by J Bree
Everyone is looking at Atticus like he’s some sort of messiah now, the man who survived the Jackal’s many attempts on his life. I wonder how they’d look at Lips if she was here? She always had their respect but something has shifted in the group, like a veil has lifted and they all see the real danger that they’ve been living and working with for all this time.
My words have the exact effect that I intend on them having. The Bear looks at me with that desperate loathing he now cloaks himself in. He lost everything under the Jackal’s reign of mayhem; his business, his money, and his infamy. No one wants to pledge themselves to the crime lord who put everything into the losing side, only saving themselves by crawling back to the Twelve on his belly.
He’s next on my list of members who need to be replaced.
“You can’t just decide not to run the Game! We can’t be the Twelve without twelve fucking members, that’s not how this city fucking runs! And who the fuck are you to speak at this table?”
Illi’s arms uncross and his palm rests over his cleaver, strapped to his thigh in a holster where everyone can see it. There isn’t a man in the room who hasn’t seen him in action and tension thickens in the air.
I let a smirk take over my lips, one I’ve worn my whole life against pathetic men who question me. “I speak for the Wolf. She was very clear about her intentions to have me as a proxy while she was away on business. If you’d like to question this, I should warn you I have full control of her empire in her stead and I’m sure the Butcher would be very happy to deal with a washed up, useless waste of space who shouldn’t be taking up a seat at this table any longer.”
The air leaves the room.
Atticus purposefully doesn’t look at either of us but Aodhan leans forward in his seat until his chest is blocking the Bear from my view. It’s sweet of him but entirely unnecessary. Illi is the fastest man in the room and I’m wearing Kevlar, there’s no need for him to be attempting to protect me.
The Bear is also a pathetic excuse of a man. He’d never go against the Wolf to try to harm me.
The Ox, who has been watching us keenly, says, “He might be all of those things, Beaumont, but he’s also not wrong. This city has been running under the institution of the Twelve for decades, you can’t just change the rules because there’s been a shift in power. Even one as big as the Jackal’s death.”
He glances at Jackson’s wolf insignia tattoo, right there on his hand in black ink because he’s kind of an idiot who doesn’t think things through.
It was a statement, one that got him kudos with the guys, but one we don’t need the rest of the Twelve knowing… not unless we’re going public with our alliances. With the family we’ve been slowly building.
There’s pros and cons to keeping things quiet, but of course he didn’t consider that.
Men.
Atticus looks around the table slowly and then says, “The Jackal’s actions have put a lot of extra eyes on the Bay and that isn’t good for anyone sitting at this table. There’s been Feds here looking into the sudden surge in missing persons and body parts being left on the streets. Now isn’t the time to be running the Game, we should focus on dividing the Jackal’s businesses until the Bay quietens down.”
The Tiger nods along but there’s still a lot of frowning happening in the room.
Aodhan looks around like he’s waiting for someone else to speak up and when no one does he says, “What about the new dealer on the streets? Is no one going to mention the fact that the Jackal’s little plastic baggies have been rebranded and someone is making bank on his product? A lot of money is going in someone’s pocket right now that isn’t a member and with that kind of capital there’s bound to be a new kingpin in town.”
I turn to look at him.
I hadn’t heard of this.
Illi squints at him a little and Aodhan hands him one of the bags. Illi stares down at it for a second, then huffs and turns his hand so I can see it. The cocaine is still there but so is the insignia, only now the eyes have been crossed out with black ink.
Atticus stares across the table at me for the first time tonight and I meet his eyes. It could be nothing. It could be some Mounty kid just making some cash and spending it on nothing but what are the chances of that?
What are the chances that it won’t be the next thing to threaten us all?
Atticus finishes up the rest of the meeting but I choose to keep my thoughts to myself. I need more information. Illi gives me a side-eye and the barest of nods so I know he’s thinking the same thing but when the meeting finally ends, I stay seated.
