The Devil’s Chaos (The Brotherhood #2)

52. Fifty-Two

52

FIFTY-TWO

HAVEN

I navigated the city streets recklessly as I ran red lights and weaved through traffic. The other drivers honked and cursed, but I didn’t care. My mind was too consumed with worst-case scenarios, each more horrifying than the last. I couldn’t lose him. Not like this. Not because of my brother’s twisted games.

As I approached the club, I saw that the usually packed street was eerily deserted. The neon sign flickered ominously which casted a sickly pink glow on the pavement. I parked haphazardly, not caring if I was blocking the road. There was no one to complain anyway.

I burst through the front doors and the pounding music assaulted my ears. The strobe lights disoriented me briefly, but I blinked rapidly as I tried to get my bearings. The dance floor was empty, save for a few overturned tables and shattered glasses. It looked like a hurricane had torn through the place.

“Alex!” I screamed. “Where are you, you bastard?”

Silence greeted me as the music that was playing abruptly cut off at my shout. Then, a slow clap echoed from the balcony above. I whirled around to see my brother leaning against the railing. He wore a smug grin—one that he wore when he knew he had won.

“Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in,” he drawled. “I must say, sis, I’m impressed. You made it with,” he glanced at his watch, “two minutes to spare.”

I glared at him, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. “Where is he, Alex? Where’s Kai?”

Alex tsked as he wagged his finger at me. “So impatient. All in good time. You know the deal, Haven. You for him.”

“Fine,” I spat. “You have me. Now let him go.”

My brother laughed, a cold, humorless sound that reminded me that nothing was ever simple with him. He was always plotting. I was dumb to think there wasn’t something else going on. “Oh, it’s not that simple. You see, you’ve caused me a lot of trouble, baby sister. And trouble must be punished.”

He snapped his fingers, and Bruno and Rocco emerged from the shadows as they dragged a hooded figure between them. They shoved the prisoner to their knees, and Alex descended the stairs slowly while he relished in my anguish. He stopped behind the captive and ripped the hood off.

Instead of Kai, it was Archer. His face was almost unrecognizable beneath the bruises and blood. His one good eye met mine, and I saw a flicker of fear, not for himself, but for me.

“Haven, no,” he rasped. “Don’t do this. Just go…”

His pleas were met with the butt of my brother’s gun. “What did I tell you about speaking out of turn?”

This time, Bruno and Rocco reappeared with the other three hooded captives, one of whom I knew was Kai.

He was alive. Thank god.

“What is this?” I asked as they forced each of them on their knees in line with Archer—two on the left and Kai on the right.

“When I found Maddie dead and you in the hospital, I wanted to bring Maddie back to life just to murder that little slut for almost killing you. But then, you did something unthinkable. You left me. Betrayed me for our enemies. You tore my fucking heart out. I could have ripped the flesh from your bones, piece by piece. God knows I wanted to. But thanks to our dear old daddy, he reminded me that revenge is a dish best served cold or some bullshit like that. Anyway, Sergei’s still well connected in Russia, and it turns out he has these Spetsnaz friends—you know, the mercenary-for-hire types. They’re a little batshit crazy, but they will, in fact, do anything for a little dough. When I heard that Archer here was celebrating his upcoming nuptials with the girl I was promised to have, I realized the time for revenge was now.” Alex pressed the muzzle of the gun to Archer’s temple, his finger hovering over the trigger. My heart lurched, and I took an involuntary step forward.

“Stop!” I cried. “Please, Alex. Don’t hurt him. Please don’t hurt any of them. I’m here, just like you wanted. Let them go.”

My brother’s cold eyes flicked to me, and a cruel smile played on his lips. “You’re right, sis. You did hold up your end of the bargain. But you see, I’ve realized something. As long as these people are alive, you’ll always have a reason to defy me. To fight back. And we can’t have that, now can we?”

He nodded, and Bruno and Rocco removed the hoods from the remaining three captives. My eyes immediately went to Kai. His face was swollen and bruised, his lip split and bleeding, and his eyes burned with sadness as they locked on mine. I looked over at the other two captives—Cassian and Evelyn King. Cassian’s face was marred by a deep gash across his cheekbone, and Evelyn’s usually perfect hair was tangled and matted with blood, her mascara ran in dark streaks down her cheeks. They both stared at me with pleading eyes, silently begging me to save myself.

“No,” I shook my head in disbelief.

