The Devil’s Chaos (The Brotherhood #2)

30. Thirty

30

THIRTY

KAI

I t took everything I had to not rip Haven out of the car and fuck her until she decided to listen to me. I would tie her up in my room, hands and feet bound, spread-eagle on my bed. I'd gag that brazen mouth of hers so she couldn't talk back. Then I'd tease and torment her body for hours, bringing her to the edge again and again until she was a pleading, desperate mess. Only when she was truly broken, wholly submissive to my will, would I finally let her come. And I'd make her beg for it, beg for my cock inside her.

Instead, I let her go.

And it fucking killed me to do so.

“Everything okay?” Theo interrupted my carnal thoughts.

I snapped out of my lurid fantasy and realized Theo was still waiting for an answer. “Yeah, everything’s fine,” I lied, my voice strained. I couldn’t let him see how much Haven got under my skin. “Just a little disagreement, that’s all.”

Theo raised his eyebrow, clearly not buying it. “Must have been some disagreement. You look like you’re about to murder someone.”

I forced a laugh, but it sounded hollow even to my own ears. “I might.”

Stalking back into the house, my body thrummed with pent-up aggression. Haven's defiance had pushed me to the brink, and I was barely holding onto my control. I needed to blow off some steam before I did something I'd regret.

I headed straight for my home gym, stripping off my jacket and shirt as I went. I wrapped my hands and started pummeling the heavy bag, imagining it was Haven's pert little ass I was pounding. Each vicious strike of my fists helped channel my fury, but it did nothing to quell the raging hard-on straining against my jeans.

Haven was an enigma.

She was a raging storm.

Sudden.

Unpredictable.

Powerful.

Commanding.

Devastating.

Wild.

Raw.

And utterly magnificent.

I was in love with her, and it fucking hurt letting her walk away. But neither of us were in a good place to have a conversation. Not when she refused to listen to me. I knew she would be guarded, but goddamn if she didn’t drive me absolutely insane with her obstinance. The more she pushed me away, the more I wanted to grab hold and never let go.

I lost myself in the rhythmic pounding of my fists against the bag, sweat dripping down my chest and back. But no matter how hard I pushed my body, I couldn't shake the all-consuming need that possessed me. Haven was under my skin, in my blood.

A sharp knock on the door frame snapped me out of my lust-fueled haze. I caught the swinging bag and turned to see Theo leaning against the doorway, arms crossed over his chest.

"You want to tell me what's really going on with you and Haven?" he asked, his tone making it clear it wasn't a request.

I grunted in response, not breaking the rhythm of my strikes. Theo walked over and held the bag steady for me. “Seriously, man, what’s going on with you guys? You two were at each other’s throats out there.”

I landed a particularly brutal punch, making the bag shudder. “She’s just so fucking stubborn.” I ground out between clenched teeth. “She won’t listen to reason.”

“Sounds like someone else I know,” Theo remarked wryly. I shot him a glare, but he just shrugged. “Hey, I’m just calling it like I see it. You’re in deep with this girl, aren’t you?” It was more of a statement than a question.

“Yeah, and she’s going to destroy me.”

“I think it’s already too late for that.” A wry chuckle escaped his lips.

I inflicted one last punishing blow before stepping back, my chest heaving. Theo was right. It was too late. Haven had already wrecked me, mind, body, and soul. And the worst part was, I couldn’t even bring myself to care. I’d gladly let her ruin me a thousand times over to feel her touch again.

I grabbed the towel and wiped the sweat from my brow. “I don’t know what to do, man. She’s got me all twisted up inside. I can’t think straight when I’m around her.”

Theo clapped a sympathetic hand on my shoulder. “Welcome to the wonderful world of women. They’ll make you crazy in the best and worst ways.”

I barked out a humorless laugh. “Yeah, well, the difference is that Haven is the daughter of Abel Benson, so we can’t be together.”

“Why can’t you?”

