Antidote (Beasts of Prey Book 1)

by LC Lehesaho

  But not her.

  Cobra adjusts the rearview mirror and glances to the back seat. "What the hell happened? Did someone set it?"

  "Yeah, Molotov cocktails," Bear answers and tosses the wires into my lap.

  "We've been tracked," Falcon adds. "You got napkins in here? I think I owe Luke a car wash after this."

  Cobra glances to the back again, but not me. Not even once. "Yeah, I think you do." She nods toward the glove compartment. "There's napkins in there, give them to her."

  Still not looking at me. I do as told, even though I want to say fuck no until she looks at me and actually acknowledges my presence.

  "But did you say tracked? What's that?" Cobra makes a gesture to the wires and looks at Bear.

  "It's a bug. A chick gave Bear a blow job, and she was wearing that," I answer, staring straight at her. "Someone was listening to us the whole time."

  "The guy I sliced was taking photos." Falcon waves a phone in one hand, and in another, she has... a cut-off finger. "He started to run right before the first cocktails flew in. I'm sure we'll get some info out of his phone."

  "Stop waving that in here!" Cobra scowls at her sister, throwing one hand in the air. "It's bad enough there's blood on the seat, don't splatter it around."

  "Luke's going to be pissed at you," she snickers back.

  "No, he won't," Cobra answers, and my blood starts to boil at the way she talks about him.

  "Can we just fucking focus?" I growl at them. "We've been fucking tracked, someone burned another one of our clubs, and you're talking about some son of a bitch."

  I know why Falcon has trouble focusing; her eyes are almost entirely black, so she's taken something more than just booze or weed, but Cobra? She's sober as a fucking nun. When I drop my eyes from her face, I realize that she's wearing an oversized hoodie which ain't hers. My heart is pounding out of my chest, and anger is swirling in my veins like poison. There are so many ways I want to kill the Aussie now.

  "I spoke to Dad when I got the alarm on my phone about the club. He's going there right now with Wolf, and he knows I came to pick you guys up. Puma is at home," Cobra tells us, not bothered in the least by the anger in my voice. "What happened to the bug chick?"

  "Tiger killed her," Bear states generously from the back seat. "I seriously thought that you were gonna fuck her when you massaged her ass."

  Now, Cobra's knuckles turn to white as she squeezes the wheel, and her jaw tightens as she grits her teeth. Seeing that makes me feel a helluva lot better.

  "Before or after she was dead?" Falcon asks, humor dripping from her voice.

  I give her a scowl. "Fucking idiot, what do you think? Do I look like I wanna fuck corpses?"

  "You might." She giggles. I just want to smack her on the head.

  Cobra slams the brakes with force, and I have to take hold of the dashboard, so I don't fly into the windshield.

  "Ah, home sweet home." Bear claps his hands together, as Cobra jumps out of the car, not waiting for a second.

  I get out and fold the seat back so the two dorks can climb out of the Aussie's car. Cobra is almost at the front door, so I have to jog after her before she goes in. I grab her arm, stopping her dead, and finally, she turns to look at me. I can almost hear her screaming at me. It's all over her face.

  "A word with you, sis."

  37

  "Um, no," I answer and jerk my hand away from Tiger's hold.

  Bear and Falcon are just passing us, so I take my chance and hook myself to my real brother's side, and just like I thought, Bear wraps his arm around me. Tiger clenches his jaw as he scowls at me over the move, and I know he feels the urge to jerk me back to him. He knows the consequences, so he doesn't.

  I hear his stomping footsteps behind us, probably steaming like the devil himself. But the fact is that we're not focusing on us right now because bigger things are going on. And besides, he is drunk as fuck, I saw it from the first look at his eyes.

  These last few days that I've been with Luke has been weird, but eye-opening. We've had so much fun, as friends, nothing more. Luke is fantastic; we have been cooking, eating, watching movies. It's been like a vacation.

  Or maybe more of a rehab for my addiction to him.

  Okay, the rehab didn't work, I still want Tiger.

  And now I'm back in my life, watching as Falcon throws the detached finger to the side table in our shared kitchen and strides over to pour herself a drink.

  Yes, home sweet home.