My heart shattered. This was all my fault. My friends, my love, were suffering because of me. Because I dared to defy my psychopath of a brother, I knew he would never let me go. Guilt and despair threatened to swallow me whole.

Alex’s sinister laugh cut through my anguish. “What’s the matter, Haven? Not so brave now, are you? When the lives of your little friends are on the line?”

I swallowed hard as I fought back the tears that burned my eyes. I had to stay strong. Think clearly for them. “Let them go, Alex. This is between you and me. They have nothing to do with it.”

“They have everything to do with it!” he snarled. “They’re the reason you betrayed me. They poisoned you against me, turned you into a traitor. And now, they’ll be the reason you never leave again.”

“I won’t leave again. I’ll do anything you want. Just let them live,” I begged, my voice breaking as I looked back at Kai.

“Anything?” Alex arched his eyebrow, a wicked gleam in his eye. He stepped away from Kai and circled around me slowly like a shark sizing up its prey. “Tempting offer, baby sister. But how do I know you’ll keep your word this time? You’ve betrayed me so many times before.”

I swallowed hard as I met his cold gaze unflinchingly. “I swear it. On our mother’s grave.”

Alex studied me for a long moment. Then, a slow, cruel smile spread across his face. “Well, this is awkward.”

“What?” I asked, confused.

Alex smirked. “Remember how our dear old Dad fed our mother to the pigs for trying to get you away from the family? Well, it turns out, our—I mean, my mother found out that your real parents were still out there, and she was trying to get you to them.”

I stared at him, “What are you talking about? What do you mean, my real parents?”

He chuckled darkly, clearly relishing in my shock and confusion. “Oh, sorry. I guess that’s a lot to dump on you with no context. Let me explain in simple terms. You’re not a Benson by blood, Haven. In fact, Evelyn here, she’s your birth mother, and Cassian is your birth father. Archer here, he’s your twin brother.”

I shook my head in disbelief, refusing to accept his words. “No, that’s not true. You’re lying!”

“Am I?” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper and held it up tauntingly. “This is a copy of your real birth certificate. Turns out, you were born a couple of minutes after this royal pain in my ass. Mom found out and was going to spirit you away to them. That’s why Dad killed her.”

I stared at the paper, my vision blurred with unshed tears. At the top was the name Aven King, followed by mother, Evelyn, and father, Cassian.

“Dad tried to make a deal with Cassian many years ago, and the fucker turned him down like he was better than him. As you can imagine, our father didn’t take to that very well. I mean, who does this little shit think he is?” Alex approached Cassian and kicked him in the chest, sending him slamming into the ground behind him.

Cassian grunted in pain but glared defiantly up at Alex. Evelyn let out an anguished cry as tears streamed down her face.

“Stop this, please!” I begged while my voice cracked.

“But I’m not done telling my story,” he smiled cruelly. “Where was I? Ah, that’s right. So, Daddy decided to take something from your dear old parents. Now, when Evelyn here went into labor, she had to have an emergency C-section. Twins can be tricky, you know. So, he exchanged one of you with a stillborn baby, and the best part about this story is that dad added an H to your name, taunting them, and they didn’t even realize it. They moved on like nothing ever happened. Like you didn’t exist. And little Evelyn showered her baby boy, Archer, with all the love she could have given you.”

I looked at Evelyn. She met my gaze, her face pale like she relived the death of a child—of me—all over again. “Haven…I’m so sorry,” she whispered brokenly. “I—We didn’t know…we thought you died. If I had known…”

All these years, I had believed the Benson’s were my family, that their twisted love was all I deserved. But now, faced with the truth of my origins, I felt something crack open inside me.

Alex's cruel laughter snapped me back to the grim reality of the present. He yanked Evelyn's head back farther as he made her cry out in pain.

“Poor little Haven,” he mocked. “Always unwanted, always abandoned. Even your real parents didn't fight for you. They just accepted your death and moved on with their perfect lives.”

“That's not true!” Cassian growled, straining against his bonds. “We never would have stopped looking for her if we had known!”

“But you didn't know, did you?” Alex sneered. “You had no idea my father stole your precious baby girl right from under your nose. Some parents you are.”

Tears streamed down Evelyn's face as she looked at me beseechingly. “Haven, please forgive us. We loved you from the moment we knew of your existence. Losing you shattered us.”

My heart clenched painfully. I wanted so badly to believe her—to have a mother who grieved for me, who would have cherished me. But the wounds inflicted by years of living with the Benson’s made me feel like I wasn’t worthy.

