by Jarica James
“She has a point,” Killian agreed, taking a swig of whiskey. “Why don’t we just set her up with my weapons guy, Frank? She can be an extension of our weapons trade.”
“That means vetting clients through Joe,” Kyrell warned. “No more accidental Lach encounters.”
“I’ll vet my clients through him the best I can, but I can make my own trades and deals,” I countered, unwilling to just hand over my shit.
“How? You think they’ll be willing to just come in with my men surrounding your fucking shop?” Keir asked, giving me a look that clearly said ‘checkmate.’
“Fair point,” I said, keeping my poker face in place. They knew as well as I did that I was resourceful, and having Dani meant I could do drop-offs while leaving her behind to run the shop. Either they found a way to work with me, or I’d find a way to work around them.
“She has no plan to stop,” Ky said, shaking his head. “You’re a bratty little bitch, you know that?”
“Only for you, baby,” I snarked, blowing him a kiss. At that, he couldn’t help but crack up. “How long until I’m up and running?”
“Two weeks is the last estimate I got. They have to remodel the front now,” Keir said, “but they can also take as long as we need for you to agree to work with Joe.”
“It’s my business,” I bit out, his eyes narrowing immediately.
“Watch your tone with me, Otsana,” he said, and I returned his glare at the use of my first name.
“Fuck you, Keir,” I growled, getting angry. “I’m not a beast to be tamed, you asshole.”
“You kind of are,” he said slowly, standing up and stalking forward. I yelped, nearly laughing as I got up and sprinted through their apartment. Their footsteps were right behind me as they gave chase.
“When I catch you, it’s over,” Ky yelled, someone grunting as they were shoved out of the way.
“Winner gets to fuck me,” I sang out, still a few feet ahead.
“Gotcha!” Keir crowed. He turned me around and slammed me back into his door, the knob digging into my back as he just barely brushed his lips across mine. “Now let’s put that mouth to good use, Princess.”
It had been a few weeks since the fire and the attack at the store. The cleanup crew had my store immaculate and restocked within a week, but we didn’t reopen for another two. Why? Because my boyfriends were insane and refused to let me out of their sight. It took that long to convince them to chill the fuck out before I lost my goddamn mind.
Dani and I had each taken an empty suite on the floor below theirs, but it was rare that I ever slept alone, finding myself pulled into bed with one of the guys most nights, whether it was in our apartment or theirs.
Getting ready, I started to rifle through the closet full of new clothes. After the fire, all I’d had were the clothes on my back, so they’d taken me shopping. The fire had been ruled an arson, with no leads, but emergency personnel had thankfully managed to save everyone inside.
“It’s too early,” Ky grumbled from the bed, his voice easily heard in the quiet stillness of my room, but I refused to creep around silently in my own space.
“Should have listened and slept in your own bed,” I teased. “Some of us have work hours to keep up with.”
“You don’t have to,” he reminded me for the millionth time, but I ignored it, pulling on a blank t-shirt and gray hoodie, along with jeans and chucks. It was my usual casual style, and now that I had to go shopping again, I was eagerly restocking my closet with clothes just like them. If being with my triplets again was teaching me anything, it was that I had been living like a mindless robot, not a person, for the last two years. And what kind of freedom was that?
Moving through the apartment, I secured my harness and boot holster, making sure my weapons were all with me. I took the elevator down, wondering who would be in the lobby today. The guys had taken to giving me a bodyguard every single day; their guard would spend the morning and into the early afternoon with me and sometimes Dani, and one of the Adrostos would usually take over halfway through the day.
When the elevator door slid open, the lobby was empty. Frowning, I looked around, but there wasn’t even a security guard in sight. It’s late enough in the morning that someone should be here... I shrugged, tapping my Sig reassurance before heading outside. There had been so many times I’d felt like a kid with a babysitter that I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. I’ll accept the babysitter if he’s here on time, but I’ve got a business to run. Throwing them that bone is done on my time or not at all.