  Bear hugs me before joining the liquor hunt, and I take my place at the dining table. I'm slightly surprised that Tiger isn't coming to sit next to me. Instead, he walks to Bear and Falcon and takes the whole bottle of Goose from the liquor cabinet and leans his back to the counter, sinister eyes on me as he takes a long swig.

  Puma makes an entrance to the kitchen. "Well, you people know how to have fun, huh?"

  Falcon starts to open the phone with the detached finger. "A little mayhem never killed anyone."

  "Agree to disagree, you just killed a man," Bear states, and claps a hand on Tiger's shoulder. "And here's another one who raised the body count tonight."

  "I do not appreciate that. Wolf called and briefed me, so we’re being followed?" Puma tousles my hair as he sits beside me. "Nice to see you, sis."

  "You too." I fist bump him and focus on Falcon, who waves the phone in the air as a victory.

  "Yes! It's open!" Then she starts to scroll through it, blowing a bubblegum bubble. "Oh, shit. This is not good."

  "What?"

  "What is it?"

  "Show me."

  Everyone talks simultaneously, and she hushes the guys and shoos them away from blocking her view of the screen.

  "There are tons of pictures of us, all of us."

  Puma takes his cap off, turning it to face backward, and curses under his breath. Bear crosses his fingers behind his head, looking at the ceiling, and Tiger... keeps looking at me.

  "This is bad," Falcon sighs. "So. Fucking. Bad. Someone has been tailing us, practically all the time."

  "What about the contacts?" Bear asks, peeking at the phone.

  "Wait a sec," she answers and slides her finger on the screen. "Well, hello there." She lifts her eyes to me. "Do you remember the guy I fucked a couple of weeks ago when we were at Zero?"

  I rub my forehead, trying to bring back his face. "Uh, yeah, the tattooed guy with a mohawk?"

  Falcon points at me with her index finger. "Yes, mister thick dick. Was his name Navarro something?"

  The other guys stare at us with blank looks on their faces, but she is right. I accidentally saw his dick, and it was packed. I nod. "Yeah, I remember him. Max Navarro."

  "The fucker," she sighs. "What a shame that I have to cut off that beautiful cock. He's on the contact list and has been texting with the four-fingered guy." She jumps off the counter, taking the phone, finger, and tequila bottle with her. "I'm gonna do some research, get an address, and sharpen my blades to get ready to make some dicky-rolls."

  "I get goose bumps from the vision." Bear covers his nether regions with his hand. "You don't have to talk about slicing cocks, okay?"

  "Oh, please, brother of mine, as if you haven't done it once or twice yourself," she throws back and makes her way out of the kitchen.

  "By fucking accident!" he shouts to her back and then shrugs at us. "It really was, the fucker moved, and my blade slipped. Accident."

  "You're a sick fuck, Bear, did you know that?" Puma sighs and gets up. "I'm gonna get high. Call me if something else comes up."

  "Like you aren't high enough, stoner," Bear counters.

  "You still fucking disgust me, so apparently, I'm not."

  At that, he leaves, and Bear knocks Tiger's side with his elbow. "See what I have to put up with?"

  "Don't drag me into your drama," he retorts, keeping his shimmering eyes on me. The booze is becoming more obvious, and I would bet that it's not his first bottle. Tiger can be hard to handle when he is sober, but wh
en he's drunk? Impossible. That's why I'm not going to exchange a word with him until he is sober.

  "Whatever." Bear gives him a buzzkill look and turns to me. "We need to talk, sis."

  I hope to god, it's not about Tiger. "Sure thing."

  "No, we need to talk first." Tiger cuts in and starts to come around the table like he's going to pick me up like groceries. I wouldn't be surprised if threw me over his shoulder. Been there, done that.

  I jump up and speed walk from the other side of the table to Bear, wrapping my arm through his. "You were first, let's go."

  Tiger throws his hands in the air, frustration leaking out of him in waves. "What the fuck, you kidding me?"

  Bear snickers. "Winner winner chicken dinner, bro, my thing is certainly more important than yours."

