Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 118333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 592(@200wpm)___ 473(@250wpm)___ 394(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 592(@200wpm)___ 473(@250wpm)___ 394(@300wpm)
“Why did you stay? Why the fuck didn’t you leave too?”
Beau paused, then quietly said, “You.” His arms folded over his chest. I knew this Beau. The one who never gave anything away. My baby brother never spoke much, never opened up. Ever. Crossing his arms over his chest? That was him protecting himself from whatever truth he was about to spill. I wanted to fucking pull him to my chest. Protect him like I always did. But I knew he needed to say whatever it was he needed to say.
Beau flicked his chin in the direction of our old man. “He ain’t my fucking family.” He pointed at Landry. “Neither was that redneck prick.” Beau looked at me. “You were, Tann. You were my only fucking family . . . and then you left me behind.”
“I wanted Adelita. I couldn’t be in the Klan life and have her.” I shook my head. “You were away with the army. And I didn’t believe in that shit anymore. Realized it was all bull. I got my chance to leave, through Tank. So I took it. You never came and looked for me after you got out. I figured you were done with me along with these cunts.”
“You fucking left me behind,” Beau snapped, anger lacing his voice. My stomach sank. I hadn’t known . . . if I did, I never would have left.
“But you’ve been leading the Klan. Training the soldiers. You sure as shit acted like you were still an all-in Nazi.”
“Had to look the part.” I couldn’t get it through my fucking head. I couldn’t fucking think. I eyed my father beneath my foot. He looked about ready to combust as he listened to Beau. Fucking stock still as Beau told me it all. “I had to get us in a position where I could take them down. Destroy them before they destroyed you.”
“What?”
“They were always gonna kill you, Tann. You were a betrayer of your race. The cause. The great invisible fucking empire. They were never gonna let you live . . . they were gonna wipe out the Hangmen. You seem happy there. So I had to figure out a way to take the Klan down from inside before they could.” He shrugged. “Had to make you believe I was all in so nothing could go fucking wrong. Needed you to believe I wanted to kill you too . . . I needed you to believe that you had nothing left.”
“You little shit!” our papa hissed. He rushed at Beau, but I smashed my fist into his face before he even got close. The asshole dropped to the floor. I watched him crawling on the ground, and all I felt was disgust. He was a weak-as-piss asshole. Always fucking had been. He abused the fuck out of us as kids, paid some bitch to give birth to us so he could raise his fucking white-power heirs. He was as pathetic as they came.
Our old man held his nose, blood seeping onto his expensive suit. I stood beside him, putting my foot on his back to make sure he didn’t move.
Beau didn’t even acknowledge him. “I needed everyone down here. In one place. Needed you here too.”
“I came because they killed her. Diego fucking killed her.” Beau rocked on his feet. Then his words from before sunk in . . . I needed you to believe you had nothing left . . . “Diego killed her, right? Adelita . . .
I fucking cleared my thick throat. “She’s gone?” I didn’t wanna fucking hope. Didn’t wanna give myself any hope she was still alive. I didn’t—
“She’s alive.” Beau interrupted my thoughts. My heart started hammering. My ears filled with a fucking pulsating roar.
“What?”
“The last time I checked, she was alive.”
“You . . . you fucking told me she was dead!” I had to fight the urge to hurt him.
“I had to! I had to get you here. Had to stop them from coming for you. I knew if you thought she was dead, it would happen.” Rage. I felt nothing but rage. But when I looked at Beau, I saw the truth in his eyes. And he was right. I came here because I had nothing to lose. The Klan and cartel were here to plan an attack on the Hangmen . . . Beau had prevented it all.
Kicking my old man, I walked to Beau and fucking pulled him to my chest. I kissed him on the head, feeling him lose the tension in his always tense body. It was just like when we were kids . . . Beau and me.
All we ever had was each other.
I suddenly felt the cold barrel of a gun on the back of my head. I froze. So did Beau. “Well isn’t this a nice fucking reunion?” my father’s voice said coldly. I pushed Beau away from me.