by A. J. Macey
“Not happening.”
A cluster of very empathetic “No” went up along with intermingling explanations, but I couldn’t pinpoint who was saying what, so I sat in silence until they finally calmed.
“You think it’ll work, don’t you?” Silas asked quietly. He watched me with a speculative gaze, the only one seemingly open to the suggestion. I shrugged.
“We don’t have a better option. I think we could get him onboard,” I explained, the tiniest thread of ice winding around my veins, but only Silas would be the one to know I had my doubts.
“How?” Kane questioned. His tone wasn’t hard but didn’t imply he was open to the suggestion, either.
“Well, find out what he wants and go from there,” I hedged, not sure what else we could do at this point if we wanted to go through with the plan. “I’ll talk to him.”
“No,” Carson snapped. “Hell. Fucking. No.”
“I actually agree with this asshole for once,” Acer mumbled under his breath, returning the hard stare Carson directed toward him at the comment. I rolled my eyes and stood up.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Kane questioned with a brow raise. Smirking, I snatched Silas’s arm on my way toward the door, dragging him with me. “Evera,” Kane barked.
“We’ll be back,” I called over my shoulder with a dismissive wave.
“Harrison, Granger, go with them,” Kane directed quickly, the exasperation in his voice making me grin.
“You’re going to rattle Kane’s cage to the point, he won’t know which way is up from down,” Silas murmured with a smile. “I think it’ll be good for him.”
I smiled up at him, letting him lead the way. Harrison and Granger made their way into the observation room while Silas stood outside the room Declan was in. I paused, waiting for him to open the door, but he only looked down at me, an odd expression on his face.
“Sweetheart, I know we're a group of very strong-headed men, and it might be a rough adjustment, but don't let them bully you or make you feel bad for wanting all of them,” Silas murmured, bringing to light the one thing I’d refused to acknowledge for more than a second or two—the fact I wanted all of them without having to choose.
“You've seen them,” I muttered, “you really think they'll play along nice enough for a poly relationship?” My question was littered with skepticism.
“I definitely think they will… for you,” he said. “You mean something special to each of them, and I know none of them will be willing to lose you.”
“What about you, Silas? What do you see in me that you want?” I questioned, finally asking the one thing that had been rattling around in my brain since Acer had brought it up.
“Right now? I just want to get to know Evera Quinn, blue lightning extraordinaire, with the balls to challenge Kane and beat up Carson,” he answered honestly with a smile. “But for now, let's get to questioning Mr. Hadid; otherwise, Granger and Harrison are going to wonder what the hell we're up to.” He opened the door, cutting off anything else I was going to ask. Jerk, I mentally yelled with a smile. He struggled, but he was able to contain his laughter.
“Well, well, look who it is,” Declan exclaimed, leaning forward from his slouched position, “Sparky, you're looking beautiful this morning. Or night, whatever time of day it is, seeing how I have no idea.”
“Declan,” I greeted coolly. He groaned, rolling his shoulders back before smirking at me.
“I could get used to hearing my name on your lips, Sparky.” I kept my face flat and bored, not letting him know the smooth accent was like music to my ears.
“We have a bargain for you,” Silas took over confidently, taking a seat across from Declan.
“Oh, this is going to be good,” Declan snarked, planting his interlaced his fingers behind his head, his sinful smile curling into a cocky grin. “Let's hear this deal.”
“We let you roam the building as a... guest... with some special precautions, in return for your help.”
“Help? Why would I help you?”
“We have a use for your wings,” I explained. “What would you want in exchange to help us?”
“Well, first of all, I'm still waiting for your name, Sparky. Secondly, I would like to go home,” he huffed.
“That second one isn't happening anytime soon,” Silas challenged. “As for her name, you're not—”
“Evera,” I cut off Silas, knowing, at this point, it was a small price to pay for his help.
“Evera,” he hummed.