  Tiger's eyes shoot daggers at me when I walk out with Bear, but I ignore him. I'm not afraid of him or dying in general, but I'm not keen on playing with mine or Luke's lives right now when Tiger is wasted. Not that he would ever kill me on purpose, but... He quickly forgets how strong he is when he's mad, let alone drunk, which is probably why the bug chick is dead.

  Tiger is not into bloodshed, his tolerance for killing is just really low.

  Which is something that must be associated with his past.

  My sneaky research while I was at Luke's place has increased my knowledge a little. After hours of Googling, I found an article that mentioned Tiger, at that time, he was Anthony Hernandez. It was about a woman who had been in a car accident with her children, Anthony and Amelia Hernandez. She died in the hospital due to her injuries. It had been on the twelfth birthday of her children, who were twins, and that information shocked the shit out of me.

  I'm a hundred percent sure his sister is dead, but I don't dare ask about it again. Not until I've gained more information about what went down after their mother died.

  "Let's go to my apartment, this requires privacy," Bear states while guiding me through the foyer to the staircase.

  The hairs on the back of my neck stand up in a second. "What's this about?" I focus on keeping up with his long strides and wonder if he just doesn't realize that his pace takes effort to keep up with or if he's mad at me about something.

  "I need someone I can talk to. I already spoke with Tiger, but you know him, annoying as fuck."

  I have no clue what he's talking about. All I hope is that it has nothing to do with me, or there will be chaos in the mansion, and it's not something we need on top of the shit that happened at Purgatory.

  As luck would have it, Bear's phone starts to ring, and I dodge the pressure of responding to his comment about Tiger because I have no clue what to say.

  "What?" he answers, edgier than I've heard him for a long time.

  I look at his profile from his side while we walk to his door. Bear looks a lot like Dad, way more than my other brothers. He's like a replica. They have the same picturesque face, except that Bear has broken his nose like a million times, so his nose is crooked at the bridge, but it adds character. They have the same shade of golden blond hair, almost the same stylish cut, but what separates them is their eyes.

  I don't know how the fuck it's possible, but Bear's eyes look almost black because they're so dark. His mother died giving birth, so I have no clue what she looked like.

  Bear talks on the phone, mostly saying yes or no, and when we get to the hallway, he points to his living room and goes to the kitchen himself.

  He's always loved black, and it shows in his decor too. Black leather couch, black carpet, black curtains... It's like goddamn Dracula's home. On the other hand, his affinity for spilling blood matches too.

  The leather couch creaks underneath me as I sit on the other corner, wondering whether I should be worried. I cross my legs, slightly nervous, and check my phone, where there is one text from Luke. Quickly I type a response telling him that it's all fine, and I'll bring his car back tomorrow. Or maybe not, because it needs to be cleaned.

  "Well, fuck me, what a night," Bear huffs as he suddenly appears next to me, making me jolt. He sits beside me, handing me a drink which contains something—surprise, black.

  "Thanks." I take a sip and recognize that it is his favorite, the salty licorice liquor he orders from Europe. The taste is actually quite good once you get used to it, a bit thick with a nasty kick, but there's a sweet edge. "So, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

  He sinks into the couch, crossing his legs at the ankle, and takes a gulp staring straight ahead. "Rose is pregnant."

  I almost spill my drink because I was just taking a swig when his words sink into my brain. I gape at my brother, eyes wide. "Oh. My. God. You're having a baby?"

  "Looks like it, yeah." His blackish eyes come to mine. "I don't know what to think about it. I'm not... ready for that."

  I abandon my drink to the coffee table and swing my arms around Bear's neck. "I don't know either, but I'm so fucking happy! A baby! We are having a baby!"

  Bear wraps his arms around me, and I feel him letting out a long breath. "Fuck, sis. I'm gonna need that enthusiasm of yours to survive this."

  I laugh out loud. "You're an idiot, bro, did you know that?"

  "Why does everyone keep saying that? I'm not, I'm just fucking honest."

  I can't deny that, even though he might sometimes be cruel, but Bear never sugarcoats anything. It's one of his rare good qualities, even if it's irritating most of the time.

  I drop back to my seat, smiling from ear to ear. "You know, I’m gonna be the best aunt ever."

  Bear pinches my cheek. "No doubts, sis. And hey, this is a secret, so keep your mouth shut, okay? Tiger knows, but no one else."

