Page 66 of Intense (Beneath The Blaze #3)
FINN
I swear I can’t see straight by the time I get to my office.
Every step feels heavier, my head pounding with the leftover adrenaline. I want to throw everything against the wall. Hell, I want to throw my own fucking head against it just to quiet the noise.
But the second I open the door, I freeze. My brothers are inside, both staring at me with looks I’ve only ever seen at funerals.
My eyes flick to the monitor. The camera is off, but the sound is on.
They heard it all.
“Get out.” My voice is sharp enough to cut glass.
They don’t move. My jaw clenches as I slam the door behind me.
“How did you even get back here?” I head for the liquor cabinet and grab a whiskey. “Wait. Don’t tell me. Drago?”
They stay silent, watching me like I’m a live grenade. I drop into my chair, twist off the bottle top, and drown myself in liquor.
“You okay?” I ask, like I’m the one checking on them.
They glance at each other.
“We’re fine, Finn. Are you?” Declan steps closer, careful, like I might snap his neck for breathing too loud.
“I’m doing grand. Never better.”
I knock back another mouthful, letting the burn fight with the rage. The hurt. The betrayal.
And the worst part—the gnawing, unshakable thought that she’s telling me the truth. And that she’s scared. That she needs protecting.
That I let my mask slip. That she saw the real me. The version that should have stayed locked away. The evil side never meant for her.
I’ll never be fucking normal.
“Finn, I think we need to talk about this,” Conan says.
“Talk about what? It’s a marital matter. It doesn’t concern my entire family.”
Declan scratches at his stubble, unimpressed.
“You’re fucking wrong. It does concern us because look at you. Threatening to end it all? You think your wife wants you dead? Is she a risk to you? To our kids?”
I push to my feet, the chair scraping back hard.
“No. She’s fucking not. She’s lied to me. She’s caught me off guard, yes. But she’s not working with The Preacher.”
“You believe her?” Conan’s eyes narrow.
I don’t hesitate.
“Yeah. I fuckin’ do.”
“So what are you going to do about it? Now she knows what we are—what you are? What if she runs to the cops? Or worse, The Preacher?”
I laugh, the sound dark and humorless.
“She won’t. We’re way past that.”
“You’re in love with her?” Declan’s voice is a whisper.
My eyes snap to his.
“Who says she’s walking back out of here?” I smirk, dropping back into my chair.
“Finn, come on. Clearly you have feelings for her, and you believe her. She stood up to you. She’s not running anywhere.” Conan’s glare cuts at Declan.
“I’m glad I’ve got both of your psychological assessments of my wife.” My rings tap against the glass in a deliberate rhythm.
“You’re wrong. Both of you. She was scared; she hides it well. But the way her breathing changed, her pupils dilated—she fears me. Hence why she lied to me in the first place. There’s only one way I’ll know the truth.”
Conan shakes his head.
“She’s scared of losing you, brother.”
I scoff.
“The next trial will decide our fate. There’s only one thing I trust to coax her real intentions. My girl will work her out.”
“Nyx?”
I nod, a slow smile forming.
“She tells me she accepts my crazy. That she’s scared I’ll leave her. Let’s see what Nyx thinks of her. Let’s see what she really accepts of me.”
I lean back in my chair and look at the ceiling, letting the weight settle. I thought I’d shut it all off. But every time I’m near her, she cuts straight through the glass.
She fucking sees me. And she knows exactly how to pull me back to her.
“You’re putting your future on a snake?” Declan asks.
I shrug.
“Trust me, it’s better than any truth serum.”
“You could just talk to her?” Conan suggests.
“Would you sit down with a coffee and talk to your enemy? To someone who has betrayed you? Shall I call Theo and ask him to book us a table for lunch with Arthur?”
Conan’s jaw flexes as he steps forward, eyes darkening.
“That’s different. I did nearly die. Your wife just threw you to the cops to save herself. Everyone makes mistakes, Finn. Even you. I’m sure there are things in your life you wish never happened. I wish I never killed James Bowen and that our father would still be alive.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, dragging in a breath.
They have no idea. No idea what happened to me. No idea what I’d take back if I could.
I wonder who I’d be if I never let them do the things they did. If I didn’t try to save my friend by taking her place.
But I can’t change the past. I can’t even change what I’ve done today to Stephanie. It’s too late.
She’s seen me, and I’ve seen her. And she didn’t crumble. She still pushed back—even with a gun to my temple.
But how the hell do we move past this?
“There are many things I regret, brother. Today might be one of them. But I am who I am.”
I stand, rounding the desk, and clasp Declan’s shoulder.
“We need you, Finn. Theo called,” Declan says sharply.
“When do I go?” I ask.
“They’re setting up a meet with Arthur. So, as soon as you can get there, it's game on.”
I nod slowly, glancing to Conan.
“Are you ready to leave?”
“Yeah. Hallie is fine with it too, she understands.”
“Good. And you, Declan? Are you joining your brothers?”
He takes in a breath.
“You know I’d never fucking leave you both. We’re in this together. Always have been, always will be,” he tells me, his eyes narrowing at me.
“And someone has to stop you from putting loaded guns to your damn head,” he continues.
“Let me deal with this, and then I’ll pack a bag. Get the jet ready; let's end this once and for all,” I tell him.
As Declan runs a hand through his dark hair, I can’t help but think how much he is like our father. Trying so hard to hold this family together. I can see how worried he is, just by the way he’s looking at me. At the way he’s speaking to me, everything is so careful.
“I know you care about me, but stop worrying. I’ve survived this long. Nothing has changed. I’ll see to this, and then we go.”
I don’t wait for their reply. I head out, down the hall, and straight into the part of my mansion where Nyx waits.
She is my judgment day.