The Devil’s Chaos (The Brotherhood #2)

28. Twenty-Eight

28

TWENTY-EIGHT

KAI

T heo and I changed before going to Archer’s office, both aware of the weight of the impending conversation about Haven. I knew I needed to have that conversation with Archer, but when was a good time? The second I brought her into the inner workings of The Brotherhood, her life would no longer belong to her. She would be expected to perform certain duties and be burdened with responsibilities I wasn’t sure she was ready for. I was uncertain about Haven's readiness for The Brotherhood, and this uncertainty was eating me up.

Deep down, I knew Haven could handle whatever I threw her way. She had been a survivor all her life, and The Brotherhood was summer camp compared to what she had lived through.

But I wanted Haven.

I feared losing her to The Brotherhood.

I wanted to keep her to myself.

I paused outside Archer’s door, my hand hovering over the knob. Theo glanced at me. His eyes were filled with understanding. He knew my struggle, the internal battle between duty and desire.

“You don’t have to tell him right now,” Theo said softly, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s just get through The Ceremony and the masquerade ball.”

“You’re right. Archer deserves the truth, but there’s no harm in waiting another day.”

I knocked on the heavy oak door before entering. Archer sat behind his desk. His green eyes were lighter today, but he studied us as we sat.

“What is so important that you can’t wait until morning to speak about?” I complained as I took a seat on the leather couch. I yawned obnoxiously and waited to see what this was all about.

“Maybe he is so excited about his engagement that he wants to talk about what colors he’s choosing for his tux,” Theo joked as he sat on the opposite end of the couch.

“Yeah, what was all that about? Why didn’t you tell us you were engaged?” I pressed. “You’re going to have your hands full with that one. She takes no prisoners.”

“Trust me, I know it,” he smiled.

“What Kai is trying to say is that we are proud of Mila for standing up to that piece-of-shit father of hers,” Theo said as he gave me a wink.

“Who would be headless if you two hadn’t intervened,” Archer mumbled.

“You can’t protect her if you’re in prison,” Theo reminded him.

“Yeah, I’m not babysitting while your pretty ass gets fucked by your celly,” I chuckled. “Just saying.”

I didn’t mean it, but I also didn’t want Archer to get himself thrown in jail. I didn’t want that for any of us. While we had enough people to help us get away with murder, it would be a lot harder to do that if he murdered someone in a room full of rich assholes.

“That’s not going to happen because we will be smart,” Archer moved to the front of his desk and rested against it. “Alexander told Mila that they owned her father, and her father agreed that Mila was his as a show of good faith. And judging by the reaction her father had when our engagement was announced, this puts him in a shitty position with The Collectors.”

“Or it just moves his timeline up.” Theo looked at Archer.

Archer wouldn’t admit it, but I knew the pressure of everything weighed heavily on his shoulders. He found the girl he loved, and even though he knew he couldn’t shield her from the life we lived, he wouldn’t let her go either.

I get that.

“We are going to cripple Alexander’s empire before that happens,” Archer growled. “We need to send a message. But it needs to be precise. We can’t afford any missteps.”

Damion, our head of security, stepped forward. “I have a few ideas.”

I leaned forward, intrigued by what Damion had to say. The man was an expert at sending messages, often in the most brutal and creative ways. If anyone could strike fear into the heart of Alexander and his Collectors, it was Damion.

"Let's hear it," Archer said, nodding at Damion to proceed.

Damion stepped closer, his muscular frame casting a shadow across Archer's desk. "We need to hit them where it hurts. Disrupt their operations and cut off their revenue streams. Make it clear that messing with The Brotherhood comes with severe consequences."

Theo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We could target their shipments. Intercept their goods before they reach the buyers."

"And send a clear message with the bodies of their men," I added, a wicked grin spreading across my face. "Leave no doubt about who's responsible."

Damion laid out his plan, detail by detail. It was risky, but calculated—a surgical strike at the heart of Alexander's operations. If executed flawlessly, it would deal a crippling blow to The Collectors while minimizing collateral damage and exposure for The Brotherhood.

As I listened, I couldn't help but admire Damion's tactical brilliance. The man was a virtuoso when it came to these sorts of operations. But even so, a knot of unease tightened in my gut. This was the point of no return. Once we embarked on this path, there would be no going back.

My thoughts drifted to Haven. What would she think of me if she knew what I was contemplating? Of the man I had become? I pushed the doubts aside. This was about survival—hers, mine, and The Brotherhood's. In our world, sentimentality was a luxury we couldn’t afford.

Archer leaned back against his desk, his expression grim, yet resolute. "It's a solid plan, Damion. But we need to make sure every contingency is accounted for. There can be no room for error."

Damion nodded. "I'll refine the details and have a finalized operation outlined by morning."

"Good." Archer turned to Theo and me. "I need you two to be ready to move at a moment's notice. Once we set this in motion, things will escalate quickly. We need to be prepared for any retaliation from The Collectors."

