by J Bree
Well, fuck.
There’s a knock at the door and Harley opens it allowing the Crow to step in with a frown as he takes in the room. I frown right back at him as the Boar follows behind him with his usual crowd of surly bikers with him.
Fuck. I was not expecting a fucking family reunion in my room while I’m draped over one of my three boyfriends. Jesus fucking wept.
“Wolf,” the Boar grunts, and Harley’s eyes narrow to slits at him.
Ugh. “Boar. I thought the meeting was in the dining hall? We were just about to head down.”
Blaise gives me a look, smirking even as he still looks a little green. I sigh at his twisted freaking humor and Ash huffs at him as well.
The Boar looks at each of the guys in my room and then stalks over to the box, a couple of his bikers moving with him. “I’m here for the box. My boys will get it out of here before the Lynx’s family comes looking.”
I swallow as he looks inside it. “They know she’s dead?”
He grunts. “Yeah, her body was left for them to find.”
The Crow gives him a sharp look. “What was left of it, he means. She was mutilated.”
I hear Avery start to shuffle around in the bathroom, getting dressed and prepared for the meeting finally. “You gonna give me this guy's name so I can have a chat with him?”
The Boar’s eyes snap over to the Crow, who’s standing rigid by the door, his eyes as cold as ever. “Not in mixed company, kid. I was waiting to do it in person but I’ll put in a call, speed things up a bit. We’re due for a meeting anyway.”
The Boar tucks the box under his arm like the leaking doesn’t bother him, fucking gross, and leaves with his men. There’s a second of silence before Ash starts up.
“What the fuck are you even doing here?” Ash snarls, and Avery sighs loud enough it travels through the door.
Atticus turns his trademark cold, calculating looks to Ash and he tenses against me, rage slowly seeping into every fiber of his being. “I needed to check if Avery was okay.”
Harley groans as Ash stalks forward, two of the Crow’s men stepping up and between them. Avery comes out of the bathroom, looking perfectly put together and hugging the far wall to stay as far away from the mess as possible.
Atticus continues, “I’ve called the meeting so I can question the Boar. We need to know who is sending the boxes. Killing the Lynx was not really in Lips’ best interest and what’s to stop this deranged stalker from taking you out for being around her? What about Avery, what if he comes for her next?”
Ash’s eyes narrow. “We’ll protect Avery like we always have.”
Atticus’s eyes flick over Ash’s face and then he opens his stupid mouth and starts a whole new fucking war for me do have to deal with. “Great job you’ve done so far, when is the Devil due to collect his property?”
Ash is easily the quickest human on the fucking planet and Atticus’s men have no chance of stopping him from taking their boss down.
It takes Illi and Harley to peel him off. Blaise refuses to help, he just stands in front of Avery and smirks when Ash’s fists come back bloody. I stay out of the way because all hell would break loose if I got caught in the crossfire. Harley would pull his gun and we’d all be fucked once the Crow’s brains were in pieces on the freaking floor.
Harley grabs Atticus by his neatly pressed shirt and hauls him back onto his feet, shoving him towards the door. “You never fucking learn, do you? You just gotta start shit.”
Atticus’ nose is pouring blood but he barely seems to notice it, other than pressing his pocket square against it. Knowing that rich asshole that thing probably cost more than my entire wardrobe did.
Ugh.
“The others are on their way here. Try to remember that they’re all the leaders of large criminal organizations and keep your smart mouths shut before you get us all killed,” he snaps and walks out.
I slip my arm into Avery’s as we walk, wincing at her flinch. Her hands are a mess from all of the scrubbing, her body must also be a freaking mess. Ash watches her obsessively, as if looking away from her will have her whisked out from under his nose. Blaise walks with him, watching them both with that look on his face, the one where he’s getting himself ready to defend and destroy for his family.
Illi leads the way with Harley, the two of them talking about the car parts Harley is looking for. We’re not exactly being quiet and yet not a single door opens to see what the noise is about on the way down to the dining hall. The other students are that terrified of us, of the whole fucking world going to shit around them, that they stay in their own lanes.