The way his accent purred my name made my body wind tighter. I could get used to hearing my name on his lips too, my mind whispered. Silas coughed, pulling me from my downward spiral of thoughts and back to the task at hand.
“Pretty name for a pretty woman.”
“What would you want in exchange for your help... other than more freedom within the building?” I aimed for a neutral tone, not wanting to waste time on intimidation games or false friendliness. The sooner we can get into VCM and get the information why Carlia Hampton was killed, the sooner the real work begins. I will take care of those fuckers who’re responsible for Rett’s death.
“I want a room next to Sparky, with at least one of my meals with her a day,” he bargained. “But only her.”
“At least one person with you other than her until we make sure you're not a threat,” Silas compromised. Declan hummed in contemplation before finally agreeing.
“Alright, what exactly do you need me to do? Because that may change what I want,” he warned.
“You like to break into places,”―I shrugged―“we need you to get us on the roof of Vega City Mutual.” Declan's demeanor changed almost instantly, his playful banter falling to the wayside.
“Who is we, and why do you need into VCM?” After a split second, his eyes widened. “This is The Syndicate, isn't it?”
“Yes,” Silas said, unfazed by his revelation. “But the reason we need into VCM isn't for stealing money.”
“I never would have pegged you as one to work for them, Sparky, with all that heroism you got going on,” Declan nearly sneered, his disdain for The Syndicate obvious.
“I'm not a part of it, we just have a mutual end goal,” I countered. “Breaking into a bank is just the first step to reaching that goal.”
“Fine, but if we're breaking into VCM, I want money,” he bargained. “A hundred grand, no less.” I balked at the insane amount, bringing his attention to me. “What, Evera, that amount scare you a little?”
“Seeing as how I was living off eating a meal every other day in a shitty studio apartment because I have no money to my name, yeah, I would say it does. Sorry to disappoint you, Declan, but I actually take the value of money seriously,” I snapped, glaring at him. “I'll meet you in the work room later. I have to get ready to go out tonight.”
Right now, though, I don’t want to accidentally blow the power in the building.
Silas
Evera's rage radiated through my head, her spitting thoughts continuing to echo in my mind until I tuned her out, turning my attention back to Declan. The man looked surprised, his wide eyes staring at the door that had slammed shut behind Evera. His thoughts swirled with remorse and some very colorful words for how he felt about putting his foot in his mouth.
“Well, then,” I sighed, “do we have a deal? Your help getting into VCM?”
“Yeah,” he agreed, his thoughts filtering easily through my mind. I don't want the money now, not that I'll tell Evera that. I'll win her over, regardless. No reason to let her know I have a soft spot for her.
“You'll be wearing an ankle monitor and locked within the building until we know for sure you're not a threat to us or Evera,” I explained as if I wasn't listening to his thoughts, noting anything of use I could report to Kane. “If we determine that, then you may be able to roam freely without being tracked.”
He groaned but didn't argue. I'm not a threat, and all I fucking want to do is go back to my house in the mountains, n
ot stay here locked in this fucking warehouse. Although Sparky makes it a little less unbearable. Maybe I can convince her to use that spark on me.
“Granger and Harrison will get you hooked up and move you into your new room near Evera. You'll be supplied clothing and basic essentials, and when you're ready, they'll bring you to the room where we're meeting,” I explained, waving at the window to signal the two to come in.
“When are we breaking in?” he questioned, his eyes warily watching Granger and Harrison as they unhooked him from the table, but his thoughts didn't portray anything unusual, other than a typical suspicion to new people.
“We'll inform you of the details when it's time for the heist,” I said coolly. Did he really think I would just give him that information?
Here's to hoping Evera can get more information out of him than I can. Otherwise, we're in some serious trouble.
