3
I t had been a while since she’d been cornered like this. Ray crossed her arms, a frown on her face as she faced her so-called allies. Fucking imbeciles, all of them, she cursed in her head as Kyle Larsen paced in front of her. His blonde hair swayed with the wind, his eyes narrowed behind his glasses. This close, Ray couldn’t help but admire the boyish handsomeness of his face. With his edged jaw and his bow-shaped lips, Kyle Larsen was the definition of a heartthrob. He had a lean body, one that was stacked with no muscles, and no built-up abs. Kyle was, and always had been, the brains behind all their operations.
Unfortunately, there were times when he was also a blubbering idiot.
“Will you calm the fuck down?” a female voice cut through the tense atmosphere and Ray’s gaze snapped to the girl leaning against the walls.
Verana Smith returned her look with a sharp glare. Ray’s brows furrowed as the other girl made a loud smacking sound and removed a lollipop from her mouth. Her lips edged into a razor-sharp smirk as Ray sighed. Verana Smith, born in India, and brought up everywhere else was hell on legs. Her dark hair was long enough to curl around her round features and compliment her rich, brown skin. Where Ray looked as though she’d been trained like a gods damned acrobat, Verana looked like a soldier. And her beauty was unparalleled. She had a plump body, her curves matching the muscles that Ray never had the motivation to build. Verana smiled at her now, and Ray turned her gaze away, murmuring profanities under her breath .
“We have a rat.” Kyle snarled back at Verana harshly, making the other girl’s brows rise up in surprise, “We need to flush them out.”
Ray sighed.
Kyle’s green eyes cut to hers, and she stopped herself from bristling under the scrutiny of his gaze. She had to keep up her act.
“What?” she asked, forcing that note of nervousness in her tone. Kyle’s gaze softened, and he turned away, murmuring loud enough for her to hear,
“Not her.”
For fuck’s sake.
“Look Larsen,” Verana started, pushing away from the wall, “We always knew this was going to happen. Now’s not the time to cry about it.” Her eyes glittered, making Ray shudder, “It’s time to hunt.”
Kyle shot her a glare at the note of excitement in her voice. But she continued nonetheless,
“Our priority right now?” she inclined her chin in Ray’s direction, and Ray sighed again.
“Is damage control.” She murmured, and Verana clapped,
“Damage Control!”
God, she hated this place.
“So,” Verana said. She always probed Kyle’s brain, willing it to work, willing it to form ideas that could help them out of their messes.
“So,” Kyle repeated, his voice softer now. He wasn’t pacing anymore, was just staring down at his hands with his eyes darting around. Ray could almost hear the gears clucking against one another in his head. She waited. And waited .
Kyle lifted his head, and turned his head slowly in Ray’s direction, a dangerous sort of smile shaping his lips. Ray’s brows rose, and he clapped his hands,
“You wanted to prove your loyalty?” he said, and Ray nodded. The grin on his face widened, “All you have to do is return some favors.”
Not yet, she told herself, not yet.
“Return favors to–” she started innocently, and Kyle’s eyes matched Verana’s and she saw the confidence, the malicious intent in their shared glance.
“They planted a rat between us,” Verana said softly as if she were talking to a child. Ray wanted to spit in her face.
“So, we plant one in them.” Kyle completed as Ray forced the realization to dawn in her gaze, even as her skin prickled with excitement.
Finally.
“I understand.” Ray responded obediently and Kyle’s grin widened. At that moment, as she saw both, Kyle and Verana look at each other with a smile hidden with a thousand knives, she couldn’t help but think about how easy it was. How simple it was to manipulate someone for your own good. She wanted to laugh, wanted to screech with joy at how simply it was all coming together.
It had all begun because of a slip of the tongue.
And it was going to end in pure, unlimited chaos .
“So, what’s the plan?” Verana’s question hauled Ray back to reality. Kyle turned to Ray in response, raising his brows as if asking her the same question .
“Make the alliance official.” Ray said, but their conversation was cut short with a loud thud echoing through the room. The doors behind them slammed open.
Ray whirled to the origin of the sound, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw a man she knew well stride in. He was wearing a three-piece emerald suit that hugged his rugged body. And when Ray finally matched his gaze, she saw that although his hair was dark, his dead green eyes shone far more dangerously than Kyle’s. Ray could feel the excitement jumping in her veins as he stepped through the doors, with his hands tucked in his pockets.
Alessandro Larsen.
Ray almost didn’t notice her walk in behind him.
But then she turned, and Ray saw the back of her silk gown as she closed the door behind her husband and turned on her heels. Ray’s breathing almost turned harsh when Maya Larsen lifted her chin and stepped right beside her husband. Where Alessandro was all rugged, Maya was double. Despite the hatred burning through her blood, Ray couldn’t stop to admire the woman who stepped ahead of her husband in her silk green dress that touched every single curve she bore. Ray wasn’t moving when Maya’s heels clacked close to where she stood.
Kyle had taken his father’s eyes and his mother’s blonde curls. This close, Ray could see the dangerous elegance Maya oozed, as she bent to Ray’s face level and smiled.
Ray didn’t return her favor, and Maya’s smile widened. She stood back up and turned to face her husband, who was eyeing Ray with a scrutinous eye .
“Speak.” Maya’s voice was sharp despite the warm smile on her lips. Ray blinked once and rolled her shoulders, forcing her mind to calm. It was going to be alright , she told herself as she raised her numb gaze to the couple standing ahead.
“Everyone knows about your potential alliance with the Ravens.” She said, not a hint of emotion in her eyes. She raised her chin as Alessandro’s gaze zeroed in on her and she noticed a touch of anxiousness seep into the atmosphere.
