Page 14 of Revenge Saints (BloodHawks Duet #2)

I t’s driving me insane being locked in here.

I don’t even know how long it’s been anymore.

How the fuck didn’t Aspen lose her mind, trapped in this room for days?

Oh wait—

She stopped eating, turned into a feral, horny little doll…

My fucking doll.

The door unlocks with a sharp metallic click, and I’m already moving, one step back, hands raised.

A young kid walks in, barely out of his teens. Gun shaking in one hand, tray of food in the other.

I bite back a grin.

“You look scared,” I say.

The kid stiffens, lifting the gun higher. Hand trembling.

I smirk. Roman’s men aren’t soldiers. They’re scavengers playing dress-up.

That gives me a chance.

He drops the tray and bolts like he’s seen a ghost.

Smart move, kid.

I glance at the food. No knife. No fork. Roman’s not stupid. He trained Knox, after all.

I sit back down on the bed, picking at the piece of meat. Sniff it. Eat it.

I doubt it’s poisoned; poison isn’t Roman’s style. No, he’s more of the shot-between-the-eyes type of guy. Nice and fucking personal.

The sound slams into me next—

Bryn’s moans. Her screams.

The headboard pounding against the wall.

I shake my head, jaw grinding.

Fucking bitch probably thinks this is gonna get under my skin. Make me jealous. Turn me on.

Wrong.

I don’t know what kind of men she’s used to dealing with.

Apparently the kind who lose their balls the second a woman moans their name .

I chew mechanically; eyes locked on the door.

Roman might have taken my weapons, but he didn’t take my brain.

I need a plan.

Shoulder throbbing. Muscles tight. Rage simmering just under the surface.

I force it all down. Knox will come. I know him.

He’ll find a way without blowing the whole fucking place apart.

If I were him, I’d hit the fence behind the base, dense trees, tall grass, natural cover. Perfect for a silent extraction.

The real problem? Getting myself there.

Not by force. I’m outnumbered, injured, cornered.

But Bryn? She thinks she still has a hold on me.

That fake sweetness, that delusion of loyalty she’s trying to sell?

Maybe it’s time I play along. Feed her the lies she’s dying to hear, because there’s no fucking way I’m touching her.

I crack my neck, the tension riding every muscle tight as a fucking noose.

Then I sit back on the bed.

She’ll come.

She’s not done with me yet.

And that’s the only reason I’m still breathing.

It’s late. The sky outside the little window has bled into night.

The door clicks open, and Bryn walks in.

I spot the marks on her neck immediately. Red, raw fingerprints where I’m sure Roman choked her.

The whimpers I heard earlier make more sense now. She fucking enjoyed it.

“You look better,” she says, arms crossing tight over her chest.

Her eyes rake over me, slow, greedy.

I smirk, dragging my gaze up and down her body, and her cheeks flush instantly.

Caught.

“I guess I have you to thank for that, huh?” I don’t move from the bed.

I let my eyes drift away from hers.

She rolls her eyes, biting out, “I’m not stupid, Dante. Don’t pretend you see me as some fucking savior now. Don’t insult us both.”

I chuckle, dark and lazy. “Oh, Bryn.”

I rise slowly, stepping toward her.

Her body tenses, but she holds her ground.

“I don’t give a fuck about you,” I grunt. “But if we’re being honest? I know the only reason I’m still breathing is you. Not Aspen.”

Her mouth opens to lie, to protest—who the fuck knows?

I don’t let her.

I reach up and cover her mouth with my hand. Her breath stutters against my palm .

“Knox has Aspen,” I murmur. “And you and I both know… there’s no fucking way he’ll let her step foot back here.”

I wait.

And after a second, she nods.

“Good girl,” I growl, dragging the words against her ear.

Her whole-body shivers.

My hand drops to her neck.

I lean back, catching her eyes.

“I’m not planning on dying locked in this shithole, Bryn,” I inform her. “And you know it. Or at least, I hope you’re smart enough to know Roman’s gonna gut you the second he finds a warmer cunt and a shinier toy.”

Her breathing spikes, but she doesn’t move.

I tighten my grip around her neck harder.

Not enough to cut her off completely, just enough to make her body react, lips parting, sucking air, trembling against me.