12
October 15th
Tuesday Early Morning
Kane
I sat completely still, stewing in the fact the little brat had decided to purposely ignore what I’d told her to do, although I wasn't too surprised. Evera had never been one to actually listen to anyone, more content to do her own thing. The part I was struggling with right now was she was questioning a stranger. Okay, maybe Silas said he wasn’t dangerous, but what’s wrong with being cautious? We might need another ‘talk’ in my office after this.
“Think she'll be able to convince him?” Carson asked to no one in particular after we’d sat in silence for a few minutes.
“Of course, she will, Angel's good at getting what she wants,” Acer answered with a snort as if Carson's question was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard. These two are going to be the death of me. I thought the small familial arguments Car and I had were bad, but this was a whole other level of frustrating. Wonder if this is how Silas feels when he's around Carson and me when we go back-and-forth.
“No one asked you, hacker,” Carson bit out, glaring at Acer, who just laughed in response.
“Well, technically, you did, dick, in case you got one too many punches to that hardass head of yours.”
“How about you come over here, and I'll show you how it feels to be punched in the head, hm? Then maybe we'll be even.” Shooting to standing, Carson squared up, but before they could go to town, beating the shit out of each other, Silas came in.
“Ah, perfect. Now, we can have a fucking talk before she comes back,” Acer cheered, but the steel under his tone made me look at him with narrowed eyes. “Let's just cut to the chase, shall we? I know what's going on between this little group here, and I don't want Angel hurt, so I need to know exactly what your intentions are with her.”
“How so?” I asked. Acer gave me an 'are you fucking kidding me' kind of stare.
“Are you planning on breaking her heart again, or are you going to be sticking around even though it wouldn't just be you she's with?” he asked, glancing around the room at the three of us.
“Of course, I'm not going to break her heart,” I ground out, glaring at him. Carson’s bitter laugh interrupted our staredown, and I turned to find out what was bothering my nephew now.
“Oh, so it's like that now, huh, Uncle?” Carson threw his hands in the air, an irritated sigh radiating through him. “One fuck and you're set on her?”
“I care about her too, Carson,” I started, but he laughed, the sound cold.
“If you cared, we wouldn't have left in the first place! I've loved her for years, and I just got her back, so why can't you find someone else like all those rich fucking chicks you always take to events?” he shouted.
“We left because the Legion Council had put a price on our heads, and I wasn't going to let Evera be caught in the crossfire of this hierarchy's war!” I bellowed, standing to look him in the eyes. “Fucking shit, Carson, she had just lost her brother, and I wasn't going to take her to hell with us. You should fucking remember how it was in the years following the lockdown, never knowing if we had been found or if that day was going to be our last because the Legionaries were going to raid the building. Did you really want Evera to have to live through that?”
“Of course not, but we shouldn't have left her with no information! And you,”—he pointed at Acer—“were the reason we couldn't fucking find her in the damned first place!”
“Because she asked me to,” Acer stated calmly, leaving Carson to stare at him, fists clenching and unclenching as his face continued to turn red. The air shifted, the slight signal Carson’s field was building. I bit my tongue, praying he would keep it contained. I didn’t want to deal with the fallout if he bashed the hacker with a concussive wave of force. “So, I think it’s safe to say the three of us are in when it comes to Evera. What about you, psychic?”
“I'm not psychic,” Silas huffed. My brows furrowed, looking at him at the same time as Carson.
“Wait,” I muttered, “what does he have to do with this?” I asked Acer, receiving another one of his 'are you stupid' stares.
“He wants her, too.”
My chest tightened, and my throat burned with acid as I looked at my second-in-command. When he didn't refute Acer's claim, I knew it was the truth.
“When?” I bit out.
“As soon as she came to your office,” Silas mumbled. “At first, I thought it was just the reactions from the three of you leaking into my mind, then I realized it wasn't.”
“Oh great, so not only do I have to share Ev with this fucking douche,”—Carson waved at Acer—“I get to share her with my uncle and his second! Anyone else fucking wants to lay a claim on Evera?” he shouted sarcastically.
