“You’re going to take her out on a fucking date with death knocking on our doorstep,” Jared bellowed at Zerro. Three days had passed since I had gone off the rails and become a crazed person. Zerro had twice talked me off the cliff I was on, bringing me back to the realization there were people out there who needed to pay for all the damage they had caused.

John was dead, and though it hurt me, he was working with Mack. He had used me, and there wouldn’t have been any other way around it. It was either kill or be killed, and I refused to die.

“I talked to Devon and we deciphered a plan…” Zerro said smugly. Devon had actually turned out to be the green-eyed man who freed me. He still had yet to tell any of us about this plan, but I trusted him. In a way, it was better I didn’t know what we were going into until the last second.

“Zerro, secrets destroy people. Tell us this plan you have come up with,” my father James said from across the living room. I was simply trying to get back to regular life by catching up on some of my favorite TV shows.

“The plan is simple. Devon is working with Mack. He used to be one of my best men. He had Intel into the FBI. I need him on my side when all this ends.”

“What does that even mean?” I asked, trying to keep my attention on The 100. My attention slipped as I felt Zerro’s gaze on me. He looked like someone had pissed in his Cheerios.

“Why the fuck are all of you second guessing me?” he growled. His hand gripped the back of the couch.

“Maybe because you have yet to tell us about the plan you say is going to save us all from life in prison,” Jared threw in before I could say anything.

“You’re really starting to piss me the fu—”

“Would you all just shhh… I’m really trying to watch this…” I interrupted Zerro knowing he would take his aggression out on me this evening.

“Shut up and listen to me. We need to know the plan, Zerro. You’re not alone in your decisions anymore. What you do affects us all and we have the right to know.” My father, the logical one, finally stepped in.

I paused the DVR and turned around to look at all three men who were shooting daggers at one another.

“Maybe they wouldn’t be giving you so much flack about us going on this ‘normal’ date if you actually told them what the hell was going on?”

“Piccolo—” Zerro started.

“No, don’t Piccolo me… Just fucking talk.” Somehow, through all of this, I had found the backbone I desperately needed.

“I will put you over my knee if you…” I smiled and kind of rolled my eyes at the very thought.

“Tell us now,” Jared demanded.

Sighing, he looked between all of us as if he knew there was no getting out of the mess he had caused. “Devon is the one who let Bree go. He owed me something and it was his return. He works hand in hand with Mack. Devon has a plan. He has to bring Bree to Mack—”

“Not going to happen…” James butted in. I agreed. I wanted nothing to do with the sick fuck. Not unless it meant I could put a bullet in his head.

“Let me finish. He’s going to protect her at all costs… I was against it too, but I’m going to meet up with him tonight. He’s going to meet Bree, and then from there, we will finish out any loose ends…”

“You’re putting her in the line of death, Zerro. You know how fucked up that is?” Jared seethed. I had never seen him so angry.

“She can handle it,” Zerro said shooting me a smile. I just stared at all of them. Did they realize I was sitting right here?

“Wow…” Jared yelled, throwing his hands in the air clearly frustrated. “I bet she can handle it. Look at how she handled everything else.”

“Hey, now, asshole,” I growled at him. James started laughing, a joyful smile crossing his face.

“Well, it’s true…” he asserted.

“I was dealing with death and hurt the best way I know how. You’re lucky any of you are still alive.” I wouldn’t have killed them, but I was pretty close to wanting to hurt someone in my rage.

Zerro laughed gruffly. “Quiet. You’re merely a kitten with claws. The worst you would do is leave paper cut scratches.”

Glaring, I stood. “I can make my own choices. I will do whatever is needed to kill the fucker for all the problems and heartache he has caused.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, sweetie. We just got you back—” James added.

“Dad.” The word sounded foreign against my tongue reminding me just how knew all this was. “I admire the fact you want to step up, but this has to be done. Mack wants me, he’s gonna get me. You guys will be there if anything goes wrong. Don’t worry.”

“Worry…” Jared snorted. “Worrying isn’t even the word I would use, Bree.” I was seriously ready to pull out a knife and shank him. He had been using the big brother card a lot lately.

“She’ll be fine. I trust Devon,” Zerro professed.

“You trust Devon even though he’s been working with Mack. That’s a load of shit if I ever heard one. It’s a trap, Zerro. A big fat trap and you’re going to walk right into it.”

I trusted Zerro. He had fucked up and done some really strange shit, but he did what was best for all of us. He pulled the trigger when he knew none of us could. I respected him for it.

“What is your plan then, Jared?” I asked, keeping my voice firm. No one had thought of anything else to do, and I was tired of hiding. I was tired of dealing with all of this shit. I wanted to be free, without wondering if I would be taken down by a gunman.

His jaw clenched as he looked at our father and me.

“We don’t want to lose you, Bree. I get it’s not that big of a deal, but there have to be other ways to do this.” Was there another way? Would we be able to get the answers we would need? I didn’t think there was another way.

