Page 15 of Dangerous Promises

Now five of my men, probably more, are dead under my watch. Not a fantastic start if I planned to pull my head in and play leader at some point.

Five people dead and I don't really have shit to do about it.

It makes me look weak.

The right thing to do is twofold. Ignore Sage and let this go; or kill her quickly and stop drawing it out. Then I can quiet this madness in my head and become the leader that my brother would've been.

Alas... instead of doing either of those things, I find myself parking in the hills in the middle of town. Where I know that Chet used to live before he went into hiding. After he went insane, he used it as a base. I figure if it's still abandoned, I can put this all to rest.

I get out of the car and walk the rest of the way through the dirt and wooded trees to where I have a good view point of Chet's old place. At the top of this hill, I can see down below to the neat row of family homes lined up in suburban perfection. A magnificent view of their expansive backyards where they lay along the line of woods. I rest my foot close to the edge so I can look closer.

Chet's home is simple to spot. A nice little two story tucked away unsuspectingly. Unused to drawing attention. Why Chet would've ever wanted a classic suburban dream home is beyond me.

I'm assuming what I will see is nothing. Nothing but the near condemned house that was once beautiful. Nothing but the neighboring houses lit up and this one dormant as usual. A blight on what would've been a picturesque family hideaway.

My heart sinks when I get a better look. Because that's not what I see.

In fact, Chet's old home is a hive of activity.

There are countless men moving about the property and the house is lit up far brighter than any of its neighbors. In the backyard, there's a bonfire going and more people than I could take on my own seated around it. Shipping containers are littered around the garden, full of crates, supplies and weaponry. Some of them carry the supplies into the house.

Fuck.

I take a deep breath, grunting as I run a hand down my face, hating what I'm seeing. Mostly because it confirms what Isla has said. That Chet is, in fact, a pretty massive threat. Secondly because it means I'm going to have to deal with it.

Whatever Chet has been doing the past few years has worked for him. He's amassed an army to his name, just as my brother said. Something I didn't want to believe.

But my brother was right. If Chet had teamed up with us as Victor wanted, the DeMarcos would've been over in less than a day and before they could even blink. All it would've taken is Sage. If this is his smallest outpost, then Chet has more than enough men to take out the DeMarcos even now.

And because I've managed to piss him off, probably us as well.

"Fuuuuuuck."

I don't want to deal with this. I do not want to have to deal with a threat this large. Not right now. Why fucking now? Fuck's sake.

I kick the dirt as I head back to my car, feeling the pressure of our empire settling down onto my shoulders.

"Fuck this."

I open the door and slip into the drivers seat. Only hesitating for a second when I remember that I'm pretty sure I locked the car when I got out…

My breath hitches at the smell in the car. What is that smell? Feminine and familiar.

It's only a hair, the tiniest of movements, but still I see it when the wire passes over my head, around my neck and towards my throat.

My eyes widen, but I have no time for any other reaction. The sharp awareness of combat grips me, clearing the alcohol from my brain and pushing me back into focus. Instincts kick in, and I defend myself.

My palm comes up between my throat and the wire to give me leverage against the attack. It's so incredibly fast, and if my eyes were even a millisecond slower, I'd miss it and I'd probably be dead.

The string pulls harsh against my hand as the world resumes its speed. I grunt and flail as I use my palm to push it away.

"Fuck you!" It comes from the backseat.

Sage. Sage has a fucking garrote around my neck.

She pulls harder again and I slam against the seat, choking. My palm is just keeping it from slicing my throat and cutting off my airway completely. She's gotten strong.

My jaw clenches as I attempt to fight her off, but she has the upper hand.