Smart move.
When we get to the dining hall, half the members still aren’t here yet but there’s coffee being served.
Coffee.
Illi quirks an eyebrow at me. “Quickest way to take someone out is giving them a dirty batch of their drug of choice.”
I huff at him but really I’m crying on the inside; I’m supposed to be asleep in Harley’s arms right now not dealing with this bullshit. “I know. I won’t touch it.”
The Crow overhears us and snaps, “I’m not going to poison my allies, I’m not the fucking Jackal.”
Illi smirks over his shoulder at him. “Nah, you’re something else entirely.”
Great. Wonderful. Fucking perfect. “I shouldn’t have caffeine this late on a school night anyway.”
Avery giggles at me, her first real sign of life since the box showed up, and I laugh with her. The Crow has rearranged the seating plan and we find seats where I can keep an eye on the doors, not trusting the Jackal or, fuck, the Lynx’s family to not show up and kill us all while we’re busy having a chat about sweet fuck all. Avery takes the seat next to me and Ash hesitates for a second before sitting on my other side.
Illi, Harley, and Blaise all lean against the dining table behind us, murmuring quietly to each other as more members arrive with their usual groups of followers, flunkies, and paid men.
“This place is fucking swanky,” the Coyote says, walking into the room like he’s casing the place for a heist later. He probably fucking is, though he definitely doesn’t need the money.
Viola rolls her eyes at him but it’s affectionate and he blows her a kiss in return. It’s fucking weird to see him like that, he’s usually such a playful flirt. When he catches my incredulous look he winks at me, ignoring the scolding look from the Crow.
He sits next to Avery and Viola sits on his other side, giving Avery a halfhearted smile. “Thanks for not killing my sister. Sorry she’s been a fucking nightmare.”
Avery shrugs. “I hope she’s enjoying her new school, hopefully there’s less gang members there.”
The Coyote rolls his eyes, slinging his arm around Viola. “She’s already fucking half the school there, I think she’s enjoying being the new girl.”
Viola elbows him in the gut so hard he does this little wheeze thing and I grin at her. He needs someone to keep him in line.
The Stag arrives with another O’Cronin, a little older than him and a little more… haggard-looking. He nods respectfully at the Crow, then the Boar, then he sits next to Ash and does the same to the Coyote and me. He glances over his shoulder and I don’t see what Harley does but he gives him a nod too. Well, well. Aren’t we a cozy fucking bunch?
When the Tiger finally arrives, frazzled and alone, the Crow takes his seat. The rest all spread out, the room falling silent as the severity of the situation sinks in.
“Another member has been taken out, the Lynx’s head was delivered to the Wolf tonight.”
The Tiger starts to sweat, I’m half-afraid the fucker is going to keel over of a heart attack. The Bear, looking thinner and frazzled now he has nothing left, just stares at the floor like nothing matters anymore. His defeatist posture pisses me off. How fucking pathetic.
“So the Jackal has decided enough is enough and he’s going to start killing us all for the Wolf? Maybe it’s time we got her out. Maybe it’s time we all s
top paying the price for her being a cocktease,” the Fox snaps, and the Crow holds a hand up before one of my guys starts swinging.
“This was not the Jackal. This was someone else who is… working on their own but killing anyone who crosses the Wolf.”
“I thought you were going to deal with this?” Avery says to the Boar with an arched eyebrow and a fucking fierce look on her face, and I narrow my eyes at the looks of shock the other members give us.
Avery fucking Beaumont would tear any-freaking-one of them to pieces if given the chance and I’ll be fucked if she has to show them respect now the whole institution of the Twelve has gone to hell in a hand basket. Plus, she needs a little pep in her step after the box and nothing makes her happier than tearing down powerful men.
The Boar’s eyes drop down to where my hand is tucked in Avery’s and then he answers her plainly, no censure or ego in him at all. “The Lynx went back to the Jackal. She decided she didn’t want to risk her rat of a son after all, so I think the Wolf’s… ally made the right call.”
