by Jarica James
“I’m glad to see you’re open!” He grinned back, giving a quick wave with a coffee cup in hand. “Got you a hot chocolate, Larry said it was your usual.” His cheeks tinted pink, and I had to bite back a chuckle as I took it. Gabe could never handle a woman like me, but I thought he was a sweet guy. Much better example of a normal guy than Lance.
“You’re a lifesaver. It’s already been a day,” I joked, grabbing it and taking a sip of the perfectly warm drink. Letting out a contented sigh, I put it on the counter. “How’s your day?”
“Not bad. Traffic was crazy! Apparently, some building is on fire across town, so all the cars had to keep moving aside for emergency vehicles. Which, you know as well as I do, is not easy in rush hour traffic,” he mused. His tone was light, but his eyes were shadowed as he took in the scrapes on my arms. I shifted my sleeves down, hiding them from view. “You sure you’re doing alright?”
His concern was genuine, and I was glad to have someone that cared about me, but it wasn’t necessary. It would likely not be the last time I got a few cuts and bruises either, so I just waved him off.
“Oh, yeah. Don’t worry about the scrapes. I’ve started some intense self-defense classes since that attack. Want to be prepared and all that,” I said, his knowing nod and easy acceptance of the lie letting me relax. “So, did you try out the new game that came out last week?” With that, he was back in comfortable territory, telling me all about the survival horror game that sounded like it required way more patience than I had.
“Then you have to figure out how to open this—” His words were cut off before I could learn the rest, the door swinging open to reveal an unfamiliar man. Something about the way his gaze locked on me, not taking in the shop at all, combined with the barely concealed excitement and hunger in his eyes, set off my alarm bells.
“Can I help you?” I asked. My tone was devoid of emotion, which had Gabe looking from me to the guy.
“Yes. Special edition.” The way he said the code word so casually and with a hint of superiority had me knowing I couldn’t sell to him. Instead, I let my eyebrows wrinkle in confusion.
“Of which game?” I asked innocently, glancing around the shelves. “We have quite a few.”
“Don’t be cute,” he spit out, acting like he was one with the power here. Another egotistical, power-driven man. “Show me the special editions.” Yes, because saying it in a special voice is super subtle, dude.
“Once again, which game?” This time, my voice was sharp as his anger visibly grew, his fists clenching and face reddening. He had a familiar look to him, his dirty blond hair reminding me of the guys, but his face was angular and plain, unlike their Adonis-like features.
“Look here, you little cunt,” he growled, pulling out a gun right in front of Gabe. My poor, sweet customer looked like he might pass out, but he stepped between us, hands up.
“Hey, buddy, I can help you figure it out, but a game isn’t worth a gun,” he said, trembling slightly as the guy stepped forward. The asshole lifted his other hand to hit Gabe, but he saw it and dodged in an unexpected move. Nearly losing his balance, Gabe swung at him and tried to wrestle the gun away. Finally grabbing my own gun from its harness, I was over the counter and taking aim just as he dropped Gabe with a well-landed blow. Without hesitation, I took one moment of silence for the future of my shop before aiming at his head and squeezing the trigger. This man was clearly unhinged, and I wasn’t going to risk my life or Gabe’s.
The door opened just as the man fell, his face missing blood and tissue. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the guys yet… Where the hell are they? Wait. What’s their Uncle Hector doing here?
“Ah, our little queen,” he sneered, stalking forward with a grin. Yet again, I had a feeling that something wasn’t quite right. He was far too happy to be here, and his utter lack of reaction to what he’d walked in on was more telling than anything.. He’s either in on this, or he’s even more unhinged than I thought. “Savage of you to take out an Adrostos.” He gestured at his dead family member, still entirely emotionless.
I was quickly realizing that this likely meant he knew about the weapons. What was most concerning was that he was here alone. There was no way that he was here under the triplets’ authorization. They wouldn’t send their uncle, a man envious of their power and position, to deal with me. My guys would either come themselves or send one of the goon squad, like Carlo.