“Yes, actually,” a voice I didn't recognize stated simply. The door opened the rest of the way to reveal Declan, flanked by Granger and Harrison.
“You? You want to try to win a part of Evera's heart?” Acer asked in confusion before bursting out laughing. I waved Granger and Harrison to go on with their work, figuring they didn't need to be a part of this conversation.
At least I don’t have to worry about them joining in on this ridiculous conversation. They’re too busy sleeping their way through Vega City.
“He's telling the truth,” Silas muttered with disdain, side-eyeing Declan. Acer's laughing quieted before realization took over, and his lips curled down into a harsh frown.
“Hell, no,” Carson objected loudly. “You're not going anywhere near Evera while you're here.”
“Oh, really? Because she agreed to have at least one meal with me a day, and I’m now rooming right across the hall from her, so I think I'll be around her quite frequently,” he shared, beaming.
I glanced at Silas with a hard, questioning gaze, and based on his tiny head nod, Evera did, in fact, agree to that. Blue, I groaned silently, what am I going to do with you? Though I’d be much happier losing myself in thoughts to answer that question, I shook my head and focused back on the angry men scattered around the room.
“Guess I'll be joining you for all those meals then,” Carson stated.
“Once again, I find myself agreeing with this dick,” Acer ground out with a lip curled in disgust. Declan laughed, quickly riling Carson in the process.
Well, even more than he already is. Fuck, my nephew’s always been such a hothead.
“I'm going to have her spread out in front of me in no time,” Declan taunted.
And here we go.
Evera
A short time alone and two peanut butter cookies later, my anger had finally calmed, and I felt ready to tackle the last bit of the day before we headed out for the night. Finally remembering where I was going, I quickly made my way back to the work room, but as soon as I turned into the room, I couldn't believe my eyes.
Carson punching Declan.
“Hey!” I shouted, jumping between the two fighting men and facing Carson with a glare. “What the fuck!”
“Hey there, Sparky, thanks for coming to my rescue,” Declan murmured softly in my ear, the feeling of his broad chest br
ushing against my back, setting me on edge in more ways than one. I rolled my eyes and elbowed him in the stomach, so he would back the fuck up.
“Ha!” Carson cheered before I turned my scathing attitude on him.
“What the hell, Carson! You can't just punch everyone!”
“Why not?” He cocked a brow as he continued, “Besides, this ass was talking about fucking you, and I didn't like it.”
“Hey, you asked, and I was just answering you,” Declan continued to prod Carson. Having had enough, I loosed my power, hitting everyone in the room. Silence reigned, and the men’s wide eyes and dropped jaws met me as I seethed.
“Okay, somebody tell me what the hell is happening, and why the fuck you were talking about me. Now,” I snapped, my glare darting around the room. Acer seemed to be the only one who didn’t look even remotely guilty. In fact, he looked rather smug, so I continued to hold his gaze, waiting impatiently for him to tell me what happened.
“I wanted to make sure we were all on the same page,” he stated simply with a shrug as if it answered my question.
“Same page for what, Acer?” I bit out, my anger growing the longer he stalled.
“What we want with you. Everyone in this room wants to be with you,” he explained, his hand waving around the group.
My heart leaped into my throat at his blasé tone, as if addressing something so huge was so simple. After a moment, what he’d said finally struck me, and I glanced over my shoulder at Declan with narrowed eyes. He can’t be serious.
“Unfortunately, he is,” Silas answered, his voice as irritated as I had ever heard it. Glancing at him, my eyes caught on the hardness of his gaze and the way his lips curled into a small frown as he glared at Declan.
“Whoa, wait,” Declan started with a head shake, “you can read thoughts! Is everyone here a Phenom then?” No one answered him, the tension in the room rising the longer the silence went on before he finally broke it. “Fine, don't tell me, but yes, Sparky, it's true.” He winked at the end, making me still doubt his intentions behind that cocky mask he was sporting.