Chapter 183

"Then, there's someone behind my attempt on your life..."

Her voice was broken and painful. My anger surged, climbing the scale until it reached an immeasurable height.

"What do you want, Gray? You can tell me what your soul is asking. I'm worse than you. Nothing you say will scare me."

Her nails dug a bit deeper into the skin of my hand.

"I wanted her to..." she stammered. "I wanted her to die the way she thought I would die. But wanting doesn't kill."

"I do. I dirty my hands for you."

Her eyes spoke to me silently until she released my hand.

"I don't know how much of this could be part of our agreement."

"Our agreement is between the two of us. Any interference is subject to death."

She smiled sarcastically.

"So you're saying no one else can hurt me but you, right?"

"Exactly."

"You're sick."

"Say something I don't know."

Emília shook her head, glaring at me. I did the same.

"Anyone who thought they could touch you... I'll kill them," I murmured, my hand reaching for her curls. Her eyes admired mine. They agreed with mine. They connected with mine. Everything in us was in perfect harmony. "I promise."

Maybe we spent hours trying to decipher each other's minds. I was sitting, watching the girl lying in my bed, hurt and terrified by what must have been the longest minutes of her life.

Another person's fingers on her neck awakened an animalistic side of me, and it drove me insane. I didn’t know why the hell I had allowed Emília to walk around alone. Even though she was under my protection now, she was still a Gray. She was still the daughter of those bastards, and there would be people who would want to kill her for endless reasons.

Damn, how could I protect her if I wasn't locking her in my room forever?

What would I do?

Two knocks on the door pulled me back. I was tilting to the side, nearly falling asleep.

I uncrossed my arms and stood up, picking Emília up before wrapping her in a blanket.

Jaxon didn't comment, leading us downstairs.

When we reached the living room, the body of the guy sprawled out made a vein pulse in my forehead. I set Emília down on one of the armchairs, and although she was half-awake, I asked her to sleep a bit longer. I didn’t want to wake her, but I wouldn't leave her alone in that room.

I approached, scanning the corpse and looking for any signs that might give me a clue.

He was in his thirties. He didn’t look like a person with few possessions, as his watch and the brand of his shoes indicated he earned more than a minimum wage. His manicured nails and recently trimmed hair corroborated that, but his yellowed teeth and the smell of nicotine made it clear he was a regular at bars.

"Name."

"George Draw."

"Where does he live?"

"Near the university." My focus shifted to Jaxon. "He lives in Building B, on the third floor to the left on 314 Street. Single, no kids. Works at a bar near the university. He also helps organize some parties."

"Do you know him?"

"I do," Asher grunted, throwing himself into the chair. "He was one of the guys who worked on the parties for our team and hooked up with the hottest women. The last party was at his bar."

"Who does he work for?"

Jaxon sighed.

"We don't know."

"How do you not know?" I growled.

"There's no sign he's involved with the Factory or any of our enemies."

"What did I say about not having a clear answer to my questions?" My fury intensified my voice. "I want concrete information, damn it."

"I think it's someone who might have something against Emília's parents," Cole stepped in, reporting.

"I don't want something you think. I want damn certainty," I spat.

"Everything points to him not being from the Factory, man. He's not connected to us," Jaxon casually explained. "Sometimes, it was just some lunatic after Gray."

"Shame he’s dead. The parties won't be the same," Asher mocked.

I scratched my neck, running my fingers through my hair.

"I'll do this research on my own," I declared.

"And if you come to the conclusion it's nothing big?" Cole asked. "We don’t kill people who aren’t our target."

"Now we do," Van Doren shot me a look, clearly against it, but I didn’t give a damn. "If anyone dared to kill you, I'd hunt them to hell. With Gray, it won’t be any different. Don’t treat her like she’s less than any one of you."

I knew Cole judged me. I was the leader, damn it. We had rules. We were supposed to follow them, but I was bending them for Emília's sake. I wouldn’t let this happen again. She wouldn’t show up in front of me hurt again.

"Alright, Captain," Van Doren mocked, leaving the meeting room with a grim expression.

I stared at Emília, who already had her eyes open, watching us intently. However, my steps led me out of there, following Cole.

"Van Doren," I called, seeing him take off his cape. He turned, eyeing me, suppressing his anger.

"I know you have something against Gray..."

"I don't have anything against Gray, Faulkner. I have something against who you become around her. I knew it was going to go to shit when you decided to bring this girl here, but I thought you, at least, would put our goals first."

"There's a son of a bitch who got close to our house, and you think I’m not putting our shit first? It’s not just about Gray. It's also about what will happen to you if they discover each of our identities, damn it," I growled, impatience sinking beneath the surface.

"Don’t lie to me. I know you, damn it. We’ve known each other long enough to know it’s not about our identities."

"Don't come at me with that."

"I’ve been with you since that damned day," he began. "I see myself in you, Dante. I always have. You took the initiative to do something none of us had the courage to. To some, you might be the villain, but to each of us here, you’re the damn hero for being the only son of a bitch who didn’t chicken out. And to this day, you're the one who moves forward. But if you destroy yourself for a girl, I’ll make sure I’m the first to watch your ruin."

His words pierced my chest.

I knew how the responsibility fell on my shoulders. Since I was fifteen, I had found a reason to live, and it was to be with one of these punks. I didn’t protect them just because we were fighting for the same thing. And yes, because they were my friends. They were my brothers.

"This isn’t going to happen," I announced. "I won’t destroy myself for her."

"I saw how you almost gave up everything for Gray," he declared. "On Punishment Day, you wanted to stop everything after your performance. I remember your call. I remember your words. And I remember, Dante, your crying after you came home that day."

I froze.

Cole was the only one who knew about my reluctance before killing Emília's parents and the men at the theater. He saw me break down that night, destroying the lab before fleeing and leaving the girl I loved.

The girl I would have given everything for.

But not my revenge.

The love I had for Emília wasn’t enough to leave my vengeance behind, so I left.

"I’m here today," I said pragmatically.

"By a hair."

I huffed.

"Don’t talk like that’s going to kill me."

Van Doren growled.

"You’re already dying."

My fists clenched. That wasn’t what I wanted to show them. I was strong with the Empty Faces. I was the damn leader.