“If you don’t mind, I need to call in a cleanup,” I said casually, but he smirked and moved forward instead of stepping back outside. My hand holding the gun twitched on instinct, the desire to shoot him nearly overpowering me. But he was their family, and I couldn’t just go around picking them off… well, more than I already had at least. There were some unspoken rules in the mafia, and you didn’t lightly kill off family members. Apparently I’d already killed one family member today, and I if I was going to be with my men, I needed to remember that. He saw my hesitation and laughed, stepping over both of the bodies on the ground to place himself in front of me. I just hoped Gabe was unconscious, not dead. In my haste to get to him, I hadn’t seen the final hit, just heard it.
“I do mind, actually, you stupid bitch. You thought you could disrespect my family and get away with it? Selling weapons right under my unworthy nephews’ noses,” he spat, sneering with glee. Evidently, his anger at my side business wasn’t stronger than his dislike for the triplets. “Is that pussy just that good, that they didn’t realize? Because I doubt that you, little girl, are good enough to keep a secret this well. Tell me who you’re working with. Who’s your partner? I know you didn’t do this alone,” he pressed on. “You seem the type to ride on a man’s hard work. Take credit, but you’re merely a lowly pawn.”
“Don’t make me kill you,” I sighed, my blasé attitude only making him more furious. Inside, I knew his fury couldn’t overpower mine. How dare he go after his own nephews? They’d made this city their life, tending to it with both the care and savagery that it deserved. He could only dream about being half the man my guys were.
He slammed his fist into the wall, games falling down at the impact. His greased back hair was in disarray as he stalked back and forth. My body never relaxed, hand still holding tight to my gun. I wanted to know what his game was, and for now, I was willing to wait… though if he made one wrong move, my decision would be made for me. I was patient, not stupid. His head fell back, and he barked out a laugh at the threat, his body language telling me exactly how highly he regarded me. Go ahead, dick, turn you back on me. I would let him underestimate me. It wouldn’t end well for him.
He stopped pacing and turned, the glint in his eye dangerous as he stalked forward, backing me into the counter. The cool metal bit into my back as I waited for him to give me more; he was too narcissistic to not give something away.
“How did you find me?” I asked, the question one I really wanted an answer to.
“Oh, it’s not hard to find info if you find the right person. I found a man bragging about a rare gun he bought. I bought him a few drinks, and those lips loosened. Gave us a lead to your little operation here,” he said, not even realizing how much he was giving away.
“And you thought this info would, what… put a wedge between your nephews and me?” I replied incredulously, his mood quickly shifting from haughty to angry as he kicked the corpse hard enough that he grunted.
“This info will put me at the top of this fucking Family, knocking those bratty pricks out of the top spot like they deserve!” he screamed, droplets of spit raining down on my face.
“Not likely,” I said, grimacing as I wiped a hand over my face. “They’ll end you, especially after this. You got one of your own people killed, and now you’re accosting their queen.” His face changed again, eyes zeroing in on me with a predatory gleam as he stalked forward. I was near my snapping point, but part of me wanted them to come in and see this for themselves, so I didn’t have to deal with him.
“Should I make you my queen?
Could test that pussy out myself,” he sneered, his hand smacking into my crotch unexpectedly, the sting making a fiery hot anger boil through me. He dares to touch me like that? He started to turn, but I grabbed his dick in one hand and squeezed painfully, my iron grip unyielding until he paled and screamed like the little bitch he truly was. My other hand was still on the gun, so I held it to his head.
“Give me one fucking reason to not do it,” I growled. “Not only does no one touch me without permission, I know three men who would kill anyone for doing less.”
“Those boys are not men, and they are no family of mine,” he grit out through clenched teeth as he tried to escape my hold.
“Don’t worry, Hector. They warned me about you, and the feeling is definitely mutual,” I jeered, letting go of him and allowing him to move away.
“They will change their tune when I expose you and all you’ve done here. Selling to our enemies behind their fucking back? You think they’d stick around for that?”