Using my app to call for a car, I took it to Larry’s shop, barely able to hold back a smile as I stepped into line, breathing in the familiar smell of rich coffee and sweet pastries.
“There she is!” Larry yelled out when he spotted me, nearly busting the coffee pot he slammed down as he rushed out from behind the counter and folded me in a hug. My lungs constricted at the unfamiliar gesture and the tightness of his hold as I hugged him back. He was a sweet old man for giving a fuck about a psycho like me, not that he knew what lied beneath my chocolate-loving exterior. And I’d never dare enlighten him and mess with my hot chocolate supplier. “Are you alright? We all heard about your shop and that poor boy.” His concern was obvious as he ran his eyes over my body, as if checking for wounds three weeks later.
“I’m fine, and so is Gabe. He took a hard hit and had a bit of a concussion, but my boyfriends took him to the best doctors and got him all fixed up,” I reassured. “And they fixed up my shop.”
“They must love you,” he teased, leading me up to the side of the counter before heading back and filling my usual order without asking. “Now, tell me you’re going to stop scaring me.”
“No promises, old man. Trouble seems to be stalking me lately,” I said, only half-joking.
“Well then, the least I can do is make your day better, love,” he said, throwing a few chocolate croissants in a bag for me before handing it all over. “On the house today. Especially since that new security detail for the shop brings in more customers.” He finished his words with a saucy wink, and I nearly spit out my drink of hot chocolate at that. I had noticed people sitting on the patio more but never realized they were checking out the eye candy. Should have guessed from all the occupied outdoor seating.
“Thanks, Larry,” I said, laughing openly now as I made my way outside. Part of me expected to see one of the guys catching up, but there was nothing out of the ordinary except today’s lack of security. I’ll text Keir when I get inside. Taking out one of the pastries, I bit into the chocolaty goodness and started for my shop, unlocking the front door and slipping inside. Internal alarm bells rose as I stepped into suspicious quiet. The alarm system should be going off right now. Setting the drink and food down, I took out my phone and called the guys, pulling out my Sig.
When Keir’s voice came through my phone, I turned the volume down, knowing he’d mobilize the troops when I didn’t say anything. I tucked it in my pocket, both hands steadying my gun as I turned down the back hall, a noise to my right making me jump back and turn. Men suddenly converged on me from behind the counter and the dark hall beside me. Instinct taking over, I dropped and rolled behind a display case before firing a few shots, hoping for the best as I sprinted to the front door. They weren’t firing back, which meant they wanted to take me alive, and I would do everything I could to not make that fucking possible.
“Oh no, you don’t,” someone huffed before a heavy body slammed me to the ground, my head cracking painfully into the metal door frame. My vision blurred and went spotty, but I fought back anyway, landing an elbow into the person’s head. For every blow I landed, another hand gripped me, taking away my ability to fight. Ice traveled through my veins, my body freezing up with the dark whisper that smacked into me harder than any fist they’d thrown. “Eros and the Lachs send their love.”
Numb and useless, I went slack in their arms right before a blow to the head sent me spiraling into all too w
elcome darkness.
Keir
The ring of my phone brought me out of sleep, and I rubbed a hand over my eyes as I reached for it. Seeing Sana’s number, I picked up.
“Hey, Princess, what’s going on?” I asked, but instead of her beautiful voice, I was only graced with silence. “Princess?” Thinking she’d butt dialed me, I nearly hung up until I heard the faintest patter of measured steps, the near-silent sound barely detectable by my straining ears. Her breathing was quick, all of it adding up to something not being right. Within seconds, I was out of bed and down the hall, phone pressed to my ear so I wouldn’t miss anything. Slamming into Kill’s room, I pulled him out of bed without warning.
“What the fuck?!” he gasped, righting himself angrily until he saw my face and I put my phone on speaker. Otsana’s yell had him up and dressed, both of us racing for the garage. Kill was already on the phone, getting Ky to join us. When gunshots echoed through the speaker and the phone went dead, fear flooded me for the first time in my life. I had faced many foes, but never once had I felt like this, like my world was at serious risk of ending.