“Oh, stop!” Alex scoffed as he yanked her head back and forced her to look at him. “See? They never cared about you, Haven. Not like I do. I'm the only one who ever loved you.”

“Fuck you!” Kai snarled while he strained against his bonds. “You don't know what love is, you psychopath. Haven, don't listen to him!”

Alex whirled and backhanded Kai viciously. “I told you to keep your mouth shut!”

I stepped forward, my hands raised in supplication. “Stop, Alex! Please. You're right, okay? You're the only one who's always been there for me. I know that now.”

“Please,” Evelyn whimpered, her voice raw with emotion. “Please don’t hurt her. Take me instead.”

Alex laughed cruelly as he released her hair with a rough shove. “Oh, I'm not going to hurt her. Not physically, anyway. No, dear Evelyn, I'm going to make her watch as I take away every single person she loves. Starting with you.”

He aimed his gun at her head, and my scream tore through the air. “No! Alex, stop! I'll do anything, please!”

“Haven, don't!” Kai yelled while he strained against his bonds. “Don't give him what he wants!”

Alex swung the gun towards Kai, and his eyes flashed dangerously. “Shut up, Montgomery. You're next on my list.”

I stepped forward and raised my hands in surrender. “Alex, please. I know I betrayed you. I hurt you. And I'm sorry. But this…this isn't the answer. Revenge won't change what happened.”

“You think I want revenge?” He snarled as he pressed the muzzle of the gun harder against Evelyn's temple. She whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut. “I want you to suffer, Haven. Or should I say, Aven? I want you to feel the same agony I felt when you left me. When you chose them over me!”

Tears streamed down my face as I met his wild, rage-filled eyes. “Then make me suffer. Torture me, kill me, punish me, do whatever you want to me. I’m the one that deserves your wrath. But please, let them go.”

Alex stared at me for a long moment, his eyes glinting with a manic light. Slowly, a cruel smile twisted his lips. “You're right, sis. They don't deserve a quick death.”

He lowered the gun from Evelyn's head, and she sagged in Bruno's grip, and a choked cry escaped her. Alex sauntered over to me and trailed the muzzle of the gun along my jaw almost tenderly. I fought the urge to recoil while I held his gaze steadily even as my heart pounded wildly in my chest.

“I'll make you a deal, Haven,” he purred, his breath hot against my ear. “I'll let your little friends live. For now. But in exchange, you belong to me. Completely. No more running, no more defiance. You will be the perfect, obedient little sister I've always wanted.”

I swallowed hard as bile rose in my throat at the thought of being under his control again. Of never being free of his twisted games and manipulations. But as my gaze flicked to Kai, to Archer, to the parents I never knew I had, I knew I had no choice. I would endure anything to keep them safe.

His eyes glinted maliciously. "Or you can make a choice. Right here, right now. You can save one of them—your lover, your real parents, or your long-lost twin. The rest die. So who's it going to be, Aven? Who matters most to you?"

I stared at him in abject horror. How could he expect me to make such an impossible, heartless choice? My heart felt like it was being ripped apart. Each one of them meant something to me and represented a piece of my fractured identity: Kai, the love of my life and the only man who showed me what real, selfless love looked like; Archer, the brother I always yearned for, a chance at a true familial bond untainted by cruelty; and Cassian and Evelyn, the promise of parental love and acceptance I had been denied all my life.

How could I possibly choose between them? Condemn three to death to save one? It was an impossible, sickening choice.

Alex watched me with sadistic glee as he reveled in my torment. “Tick tock, sis. Who’s it going to be? Better choose quick, or I might just kill them all.”

“Haven, pick me,” Cassian ground out through gritted teeth. “Save yourself and the others. I'm not worth it.”

“No!” Evelyn cried. “Take me! I just found you. I can't lose you again!”

Archer met my gaze, his expression grim but resolved. “Haven, it has to be me. I'm your brother. I won't let anyone else die in my place.”

Kai's eyes burned into mine, a silent plea in their depths. “Haven, don't do this. Not for me. Not for anyone.”

I met his gaze, my heart shattered even as I tried to convey all my love and resolve in that single look. “I have to,” I whispered. “I can't let him hurt you—any of you.”

“Muzzle them, please!” Alex ordered.

Bruno and Rocco shoved cloth in their mouths to silence any further protests.