I’d called ahead and warned the Boar that I needed to speak to him.
The biker president leans back in his chair as we wait for the room to empty around us. Atticus is the last to leave, sharing a look with Illi before he does. Well, sharing a look doesn’t describe it adequately.
He glares and Illi stares him down until finally he leaves.
I’m sure he’s waiting just outside the door but that’s none of my concern right now. I have far more important things to worry about than the man who claims to love me.
“The file you gave me is incomplete. You told the Wolf she has seven siblings. A sister and six brothers. There’re only four siblings listed here and if you add Nate and Poe then that’s six. Who is the seventh?”
The Boar huffs under his breath and makes like he’s going to get up and walk out. “That’s it? That’s what you needed? I’m not telling you shit about the last one. He’s fine, lives a good life, so forget about him.”
I glance at Illi and that’s all he needs to shift and cover the door completely. The Boar looks at him too, his eyes narrowing as he settles back in his seat.
I cross my ankles and link my hands together in my lap. At some point they’re all going to have to change their view of me from the spoiled little rich girl to the woman I really am.
The one who will stop at nothing to get what I want.
I will never be caught off-guard again. I will never ever let some little forgotten piece of our pasts come back to kill us. If Lips has siblings out there, I will know each and every one of them. I’ll study them until I know exactly who they are and what threats they pose to her.
I will never sit at her side in a hospital again.
I take a deep breath and stare down my nose at him. “If you don’t tell me who the last Graves sibling is I will assume you are being non-compliant. I will be reporting back to the Wolf about it. She’ll talk to the Devil, they’re very close these days. Are you sure you want to deal with the repercussions of keeping this information from me?”
The Boar smirks at me, shrugging and glancing back at Illi with that arrogant biker look he’s perfected. “My nephew needs me keeping an eye on Posey, he isn’t going to do shit about me not telling you all my secrets. You’re not gonna find the last sibling and that’s a good thing. He needs to stay the fuck outta this life.”
I want to scream at him but that’s not something I do, so instead I share another look with Illi and motion at the door. “We’ll see. There are a lot of eyes on Poe now, you might find that you’ve become obsolete.”
The Boar smirks at me as he stands. “I’ve been watching out for my nephew for more than twenty years… finding the Wolf ain’t gonna change shit. The sooner you learn that the better. Forget about the other kids, they don’t need a little girl who kills in the shadows in their lives.”
He walks out, glaring at Illi as he passes him by but I stay seated, tapping my nails on the screen of my phone as I think.
I don’t want to think about what will happen if Lips is wrong about Nate. I don’t want to think about what will happen to us all if the Devil changes his tune. We’ve lived under the oppression of being hunted by serial killers before.
I’ll do anything to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
Chapter Five
We leave the warehouse in silence.
I’m busy thinking about everything and I mean, ever
ything. The Graves kids, the new drug dealer, whether the Ox will side with the Bear if things go south, how this will affect Lips, whether I should call her and tell her this now.
Illi drives the car slow enough that I barely notice the city moving past my window, my mind engrossed on what this all means.
I can’t imagine a worse option for a sibling than the Devil himself… so why is the Boar keeping secrets? Why mention the other sibling to Lips in the first place?
Does Nate know who the other brother is?
Too many questions. Speaking to the Boar was supposed to get me answers, not a whole new set of problems and I can feel my skin itching with the frustration of it all. It’s a bit of a squeeze, but I take my blazer off just so I can breathe a little.
Illi chuckles under his breath.
I raise an eyebrow at him. “If you’ve found something funny about this cluster-fuck of a night then please share, I need something to cheer me up.”
We stop at the red light as he chuckles at me again as he side-eyes me. “I’ve never seen you do something as human as struggling to get a blazer off without taking your seatbelt off. Honestly I’m a little hurt you don’t trust my driving enough to just go without.”
