The Devil’s Chaos (The Brotherhood #2)

51. Fifty-One

51

FIFTY-ONE

HAVEN

T he room was bathed in a warm glow, courtesy of the gentle sunlight that filtered through the curtains. I hummed contentedly as I sank deeper into what I thought was his warm embrace.

Except his embrace was cold and fluffy, not the warmth I longed for.

My eyes shot open to find me cuddling with his pillow and not the love of my life. The emptiness of the bed beside me had me sitting up as I clutched the pillow to my chest while I scanned the room for any sign of him. His clothes were gone from the floor where he’d tossed them carelessly the night before. The only trace of his presence was the faint scent of his cologne that lingered on the sheets.

I glanced over at the clock on the nightstand.

6:08 p.m.

What the fuck? Had I really slept all day?

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, and my heart raced as a sinking feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. Padding barefoot across the hard floor, I grabbed a robe from the bathroom and headed toward the door to find where he had run off to. When I opened the door, two guards stood in the doorway to block my path into the hallway. Their stern expressions and rigid posture told me they weren’t there for a friendly chat.

The taller one on the right spoke first, “I’m sorry, Miss, but we are under strict orders to keep you in your room until Mr. Montgomery returns.” His voice left no room for argument.

But I wasn’t one that backed away—not when Kai was involved.

“What’s going on? What do you mean, until he returns? What happened?” I demanded.

The guards exchanged a glance before the shorter one spoke. “Please, Miss Benson, we can’t say anything more.”

“No, fuck that! Where is he?” I yelled as I attempted to push past them, but they stood firm. Their hands gently but firmly pushed me back into the room.

“I'm sorry, Miss, but you can't leave,” one of them said, his voice low and authoritative.

“What do you mean I can't leave?" I demanded, my voice shook with a mixture of fear and anger. “Where is he? What have you done with him?”

The guards’ expressions were unreadable. “He's gone, ma’am. He left early this morning and instructed us not to let you leave until he returns.”

I felt my knees buckle beneath me, and I clutched the door frame for support. “Gone? What do you mean gone? Where did he go?”

I attempted to push past them once again.

The taller guard caught my arm firmly to halt my progress. "Miss Benson, please calm down. We're only following orders."

I yanked my arm free as I glared at them both. “I don't care about your orders! I need to know where the fuck he is and what's going on. Now.”

They remained silent, their expressions impassive. Frustration bubbled up inside me and threatened to spill over. I took a deep breath to try and regain some semblance of composure.

“Listen,” I said, my voice low and measured. “I'm not going to just sit here and wait around while something might have happened to him. You can either tell me what you know, or I'll find out on my own.”

The shorter guard shifted uncomfortably as he glanced at his partner. “We really can't say anything, Miss. It's for your safety.”

"My safety?" I scoffed. "What about his safety? Is he in danger?"

Their continued silence was all the answer I needed. Cold and unrelenting fear gripped my heart. I had to find him to make sure he was okay.

I stepped back into the room, my mind raced. If they weren't going to help me, I'd have to take matters into my own hands. I dressed quickly and threw on a pair of jeans and a red oversized T-shirt. I grabbed my phone, and it dinged with a text message from an unknown number.

I opened the notification and saw a video message.

Fuck.

I hit play.

The camera focused on several figures kneeling on the cold marble floor of my brother’s club. Their heads were covered with hoods. Four heads—all covered in dirt and blood, and their hands were restrained behind their backs. My blood ran cold as I recognized the lavish office, the imposing mahogany desk now shoved carelessly to the side. The video panned over the captives, their shoulders slumped in defeat. Then it settled on the man at the end, and my heart stopped. Even with the hood obscuring his face, I knew it was him. I would know his build and his posture anywhere.

It was Kai.

