The Ruthless

by J Bree

  When my eyes narrow at him, he holds up a hand. “I told Lips, Harley and Illi you were sleeping, so if it was an emergency, they’d have called me. Everyone else can fucking wait.”

  It’s flawed logic but, again, sweet of him.

  I go for another shower to wash the sleep and sex away. Who would’ve ever thought that I, Avery ‘germaphobe’ Beaumont, would be able to fall asleep after sex with only a quick cleanup and not a complete shower? It must be like that dick magic Lips always finds herself caught in when those idiot boys drag her into public sex acts even though she knows better.

  I miss her.

  I shower and wash out my mess of hair, the curls no longer sexy waves and now firmly in the bird's nest territory. I take my time to scrub down, shave my legs, and exfoliate until my skin is baby soft and perfectly pink for the mild abuse.

  When I walk back out in a towel, Aodhan is cooking us both breakfast, his boxer shorts hanging a little low on his hips. He’s cleaning as he goes, brownie points there, and the plates are a muted gray, also acceptable.

  “Grab another one of my shirts; we can go find some clothes for you in the morning.”

  I scoff but wander back over to the bedroom area, stepping carefully around the mattress to the rustic drawers. It takes a minute to dig around until I can find something that will only look ridiculous on me and not completely fucking stupid. As I pull the fabric over my head, I take in a lungful of the laundry detergent he uses and the faint scent of him still clinging to the fabric.

  Huh.

  I wasn’t expecting to like that but there’s something… soothing about it. I can’t explain it and I wouldn’t want to try. Except maybe to Lips, who would fundamentally understand, because I’m almost positive that she’s completely switched out her closet with clothes she’s stolen from her little harem of obsessed, idiot boys.

  I find a pair of shorts with a drawstring and pull them on as well, no interest in walking around with a bare ass, and then I take a seat at the breakfast bar. Aodhan slides a plate over to me, the fluffy looking omelette spilling over the sides, before taking a seat next to me.

  It’s delicious, but I’d murder for a coffee.

  “No caffeine. You’ll feel like shit drinking it this late.”

  I huff at him. “What are you, a mind reader now? Also, you’re underestimating me. There is never a bad time for coffee.”

  He chuckles at me, shaking his head. “I spent a lot of years living on all sorts of time schedules thanks to the fishing docks and trying not to drop outta school. Trust me, don’t drink the coffee until the sun comes up.”

  It still sounds like blasphemy but I work my way through my food. It isn’t just cooked to perfection, he seasoned it well and precooked the bacon. Even Harley’s eggs aren’t this good and that boy is excellent at breakfast foods.

  His French toast is incredible too.

  I do the last of the dishes when we’re both finished, feeling too wired to slip into the casual and relaxed state Aodhan seems to be in. I understand that this is his little safe house, his getaway from the stresses of his life as the head of the O’Cronin family and the newest member of the Twelve, but I plan murder plots in my downtime. I read thousands of pages of police reports and blackmail hotel staff for extortion material.

  I can’t just sit around and wait for daylight.

  Aodhan gets a phone call and locks himself in the bathroom to take it. It’s clearly about the next job his cousins are doing down at the loading docks so I’m not at all interested in eavesdropping. Instead I set myself back up on the bed, because there’s nowhere else to sit comfortably, and go through all of the messages I’ve missed.

  Blaise has sent me a video of Lips singing karaoke with him in some disgusting dive bar at one of their stops. It starts with her looking like she’s going to puke all over him, but by the end she’s relaxed and giving it her all. She’s freaking incredible and in the corner of the shot I can see Ash staring at her like she’s the center of his world, like the sun rises and falls each day at her command and he has no choice but to worship her.

  I take a screenshot of it and send it to Lips.

  The way he loves her is the type of love that lasts forever and nothing would make me happier than knowing they’ll grow old together.

  The other two as well, obviously, but Ash had always been so harsh and disinterested in girls… I didn’t think he’d ever fall for someone.

