Page 15 of Stay Little Fighter

CHAPTER EIGHT

RONAN

NOW

My ears haven’t stopped ringing since we found Kingston on the side of the road cradling the blood-stained Lombardi crest.

Because for what feels like the hundredth time, Chloe has slipped through my fingers, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.

Kingston has completely shut down. He hasn’t said a word since we helped him to his feet, and he certainly hasn’t let go of my brother’s ring.

Ryker immediately went into denial, running into the dense tree line in search of the woman he loves.

And I’ve been moving on autopilot, unable to think of anything other than the danger the two most important people in my life are in.

Through all his faults, Damon is still my best friend in every sense. Being born so close together gave us a bond most siblings wouldn’t understand, and that was before our father did everything he could to drive us apart but only managed to strengthen our bond.

And then there’s Chloe. The girl I loved before I understood what love was. The woman I always knew would be my wife one day, even in the years I spent wondering if I’d ever see her again.

When Rocco and Remy find us on the edge of the road, one of them guides Kingston to the SUV, while the other retrieves a feral Ryker from the forest.

His pupils are blown when they meet mine, his body vibrating with barely contained violence, and it almost occurs to me to feel sorry for Sebastian for the pain he’s about to be inflicted with.

Until I remember he has the answers, and then I start wondering if Ryker will let me help torture the motherfucker.

I don’t know how long we’re in the car for before we pull up outside an old cabin with vines climbing the walls and a layer of moss covering the roof.

To his credit, Sebastian didn’t make a peep during the drive, or at least not one I heard, and it’s not until Remy is lugging him toward the front door of the cabin that I realize I’m the only one left in the car.

I’m not sure what it is about losing her this time that’s hit me so differently, or if it’s because Damon is missing too, but I need to get my shit together.

I need to be ready when it’s time to bring them home.

Shoving the door open, I trail after them and into the dark cabin. There’s a single light hanging from the middle of the room with a chair sitting beneath it.

Remy and Rocco make quick work of securing Sebastian, while Ryker lays out a pouch of knives I’ve never seen before on the only other piece of furniture in the place, a small table pushed against the wall.

My eyes move over the dark space until I meet Kingston’s broken gaze.

One of the things I remember most from my childhood was how much I looked up to him. He wasn’t a constant presence in our lives, but whenever he was around, he radiated strength. Not in the toxic way so many men in the mafia do, because his strength didn’t come from his brutality or how many hours he spent in the gym. It came from within.

A steady presence that never wavered. I remember thinking that one day I wanted to be like him, and seeing him break doesn’t change that.

It only proves that he’s not like the other men I grew up around.

I cross the room without thought and don’t pause until I’m standing in front of him, my chest aching from the constant pressure of losing Chloe again.

“King,” I murmur, dragging his attention to me. “We’re going to find them.”

“You don’t know that,” he rumbles.

I glance at Ryker and the large knife he’s examining before dropping a hand to Kingston’s shoulder. “You think that crazy motherfucker is going to let her go?”

His dark eyes meet mine, but he doesn’t reply right away. Instead, he holds my gaze for long seconds, searching for doubt but when he doesn’t find any, he gives me a jerky nod and tugs his phone out of his pocket.

“I’m going to make some calls.”

CHAPTER NINE