“They waited eleven years for me, you disgusting fuck. You think this would ruin us?” I asked, a smirk coming through full force. “No, no, no. I’ll be ruling their empire right beside them one day, and I’ll make it my life goal that you never have access to a dime of their fortune or their home ever again.”
The threat was empty. I knew that my time with them was limited, but now wasn’t the right time to indulge that ugly truth; I’d rather let Hector stew in the misery I’d make his life in the time I had left.
“You’ll never make it that far,” he bit out, and it must have been the final straw to his sanity. His teeth bared in a snarl as he lashed out, but he didn’t reach me. I’d finally had enough, raising my gun and shooting to kill.
Like my shop was some sort of fucking parade, the doors opened again. My guys slammed through the door, followed by a wide-eyed Dani. Everyone had guns at the ready.
“You’re fucking late!” I yelled accusingly, waving around the shop as if they couldn’t see the destruction. My relief and frustration came out as snark, but I couldn’t find it in me to care.
“What the fuck?! Is that Hector? And Devin?!” Keir asked, his eyes flicking from one part of the chaos to the other. For a moment, I was worried, afraid they wouldn’t want to hear my explanation.
“Yes… well, if that man over there is Devin, then yes,” I said, pointing to the first man I’d killed. “He tried to kill Gabe, who stood up for me when he came in here demanding to know all my secrets.”
“We’ll talk about that after,” Killian said dryly. “Why the shooting?”
“Well, he got shot when he hurt Gabe, then your lovely uncle slapped me in the pussy and said he’d like to find out what the hype was all about. Oh, and he reminded me about how he thinks you’re all inferior and don’t deserve to run the Family. Even with all of that, I only killed him when he came at me. I gave him every possible chance. “I don’t play when my life is on the line, and he made his choices,” I said firmly, crossing my arms.
“This shop is fucked,” Dani supplied unhelpfully. Whether that was her awkward way of trying to break the tension or prove of being oblivious to the tension, it was hard to know. She moved around, pulling down the blinds and locking the door to keep the public out.
“The shop?! My entire life has been fucked since you guys found me again!” I snarled at the guys, my nerves taking over now that adrenaline was slamming through my being. “All because I sell a few guns on the side. I wasn’t even that fucking big. I sell like a gun every few fucking months!” My throat went dry when I realized what I’d said.
“It’s not about the amount,” Keir said angrily, but Dani butt in.
“Is now a bad time to tell you that someone burned down the apartment?” she asked, entirely unapologetic, but it was enough to deflate my anger. With no fight left, I quietly walked away, heading for my office. I’d just lost my businesses and my home in one fucking day, my body ached from escaping the basement, and I wanted to be alone. I locked the door and flopped down in my chair, resting my head on my desk.
“Sana,” Killian said from outside the door, but I didn’t respond. I was numb and exhausted, suddenly realizing why Eros had always insisted emotions were a messy weakness. He pounded his fist on the door, but I wasn’t budging. The lock shifted for a few moments, the sound of metal scraping audible before the door swung open. Killian crouched in the now open space, grinning with a lockpicking tool in hand. The smile fell as he took me in, coming over as I dropped my head back down.
“Nope. Stop. I’ve seen you do this, and we aren’t doing it this time.” Surprised, I glanced up at him.
“Get up, now.”
“No,” I said. Laughing darkly, he pulled me to my feet, forcing me to stand. I snarled, cocking my fist back and slamming it into his jaw. He didn’t flinch, not making a single move to fight me.
“Go ahead, Baby Girl. Do your worst,” he taunted, goading me as he poked at my face, only fueling my anger. Somewhere in my mind, I knew he was doing it on purpose, but I wasn’t in the head space to care. All I could do was lash out, my anger needing a physical form. Killian stood there, taking each blow with a soft grunt and zero resistance. Frustration consumed me as I landed blow after blow.
“Enough!” With that command, I found myself over his lap, the first whack landing on my ass with a resounding crack. My ass bloomed with heat, and I thrashed against him.