“Are you serious? All I’ve been doing since I met her is hiding and lying to the people I care about. To Archer, to you, to Haven. It’s all just a tangled web of deceit that blew up in my face when she saw that video tonight.”

“What video?”

“Somebody recorded us during The Ceremony. She saw me with Mila, and she lost her shit.”

“Wait, somebody sent her a recording of us during The Ceremony? Who sent it?”

“She didn’t say.”

“Kai, someone deliberately recorded and shared that footage with Haven. Why her?”

I froze, my mind reeling at Theo's question. Why would someone send that video to Haven? The ceremony was sacred, secret. Recording it was strictly forbidden, and sharing it with an outsider was an unforgivable betrayal.

“I…I don't know,” I admitted, a sense of dread settling in my gut. “But whoever did it was trying to drive a wedge between us. They wanted Haven to see me with Mila.”

“Who else knows about you and Haven?” Theo asked, his brow furrowed.

I shook my head. “No one. We've been careful.” But I knew it wasn't entirely true even as I said it. “Fuck.”

“What?” Theo asked.

“Alexander.”

“Her brother? How does he know about you two?”

“I don’t know. The night of the charity event, she told me he had people watching her, and he told her if she told me anything, he would kill me and make her watch.”

The realization hit me like a sledgehammer. If Alexander knew about us, then he could easily be the one who sent that video to Haven. It was the perfect way to tear us apart and keep his sister under his control.

“Goddammit!” I slammed my fist into the punching bag, sending it swinging wildly. The pain that shot through my hand was nothing compared to the anguish in my heart. Haven was in danger, and it was all my fault. Knowing the risks, I never should have let her get close to me.

Theo gripped my shoulder, his expression grim. “Kai, if Alexander is behind this, then Haven is in serious trouble. We need to get her somewhere safe, away from him.”

I nodded, my jaw clenched tight. “I know. But she won't listen to me. She thinks I betrayed her.”

“Then you make her listen to you. We need to tell Archer.”

“You’re right.”

We were interrupted by Damion.

“Sorry for interrupting you, but we have a problem.”

“What do you mean?”

“Alexander Benson was here tonight.”

“What do you mean he was here tonight?” I demanded, a hint of panic creeping into my voice.

“I thought I saw him, but he was gone when I tried to follow. So I went and pulled up the camera footage, and we saw him dancing with Ms. Grey’s friend, Lacey. The last footage of him is him getting in the car with Lacey.”

“How did he get past our security?” Theo asked, annoyed.

“I don’t know, boss. We are looking into it.” Damion’s voice was grave as he spoke.

Haven saw him when she darted out of the manor and went outside. The entire time, she knew he was there. She knew Lacey had gotten into the car with him and said nothing.

She had betrayed me.

Alexander had been here, right under our noses, and he had taken Lacey. The pieces were falling into place—the video, Haven’s erratic behavior, her desperate need to leave. She knew her brother was here and that he had left with someone—with Lacey. And like the self-sacrificing fool she was, she had gone after them alone.

And it didn’t matter because he had left with Lacey, and I knew the chances of finding her alive were slim.

“I’m sorry, but Maddie is gone too. She got into the same car as Alexander and Lacey by the front gate. She left her phone too,” Damion said grimly. “It looks like she left in a hurry.”

Theo’s face was ashen.

“Fuck!” I roared, slamming my fist into the wall. The plaster cracked under the force of my blow, but I barely felt the pain. All I could think about was how I had royally fucked up. “How could we let this happen?”

This was all my fault. I had pushed Haven away with my secrets and lies, and now she was gone, possibly in grave danger. If Alexander had sent that video, then he knew about us. And if he knew, then Haven was now a target. A pawn he could use to manipulate and control me.

I had to find her.

“Go to her. I’ll deal with this,” Theo offered.

“No. We need to tell Archer first. Mila needs to know that her best friend is missing.”