I huff at him and fight the urge to fuss with the hem of my skirt. It’s harder to contain my obsessive tendencies when I’m frustrated but joking with Illi makes it a little easier. “I don’t trust anyone in our family when they’re behind the wheel of a car like this one.”
He looks at me with fake outrage. “This is an M5. It’s fucking beautiful, there’s no way you can say shit about it. What, lemme guess, you like those fucking flashy sports cars your brother drives? That’s rich kids for ya, too much money and zero fucking clue about what’s important in a car.”
A giggle bursts out of me. It’s something I’ve heard Ash and Harley argue about a million times, even Blaise chips in when he feels like stirring shit up, and it makes me feel both desolately lonely and completely at home.
I sort of want to cry.
“I’ve gotta say, it’s been a fucking minute since I’ve seen you laugh, Queenie,” he mumbles, and I shrug.
“Not a whole lot to laugh about when I’m being treated like a child by a bunch of entitled men, sitting at a table without a functioning brain cell between them.”
Illi cackles before the grin on his face dims a little. “I’m fucking pissed I didn’t know about the new dealer. I can’t afford to get sloppy. Just because D’Ardo is gone doesn’t mean shit is going to change around here. The Bay is always a melting pot of every type of bad the world has to offer. Remember that, Queenie.”
I nod and frown out of the window. “Did you ever think about leaving? I know your rates; you could have left a long time ago.”
He shrugs. “I couldn’t leave until D’Ardo was dead… and I won’t leave Lips. If she moves somewhere safer than maybe I’ll take Odie back to France but she likes it here too much. She wouldn’t want to leave the kid either.”
I wouldn’t ever leave Lips here either… or Atticus. Being the Crow means that he will always be tied to the Bay in some way and there’s no way I could see him leaving the empire he built from the ground up with nothing but blood and pain and secrets.
If only he trusted me to stand by his side.
My phone buzzes in my hand. I’m expecting a text from Lips about the meeting, or maybe a goodnight message from Ash.
I’m not expecting it to be Aodhan.
I followed the Crow back to your place. Just a heads up that he’s pissed about the meeting and he brought his bodyguard with him.
Luca.
Why do I feel like he’s now stalking me? I don’t want to think about the Jackal any more than I have to and every time Luca shows up my mind gets dragged back to my kidnapping.
“What’s happened? You look sick, what the fuck has happened?”
I clear my throat. “Atticus and Luca are at my house and Aodhan followed them there. I’m just— I don’t really want to see Luca after he found me at the Jackal’s place. I don’t want to see him so naturally he’s everywhere at the moment.”
Illi’s eyes narrow. “If you need me to kill him just say the word.”
I huff out a laugh at him. “Why does everyone keep offering to kill people for me?”
“Something bad happened to you. I might not know what it was but I can see that maybe you need some blood spilled in your name and if that isn’t what you’re up to doing right now then it would be my fucking pleasure to do it for you. That’s what family is for, right Queenie?”
We pull into my driveway to find Atticus out of his car and snarling at Aodhan like he’s the real problem here. Luca is leaning against the car and watching them both carefully and there’s something in his eye as he stares at Aodhan that pisses me off.
Nothing that happened in the Jackal’s torture chamber was Aodhan’s fault.
Illi parks up and takes a deep breath before turning to me. “You’re not yourself lately. I know it, O’Cronin knows it, your family all know it because they’re on the fucking phone to me hourly for updates, and the Crow knows it to. He’s being a fucking asshole about it because he’s a control freak in a fucking suit who can’t ease up his bullshit because the stick is too far up his ass.”
I scoff at him and shake my head. “He’s not like that with me. He’s never acted like this before, he always treated me like I was important and my opinions mattered. The reason I’m furious with him is exactly that! I trusted him and all along he was lying to me. I thought I could tell him anything… and now I don’t know that. So, you add that along to my kidnapping and I’m just— I’m finding my feet again.”