She doesn’t fight.

Of course she doesn’t.

She craves this.

She craves control, even when she’s losing it.

I lean in until my mouth is brushing hers, my breath sliding over her skin.

“So tell me,” I whisper. “The real plan, Bryn.”

I press my forehead to hers, forcing her to look into my eyes.

“The truth. Not the bullshit you keep peddling.”

She stares at me, breathing heavily. “The men Aspen saved me from…” she says, voice shaking, “they weren’t just random hunters. Th ey were from my old community.”

I frown.

What the fuck is she talking about?

“What men?” I step back, my brain trying to catch up.

She leans against the dresser like her own weight is too much. “They were taking me to another group. To trade me.”

My stomach tightens.

“But you’re a woman,” I snap. “Why the fuck would they trade you?”

She looks down.

Shame flashes across her face.

“What did you do, Bryn?” I growl, stepping closer.

Her breathing picks up.

“I don’t take orders,” she narrows her brows. “Never have.”

I chuckle.

“Let me guess. You tried to take over?”

Her glare could kill.

“They didn’t know what they were doing!” She snaps, hands slicing the air. “Idiots pretending they could lead a community!”

I shake my head slowly.

“So now you’re trying to do the same shit here.” It’s not a question.

“And Ethan?” I press. “Was he really planning to take us out?”

She nods without hesitation. “He told me everything,” she mutters. “His plan was shit. He didn’t know how to build anything. But then… I met Roman. And everything clicked.”

She starts pacing, wild and restless .

“I told him what happened and what I tried to do. And Roman said, if you or Knox ever found out… if Aspen found out…” She breaks. “I’d be dead.”

Of course he told her that.

Feed the fear. Make her loyal.

I grind my teeth.

“So after we saved you, gave you food. a roof and security. You still wanted more.”

She cuts me off, stepping right into my space.

“You are just like them! ” she yells. “Rules. Control. Decisions made without us. You think we had a say in anything? You think you cared about what we wanted?”

I rub my hand down my face.

Fuck.

I don’t even know what to say anymore.

“You could’ve left,” I mutter.

Her laugh is bitter, sharp as broken glass.

“Could I? Aspen tried, and Knox hunted her like she was an animal!”

She’s breathing hard now, fists clenched.

I hold up a hand.

“Listen,” I stare into her eyes. “The world was a fucking graveyard even before the plague. Now? It’s worse. If we let you run off to town, you wouldn’t make it a day before you were caught or dragged something back to our doorstep.”

I jab a finger toward the window.

“You think we didn’t try?” My tone drops, rough with old wounds. “We tried helping communities. We tried being fucking heroes. And every time, they turned us into weapons. Turned us into soldiers for their wars.”

The memories claw up from the dark: bodies, ambushes, betrayal after betrayal.

It was hell. So we retreated.

Closed off the base. Made it our home. Our grave. Our fucking sanctuary.

Bryn watches me, chest heaving.

“You see?” She hisses. “I could never live like that. Trapped. Powerless.”

“And Roman promised you freedom,” I sneer.

Her eyes light up, desperate, hungry.

“He promised we could build something real! ” she says. “Go to town, gather more women, more men. Create a new community. A better one!”

I shake my head, fury boiling over.

“Fucking hell, Bryn. Roman doesn’t give a damn about building anything. The second you become inconvenient; he’ll throw you into a cage like the rest. Use you up. Break you.”

I shove off the wall, standing to my full height. “And you’re too stupid to see it.”

The anger in her eyes burns hot, blinding. She’s not seeing reality anymore, only the fantasy she built inside her own twisted head.

She’s convinced herself she’s some kind of queen and that she’s going to rebuild the world .

Not follow anyone’s rules but, sure as hell, force everyone to follow hers.

“And where does Aspen fall into all this?” That’s the last piece of the puzzle, the last crack I need to hammer open.

Bryn rolls her eyes, scoffing like it’s obvious. “She saved me.”

I nod.

“And you convinced her to go with Knox and Max when they caught you.” I tilt my head, studying her. “But you also stopped Knox from fucking her that night. And don’t lie to me, Bryn. It wasn’t just because she was tipsy.”

Her eyes widen like she wasn’t expecting me to remember.