  “Who was that singing? Another band on tour with your family?” Aodhan says, the bed dipping as he lounges down next to me.

  “No, that’s the Wolf of Mounts Bay’s secret talent. One she guards well because of what the Jackal did to her. We’re all obsessed with her voice; Morrison put her on his album because he wanted to listen to her on repeat for the rest of his life.”

  His eyebrows hit his hairline and I giggle, turning the phone so he can watch the video too. “They all really do love her. I can see why she didn’t want to choose.”

  I nod, swallowing because we can’t talk about choosing without the other man in our relationship looming over us. “The four of them are so goddamn codependent that they would’ve never worked out with monogamy. Ash would have pined for her for the rest of his life;he’s a forever sort of person.”

  Aodhan nods and kisses my shoulder. “You are too. How long have you waited for Crawford? You’re still agonizing over these photos because of the consequences he might be facing from your family.”

  There’s nothing really I can say back because he’s exactly right.

  Illi texts me back to confirm he had taken Bingley to the Crow’s fortress some years ago, he also tells me where he found the pervert so the food in my gut starts roiling.

  Aodhan reads it over my shoulder, grunting in disgust. “That’s another mark in his favor… keeping that off of the street.”

  I hum under my breath. “Why not just kill him? It would have to be easier to just dispose of him rather than feeding him and… well, letting him exist for all of this time?”

  Aodhan grunts and shrugs. “Fuck knows what’s going through his head. Every man, woman, and child in the Bay knows that the Crow is at the center of a giant web of secrets, lies, and classified intel. Bing obviously knows something, or is worth something to someone. Would their parents pay out for him? What do they think of their pedophile son?”

  They think far too highly of him, like his tastes are a quirk and not a deeply disturbing and disgusting abnormality. They should have dealt with him the first time he touched a girl, the same way my parents should have dealt with Joey when he poured scalding hot oil over our nanny as a child because she dared to say no to him.

  Lauren’s silently sobbing face flashes into my mind, and I’m reminded they’re all as bad as each other.

  I continue scrolling through the slew of unread messages until I find one from Atticus himself. My finger hovers for a second before I finally open it up. I don’t attempt to hide it or shy away from where Aodhan is reading over my shoulder because—because we’re together in this, no matter what happens.

  Even if Atticus has been betraying us all.

  I need to speak to you, Avery. Urgently.

  Aodhan tries to get me to go back to sleep after I arrange a time and place to meet Atticus but there’s no way I can relax now. I text Illi to borrow some clothes from Odie so when the sun finally starts to rise, Aodhan drives me the short distance over to the warehouse to change.

  Odie’s fashion sense is very different to mine but still impeccable.

  We find a dress that drapes nicely and a pair of heels that are only one size bigger than I am so I can make them work. Odie’s belly has doubled in size in the last week since I saw her, and I take a photo of the happy couple to send to Lips.

  I’m going to have it framed and hung on my staircase back at the ranch with the rest of the family photos as well.

  When we turn to leave, Illi stops me. “Wait here for a second, kid.”

  Then he jogs out of th
e apartment and down the stairs. I frown at Odie—is this a security thing?—but she smiles and rubs at her belly. “He has a gift for you, la Reine.”

  A gift.

  From the Butcher of the Bay, that could be anything.

  Aodhan smiles at Odie, a little strained because he’s still mildly terrified of what Illi will do to him if he thinks he’s trying to flirt, and he obviously can’t speak French so he has no idea about what we’re saying.

  “If it’s a body part, I need some warning. I’ll need to prepare myself so I don’t upset Illi by running screaming from the house.”

  She throws her head back and laughs, the kind of laugh that lights up a room and calls out to the man who bled out a city to find her and sure enough Illi stomps back through the door with a box in his hands and the softest smile a man like him can manage.

  He still looks like a brute.

  “If there’s a head in that box, we aren’t friends anymore, Illi.”

