The Devil’s Chaos (The Brotherhood #2)

35. Thirty-Five

35

THIRTY-FIVE

KAI

I couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when everything changed. It could have been when I was at the club, surveilling one of Alexander Benson’s shady clients in an attempt to uncover his whereabouts and gather information on his drug operations. Or maybe it was as I watched a certain green-eyed, ebony-haired seductress dancing on stage, her perfect tits barely contained in a black lace bra and her round ass teasingly rubbing against the dicks of Benson’s perverted patrons. She commanded the room with her tantalizing movements, her curvy hips capable of making any man forget their name and succumb to their primal desires. These sleazeballs were mesmerized by her, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away either.

Every time our eyes met, everything else faded into the background. I shouldn’t have felt that way about her. Hell, I’d never felt this way about any girl. I’d had Maddie keeping my dick warm every night, and yet, all I could think about was my dark-haired goddess. I fantasized about her lips on mine, her hair tangled in my fingers, and my cock buried deep inside of her, stretching her to the brim. I was a hit-it-and-quit-it type of guy. One that fucked hard and left before the sun came up. I had a strict “no sleepover” rule, and no one would change my mind. So, why was I wasting my time chasing down the girl who couldn’t be tamed? Why did I watch her, night after night, begging for her attention, just for her to turn me down? I wasn’t a guy who got friend-zoned, yet every time I got close and chipped away at her defenses, she’d rush to fix the cracks, making her walls even more impenetrable.

So, when I watched Mila run up the hill alone , and Haven stopped answering me on the earpiece, I felt a suffocating emptiness in my soul. Like the air had been sucked out of the room. I wanted to charge into the compound and bring her back with me, but I couldn’t. She wasn’t my mission. And every hour that went by, with no word from her and no indication that she was alive, the ache in my heart festered, seeping through every fiber of my being and taking root in my soul.

Now, I was scouring every connection I had to learn of her status. I wanted to be present in my life, but my thoughts were consumed with her. Sitting outside, I watched Archer and Mila interact with each other. Mila was laughing at something Archer was saying, and he was looking at her like she was some cosmic event, watching her, paying attention to every detail like each second was his last. I craved a connection with Haven as soul-consuming as theirs. They were bound together by blood, lost in each other, ignoring the rest of the world around them. I couldn’t help but feel jealousy creeping up, like a poisonous vine wrapping its tendrils around my heart, suffocating any hope of happiness I might have had.

I poured another double shot of whiskey. My mind was numbed with alcohol and regret. My eyes were fixated on the glowing screen of my phone, scrolling through Instagram photos of her green eyes, full, pink lips begging to be kissed, and that intense stare that seemed to see right through me. Five glasses later, I was starting to doze off when my phone vibrated loudly on the table, jolting me back to reality. In my drunken stupor, I fumbled for it, spilling my drink all over the cream rug beneath my feet.

I felt around for my phone, flipping it over to see H flashing across the screen. I thought I must be dreaming.

With a bated breath, I answered, “Hey, are you okay? I’ve been calling you.”

“Uhm, hi. This is Everly from Riverview General Hospital.” My stomach was in knots as I heard the unfamiliar voice on the other end. “I’m a nurse caring for a female patient named Haven Benson, and you were her emergency contact on her cell phone. Can I ask who I am speaking to?”

She put me as her emergency contact.

“This is Kai Montgomery. Is she okay? Can I talk to her?”

“Unfortunately, Ms. Benson is currently in surgery to repair a splenic hemorrhage caused by a gunshot wound. I was actually calling to gain some clarification, hopefully.”

My chest tightened as she explained Haven’s situation.

“Clarification?”

“Yes, sir. Ms. Benson was found near the ambulance bay of our emergency department, and the police are hoping to talk to someone who might know how she got shot.”

“Did you ask her?”

“She was found unconscious and was unable to provide any details,” the nurse explained. “Can you tell me your relationship with Ms. Benson so I can update her chart?”

Silence.

“Are you still there, Mr. Montgomery?” the nurse asked after a few seconds.

I swallowed hard, struggling to find my words. “Uh…yes. I’m her… boyfriend .”

“Thank you for providing that information,” she replied calmly. “Is this a good contact number for updates on her condition?”

“Yes,” I answered before asking, “When can I come to see her?”

“As long as the surgery goes well, you can come to the PACU on the fifth floor, where she will be monitored until she is stable. It looks like her recovery room will be 5022.”

“Riverview General…in the city?” I confirmed.

“Yes, off of fifth and Jones,” the nurse repeated.

“Thank you. I’ll head there now.”

I hung up, slid my phone into my pocket, and left my room to find Theo. I needed him to give me a ride into the city so I could be there for the girl that had captured my heart from the moment I first saw her. Every other girl be damned. From the moment her fire found mine, her fate was sealed, and I wouldn’t stop until she realized she was the inferno and I would be the devil to control it.