Chapter 299

We all piled into two cars. I entered the car with Neil and Archer. Steven, Beau, and Isaac followed along in a second car behind us.

We should be discussing strategy. Instead, we are just riding along in silence.

It feels like we’re riding along on our final death march. It is far too morbid. I hate it.

“Okay,” I say, because if someone doesn’t say something, I’m going to scream. “What’s the plan?”

Neil is driving with Archer in the passenger seat. I’m in the backseat. Archer turns his head to glance back at me. His expression is one of cool disinterest.

“Don’t get killed,” he said flatly.

Gods, Archer could be absolutely infuriating when he wanted to be. Like, oh? Don’t get killed? No shit.

“I was thinking about a plan more along the lines of what we should do to not get killed,” I say.

“Stay behind me,” Archer says.

Again, not very helpful.

“If it comes down to a fight, I can take care of myself,” I say. “You’ll even need my help if we’re outnumbered.”

“We won’t,” Archer says. He faces forward again as if the conversation is over now. “You’ll only get in the way.”

Anger burns within me so hot, I’m sure I have smoke coming out of my ears.

Neil turns slightly. His eyes are on the road but it’s clear he’s acknowledging you.

“We’re just worried about you, Chloe,” Neil says.

“I’m not useless,” I say to them both.

“We know that,” Neil says.

Archer’s sharpest glare flashes toward Neil. Neil glances to see it, but he’s totally immune to its effects.

Neil continues, “Our father including you in on this meeting is suspicious. We may purposefully try to target you just to get to us. You will be in the most danger there out of all of us.”

Oh. I haven’t considered this from that angle. It makes sense, certainly. Ever since the Alpha King learned about the brothers’ softness toward me, I’ve had a target painted on my back.

I’m a pressure point, for sure. The tighter the Alpha King grips me, the more it alerts and harms his sons.

But I refuse to let that reality be my inevitability. The Alpha King underestimates me. Everyone does. I can use that to my advantage. I don’t have to be a liability here.

“Our father is going to try something to hurt you,” Neil says. He grips the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles going white. “I can guarantee it.”

“He can try,” I say. “But I’m not some wilting flower, Neil. You’ve seen me fight. I’m not the strongest, but I’m fast. I need you to trust me that I can help.”

“I know you are capable,” Neil says. Archer snorts in disbelief. The two brothers glare at each other. Neil then softens his look as he glances back at me through the rear-view mirror. “That’s why I know we can trust you to look out for yourself. Focus on protecting yourself and only yourself during this meeting.”

“The rest of us will be too busy to baby you,” Archer grumbles.

I think critically about kicking the back of his chair.

“You need someone to watch your backs,” I try to reason instead. “If you know I’m capable, then let me be that person.”

“The Hayes brothers look out for themselves,” Archer says. “You just stay out of the way.”

I want to continue to argue. Gods know Archer gets me all fired up. It’s only Neil’s presence that quiets me. The guy is clearly tense as a pulled bow string. All of us are, I guess.

It’s making tempers flare. I need to be better.

“Whatever you do,” Neil adds, “Leave the talking to me.”

I sigh as I turn to look out the window. Neil isn’t using a GPS. He knows this route by heart.

I want to keep arguing. I want to insist that the brothers take me seriously as a warrior. But I know this isn’t a fight I will win through words alone. I have to prove it to them.

If a fight does break out today, which feels inevitable, I will make sure they all see that I am both capable and fierce.

I’ll keep myself safe, but I will keep them safe too.

After a half-hour or so, we drive into downtown, where the taller buildings scratch at the sky. The refurbished City Hall sits among the tallest, with its towering skyscraper nestled behind the façade of the older, original building.

“We should find street parking,” Archer says. “Something with a quick escape.”

Neil agrees. Yet as we get closer, all of the free spaces have city guards standing in them. The guards wave us forward toward the underground garage. It appears to go deep underground beneath the city hall itself.

“Shit,” Archer curses. “Don’t go in there. We’ll never get back out.”

“There isn’t much choice,” Neil says through gritted teeth. “Unless you want me to run someone over.”

“Run them over,” Archer says. He doesn’t sound like he’s joking.

Neil, ever the diplomat, picks the choice other than bodily harm and follows where the guards lead him down into the depths of the garage. The tunnel swirls, a downward spiral that we drive around and around. It’s disorienting. I have to close my eyes to keep from feeling dizzy.

Abruptly, we turn off the spiral and onto one of the floors of the garage. There are no other cars parked on this level. Despite the empty lot, most of the free spots are covered by cones. Only two spaces near the elevators are available. A handful of guards wait there for us.

This is definitely a trap.

“Should have run someone over,” Archer says gruffly.

Neil doesn’t reply. He goes into one of the free spots and turns off the car. Isaac drives the second car into the spot beside ours. Both turn off the engines.

Immediately, the elevator doors spring open and more guards spill out. They move at once, circling around the cars, blocking us in.

Neil and Archer open their car doors.

“Stay in the car, Chloe,” Archer says.

Like hell I’m doing that!

I grab my car door and open it. I quickly hop out at Archer’s side. He gives me a withering look, but doesn’t correct me. He can’t, now. In the face of the enemy, we have to present a united front.

Isaac, Beau, and Steven get out of the second car. Beau ushers Isaac into the narrow space between the two cars, likely for his protection. I’m annoyed when I realize Archer is attempting to do the same thing.

But just as he couldn’t call me out earlier, neither can I call him out. Our united front has to go both ways.

I begrudgingly take position beside Isaac between the cars, as Archer covers one end, and Beau covers the other.

Neil raises his hands, a passive gesture.

“We don’t have to fight,” he tries. “We’re here for a meeting of peace.”

The guards don’t say anything. One of them cracks their knuckles.

For a long, tense moment, nothing happens.

Then, everyone moves at once.

The guards rush forward. Archer throws the first punch.