“Where’s her fucking guard?” I yelled, the question answered when we hit the garage. Donovan was sprawled over the hood of our car, throat slit and blood dripping to the concrete below.
“Fuck,” Killian ground out, both of us heading for the Charger and getting in. Ky made it just before we closed our doors.
“Shots,” was all Killian choked out as I peeled out of the garage.
“Call Joe,” I yelled, my fear and anger making me feel like I could crawl out of my own fucking skin. We’d been so careful with her, making sure no one got too close and that she was never alone, yet here we were. What did we do wrong? I knew one thing; if this ended in her death, I wouldn’t rest until I’d eradicated every last Lach from the map.
“Joe, shop footage, now,” Ky ordered before hanging up.
As early as it was, the traffic was light, and I easily sped through town, running red lights and pulling half on the curb as I parked and jumped out. The front door was unlocked, but the lights were still off as I stepped inside. My eyes landed on the half-eaten pastry and the dropped hot chocolate cup, the brown liquid pooled around it. One of my brothers hit the lights, and I blinked against the bright fluorescence. Our guns were drawn as we stepped further into the shop.
“Sana!” I yelled, moving quicker now that I saw the wreckage of a fight., We searched through the building room by room and came up empty. “She’s not here. Get the family organized.” Ky tapped at his phone and put it on speaker.
“The queen is gone. Mobilize the family,” he said, Joe’s shaking response making me want to scream.
“I saw. She got taken into a delivery van around back. The van went missing around five this morning, and they just found it on the edge of town a few moments ago. I don’t think she’s in Haverden anymore.”
“Someone find me coordinates for the Lachs and get on those traffic cams,” I yelled into the phone. The bar was already full when we walked inside, the Family somber. Their whispers followed us along with a few words of sympathy that we ignored. We didn’t want sympathy; we wanted blood.
“I have a list of all of the properties associated with the Lachs, including their estate,” Joe said, his voice a little steadier now that he had more to offer. A few of our younger members were helping, pulling up every traffic and business camera they could find, the other computer showing a list of names that I assumed belonged to the Lachs and their known associates. We all froze when the bar’s phone rang, Joe looking to me before patching the call through.
Heavy expectancy filled the air, the room quiet enough to hear a pin drop as the Family held their breath along with us.
A deep voice echoed through the speakers, each syllable fueling the flames that threatened to consume me, then the very city itself.
“Hello, boys. I’m Eros Priamos, perhaps you’ve heard of me?”
Want More?
Twisted Games is book two in the Cruel Crimes Trilogy, I will be starting it now and hoping to work through all three back to back!
For updates and info on my work, make sure you join my reader group and stalk… I mean follow, me on social media!
The Reaper Realm:
Bookbub:
Instagram:
Newsletter sign up!
Also by Jarica James
Broken Silence (YA stand-alone RH)
Obsidian Cove Supernatural Academy
-Call of the Siren
-Path of the Bear
-Trial of the Vampire
-Mark of the Psychic
Forgotten Prison Series
Nexus
Broken (11/13/20)
Besties and Booze Shared Universe
- Faked (By A.J. Macey)
- Arranged (By Me!)
-Performed (By Suki Williams)
- Played (By Elyssa Dawn)
Academy of the Elite (w/ Rowan Thalia)
-Juniper’s Sight
-Juniper’s Peril
Fae Knights Series
-Fae Bound
-Fae Sight
-Fae Strength
-Fae Eternal
-Fae Knights Box Set
The Spirit Vlog Series
-Haunts and Hotels
-Parks and Poltergeists
Co-write with Chloe Gunter
-A Pinch of Sass
Co-write with AJ Macey
-Witch, Please
-Resting Witch Face
-Witches Be Crazy
-Born to be Witchy
MM as J.J. Riley
Co-write with Suki Gale
-Pranked
-Unexpected
Young Adult Gay Romance
- The Boy I Love The Most