Page 17 of Fall of Hellfire (Hellfire Society #3)

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ALI

W hen I had woken up this morning, tangled in bedsheets, cool air wrapped around my bare skin and my leg thrown over a very naked Cash, I had a moment of panic.

My thigh was on full display, the ugly red jagged scarring staring at me with a stark reminder of what I now have to live with and a reminder that I’m ruined now.

How could the guys even look at me now? There was no hiding the evidence of my sad and pathetic life anymore.

Just when I had thought I could have more in life.

An actual family, a twisted one of sorts, but a family nonetheless.

Men who saw more than the broken woman in front of them, but the word now carved into my flesh is a flashing light that screams, ‘stay away from this one’.

As I lay there debating the best way to sneak away from these guys, last night flashed back to me.

Who knew you could cry a lifetime of tears out all in a single night?

I don’t think it’s even physically possible to shed another tear ever again.

My entire body still aches, but nowhere near as bad as the first day I woke up here.

It’s like I feel a sudden lightness. Like my body cried out more than just my emotional pain, but that doesn’t fix what I know is true.

The guys don’t see me the same, but then why would Cash tell me differently? He isn’t the sugar-coating type.

The piece of shit might have marked your skin, but you are not his. You are a fighter, strong and unyielding in life when all it wants to do is break you down. He took something from you, so tomorrow we plan to take back what he took tenfold.

He let me break more than I’ve ever broken in my life.

I clung to him like my last lifeline while I cried out everything.

I cried for the little girl I never truly got to be.

I cried for the teenager who ran in the middle of the night and for the woman who had to figure out how to be strong on her own.

Every emotion I felt, I let it out, and Cash absorbed it.

He held me in his arms until I was nothing left but a husk of myself.

Then he carried me to bed, tucked me against his chest, and told me, “Tomorrow will be a new day, and you will be stronger and ready to face it.” I didn’t believe him when I closed my eyes and passed out from exertion, but now I think he was right.

I had spent the first hour of the day in the bathroom.

Riot had bought me some clothes and some toiletries, and I was thankful because I couldn’t remember the last time I brushed my hair or my teeth.

I had cringed at the thought before slamming the door on his face.

I suppose if the guys saw me like this and still kissed me, I must not have smelled that bad.

Arsen stopped by when he heard the shower turn off and gave me some ointment and fresh gauze.

He didn’t say a word, simply handed it over with a soft smile that sent butterflies to my stomach.

Or it could have been the hunger kicking in.

My thigh had bled during sleep, the sheet now stained crimson, but with the skin now washed and cleaned, I can now see the full extent of the damage.

Cash had let me see it last night, but it was still smeared with blood from my extra activities.

I knew what it said, but now I can see the torn edges of skin that have started to scab over.

Some spots were deeper than others, and some thicker, like Ethan might have traced over his work a few times.

It was all just an ugly reminder of what happens when men think they own the world and the women in it.

So, with Cash’s affirming words from last night and my new resolve to get even and take my own pound of flesh, I wrap my leg up tight and build my walls back up.

There might be a few cracks, but it will take time to fill those gaps.

Now I’m sitting on the couch, a blanket wrapped around me and a plate of food in my lap, as we all discuss how we should best handle the situation moving forward.

“I’m telling you we should just hit them where it hurts.

It’s been a few days since we left their last hit team dead.

That’s a message in and of itself. They probably think we went into hiding, running with our tails tucked between our legs.

They probably think they have the upper hand now, so let’s hunt them down and take them out once and for all.

” Riot paces the room, his ire towards the situation easy to read.

I get it, a part of me wants to hunt down Ethan as well.

Show him he might have gotten the upper hand once, but he won’t again.

I’m also rational enough to know I’m not ready for a round two. Not yet.

“Ri, we don’t know the true hold of resources they have.

” Cash grabs a stack of papers off the coffee table.

“You saw how much they were hiding from each other and us. Some of these we’ve never even heard of.

We can’t just go charging in there and hope for the best. We need to think this through, weigh the pros and cons, and really figure out a plan.

” He glances at me and Arsen, who is sitting next to me with his own plate, before turning his focus back on Riot.

“Look, we have a meeting with the Los Banditos Cartel in a few weeks and I’ve set up a meeting with a few of our main business partners as well.

Let’s see if we can rally the backing forces before we go off and storm the castles. ”

Riot lets out a dramatic sigh before throwing himself into the lone chair.

“Fine, whatever you say, your highness.” A snort escapes my lips at Ri’s antics.

The room goes quiet, everyone lost in thought before I finish my food, setting the plate aside and clearing my throat.

All three of their heads snap in my direction.

Their attention is almost unnerving as they wait for me to speak.

“Okay, so if the plan is to wait, make them sweat and talk to possible allies for support, what happens in the meantime?” I ask.

“Don’t get me wrong, I think making them sweat is a good idea.

They will be expecting an attack at any time but will also fall into a false sense of security too.

They could start making more mistakes that will make figuring out where they are easier.

” Cash nods his head. “B-but-“ I clear my throat again. “I think going after Ethan first will benefit us more.” Riot lets out a snarl as the tension in the room rises, but I continue on. “When he had me, he mentioned that your fathers made a deal with him.” My head tilts down as my eyes start tracing the lines in the wooden floor. “If he could somehow take the three of you out, then he could keep me. That they would spare me.” I have to hold back the emotion I’m feeling as my mind tries to drag me back to that night.

Instead I focus on the disgust and rage I feel.

From the corner of my eye, I see Riot’s fist clench before he jumps up, rushing to me.

With a finger under my chin, he tilts my head up until I’m looking directly into his own green eyes.

“That fucker won’t lay another fucking finger on you as long as I’m alive.

” I nod my head in understanding as Arsen reaches over and squeezes my hand.

“Okay, so we go after Ethan first,” Cash announces before rifling through the stack of papers looking for something. “Any ideas on how we get to him?” he asks, not directing the question at anyone.

Ideas start getting thrown around. Creating a trap of some sort. Get a message to him somehow. Go to his house and knock. The last one was Riot’s idea, which makes me giggle. When Riot starts naming the ways he plans to torture Ethan, a thought pops into my head.

“I think I have an idea.”