Anguished sobs built in my throat as indecision paralyzed me. I swallowed back the bile that burned my throat. I knew what I had to do, the role I had to play. "I'll do it," I whispered brokenly.

“Do what?”

“I’ll belong to you. No more running. No more defiance. I’ll be your perfect, obedient little sister.” The words tasted like ashes in my mouth, but I forced them out. “But first, you have to let them go. Please.”

Alex’s eyes gleamed with triumph and perverse satisfaction. He lowered his gun. “I knew you’d see reason, Haven. You’ve always been a smart girl despite your misguided attempts at rebellion.”

He circled me slowly as he trailed a finger along my shoulders. I fought the urge to shudder at his touch. “But you see dear sister, I've learned not to trust your word alone. No, I need proof of your sincerity. Of your obedience.”

A cold sense of dread settled in my stomach. I knew that tone, the cruel calculation in his eyes. He had something twisted planned, some sick test to break me.

“W—what do you want me to do?” I asked, my voice trembled despite my efforts to remain steady.

Alex smiled, a chilled, predatory expression. He stepped away and picked up a black leather case from a nearby table. “It's simple, really. You're going to show me, show all of them, who you truly belong to.”

He opened the case and pulled out a gleaming silver dagger, its blade wickedly sharp. My heart seized with fear as he pressed the handle into my palm and I curled my numb fingers around it.

“You're going to carve my initials into your flesh,” he purred, his breath hot against my ear. “Right over your heart. A permanent reminder of your devotion to me.”

I stared at him in horror. He couldn't be serious. This was madness, depravity beyond even what I thought him capable of. The dagger felt heavy and cold in my hand as Alex’s words sank in. He wanted me to mutilate myself, to brand my body with his initials as some sick proof of my loyalty and submission. I met his gaze while I searched for any shred of humanity, any hint of the brother I once thought I knew. But there was only madness reflected back at me, a twisted hunger that made my skin crawl.

“Alex, please,” I whispered, hating the tremor in my voice. “Don't make me do this. Haven't you hurt me enough?”

His fingers dug into my shoulders painfully as he leaned in close. “Hurt you? Oh no, dear sister. Everything I've done has been out of love for you. To protect you, to make you stronger. This?” He tapped the dagger. “This is your ultimate test of devotion. Proof that you belong to me, body and soul.”

I knew I had no leverage, no choice.

With a shaking hand, I raised the dagger to my chest and positioned the tip over my heart. I took a deep, shuddered breath and steeled myself against the pain to come.

Alex's hand closed over mine, his fingers dug in cruelly. “Remember, sis. Nice and deep. I want my mark to be with you forever.”

Kai made a muffled noise behind his gag as he strained against his bonds, again, in desperation.

Alex huffed in annoyance. “Hold on, someone seems to have something significant to say.” He turned on his heel and yanked the cloth out of Kai’s mouth. “What is it?”

My head snapped up at the sound of Kai’s laughter, so incongruous in this terrifying moment. Even Alex looked taken aback, his brow furrowed in irritation.

“What’s so funny, Montgomery?” he snarled while he pressed the gun into his temple. “You find this situation amusing?”

Kai's laughter subsided into a cold, humorless chuckle. He met Alex's gaze unflinchingly, and a smirk played on his bloodied lips. “Actually, yeah. I do. Because you see, you smug bastard, you just lost.”

Alex scoffed. “Lost? I'm the one holding all the cards here. I have the gun, the hostages, and Haven's complete submission. So please, enlighten me—how exactly have I lost?”

Kai's smirk widened. “Because while you were so busy monologuing and tormenting Haven, my team had plenty of time to get into position.”

As if on cue, the skylights above us shattered in a rain of glass. Dark figures rappelled down on cables, assault rifles at the ready. They landed in a circle around us, their weapons trained on Alex and his men.

I recognized Damien among them before more of The Brotherhood's security personnel flooded in through the exits, effectively surrounding and trapping Alex's group.

Alex snarled in fury as he whipped his gun towards me. “You treacherous bitch! You set me up!”

I stood frozen, the dagger still poised over my heart, my mind reeling from the sudden turn of events. “No, Alex, I swear I didn't?—”

“She didn't know,” Kai cut in, his voice hard. “This was all me. Did you really think I'd come here without a backup plan? Without ensuring Haven's safety first?”

Alex's face contorted with rage, his finger tightened on the trigger. “Then you can watch her die before I kill you!”

