THE BASTARD THEY FEARED

CHAPTER 6: BROTHERS

Kael’s POV

Gunfire erupted beneath the bridge, and the first bullet slammed into the concrete inches from my face, spraying dust into my eyes as Raven yanked me behind one of the support pillars. “Move!” she yelled. Men flooded the bridge from both ends like shadows spilling into the rain. They wore black suits, had assault rifles, and wore cold expressions. Those were Lucien’s people, and my heart slammed violently against my ribs. 

Marcus crouched behind a car nearby, surprisingly calm for an old man caught in a shootout. “Raven!” he shouted. “Get him out!” “Oh, that’s the plan?” she yelled back while firing two quick shots. One of the attackers dropped instantly, and I stared at her in disbelief. “How are you this calm?” I asked, and she shot me an irritated look. “Because panicking gets people killed.”

Another SUV screeched beneath the bridge, and more armed men jumped out. They were way too damn many. Raven cursed softly. “This is bad.” “Is that your professional opinion?” “Yes.”

Gunshots echoed everywhere now as the smell of gasoline and blood mixed with rainwater while bullets tore chunks from the concrete around us. I looked toward the black SUV parked near the center of the bridge and saw Lucien standing beside it calmly beneath an umbrella. He was not hiding or rushing, just watching as this entire massacre bored him.

Lightning flashed overhead, illuminating his face clearly for the first time, and I suddenly understood why people feared powerful men: because Lucien looked completely inhuman standing there with his cold silver eyes, perfect composure, and not even slightly affected by the chaos around him. He looked like someone who’d watched people die so many times it no longer meant anything.

His gaze met mine, and he smiled. That smile sent chills down my spine more than the guns.

“Kael,” he called smoothly across the bridge. “You’re making this unnecessarily difficult.” Bullets continued flying around him, but none came close. His men were very careful, and I realized that they weren’t trying to kill me anymore but trying to capture me; that terrified me more.

Raven leaned close to my ear. “If he gets his hands on you, you’re finished.” “What does he want from me?” “The card,” Marcus answered sharply from nearby. I looked down at the black card still clutched tightly in my hand as the silver wolf symbol gleamed beneath the flashing lights. “What is this thing?”

Marcus hesitated, and that hesitation made my stomach twist. Then Lucien answered instead. “It’s access.” My head snapped toward him as he slowly stepped forward through the rain. “No one outside the inner circle was supposed to inherit it,” he continued calmly. “Especially not a bastard hidden in the slums.” Anger flared instantly inside me. “Stop calling me that.”

Lucien’s smile widened slightly. “Why?” he asked softly. “Does the truth offend you?” Rage flashed through me then as this man just talked about my life like I was trash and some inconvenience that accidentally survived. I stepped out from behind the pillar before Raven could stop me.

“Kael!” she hissed.

Lucien’s men immediately aimed their weapons, but I ignored them.

“You know what’s funny?” I shouted over the rain. “Twelve hours ago, I didn’t even know you existed, and now suddenly everyone acts as I owe them something.” Lucien watched me with mild curiosity. “You owe me the card.” “I don’t even know what it does!” “That doesn’t matter.” His voice darkened slightly.

“Give it to me.” Rain dripped from my hair into my eyes while my shoulder throbbed painfully, but suddenly I realized that everybody wanted this card, everybody feared it, and that meant it had real power. For the first time in my miserable life, I had something powerful people needed.

Lucien noticed the shift in my expression instantly, and his eyes narrowed slightly. Maybe I wasn’t as easy to control as he expected. Raven slowly moved beside me and whispered, “Don’t do anything stupid.” “Too late for that.”

Lucien sighed softly like he was losing patience with a child. “You’re standing in the middle of a war you don’t understand.” “Then explain it.” There was silence as thunder cracked overhead again before Lucien finally spoke. “Father ruled this city through fear for over thirty years. Politicians obeyed him, criminal empires paid tribute to him, and even the police belonged to him.”

His silver eyes sharpened. “But before he died, he changed everything.” Marcus suddenly shouted, “Enough talking!” But Lucien ignored him completely. “He locked away something valuable,” he continued while staring directly at me. “Something connected to the card you’re holding.”

The key?

My mother’s terrified face flashed through my mind. Did your mother ever mention the key?

Cold realization crawled up my spine. “She knew,” I whispered.

Lucien smiled slowly. “Yes,” he said softly. “Your mother knew exactly what Father left behind.” A sharp pain twisted through my chest because suddenly her fear made sense. She hadn’t been hiding me from poverty; she’d been hiding me from this world and from them.

Gunfire exploded again, and a black SUV behind Lucien erupted into flames. Everyone froze. “What the hell!” More vehicles stormed beneath the bridge from the opposite side with different men and different weapons. Worst still, they were not Lucien’s people. Chaos erupted instantly.

“Ambush!” someone screamed, and Raven grabbed my arm immediately. “Run!” But I couldn’t move because the newcomers weren’t attacking randomly; they were attacking Lucien specifically. Bullets tore through the bridge while men dropped everywhere, and Lucien’s calm expression finally cracked slightly. Whoever these people were, he hadn’t expected them.

Marcus cursed violently nearby. “They found out already.” “Found out what?” I shouted but got no answer. One of the new attackers ripped a car door open and fired wildly toward Lucien’s men. Then I saw the tattoo on his neck; it was a serpent. Lucien’s face darkened instantly when he saw it too. “The Serpents,” he muttered coldly.

Raven’s grip tightened on her gun. “This keeps getting worse.” “How can it get worse?” “Trust me.” The bridge had become a battlefield with bodies lying everywhere, people screaming, the noise of gunfire, and flashing lights, and somehow I was standing in the middle of it all, I, a broke delivery guy who got dumped yesterday. Life was indeed insane.

Lucien suddenly looked directly at me and shouted something that made my blood run cold. “Take him alive before the Serpents do!” Every gun turned toward me, and Raven reacted instantly. She slammed me against the concrete just as bullets shredded the pillar behind us.

“MOVE, KAEL!”

We sprinted through the chaos while men fired from every direction as cars exploded behind us and smoke filled the bridge. My lungs burned violently as we pushed toward the far exit, and Marcus was somehow keeping up despite his age. “How old are you?” I yelled.

“Old enough to hate cardio!” Another explosion shook the bridge hard enough to crack the pavement, and I looked back. Oops, that was a big mistake.

Lucien was still standing there, completely calm again as bodies surrounded him. Rain soaked his black coat, and despite the war happening around him, his predatory and possessive eyes remained fixed on me like I already belonged to him somehow, and it sent ice through my veins.

Then Lucien slowly raised a gun toward one of his own men. Bang, and the man dropped instantly. Even the fighting nearby paused briefly as Lucien lowered the weapon calmly. “He failed,” he said coldly.

There was no emotion or hesitation in his voice, and my stomach twisted violently. That wasn’t normal or human. Raven shoved me forward harder and screamed. “Stop staring and run!”

We finally broke free from the bridge and disappeared into the dark streets of Blackthorn City, but even while running, one horrifying thought refused to leave my head.

If Lucien could kill his own men that easily, what exactly would he do to me once he finally caught me?