Page 33 of Pucked Around and Found Out

I can't fight the smirk breaking free.

“You can tell your man to stop tracing the call.”

I tense and dart my gaze to Cas. He reads the look in my eyes and rushes out to warn the others we're being watched.

“Why should I?”

“Because I'm at your house. Come get me, Devlin.” Her voice drops to something taunting and dangerous. “If you catch me, I might even tell you where my brother is hiding.”

She ends the call just as Andrade gives me the thumbs up.

“She's at the mansion,” he breathes out in a rush.

A visceral, furious growl erupts from me, laced with something that might be respect if I wasn't so fucking angry.

“I know. The bitch used this as a diversion!”

And as I storm out of the apartment, the ultrasound image burns like fire in my pocket.

A constant reminder of the life growing inside her.

A reminder that Toren Kellar isn't the broken girl I thought I destroyed.

She's something far more dangerous.

And she's coming for me.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

TOREN

“I'm not leaving you here on your own!” Harper's scream tears through me like a blade.

I flick my gaze over her shoulder to Pope. He reads the desperation in my eyes and steps forward, grabbing Harper before she can protest further.

“Get your fucking hands off me!” She fights him with everything she has, thrashing and clawing as he begins dragging her toward the door.

Guilt crushes my chest, making it hard to breathe. But I know Xaden will use her against me and I can't let that happen. I may be faking confidence with him, but my facade will crumble the moment he touches my friend.

I can't allow that.

Nova, Tate, Vivian, Pope, Vatican, Omen, and Halo are all heading back to the safe house. Harper is still kicking and screaming as Pope wrestles her into the car, her cries echoing in the night air.

I urged Carnage to leave too. Begged him not to come. But he refused.

And now he won't leave with the others.

Once the car disappears into the darkness, I head around back to meet the rest of them. They're positioned a safe distance from the house—far enough that we won't be harmed when the time comes.

Alex, Carnage, and the Filthy Few stand in formation with seven of Xaden's men on their knees before them, arms bound behind their backs.

Vox, Ezekiel, Archer, and Hayze wear their masks.

The sight sends ice down my spine.

All four masks share the same base design, wooden, carved, satanic looking. Worn with all-black clothing, they're deliberately designed to inspire terror. The intricate carvings give them a dark, ritualistic aura that's far more sinister than any Halloween costume.

Each mask is distinguished by the number and placement of its horns and flecks of color in the wood grain.