Justified Retribution

JUSTIFIED RETRIBUTION A DEADLY SEVEN NOVELLA CASSIE HARGROVE STORY BROOKS To all of the Deadly Seven readers who keep our characters alive, this one’s for you <3 CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Epilogue Dimitri - Bonus Scene Afterword About Cassie Hargrove About Story Brooks Also by Cassie Hargrove Also By Story Brooks 1 KRISTEN These fucking assholes. “Get your hands off me, you pathetic little cunt!” I scream, kicking to break free from the man as best I can when another three join him. “She’s fiery. I’m sad we can’t touch this one,” one newcomer says, staring at me with lust in his eyes. “You can’t touch either of us, you sick fuck!” I snap, my heart racing in fear for Haliee. For fuck’s sake, she’s pregnant! They can’t hurt her. Just the idea of my best friend getting hurt because of me is enough to make my stomach roll. I get the feeling this has everything to do with my father’s shady behaviour recently, and if Haliee is hurt because of it, I’ll never forgive him or myself. “Oh, that’s precious. You care about that little whore back there? You shouldn’t,” the one holding me taunts, clicking his tongue like he’s amused. Another of the men opens up the back door of a van before moving to help hold me steady. They make quick work of tying my arms and legs together and leaving me immobile before tossing me into the van. “Fuck!” I scream out when my head hits the floor hard enough to blur my vision. “Such a precious fucking princess,” guy one snorts, then slams the door shut, leaving me in the darkness alone. I am not a fucking princess. I happen to be a lot darker than anyone is ready to acknowledge, but I’ve hid that side of me well. This shit, though? It’s the final straw. I’m about to unleash the devilish bitch I was born to be. When you’re raised in a family like mine, anything less than perfection is frowned upon. With my father being the dean of the university and friends with the mayor, you’re expected to be polite and courteous. An outstanding member of society and all that other bullshit. I used to be the perfect little angel to gain Daddy’s seal of approval, but the older I get, the less I give a fuck. I see the corruption and deceit of his world, and I want nothing to do with it. Playing politics is bullshit and leads to an unhappy life. I’ll never tell Haliee this, but I once craved to belong to the seven men she now has wrapped around her finger. It was never about wanting them to love me the way they do her, but I wanted the danger. The protection and escape I knew would come from belonging to them. The moment I saw the way Lukas looked at her that first day, I knew that would never happen. And I’m fine with that. Our town swarms with rumours of the Deadly Seven and how they would never accept anyone into their lives or inner circle. Everyone knew Amber and her posse of bitches were just disposable ways of finding relief when they needed it. Everyone but them, I guess. We could see that they were fuck-dolls for Corden and sometimes Creed, but nothing more. The dumb twats just refused to believe it. The guys never once looked at them with anything other than contempt and annoyance. It’s how they see everyone. That is, until my bestie came along. “I’m going to kill every last one of these bastards for touching us, then I’ll bring my father and his friends down too if they’re responsible for this. I don’t know how yet, but I will,” I mutter under my breath, closing my eyes to steady my breathing. These fools chose the wrong women to kidnap. I’m not overly worried about Haliee outside of them hurting the baby, though. These guys may have said some things to make me uneasy, but I know that her men are already on their way to save her. They’ll bring Hell to Earth in order to save my girl, and that gives me comfort. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for me. I have no one to save me before something bad can happen. I know Haliee and the guys will make sure to grab me after they secure her, it will take time. Whatever Dad has gotten himself into this time has gone too far and he won’t be able to save me. Fuck, I’m not sure he will even want to with how distant he’s become lately. Haliee is lucky to have a father that will do anything for her. Brent has literally killed for her. Repeatedly. I can’t see my father ever doing anything like that for me, even if it meant the difference for me living or dying. The van comes to a stop, and it’s not long before the back doors swing open, blinding me with the outside light. “Wakey, wakey, princess,” the guy sneers before grabbing my ankles and yanking me forward. “Fucking hell!” I snap, ready to bend my knees and kick him in the face. At this rate, I’m going to have a concussion migraine before they even get me to wherever the fuck it is we’re headed. “Quit your bitching, woman,” he grumbles, grabbing me around the waist and hoisting me over his shoulder. “Put me down!” I wiggle against him, knowing full well I can’t break from this position. “You think I want to be carrying your bratty ass around, princess?” The guy scoffs at me, walking us into some sort of abandoned house I’ve never seen. “Where