fists were thrown and bodies collided with each other. I grabbed Archer by the arm, pulling him back just as another man aimed a punch at his head. I twisted, evading a blow, and delivered a swift strike to the assailant’s gut. The man doubled over in pain, gasping for air. Archer moved toward Mila and Maddie, who were being pushed closer and closer to the cliff’s edge by the frantic crowd. Without hesitation, I swung my fist into another assailant's jaw, feeling the satisfying impact of bone against bone. Archer pushed through the crowd, ignoring the gun pointed at his chest. I slammed into the goon, and the sound of gunfire shattered my eardrums. I looked up to see if Archer had been shot, but he was still moving toward Mila, another bodyguard blocking his path. I pulled my gun out of my waistband, shooting the bodyguard in the head, his brains spewing through the icy air. Delivering another gunshot to the one I had tackled, I scanned the crowd for Alexander or his men, but caught them running like little rats away from the fight.

Archer dove off the cliff, and I knew Mila and Maddie had fallen over the edge.

Theo came up to my side, his lip split and dark hair unruly. “I’ve got it up here. Go help, Archer.”

I handed my gun and cell phone to him and jumped over the edge, plunging into the icy, dark water below. I dove underneath the water and scanned the depths, watching as Archer swam to Mila, who had been pinned to the floor underneath the dead body of the bodyguard I had shot. I waited to ensure he didn’t need my help before searching for Maddie. I saw her crawling out of the water onto the rocky beach and swam toward the shore behind her. My clothes clung to my skin as I moved up the coast to get to Archer, who had pulled Mila out of the water and was pressing on her chest. Maddie turned to look at me as I approached, her eyes wide with fear. Archer was a mask of panic as he continued to pump his hands against Mila’s chest. “Come on, Mila. Breathe for me.”

After what seemed like an eternity, Mila gasped for air, coughing up water, as her eyes fluttered open to meet Archer’s. He held her close, trying to comfort her as she shivered uncontrollably.

“It’s okay, Mila. You’re okay,” he reassured her, holding her petite frame tightly against his own.

“Archer?” Her teeth chattered as she spoke.

“I’m here.” He wrapped his arms around her.

“Where’s Maddie?” Mila asked, looking around.

“I’m here, Mila,” Maddie chimed in, moving closer to Mila and Archer.

“We need to get out of here and get warm fast,” Archer instructed, his tone urgent.

I didn’t have any objections to that idea. I was drenched and freezing cold myself. All I wanted to do was get Archer and Mila home and find Haven. Archer carried Mila up the rocky path to the clifftop and refused my help despite his exhaustion.

Most of the partygoers were scattered; however, Lacey, one of Mila’s friends, waited there, tears streaming down her face. While Archer spoke to Lacey, I noticed Theo consoling a girl with dark hair whose olive-green dress was stained dark with blood. He signaled for her to stay put and came over to us.

“Everything okay?” I asked him, nodding toward the girl he had been talking to.

“Yeah. I’m just making sure she is okay,” he replied, nervously rubbing the back of his neck before handing me back my gun and cell phone.

“Kai, grab some of those blankets and follow us,” Archer called out from behind us.

“Head back to the manor,” I told Theo. “And be careful.”

“Careful is my middle name,” Theo joked, giving me a smirk before turning and returning to the girl.

She looked familiar, but I didn’t have time to think about where I might have seen her before. It was just another thing on my growing list of things to discuss with Theo.

I grabbed as many blankets left by the bonfire as I could carry and followed Archer, Mila, Lacey, and Maddie through the forest and into the clearing where our cars were parked. Lacey led us to her car, a little black Volkswagen beetle that left me wondering how we would all fit.

I sat in the backseat next to Maddie and handed out blankets while watching Archer wrap Mila up in several layers before pulling her close to him for warmth.

“Should I drive to the hospital?” Lacey asked worriedly.

“It’s too far. Put this address in your GPS,” Archer quickly rattled off the address to our manor. “We have a doctor on staff at the house.”

Once Lacey pulled up to the gate, I rolled down my window, waving at the guards to let us in. Once the car stopped, Archer bolted out and carried Mila inside. Pushing the car door open, I headed upstairs to shower and change. I wanted to get the smell of blood and bad pussy off my skin. As I walked toward the garage, Maddie appeared behind me. I ignored her the entire walk to the garage, punching in the key code at the door.

“Wait! Where are you going?” Maddie’s high-pitched voice sounded behind me.

“I have something to take care of,” I told her, walking down the rows of cars and bikes before settling on my trusty Harley Davidson Sportster.

She followed me. “What? Aren’t you going to make sure I’m okay?”

I turned to look at her, annoyance clear in my voice. “You’re alive, right?”

“But…Archer is taking care of Mila,” she protested, crossing her arms over her chest and stomping her foot like a child.

I wrapped my legs around my bike, settling into my seat, before turning it on. The loud hum was like music to my ears. I put on my leather riding jacket, thankful for its dry, warm interior.

“I’m not Archer.” I pulled my helmet over my head and revved the engine several times to drown out her voice.

“Clearly not,” she scoffed.

If that was supposed to be an insult, I didn’t take it as such. Archer was who he was, and I was who I was. Neither of us had ever pretended to be anything other than what we were. There was no sense in apologizing for it now. I clicked the garage door opener and pulled out, leaving Maddie where she stood.

The roads seemed to stretch on forever, but finally, I pulled up to her apartment complex just as another thunderstorm had moved in, the skies threatening to release their cold rain. I parked my bike and climbed off, the cold air biting at my damp skin.

I had two thoughts: Haven and the way her lips felt on mine.