Total pages in book: 266
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
Sin looks up at us, raising his empty hands as he speaks. “He took my gun.”
NINETY-ONE
HAIDYN
It’s a gloomy day at Carnage, and I’m not just talking about the weather. “Meet you at the Graveyard” by Cleffy softly plays from a small speaker.
I stand dressed in a suit and tie. My black Pradas sink in the muddy ground from the rain we’ve had for the past two days. I’ve always loved rainy days, but today is different. My heart is heavy as we say goodbye to our brother.
Ashtyn’s cries turn to sobs as Saint has to help hold her up. She and Adam were never close, but have you ever been given a second chance at something and have it taken away before you could see where it goes? That’s how she feels. Plus, with her pregnancy, her hormones are off the charts. She knows that Adam did what he thought was best for her, but she’ll never get to ask why.
A soft hand squeezes mine, and I look down at Charlotte standing next to me in her black dress. My free hand holds the umbrella over us. The words she told me last night echo in my mind. “It’s not your fault.”
But it is. I made a deal with the devil to protect my brother, and it ended up costing all of us everything. So much could have been avoided if we had come together years ago. I did what I thought was right, but now that I have Charlotte, I see it was all wrong. I could have saved a lot of people, a lot of heartaches. But here we are. It’s too late to turn back. I have a wife and children on the way.
We can only move forward and try to live with the losses we’ve been dealt.
“He wouldn’t kill himself,” Ashtyn cries as the rain covers her once curled hair. Now it sticks to her shoulders and face. Her umbrella is open and on the ground. She gave up holding it long ago.
“Ash—”
“No.” She cuts off Saint. “I don’t believe it.” She pulls out of his arms and runs to the casket. She pushes it open and screams when she sees what’s left of her brother. We chose a closed casket for a reason. Saint didn’t want her to see him that way—what was left of him. Should have sealed the damn thing shut.
“Jesus.” Kashton grabs the lid and slams it down as Saint picks up his wife. Her legs no longer able to hold herself up when she falls into the mud.
Saint carries her to their car he has parked by the entrance of Carnage. He’s taking her back to the main building.
“Goodbye…brother.” Kash speaks brokenly before leaning over, kissing the wet casket, and walks to his car.
“Kash?” I call after him, but he jumps in the driver’s seat, slams the door, and turns the opposite way as Saint did. He squeals his tires, exiting the gates, and leaves Carnage.
I remain where I am, unable to say goodbye. The last time I stood here was after our six months of “training.” I finally had a chance to breathe and came out here where our fathers were buried. I wanted to tell the bastard goodbye. That I wasn’t sad he was killed. And that I hope he rots in hell. One that is far worse than Carnage. But now I can’t seem to move.
“Haidyn?” Charlotte says in a soft voice.
I look down at her, and she gives me a sad smile squeezing my hand. Giving a quick look around, she sees we’re alone, then turns to face me. “Let’s go home.” Her eyes are bloodshot from crying, and her makeup has run a little.
I look back at the casket and the headstones that surround it. Our fathers are buried in the cemetery here, and now the first one of us. One by one, we’ll all be placed in this ground. Even in our death, we won’t be able to escape this hell that we’ve created.
That’s the point—you’re born a Lord; you die a Lord.
I turn around and pull my wife toward the car. Opening her door, she gets into the passenger seat, and I close it. Walking around the front, I get one last look over the hood at my brother before I slip into the car.
CHARLOTTE
I’m surprised he didn’t take us back to his house in the woods. He chose Carnage. Maybe because it was closer. Or perhaps it’s because he wants to be near Saint and wait for Kashton to return. I’m not sure.
We get out and make our way inside and up to his room. I sit on the end of the bed, and my mind wanders to Ashtyn. I feel sorry for her. I know we’ve had our problems, but that doesn’t mean I want her to suffer the loss of a brother.