Several things happened at once. Kai roared, “Now!” The sound of shattering glass exploded overhead, and a single gunshot rang out. I braced myself for the searing pain of a bullet, but it never came. Instead, Alex staggered back, his gun clattered to the floor as he clutched his bleeding hand.

I saw Theo, a smoking rifle in his hands, perched in the rafters. He'd shot the gun right out of Alex's grip.

Chaos erupted as The Brotherhood swarmed in, quickly subduing Bruno, Rocco, and the other guards hidden throughout the club. Theo swiftly cut the bonds on the four captives my brother took and helped them to their feet.

Alex lunged for his fallen weapon, murder in his eyes, but Kai was faster. He kicked the gun away and delivered a brutal punch to Alex's face that sent him sprawling to the blood-slicked floor. Kai followed up with a flurry of vicious blows as he channeled all of his pent-up rage into each strike.

“It's over, Benson,” Kai growled while he planted his boot on Alex's chest to keep him pinned. “You've lost. Haven is free of you.”

Alex spat out a mouthful of blood as he glared balefully up at Kai. “This isn't over,” he hissed. “I'll never stop coming for her. She's mine!”

Kai pressed down harder, making Alex gasp in pain. “She doesn't belong to you, you sadistic fuck. She belongs to me. And you will never lay a hand on her again. She’s free of you. Forever.”

With a final, devastating punch, Kai let Alex's unconscious body slump to the floor. He turned to face me, his chest heaving, eyes wild with emotion.

I stood there, trembling, the dagger fell from my numb fingers and clattered to the floor. Tears streamed down my face as the reality of what just happened crashed over me. It was over. The nightmare was finally over.

He crossed the distance between us in two strides and gathered me into his arms. I clung to him desperately while I sobbed into his chest as all the fear and pain drained from me, and he held me tightly as I wept. “Shh, it’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe now,” he murmured as he gently stroked my hair.

I lifted my tear-streaked face to meet his intense gaze. “H—how? How did you…?”

“I knew you wouldn’t stay put even if you did promise me you would. So, I did what I thought you’d do.”

Fresh tears spilled over as the depth of his love for me overwhelmed my battered heart. “Kai, I…”

He cupped my face tenderly, his thumbs brushed away my tears. “I know. I love you, too. More than anything.”

He claimed my mouth in a searing kiss and poured all his desperation, relief, and adoration into it. I kissed him back just as fiercely as I clung to him, and the shattered pieces of my world slowly started to realign.

We only broke apart at the sound of a tentative throat clearing. Kai kept an arm securely around me as we turned to face Cassian, Evelyn, and Archer—my real family.

Evelyn stepped forward hesitantly, her eyes shimmered with tears. “Haven,” Evelyn said softly while her voice trembled with emotion. “I know this is overwhelming, and you must have so many questions. But please believe that your father and I never stopped loving you or grieving your loss.”

Cassian nodded solemnly beside her, his own eyes misty. “When we thought we lost you, it shattered us. If we had known, if there had been even the slightest hint you were alive, we would have torn the world apart to find you. I promise you, I will make Abel Benson pay for what he took from us—for what he took from you.”

I swallowed hard past the lump in my throat as I struggled to process everything. “I…I don't know what to say. This is all so much to take in.”

Archer stepped forward then and offered me a tentative smile. “I know we just met, but…I've always felt like a part of me was missing. Like I wasn't quite whole. Now I know why.” He reached out a hand. “I'd really like the chance to get to know my sister if you let me.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I slowly reached out to clasp his hand. “I…I'd like that too.”

Kai gave me a gentle, reassuring squeeze. I drew strength from his solid presence at my side. Turning back to my birth parents, I took a shaky breath. “I have a lifetime of questions. And a lot to work through. But…I want to try. To be a family. A real one.”

Evelyn let out a choked sob, fresh tears spilled down her cheeks as she reached for me hesitantly. I stepped into her arms and let her engulf me tightly. It felt strange and yet somehow familiar, like a long-forgotten memory surfaced from the depths of my mind. Cassian wrapped his arms around both of us, his large frame enveloping us in warmth and security.

“We'll take things slow,” Cassian murmured. "Get to know each other, make up for lost time. We have the rest of our lives now.”

I nodded against his chest, too overcome with emotion to speak. For the first time in my life, I felt like I truly belonged somewhere—with my real family, with Kai.

Archer joined in the hug, his arms came around all of us. “No more secrets,” he said firmly. “From now on, we face everything together. As a family.”