Illi nods and hesitates with his hand on the door handle. “You got ‘em right there. You just need to remember to trust them again, kid.”
The slip-up with the nickname makes my heart clench a little on my chest because I know how protective he is of Lips. I mean, he just admitted not wanting to risk leaving her anytime soon so to know that some part of him feels that protective of me too… that gives me the strength to get out of the car and face whatever it is that Atticus is angry about now.
By the time I get the car door shut, my blazer folded over one arm and my phone clutched in my hand just in case, Atticus is snarling in Aodhan’s face. I only catch the end part of what he’s saying.
“—if you knew there was shit going on. I will have you dead and buried before anyone knows you’re gone, Stag. There wouldn’t be repercussions because they’d never find you. Stay the hell away from her. Avery Beaumont doesn’t belong in Mounts fucking Bay.”
I avoid Luca’s eyes as I stalk forward, ignoring the little grumble that Illi lets out at me getting too close to the snarling men. “Atticus, I am a grown woman who can make my own decisions. If I want to go out for the night I can, with whoever I want to.”
His lip curls but he doesn’t move an inch away from Aodhan. “And what if the drugs are being peddled by the cartel? There are three prominent families in the Bay, each more dangerous than the last. How about you ask the Butcher about what they do to girls they like the look of?”
Bad move.
I cringe before he even takes the first step but Aodhan is faster than them both, moving until he’s standing in front of me like a shield while Illi stalks forward to punch Atticus square in the jaw.
Luca finally reacts, darting forward to stand between them both as Atticus reels back, blood pouring out of his mouth at an alarming rate.
Illi doesn’t move from where he’s now planted in front of them both, the scowl on his face reminds me of the one he wore when we were forced to go down to the skin auctions by the Jackal for a Twelve meeting.
“That’s your one and only warning, Crawford. Mention that shit again and nothing will fucking save you.”
Atticus wipes the blood away from his mouth with the back of his hand, in a very non-Atticus way, and then he turns to me, his voice low enough that I can barely hear it. “I’ve seen
your dead body before. That’s not something I can so easily forget.”
I freeze and my eyes dart away from the blood on the back of his hand to meet his. Cold steely gray, his gaze cuts through me until I find the last bit of my courage is sliced away and my tether to this moment is gone.
“Never again, Avery.”
I swallow roughly and look away, finding Aodhan staring down at me but he glances away as soon as our eyes meet like he’s trying to hide something from me.
Nerves start up in my stomach and I loathe the feeling.
“Nothing would have happened to her. Jack and I were watching her every fucking move, the Butcher was in the area, there was no fucking danger to her. You don’t own her, Crow. She wears the Wolf’s insignia, not yours, and if she wants to come out with me then there’s nothing you can fucking do about it. She’s as safe with me as she is with you.”
Atticus’ lip curls all over again, blood coating his teeth, but he doesn’t get the chance to say a word.
“How did that work out for you last time? Maybe Avery should choose a little more wisely who she spends time with,” Luca drawls, and the air evaporates from my lungs. It’s as though Luca’s words have thrown me into a vacuum and now I can’t fucking breathe.
I need to get out of here before they all see me break.
I walk with a straight back up the steps and into my house without looking back. I shut my mind down completely, walking on autopilot until I make it all the way up the stairs to my bedroom. I know this place so well I don’t have to hit the lights to make it there without breaking anything, I can arm the security alarms from my phone and the moment I do I switch my phone on silent.
I strip out of my clothes and step into my shower with the water cranked up high and just lose myself there.
There’s no hiding myself from the Jackal’s damage now.
Chapter Six
The Jackal’s Lair
“You can kill him or fuck him, the choice is yours.”
My eyes snap to Aodhan’s and his chest is heaving. He didn’t scream once, matter how deep I pushed the knife in. Even with the sweat on his brow he’s still staring at me with clear eyes, like he wants me to do whatever I have to do to survive.