I swear Rex, Della told me herself. They’re trying to protect her from you. I told them you’d never hurt her, but they love their sister.”
She deceived me. They all lied. I saw the signs and ignored them because I’ve been falling for her.
Della’s a killer.
Why would she kill him? Does it matter? She murdered somebody, a father and has let her brother take the fall for it all this time. Piper has been targeted and yet Della still didn’t reveal the truth.
I doubt Slater would let her even if she wanted to.
We’ve become so close, why hasn’t she told me? Della knows I know everything, seen everything. Maybe all I know are lies and she knows that too, which would make me the fool in this scenario.
Fuck. This is not happening. I got too close and now I’m feeling the sting of the inferno.
“Leave!”
Spinning around I exit out of the small entry room before the bathroom and take a quick right, hiding behind a post while I watch Rex and Corey walk out and take fast strides out of the hospital, disappearing from view.
Slater and Pacer exit next, and I decide to waste no time in finding out the truth. I walk over and Slater turns to me, his face strained. He pinches the bridge of his nose and begins to speak, but I don’t let him get far.
“I overheard you all in the bathroom. It was Della all along?” As hard as I try I can’t take the accusing tone out of my voice.
Slater’s head whips up and his eyes narrow, taking on a steely glint.
“That’s family business, and you’re not family. Don’t mistake your place here or the cash I put in your hands. Your only job is to watch Rex and get me information, that’s it.” Slater’s words are laced with frustration and warning.
“I should have known this,” I seethe. “I risked my life going back and forth. I told you from the start, I only work for you as long as I know the truth.”
Slater steps into my space. I hold my ground, balling my hands ready to either block his punches or throw one of my own.
“I’m the fucking leader of a street gang. Did you really expect honesty from me… or from someone else?”
Realization dawns, he’s right. I knew not to trust a soul during this mission. Agreeing to come into the Kings’ world meant constant lies, death threats and selling my soul for gold.
When the fuck did I forget that?
“You’re getting too close to Della,” Slater states as if answering my question for me. “You need to piss off, take some time and get some pussy, then come back with a clear head.”
Leave? Not see her every day? Suddenly taking my next breath is harder than ever before. It feels as if there’s no air left in my lungs. Looking left and right, struggling to regulate my out of control feelings, I think back through the past few months, trying to find the moment where my world turned upside down.
Lies.
Slaughter.
Lust.
I’m losing myself. Watching the Kings, it’s so easy. Looking from the outside in, anyone would be jealous of their devotion, loyalty, and strength. It makes you forget who you are and where you came from.
“I agree. It’s for the best,” I state calmly. “I got a friend I’ve been meaning to meet up with for a while, so I’ll head north for a few weeks.”
I turn to leave when Slater sighs and rests his hand on my shoulder. “I do trust you to a degree, Brett. I’ve been burned too many times to give that over completely to anyone except my family. Maybe one day, you keep proving your loyalty, and I’ll call you family.” Slater pats me on the shoulder and walks away.
It’s too late. I’ve already destroyed that which Slater believes is solid.
My heart is tearing in two. One side is set in stone. Justice must be served, she’s a killer. Yet the other side, which can’t seem to let her go, is about to be blown to pieces by my own predestined disloyalty.
Chapter Eight
Mackson
I storm into the garage, slamming the glass sliding door behind me and halt at the workbench. I lean over the greasy surface, my hands bunched into fists as I desperately try to calm my rapid breathing as my heart struggles against my body and mind. I’m fighting every fiber in my muscles and veins, they’re like tiny magnets that are stretching through my skin, trying