The Crow frowns at him. “This… ally is unknown to the Wolf, that makes him a wildcard. The Lynx should have been dealt with by the Twelve, not taken out by some outsider. How do we know this ally won’t turn on the rest of us?”
The Boar crosses his arms and leans forward in his chair. He looks every inch the cold-hearted biker lord I’ve always known he is. “It’s pretty fucking simple; don’t hurt the Wolf, don’t threaten her, don’t stalk her, don’t piss her off, and don’t ever conspire to fucking kill her. Stay on her good side and you’ll live.”
What. The. Actual. Fuck?
Harley raises his eyebrows at me and I shrug. I’m officially out of ideas on what the fuck is going on.
“Good thing we’re team Wolf,” the Coyote says to Viola, loud and brash as he tucks her hair back from her face. I see the Wolf insignia tattooed to the back of his hand and I raise my brow at him. He grins and blows me a kiss like a dick, like he’s impersonating Illi’s roguish charms and not quite hitting the mark.
Illi himself stares at the other members of the Twelve, one by one, like he’s sizing them up. The Crow takes it without so much as an eyebrow lift, but the Viper rises to his bait.
"Just because the Wolf has decided to put up with your shitty attitude doesn't mean the rest of us have to. Remember that you have no power in this room except maybe having the ear of the girl you sold your soul to."
Illi shrugs. "I don't give a shit about the opinions of some gambling man. Things are changing. My loyalty stays with the Wolf, but the institution of the Twelve is going to go through some big fucking changes now the Jackal has lost his head.”
The Ox crosses his arms and huffs at him. “Talking like that will get you and the Wolf in deep shit, Butcher. The type of shit you don’t walk away from.”
The Boar leans forward in his seat, his face a vicious mask that lets you know the biker shit draped all over him isn’t a persona he’s a fucking killer, through and through. “Did I not just tell you to keep your fucking mouth shut about her?”
The room bursts into argument, the Ox and the Viper cussing the Boar out, but the biker doesn’t look at all phased by it. His eyes are on the Crow, sizing him up.
Ash does his own assessment of the shit-fight before us, looking the Boar up and down. Then he waits until the room quietens down to say to me in a not-so-subtle whisper, “You look nothing like him.”
Fuck. I cut him a look as half the fucking room turns to look at us. “Can we stick to the topic on hand? Another member is dead. What are we going to do about that?”
There’s silence for a second and then, surprisingly, the Fox says, “What we always do. Split the empire, run the Game, and keep the streets of the Bay under our control.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The Boar leaves the meeting before I can speak to him, snapping at his guys and stalking out like his ass is on fire. I let it go, only because I’m still fucking worried about Avery and we’ve got to deal with the mess in our room before we can pass out. The Coyote bumps knuckles with Illi, fucking weird, and then leaves with the Crow. I’m sure they’ll still be trying to dig up every last clue into who the hell the killer is.
It takes four hours to get the smell of rotting flesh out of our room and to bleach every surface. We lose more furniture because Avery goes on a rampage but it’s not like she can’t afford it. Once we’ve finally gotten rid of all evidence we all go to bed in the guys’ room, just to let the bleach scent air out a bit more.
We’re woken by the sharp rap of knuckles on the door at dawn, less than an hour of sleep for us all.
I lurch up and out of bed before Avery manages to hit the light, and Harley snarls at me to wait for him but I ignore him. This isn’t going to be good.
Luca is dressed and armed to the hilt, sour-faced and grim-toned as he says, “The Boar’s MC was hit last night while the meeting was on. The Jackal took out the entire fucking building, only the guys at the docks and those who came with him survived. Things are about to get much, much worse. Just letting you know, Wolf.”
Wolf.
He never calls me that unless we’re around the other members of the Twelve, fuck.
I nod and close the door, rubbing my hand over my face. Was the bartender there as well? Did the Jackal kill her just for being there? It’s a stupid thing to ask myself, of course she was and of course he did. Women mean nothing to him.
Not even me.