  He laughs just a bit too hard at that, and Aodhan cuts me a look.

  I really need to stop making Nate references around him until I speak to Lips about telling him. I still haven’t decided if it’s a good idea or not to tell him. The more people who know, the more chances there are for leaks and Posey is still only fifteen.

  Her safety is our priority, and it has very little to do with the fact that Nate would go on a murderous rampage if anything happened to her.

  Illi sets the box down on the table and flips the lid on it. “I would never give you body parts; I know you better than that. I got you some new toys and if you’re going to confront that asshole Crawford, I need you to have some knives to throw at his throat if he starts his shit.”

  Aodhan glances down at me. “You know how to throw knives? What else is in your skill set that I don’t know about.”

  Illi chuckles. “Don’t tell him that shit. You gotta keep him guessing, keep him on his toes until he’s smart enough to put a ring on your finger.”

  Jesus H Christ. “I know your aim is to embarrass the life out of me, but I’m not Lips and I’m above that bullshit. Thank you for the gift; I should really start carrying more weapons.”

  Aodhan takes the box and I kiss Odie’s cheek as I pass her, giving Illi a quick hug even if he is a complete shit-stirrer. I imagine this is what having an older brother would be like in a normal family and… I’m oddly grateful for it.

  Even with his arms full of the box, Aodhan still opens my car door for me and tucks me into the Impala. I send Lips a check-in message, just so she knows where I am and what our plans are because I feel like I’m about to be snatched off of the street.

  It’s stupid but I can’t shake the feeling.

  The fishing docks are enough of a drive away that I can go through the photos again and try to decide what I think is happening. If he can’t explain it to me now then… then maybe it really is time to cut him free.

  I can’t bring myself to actually say it though.

  When we pull into the parking lot, Atticus’ car is already there waiting. I prepare myself to have to face Luca again, but when the driver’s side door opens, Atticus himself steps out.

  He’s come alone.

  Aodhan gets out of the car, and I wait for him to open my door for me, specifically because I know it will piss Atticus off and, sure enough, he stares Aodhan down like he’s plotting out his murder.

  They’re so different.

  Standing this close together here it’s so unbelievably obvious how different they really are and yet I crave them both the same.

  Atticus is wearing his usual charcoal suit, pressed and dry cleaned to perfection, with a pair of Hermes leather shoes. The crisp white shirt he’s wearing under the suit jacket covers his tattoos I’ve only managed to get a peek at and he’s wearing, as always, the Rolex I bought for him years ago.

  Aodhan is wearing jeans and a tee with a jacket thrown overtop like he couldn’t care less what he’s wearing. With the same biker boots every Mounty I’ve ever met has an obsession for, he looks as though he’s ready to wade into a street fight or a party by the docks, further down the coast from where we’re now standing.

  I stay tucked into Aodhan’s side.

  Atticus’s jaw flexes as he grinds his teeth. “Avery, I asked to meet so I could speak privately with you.”

  Aodhan tenses but I shrug effortlessly, as though this is nothing to me despite my heart attempting to beat its way out of my chest. “You should have been clearer when you messaged; I don’t trust you enough right now to be here alone with you. There’s too many unanswered questions.”

  His eyes narrow at me. “You mean other than you disappearing from my property in the middle of the night and then ignoring my calls? I had to call the Coyote to find out that you were safe.”

  Aodhan stays silent, thankfully, but the two of them still glare at each other like they’re each waiting for the other person to make a wrong move.

  It’s infuriating.

  I need answers.

  “Why is my brother’s photo tacked to the wall of your basement with his eyes crossed out? Harley, Blaise, Lips, half the O’Cronin family. Illi, Harbin, Roxas, the Boar… the list goes on, Atticus. Why? And while we’re on the subject of your basement, why is Bing down there?”