  "Yeah, of course." I place a hand on my heart. "I promise not to tell anyone."

  "By the way, Dad called. Falcon has Max Navarro's address. You and I are going on a road trip tomorrow." He pulls on a crooked smile. "Falcon is banned from the job, too personal, but you’d probably recognize the guy, right?"

  I nod. "Sure. Is it far?"

  "We have to stay at a hotel for one night, so yeah."

  "Carpool karaoke!"

  Bear laughs. "Keep dreaming, I'll put you in the trunk if you sing, and no eating in my car."

  "Then we'll take my car." I tip my chin up.

  "Meet me in the middle, the Explorer." He gives me his hand.

  I grab it. "Deal."

  "Umm, darling?" Luke watches me warily. "These are not my car keys."

  I wave my index finger in the air. "About that... your car is okay, but it just needs a little bit of a cleanup, so... I'll bring it to you when I get back. Our guy handles it, don't worry."

  "What do you mean by a cleanup?" His eyes widen. "Don't tell me you had a body in there."

  "No! Of course not!" I shake my head. "There wasn't a dead body inside—just a bit of... blood. It's all good."

  "Jesus Christ, whose blood?"

  "Luke, take it easy, our guy is very good." I convince him. "Even Horatio wouldn't find any traces after he's done. Trust me."

  He drops his head back and takes a breath. "Okay, I don't want to know. Better if I don't know, right?" His eyes come to me as he dips his chin.

  "Yeah, you don't need to know anything." I give him a quick hug. "Thank you for being so amazing. Let's go to the movies when I get back."

  "And remember that you promised to let me teach you how to surf. It's next on our activity list." Luke smirks and pinches my nose when we separate.

  "Cobra, c'mon!" Falcon's voice comes from her Mercedes, cutting into our moment. "I'm busy!"

  I throw my hands in the air and give her a murderous look. "Shut up!"

  "I think there is something in your water 'cause you're all a bit grumpy." He laughs when Falcon honks the horn. "You better go." Then he glances at my pink Jeep. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

  I smack his shoulder gently. "Hey, it's a reliable machine. Believe me, boy." I walk backward to Falcon's car, throwing him finger guns. "I'll call you."

  "
Get the fuck in, and let's go!" Falcon snaps at me.

  I've concluded that she's having one of her crusty-hangovers. She's probably disappointed that she can't deliver the payback to Max Navarro and slice him like a sushi roll. Another thing is that she has to go to class, and I get to go on a road trip. That’s not her idea of fair and square. Anyways, Falcon doesn't speak much on our way back home.

  After a tense ride back home, she stops her Mercedes behind the Explorer, which is waiting in our yard. I've already packed my things in the SUV so we can get going straight away.

  "Thanks for the ride," I say to Falcon when I jump out. "Hold down the fort."

  "Sure, have fun, and cut him for me, will you?"

  "Fine, for you, cray-cray."

  I check my phone as I walk to the Explorer and jump in the passenger's side. After I pull the door closed, I realize that the music isn't quite right... “Alone in A Room” by Asking Alexandria is playing, and Bear hates it.

  Slowly I turn my gaze from the phone and look to my left.

  "Surprise."

  38

  "How the fuck are you here?" Cobra demands, her brows snapping into a tight line as she stares at me from the passenger's seat.

  "I changed places with Bear, obviously," I answer, and roll the Explorer out of the yard. It took some blackmailing, Bear doesn’t want anyone to know about the baby yet.

  Shitty move? Yes.

  Do I care? No.

  I've been fucking up recently, more often than I can count, so having Bear mad at me is the least of my problems. Everything I've done has taken me in the wrong direction, further away from her.

  She's been running away from me.

  It's not right because all I need is her. She is everything.

  And I've been pushing and pushing, but clearly from the wrong end. I need to change something, try something else, so I stop hitting my head against the fucking wall. I realized it this morning when I woke up in Cobra's hallway with a motherfucking hangover and found out later that she'd been sleeping on Bear's couch because she doesn't have a lock on her door. Yeah, she knows me, and it was a smart choice. Fortunately, she doesn't know that I was sleeping in her apartment.