“Devon worked undercover for me. He picked up the job for extra cash from Mack. He knew about Bree and me. Word with my family gets around fast, and when he found out Mack had taken Bree... well, he knew what was up. He returned her to me, knowing if he didn’t, I would kill him,” Zerro said unremorsefully.

That explained the connection and why he let me go without a single confrontation. He made it seem like it was his job, and when he smiled, I almost thought Zerro had put him up to it. I honestly wouldn’t put it past him, but now I understood.

“So, because, you know this guy and trusted him and he released her once, you think he’s going to do so again, PLUS protect her with his life?” Jared sounded unbelieving and James looked like he was about ready to punch something. This wasn’t going very well.

“I can take care of myself, guys…” No one looked at me, or even acknowledged what I had said. Fucking men. This was typical of them.

“It doesn’t matter if you can take care of yourself, you shouldn’t have to,” Zerro said sternly as if he were talking to a misbehaving child.

“Well, I can, and I will.” There was no fighting about this. I would do what needed to be done to put all this shit behind us.

“Devon will do all he can to protect Bree. She was unharmed the first time around.”

“Yeah, because John was still alive.” Jared reminded him. At the mention of John's name, a massive hole formed in my chest. I wasn’t sure I would ever get over what he had done to Mom, but I knew I would never forget what he did to me.

“I agree with Jared on this. John being alive helped immensely.” Thinking back on my time spent in the cave, I’m sure my treatment would’ve been far worse if John had already been dead. No matter how much I hate to admit it, in a way, he kept me alive. Even Devon had treated me cruel, but through it all, he never hurt me. He might have messed with my emotions, but he never laid a hand on me.

“Well, Mack knows John is dead,” Zerro said, frustrated with all of us, I was certain.

“Let’s meet this Devon guy before we allow her to go with him willingly. Plus, isn’t Mack going to say something if she isn’t roughed up a bit? What about Devon? There has to be an apparent struggle. It has to look real,” James commented. Ugh. All this talk about death was starting to depress me.

“We’ll figure it out later. The plan is Bree and I meet up with Devon before we go out. Talk to him. Pretend all is normal, and in about a week, Devon comes and gets her. I’ll kick his ass and scruff him up a bit,” Zerro commanded.

“Whatever, but if she gets hurt… it’s on you.” Jared all but scoffed, pushing past Zerro. As the room settled, I stared at him, waiting for whatever it was he would say.

“Just know I will not let anyone spill your blood.” There was so much determination in his eyes it almost frightened me.

“I know. You don’t have to tell me,” I responded, stepping up onto my tiptoes so I could place a kiss on his lips.

“Good,” he said. There was a faraway look in his eyes. Whatever he was thinking wasn’t good. Not for any of us.

The afternoon passed with breeze as I sat on the couch and vegged out with James, and Jared. Zerro was absent for some time before coming out of our bedroom. There was a time when someone needed to be alone. I had been there, done that. I understood the need.

“Thank God! Tell Bree to stop making us watch this extremely distasteful TV drama,” Jared shouted to Zerro, smiling at me. Jerk.

“Hey, fuckface, it’s a hit TV show. Tell us what you created that’s a hit TV show,” I said shooting him a dirty look before directing my attention back to the screen.

“He didn’t create nothing, but I did…” James said, laughing gruffly. What was he talking about?

“Good one, Dad,” Jared said, laughing. Then it hit me… He created Jared and me. Well, kind of created us.

“Good joke, James,” Zerro said coming to sit down next to me. He had a Pepsi in hand, obviously knowing I needed some caffeine. I took the drink from him curious as to what was weighing on his mind.

“Everything okay?” I asked softly, hoping no one else had heard. Keeping his lips sealed tightly, he gave me a curt nod.

“Can we please watch Dallas Cowboy’s Cheerleaders or even Football? Hell, I would rather watch Food Network,” Jared complained, which in turn caused me to chuck the remote controller at his head.

“Thank you…” he responded loutishly at me.

“Are you going to be ready to go soon?” Zerro whispered into my hair, one of his hands landing on mine. His skin caused mine to tingle, and the last thing I could think about was he and I going out on a date. I simply wanted him to take me back to the bedroom. Call me fucking crazy, but with all the pain, death, and hate surrounding us, being close to someone made it so much easier to get through.

“Uh, of course. When do you want to leave?” I asked. Zerro had changed so much. He went from being a man who was dark with more secrets than anyone else had to a man I loved. Even though those secrets still lingered, and sometimes I couldn’t decipher his next move, I knew he loved me.

“How about….” he said pondering…. “Now?” he questioned with an eyebrow raised.

“Whenever you want, Mr. King…” I giggled. Leaning real close into my face, his nose brushing against mine, he said, “If I’m the King, then you’re the Queen.”

The very words left me breathless reminding me of why I loved him so much. He might be a monster, but he was my monster.