I cracked my knuckles, a feral glint in my eye. "They won't know what hit them. By the time they realize what's happening, it'll be too late."

Theo gave a curt nod, his demeanor serious. "We've been preparing for this moment for years. The Brotherhood is ready."

"I agree," Archer said once Damion laid out the details. "But we need to move fast. The longer we wait, the more time Alexander has to fortify his defenses."

Theo nodded in agreement. "I'll assemble the team. We can be ready to strike within forty-eight hours."

"Good. Kai, I want you to coordinate with our intel sources. Verify the shipment schedules and routes. We can't afford any surprises," Archer ordered.

Archer stood up straight, his gaze piercing as he looked at each of us. "Then it's settled. We strike at dawn. Damion, make the necessary arrangements. Kai, Theo—get some rest. You're going to need it."

“Let the games begin,” I chuckled.

As we filed out of Archer's office, I couldn't shake the unease that settled in my stomach. This was the calm before the storm, the deep breath before the plunge. Everything was about to change, and I wasn't sure if I was ready for it.

“You good?” Theo asked as I stood outside the door, waiting for Archer.

“Yeah. I need to talk to him about The Ceremony, not the other stuff,” I lowered my voice.

“Okay, man. I’m going to get some sleep. I’ll get with you later.”

Theo walked away, and I remained outside the door. When Archer came out, I followed him.

“The Ceremony is tomorrow night. Have you talked to Mila about it?”

“I’m not sharing her,” he scoffed like the idea was unfathomable.

I understood his sentiment, but we were bound by the rules of our fathers.

“You’ve never had a problem with it before.”

“That was before Mila,” he snapped.

“You still have to be honest with her. She deserves that.” I hadn’t meant for my tone to be so condescending. The thought of sharing Haven made me equally angry, but I couldn’t tell him that.

Not yet.

“Don’t fucking tell me what she deserves. You don’t know the first thing about her.”

He wasn’t wrong.

“Calm down. I’m just trying to uphold the legacy of our ceremony. The Brotherhood comes first, you know that. If our fathers caught wind that you were showing favoritism toward her, do you know what would happen?”

“I know,” he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

“But do you?” I paused. “Because you’re not being smart, parading around with Mila like she’s above The Brotherhood. Your father may look the other way, but mine and Theo’s won’t. We are only here by their mercy. We move when they order us to. We respect their traditions, and we never question their commands.”

Who am I trying to convince? Archer or me?

“Goddamn it, Kai! Mila is above The Brotherhood. She’s above you, me, the whole fucking legacy!” he yelled before he slammed me against the wall.

I deserved that.

I was a fucking hypocrite.

I was lecturing him about the rules of The Brotherhood, but if I were in his shoes, I would feel the same way. It’s not that I didn’t trust Archer and Theo. Because I did, with my life. However, there was something about Haven that set me on fire. Even thinking of her being with anyone else made me furious. That’s why I went up to that hotel room. I knew Haven would do what she was told to do because she was afraid that her brother would make good on his promise to end my life. Maybe he would. Or perhaps I’d get to him first. Either way, I wasn’t scared of death. Death comes for everyone. I was scared of leaving her though.

I could see the conflict that Archer carried: the struggle to do what was required, and the primal urge to protect the one who brought life to our souls.

“To you, she is,” I started. “But do you think they care? Will you be able to watch all of them take her in front of you? She will be passed around like a toy to show you who you belong to. They won’t stop until she’s broken, and you know it. She may be above all of this, but you aren’t. You chose to bring her into our world and knew the price she would pay. I’m trying to protect her, too, even if you’re too blinded by your feelings to see the truth.”

Archer studied me for a moment as my words settled over him before he released his hold on me. He knew I was right, but I didn’t want to be at that moment. I spoke to him about responsibilities when I was not free from those same responsibilities. My father, Asher Montgomery, was a stickler for rules. Hell, he was the police commissioner of New York City. As his son, there were certain expectations that I was charged with following, but I had never been the greatest at following the rules.

“I’ll talk to Mila,” Archer finally said. “But if anything happens to her…”

“We’ll do everything in our power to keep her safe,” I interjected. I wondered if, when the tables turned, he would be as inclined to do the same for Haven. “Just remember our duty. Our loyalty lies with The Brotherhood above all else. But my loyalty lies with you. Theo and I are with you. I just want to make sure you are prepared for the consequences if you defy our fathers.”

With that, I left him standing there and headed down the hall. Back in my room, I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the scalding hot shower, letting the water cascade over my tense muscles. My mind raced with thoughts of the impending operation, of the risks we were about to take. But above all, my thoughts kept circling back to Haven. Her fiery spirit, her resilient soul—she was unlike anyone I had ever met. And now, with the weight of The Brotherhood’s expectations bearing down on us, I feared for her safety more than ever.

I stepped out of the shower and toweled off. I had to find a way to protect her and shield her from the darkest aspects of both worlds. But how could I do that without defying the very oaths I had sworn?