Like she thought she’d buried that little piece too deep.

“I didn’t know what to do,” she spits out. “I had just found out about Ethan’s plan. He said if Aspen fell for any of you, she’d be a liability. He’d have to kill her or worse.” Her breathing cracks slightly, but her eyes stay locked on mine.

Unblinking. Furious.

She was planning this for weeks, w hile Aspen smiled at her. Trusted her.

Fucking bitch.

“But she still fell for us,” I say, smirking now. Letting the rage bleed into mockery. Bryn flinches like I slapped her.

“At first, I thought she’d be scared,” she grits out. “She didn’t know how to handle men like you. But,” She stops herself.

I lean in. “But her innocence… her eagerness to learn… conquered us all.”

She nods, jaw tight.

“Ethan wanted to kill her,” she breathes. “He wanted to use her to destroy the BloodHawks. I told Roman she could be the key to make you surrender.”

She bites her lip, realizing she’s said too much.

Too fucking late.

“A way to kill us,” I finish for her.

And she doesn’t deny it.

“You and Roman have the base now,” I say, pushing off the wall with a grunt, ignoring the way my shoulder feels like it’s tearing apart from the inside. “Why the fuck do you still need Aspen?”

Bryn doesn’t answer. She turns her back like a fucking coward.

I press harder, “You said you cared about her…”

Finally, she exhales, slow and tired, and turns to face me.

“I do care for her,” she says. “I think she’d be safer here. She could have a normal life, even fall in love and have a normal relationship.”

There’s venom buried under her sweetness. It stings, and she knows it.

Because in some dark, ugly place in my chest… I know she’s not entirely wrong.

Aspen deserves more than four broken men who cling to her like lifelines.

She deserves everything.

Bryn sees it. She smells it. She fucking feeds on it.

“You know I’m right,” she presses, stepping closer, like she’s tasting blood now. “Here she could have a real life. Help us build something new. She’s young, Dante. She could even,” She whispers, soft and slicing, “get pregnant.”

I see fucking red .

“What the fuck, Bryn?” I roar, the sound ripping the room apart.

The thought of anyone else touching Aspen, seeing her naked, tasting her skin, it feels like my chest is being torn open with rusted blades.

Bryn laughs.

That cold, vicious sound slicing straight through me.

“Oh, Dante,” she sneers. “Don’t pretend you care about her. You don’t love her. You just love the idea of owning her. Possessing her.”

Her laugh cuts sharper than any knife, and it takes everything in me not to shove her against the fucking wall and crush the sound out of her.

“I don’t own her,” I snap, then stop, choking on the truth sitting at the back of my throat.

But she catches it. Of course she does.

Her smile twists, dark and feral. “Oh shit,” she breathes, delighted. “You love her.”

It’s not a question. It’s a weapon.

“And she loves Knox,” she mocks, dripping with poison, “not you.”

The words hit harder than I expect.

Even knowing she’s using them to gut me… It still lands like a fucking bullet.

“You told Roman that Knox cared about her too,” I say through gritted teeth, forcing myself to stay steady. “He’ll never let her have a real life. She’ll be nothing but a weapon until we’re all dead.”

“So surrender,” Bryn says, stepping closer.

“Call Knox over the radio. Tell him to give up. Or Roman will gather more men. He’ll hunt every last one of you down, including your precious Aspen. And if she dies…” She shrugs, casual, heartless. “That’s on you. I did what I could to keep her safe.”

She turns for the door, but just before she leaves, she throws one last blade over her shoulder.

“I like you, Dante,” she spits, full of something sick and cruel. “There’s something about you I can’t explain. But don’t you dare think for a second I won’t have you killed if you get in my way.”

She walks out, slamming the door behind her.

I stand there, breathing hard, my pulse pounding so loud it drowns out the silence.

That bitch is just like Roman. They only care as long as it fits their plans.

Bryn needs Aspen because Aspen is the pawn that lets her dream survive.

And if Aspen has to bleed for it, Bryn will watch.

I sit down on the bed, dragging a hand across my wound, trying to massage the fire burning in my shoulder.

She wanted me to call Knox.

She wanted me to tell him to surrender.

But that’s when it hits me.

Wait.

That’s it.

That’s the fucking opening I need.