My brother appeared on the screen, a wicked smile on his face. There was blood splatter all over his skin and clothing, and his knuckles were bloody. He walked over to Kai and ripped his hood off. His face was bruised and bloodied, his left eye swollen shut, and his dark hair matted with sweat and grime. He glared defiantly at my brother, his jaw clenched tight. My brother grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head back.

“Not so tough now, are you, Montgomery?” he sneered. “I told you what would happen if you crossed me again. You should have listened.”

Kai spat blood at my brother’s feet. “Go to hell, you son of a bitch,” he growled, his voice hoarse but full of venom.

Alex laughed, a cold, cruel sound as he released Kai’s hair with a rough shove and turned to face the camera directly.

“Hello, dear sister. As you can see, I have your lover. If you ever want to see him alive again, you will do exactly as I say.”

I gripped the phone tightly. My hands shook with fear and absolute rage. My brother shoved Kai away roughly and focused back on the camera. “I want you to come home, Haven…” He trailed off while he pulled out his knife. “If you don’t…well, let’s just say Kai here won’t be looking so pretty anymore.”

Kai struggled against his restraints, his eyes blazed. “Don’t do it, Haven! Don’t you dare come here!”

My brother backhanded him viciously. “Shut the fuck up!” He spit on Kai’s face, then turned back to the camera as he smiled coldly. “You have 2 hours, little sister. Oh, and come alone, or I’ll send you his body in pieces. The clock starts now.”

The video ended abruptly. I stood there, frozen; my hands trembled, and my stomach churned as acid spilled up my throat. I rushed to the bathroom and heaved into the toilet. My body shook violently as the contents of my stomach emptied. Cold sweat beaded on my forehead, and as I gripped the porcelain bowl, my knuckles turned white. The image of Kai’s battered face was seared into my mind, and my brother’s ultimatum echoed in my ears.

Two hours.

I had two hours to trade my life for Kai’s.

With a shuddered breath, I pushed myself to my feet and rinsed my mouth out at the sink. I stared at my reflection in the mirror—my face was pale, my eyes haunted and filled with steely determination, but mostly fear of losing the only person who mattered in my life.

As I strode out of the bathroom, I grabbed my car keys and phone and stuffed them into my pockets. The guards were still posted outside my door, so I needed to find a better way to escape my room. The only other option was the balcony. I hurried over to the balcony doors and flung them open, the cool evening air hitting my face. The sun started to set which cast an eerie orange glow over the skyline. I peered over the railing to gauge the distance to the ground. It was a long way down, and unlike the city, there was no fire escape ladder. I saw a lattice wrapped in vines, but there was no way for me to tell if it was sturdy enough to hold my weight.

I had no choice.

Every second I wasted was a second closer to losing Kai forever.

I swung my leg over the railing and carefully lowered myself onto the lattice. The vines provided some grip as I slowly made my way down. About halfway, my foot slipped, and I let out a yelp while I clung to the lattice for dear life. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a few shaky breaths to calm my racing heart. I didn’t have time to panic. The vines scratched at my skin as I descended, and I tested each foothold before putting my full weight on it. The lattice creaked and groaned under the strain, but it held firm.

As I dropped to the ground, I stumbled slightly as my feet hit the grass. Without a backward glance, I sprinted toward the garage where my car was parked. I could hear the guards yelling behind me as their footsteps pounded on the pavement.

While I fumbled with my keys, I unlocked the car and jumped inside and slammed the door shut. The engine roared to life, and I peeled out of the garage as the tires screeched on the asphalt. In the rearview mirror, I saw the guards burst out of the house, their guns drawn. They would never open the gate for me now. I floored the accelerator as I aimed straight for the wrought-iron gate, and braced for impact. My car smashed through the barrier with a sickening crunch of metal on metal. The airbag deployed, and it knocked the wind out of me, but I pushed it aside and kept my foot on the gas. As I sped down the winding road toward the city, the scenery was a blur outside the cracked windshield. I had exactly forty-five minutes to get to my brother’s club before time ran out. I couldn’t let Kai and whoever else was under those hoods die because of me.