“Fuck you, Killian, stop spanking me!” I screamed. The action was such a swift change I almost laughed. When I had bad days back in high school, he’d do this, but I would’ve never expected it now. I struggled a bit, but he held a strong arm over my back, keeping me in place, while his other rained hard smacks on my ass. If it wasn't for my jeans, I’d be losing this fight a lot fucking quicker.
“You done?”
“Fuck you,” I growled, but my fight was draining. He didn’t stop, the methodical blows lulling my brain to a restful state. My emotions calmed, but they didn’t numb this time; they simply went from hurricane to soft rain, giving my brain a chance to catch up with everything.
“You done?” he asked again, his tone soft as his hand rubbed gently over my flaming jean-covered cheeks. Letting out a long breath, I nodded, Kill helping me get up before hugging me tightly. “It’s going to be fine. We’ll figure this out.” A promise from Killian was one he would keep, so I kept that in mind as he rocked me for a few minutes, calming me.
“Take me home.”
The talk about the weapons business was impending, so I took another gulp of whiskey, taking the bottle with me to the living room where they were waiting. It had been a day since I killed Hector, and they’d given me that long to relax while they handled things with the Family. So here we were, ready to dive into a conversation I'd definitely rather not have. They didn’t look too happy, but at least they’d stopped glaring.
“Sit the fuck down and explain this to us, now,” Keir growled, snatching the bottle as I walked by. I flopped down on the chair and waited for them to pass it back before starting.
Oh, this isn’t going to be just about me. “No, let’s talk about how you locked me in a fucking basement, you dick!” I growled.
“You weren't listening. I’m sorry, but you had to be safe. And look what fucking happened, exactly what we thought!”
“That could have happened at home. He was your damn family,” I pointed out, throwing my hands up. He stared at me for several beats, trying to calm his anger.
“Just tell us about your secret gun business,” Kill said in a gentle tone, the lack of fight enough to deflate mine.
“Alright, listen. When he let me go, Eros sent me with money, but I wanted something he couldn’t trace,” I started, but Ky cut me off.
“We already know about the pay by the month apartment,” he argued.
“Okay,” I gritted out, wishing they’d just shut the fuck up and let me speak. “Well, game stores are pretty fucking good fronts, so I opened one, made some contacts in the city, th
en started selling weapons on the side.”
“And who were your suppliers?” Killian asked, leaning forward and resting his hands on his knees. And so the fun begins.
“I’d found a contact on the internet. It helps if you know what you’re looking for, but I had done a similar deal for Eros before. Once I had that, I found some locals who were looking. Some were just gun collectors, others not so nice. Though, as a disclaimer, I have to point out that if I sold to any Lachs, it was unintentional. I had no idea who they were at the time,” I said, holding my hands up.
“You potentially sold arms to my enemies?” Keir shouted, standing up and pacing. “Are we talking shipments?”
“No, of course not,” I laughed, but he didn't find it funny. “I only sold individual guns. Hell, the last sale was weeks ago. It was for a rare rifle. I made good money off that one.”
“You know we can’t allow this to continue, right?” Ky asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I assumed,” I grumbled. “I want my store back.”
“You will. We said we’d handle it,” Killian said, “and we keep our promises.”
“How did Angelina take Hector and Devin’s deaths?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“She knew how underhanded he was, so she wasn’t surprised, but dissent in the Family always upsets her. There was a reason he wasn’t handed the title, so I doubt there’ll be many who’d take the risk of making waves over this,” Keir explained, finally sitting back down.
“Fuck, he just had to find out about me, didn’t he?” I groaned, hating that Angelina was upset.
“We couldn’t have just found a nice girl who collected wine for a hobby?” The statement had me doubled over laughing, imagining some primped girly girl having to deal with what I’d done earlier today.
“Yeah, right. You know what you signed up for with me; I’ll always meet you bullet for bullet and shot for shot. You’d be bored as fuck with anyone else. Plus, who else could fuck you like I can?”