Harley kisses my forehead and heads to the shower to get ready for his swim training. I feel exhausted just thinking about the hard work he’s about to put his body through but I know it’s his coping mechanism. Ash will probably head out for a run soon and Blaise will… well, he’ll be a morose fuck and write a song or drink or something.
I climb into Ash’s bed with Avery and stare at the ceiling with her for a minute, neither of us speaking while we sort through the mess in our heads.
“We need to kill him. He’s working his way through the Twelve, picking off the bigger members so we have less numbers. The Ox will be next, I bet,” Avery murmurs, and I nod.
“He’s probably working on the Crow’s numbers too, we just haven’t heard about it from the secretive dick.”
She snorts at me and her hand finds mine under the blankets. “Sorry I freaked out. I feel like a pansy.”
I shake my head. “Don’t be stupid, you know I don’t care about that shit. I’m sorry, hacked up body parts keep following me, no matter where the hell I am.”
She giggles and squeezes my hand. “I think it’s kind of sweet. Whoever it is must care a whole lot about you. The Boar made him sound fierce. Maybe it is your dad, maybe he just doesn’t know how to speak to you after he… you know, abandoned you.”
I groan. “I don’t think he even knows I exist. The Boar didn’t, not until the Game. What would you do, Aves? Would you go find him and have it out with the guy?”
Harley gets out of the shower and interrupts us, kissing me again on his way out. The other two are still out, Blaise snoring and Ash so deeply asleep like always that there’s no chance of waking him with our whispers.
Avery hums under her breath. “I guess I’d want to know. I’d have to. It was the same with Harley, as soon as I knew he existed I had to know him. Once I realized he was another good family member, someone worth having in our lives, then I did everything I could to keep him. Would you keep your father? How the hell are you going to explain the guys to him?”
I shudder. “I don’t need a father. Besides, the way the Boar spoke… I just don’t see us ever having any sort of a relationship. It’s the… brothers I want to meet. The Boar said they were ‘good enough’, whatever the fuck that means. I know we won’t have what you and Ash do but it’d be nice to know them, I guess.”
Avery squeezes my hand again. “So we kill the Jackal, deal with Senior, then we meet your brothers and pray they’re nothing like Joey. Brothers can be deranged serial killers you know.”
She sighs and nods, getting up and heading to the kitchen to start on breakfast. When I see the cookbook out, I know she’s over the panic and we’re back to our regular programing of being her human lab rats at meal times.
The school stays in lockdown, only our family still coming and going as they please because we’re not dumb enough to post shit on the internet about the school or try to sneak out to get high in the groundskeeper’s cottage. Ash goes for a run after breakfast and I snark at Blaise until he finally relents and works on his homework with me. It’s peaceful and soothing for Avery and she only scrubs the bathroom out twice. I’m taking it as a win.
Illi calls me later that day.
"The streets are lined with bodies. There isn't a man, woman, or child in the Bay who isn't aware that the Jackal has lost his shit. The MC was bad, kid. Some of his most blood-soaked work. The pigs are everywhere trying to figure it out but he’s got enough of them in his pocket now Beaumont is working with him that they’re getting nowhere.”
Holy shit. I knew it was going to get bad, I knew he would come after me and my family, but somehow I didn't think his crazy would take over the whole fucking city.
"What's the plan, kid? What are we going to do to fix this?"
I sigh. “I can't leave this up to the Crow anymore. He might know state secrets, he might know about business, but he knows sweet fuck all about dealing with Matteo.”
"He's like a fucking cockroach, kid. He'll survive anything."
I duck into the bathroom so I don’t disturb Blaise and Avery from where they’re still studying together. Avery gives me a look but I smile at her, I’ll catch her up on the important shit later. Harley stalks in after me, not trusting me to keep him fully in the loop too. I roll my eyes at him.
"It's not going to happen with one of the Crow’s attempts. It's going to take you and I going down there and dealing with it ourselves," I murmur into my phone. I scrub a palm over my face and Harley pulls me into his arms, running a soothing hand down my back.