  No one would be able to pick up that I’ve surprised him, but I know him far too well to miss the signs. Once upon a time I would’ve said I knew Atticus Crawford the same way I knew myself, except then I fell down his rabbit warren of lies.

  “I’m not talking about this with him here, Avery.”

  I huff and squeeze Aodhan’s hand. “Take me home, we’re done here. I’m done. I’m not going to be lied to and manipulated anymore.”

  Atticus takes a step forward. “Avery, for Christ’s sake, all I have done is protect you! Everything, everything, I have done since I came to Mounts Bay has been a move to get you out from your father’s house.”

  I step away from Aodhan and towards Atticus, my temper flaring. “You bought me, wasn’t that enough? You said you were worried about Ash? Then why the fuck was his photo on that wall?”

  “How could you think I’d want Ash dead? You think that lowly of me, that I’d kill your beloved, asshole of a twin brother? For fuck’s sake, Avery!”

  Absolutely not, I won’t stand for him using that tone at me. “You stood and watched Lips have her leg shattered to pieces. You told me yourself that you knew all about what my father was doing to Ash. I’m sure that you wouldn’t physically harm me, Atticus, but I’m not sure you have any other lines when it comes to my family.”

  It’s bounced around in my head a hundred times since I stumbled across that wall in the basement, but I still haven’t figured out a plausible answer. “Explain to me why Ash’s photo was on that wall. Give me a good reason. And Harley, Blaise, Lips, Aodhan, Jack… these people are non-negotiable to me and you have them pinned up on your murder board with their eyes crossed out!”

  Atticus takes a deep, ragged breath and steps forward, his face set like stone. Aodhan steps up to me again, his body slightly in front of mine like he’s prepared to dive in front of a bullet.

  Or stop Atticus from snatching me and running.

  The look that Atticus throws at him is purely the Crow, the man who walked out of his privileged life and into Mounts Bay to win the Game and become one of the country's most feared crime lords.

  I can’t stick around for this, my heart is aching at how badly he’s ruined everything for us.

  I turn away from him, prepared for this to be the last time I ever meet with him.

  “Amanda Donnelley has been sending those photos for months.”

  I freeze but when I don’t turn around he continues, “She’s either the person sending them to you as well, pretending to be the Collector, or she’s working with someone else. I know you think she’s nothing worth worrying about but, Avery, she’s more dangerous than you’d ever think.”

  I finally glance back at him and he’s
finally looking at me, ignoring Aodhan altogether. “I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of, I’ve become the worst sort of monster, but some things are sacred and you, your family and your happiness included, are one of those things. I don’t care how much he hates me, I would never harm Ash.”

  I turn back to the car, ready to head home and throw everything I have at finding and destroying Amanda fucking Donnelley.

  Atticus calls out again, “All members of the Twelve have to sponsor at least one person into the Game. If the Wolf isn’t going to come home for the fights then you’ll have to name someone for her. The meeting is in two days, have your sponsors ready.”

  I give him a curt nod because I’m well aware of the rules, but Aodhan tenses again, glancing down at me. I shrug at him because we’ll just find him some thug to throw in the same way Illi did for Lips the last time, but he lets out a sigh like the day just got infinitely harder for him.

  I know the feeling.

  Chapter Five

  Atticus- Three Years Ago

  The curtains slowly begin to draw back and an awed quiet takes over the crowd. The recital happens every year with all of the students from the state’s most prestigious schools dancing and the ticket sales going to charity. It’s a high society event and one that every rich and powerful parent and Hannaford Alumn attends.

  Everyone knows who the star of the show is.

  The music starts and Avery appears on stage, as effortless and graceful as a queen, the long lines of her body making me feel like a creep because she’s only seventeen.

  Seventeen.

  But there’s no denying that she’s gorgeous, the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on, and the years of avoiding her have only made her transformation from a young and pretty girl into the stunning woman who has every eye on her as she spins and jumps on stage effortlessly.

  It takes years of discipline and hard work to make those jumps look as easy as breathing.