Alyssa
The building is painted in blood-red and white, its main entrance leading directly into a dimly lit strip club. Fully naked women in heels swing from poles and dance on raised platforms, their bodies cast in flickering lights as if they're putting on a show just for us.
It's unsettling. I've never been to a strip club, and I definitely didn't expect my first time would be here-with my brother. A swirl of horror, fear, and intrigue rolls over me.
We sit at a large booth, and I scan the room, noting the shadows and corners, wondering if we're being watched. The guard reappears, his voice gruff and annoyed. "Bones will be with you shortly."
A tense silence fills the room as we wait. Suddenly, the music changes from something sultry to "Dethrone" by Bad Omens. My blood runs cold.
"Somehow, I don't think anyone can dance to this," I think aloud, trying to talk myself out of bolting out of here. "You know, I always imagined this being a song you'd request to be executed to."
"What?" Gray snaps, looking at me like I'm losing my mind.
And I definitely am. I've found I tend to ramble when I'm nervous, and right now, my nerves are fucking fried.
"Nothing," I say quickly, my knee bouncing fast. "I'm just...trying not to freak the fuck out right now."
Gray eyes me warily before turning back to the scene in front of us. Despite the change in music, the strippers keep dancing, but it looks more like a rehearsal than anything sensual now. I catch Gray openly ogling a blonde in red stilettos, and disgust pools in my stomach at the obvious erection in his pants.
I grimace. "Eww, Gray. Can you have some fucking self-control please?"
He rolls his eyes. "What? I'm married, not blind."
I suppress the urge to throw up. "Yeah, well, I thought you couldn't even...you know."
He looks just as uncomfortable as I feel. "I didn't say I couldn't...it's just...complicated."
Some small, twisted part of me hopes his issues just stem from his body hating Christine as much as I do. Maybe one day, he'll wake up and realize he could do way better.
The minutes drag on, tension building. My leg bounces uncontrollably, and I'm practically gnawing all the skin off my lip. It feels like I'm about throw up and have a panic attack all at once. King's hand settles on my thigh, his fingers squeezing just enough to pull me out of my spiral. "Relax, kitten. We're fine."
Mason's expression is hard as stone as he mutters, "He tells us to be here on time, then makes us wait in his own damn club."
Gray nods, casting a glance around the room. "It's a scare tactic. He took our weapons, now he's watching us squirm."
Mason gives a derisive snort. "We have King with us. He could break Bones' neck with one hand behind his back."
"Maybe that's what he wants to see," Gray says, his voice low. "Remember, when we first met with him, he acted like King was some exotic animal in a zoo. We need to be careful with this asshole, he's after more than just Isaac. Alyssa's the link between both him and King."
Mason's green eyes blaze. "He won't lay a damn finger on her."
Meanwhile, King is sitting as still as a fucking statue, tuning everyone and everything out, but his hand remains on my thigh.
The next song starts-"Holy" by Siamese. Two of my favorite bands in a row, songs that aren't even popular anymore. The hair on my arms prickle.
This is getting fucking creepy.
One by one, the strippers stop dancing and slip out of the room in an eerie silence.
"Oh, great," I mutter, mostly to myself, my stomach plummeting. "The strippers are leaving. Guess this is the part where we get executed."
Gray's jaw ticks. "Stop being dramatic. We'll be fine."
I glare at him, biting back a snarl. "Like your word means anything to me right now."
Emotion flashes in my brother's eyes, but he doesn't reply.
"Like if you told me the sky was blue, I'd still go outside and check. That's how little I trust you, Gray."
He exhales sharply, frustration tightening his expression. "What the fuck do you want from me, Alyssa?"
I look him in the eyes. "I don't know...maybe the truth? We're practically strangers, Gray. I don't even know who you are anymore. Especially after last night. You know Dad used me as a pedo appetizer, and you were just going to go the rest of your life without saying anything?"
Gray grits his teeth. "First of all, it wasn't funny the first time you said it, and it's still not funny now."
"I'm not trying to be funny!" I snap, my voice shaking with anger. "That's what I was. Dad gave me shit, and I sat on his buddies' laps, getting them all hot and bothered so they could go to the basement, and I'm guessing assault other children? I don't know...I can't even remember anything else. Did Dad save me for himself or something? Is that what the big fucking reveal is? Because I know there's more, Gray. I can even see it on your face. So what is it?"
Gray stands up, storming over to me until he's towering above me. I stand up, meeting his hardened gaze with defiance. I'll never back down to any man ever again, those days are over.
His hazel eyes search mine, his voice tight. "It's not that I didn't want to tell you. But what if you can't handle the fucking truth, Alyssa? What if you shut down again? What if when I look into your eyes again, they're cold and empty, and this time....what if he can't bring you back? I love you, Alyssa. Your daughter loves you. King loves you. Shit, the rest of the MC loves you...I hear about it all the goddamn time. So what will we all do if we lose you for good?"
The emotion in his voice, in his eyes, leave me speechless.
I don't even know what he means. He... lost me?
Before I can even begin to fit the pieces together, a loud, sarcastic clap fills the room. Instinctively, King stands and pulls me behind him, shielding me from whoever's there.
"War," Gray growls with disdain. "What are you doing here?"
A new voice, younger and almost playful, answers, "War's not here right now. You're speaking to Logan."
Logan? Why does that name so familiar?
"Why are you here?" Gray repeats.
Logan's voice shifts, like a switch has been flipped. It turns icy, predatory. "That doesn't matter right now. What matters is the little family drama I just overheard. Think it's time to tell her everything, don't you?"
This guy knows too?
"Why don't you mind your fucking business?" Gray bites back, but Logan just laughs. I can't explain it, but it sounds almost rehearsed.
"Hey, I'm the one with the gun here," he says, the playful tone completely gone now, replaced with a sinister undertone. Holy shit. He has a gun? Is he pointing it at one of them? "Of course, this is still a friendly meeting, as long as you stop treating Aly like she's still a little girl. She's stronger than you give her credit for. Tell her."
His voice grows firmer, yet there's a slight lilt to it that sends a shiver down my spine. It's like two people are fighting to take control of him. I hear it, but I don't understand what's going on at all.
"I don't fucking answer to you!" Gray snarls.
"Fine. Then, I'll start with the smaller one."
My heart seizes.
He's talking about Mason.
Panic edges into my voice. "Gray, just do what he says!"
As furious as I am at my brother, I don't want anything happening to him. Or to King or Mason.
King growls low in his chest, and I run my fingers along his back, signaling that we need to play this safe. I know he could easily kill this Logan guy, but what if he doesn't reach him in time? And what if Logan has others watching, ready to pull the trigger?
Logan chuckles again, and this time, it sounds wrong. Like it's coming from somewhere deep and scary inside him. "I suggest you listen to her. Now, sit the fuck down. I'll have the bartender bring some drinks, and you and I are going to tell her every-fucking-thing from start to finish."
Gray's expression is a mix of anger and defeat. He takes his seat first, followed by Mason, and then King, who pulls me into his lap, one arm possessively wrapped around my waist.
When I finally look at Logan, my chest squeezes, tight and painful. His eyes are a familiar steel-grey, a mirror of something locked away in my own mind. And in that instant, the dam breaks, the memories flooding back in like a storm ready to consume me.
Gray was right-maybe I wasn't ready for this. But there's no going back now.