Fuck it.
“Once you announce the alliance, you can officially pick me as your mediator.” Ray didn’t bristle as Kyle’s gaze cut to her, but she noticed how Maya’s chin tipped upwards in sudden interest. It gave her the confidence she needed, “It will give me the advantage to approach them. Find their weakest points. And when the time is right,”
“Ruin them.” Maya finished lightly and Ray nodded.
She chuckled lightly and turned to Alessandro, who was rubbing his stubble with a questioning look in her direction. Maya’s smile widened,
“Martin De Santos has been on our asses for a while.” She started, lifting a shoulder in the air, “They think a small group of vigilantes can bring them down. What do they call themselves?” she asked, turning to her son. Kyle smirked and crossed his arms,
“They don’t have a name.”
“Brilliant!” Maya clapped, “He’s afraid of a nameless group. And that’s forced him into a corner. Now’s our best chance to strike.”
Alessandro didn’t avert his gaze from his face, “They say a cornered dog is far more vicious than we expect. They turn and bite you back. ”
It was Kyle who answered, “Desperation is dangerous.” He said and Alessandro turned to his son. Kyle’s eyes narrowed behind his glasses as a small smile curved his lips, “But that doesn’t mean we can’t use it. We simply dangle bait and wait for them to bite.”
“What makes you so sure?” Verana challenged and Ray, who had been silent for far too long, continued in his heed.
“If it is you who has cornered the dog, then it’ll bite you back.” She started quietly, and all their eyes fell on her. One by one. “But if you make them trust you, if you sell those promises filled with lies thoroughly, then they’ll devote their life to you.”
She lifted her head and looked at Alessandro with a maniacal look in her eyes, “And suddenly it won’t matter what you want to do to them. Because they’ll follow you like sheep in a herd.”
They were all silent for a minute.
But Ray knew it had worked. Saw it by the glint of light in Alessandro’s eyes, by the twitch of Maya’s lips, and Kyle’s triumphant look. That’s it , Ray purred, bite the fucking bait.
“There’s a black sheep in that herd though,” Verana said then and Ray looked at her over her shoulder, raising her brows in question.
“Angel De Santos.” She sang and Ray’s gaze flickered so quickly that none of them noticed it, “He’s out for your blood like a hound, what will you do about that?”
“She’ll kill him.” Was Alessandro’s sharp response. Surprised, Ray turned to face the man as he rubbed his stubble again, “Angel De Santos is a smart boy. Has been since a young age. ”
Ray bristled as he continued, “He brought down a major king and took their place.” He turned to face Ray, his smile inching upwards. She couldn’t miss the sparkle in his eyes as he talked about him, “But he isn’t invincible.”
His sharp eyes narrowed, “Give him enough to keep him off our asses.” He said and Ray nodded, “Your job is to strike when they’re the most vulnerable. Not before. Not after. Angel De Santos will be a hindrance in the beginning, but he will be bound by the rules of the alliance.”
It was concerning how Alessandro was so fond of Angel considering they were in different places in this world. Despite that, Ray nodded again and Alessandro turned on his heels, motioning for Kyle to follow him. With a nod in her direction, Kyle strode behind Alessandro and out the doors. As father and son walked out the doors, Maya’s head turned over her shoulder and her brown eyes gazed into Ray’s intently.
This time, when Maya smiled, Ray returned her gesture.
Smiled a razor-sharp grin in return.
* *
“You’ve been staring at that piece of paper for five whole minutes.” A female voice snapped him out of his daze. Almost delirious with the wave of nausea that washed over him as he glanced at the paper again, Angel gulped. He read the words again.
“A festival! Let’s put our differences aside and celebrate. You are invited to our beautiful island for a week.
Join us for a good time, and a life-long of surprises.
After all, it was death that brought us together. Let it not be the thing that sets us apart. ”
“Can they not print a single card without threatening to kill us?” Jack said from beside him incredulously, “This isn’t even an invitation. It’s a demand.”
Angel was going to burst. Any second.
“Look,” a calmer male voice said from the other end of the room, “They’re obviously going to announce the alliance there. They’re making sure everyone hears about it.”
“Who do you think is going to be our middleman?” another female voice said, sounding amused by the entire situation, “I think it’s going to be that girl we went after.”
Jack scoffed from beside him. But he didn’t respond. Just turned to face him as the female voice spoke again,
“Thoughts?” she said, and Angel looked up to see her short hair curl around her. Christina Morris rose a brow in his direction, “What do you think of all this?”
Angel knew he’d been lucky his entire life. He didn’t die when he was supposed to. He’d managed to play the role of the perfect son easily, had mastered it to the point that no one questioned him anymore. But this? This wasn’t luck. This was fate.
And it was going to make his job so much easier.
A slow smile curved his lips as his gaze strayed to Mia Andrews, the girl who was comfortably sitting beside Christina with a cat on her lap, “She is going to be our mediator.” He started and saw her red hair sway back as she tipped her chin upwards, “And it’s going to be the perfect opportunity for them to strike. ”
“Well, your dad is hiding behind their backs like a bloody moron.” Jack drawled from beside him, his British accent curling in disgust, “Who wouldn’t take the opportunity to tear us down?”
“It isn’t going to be easy.” Christina countered, “We are equally as competent as the Lions are.”
“Angel.” Luke’s voice drew him out of his daze again. Angel looked up at his closest friend, who was looking at him through his wide blue eyes. He blinked at the way they narrowed, “What are you thinking?”
Angel took a moment to respond, averting his gaze as he did so. They all let him stir in silence, waiting for him to speak. It had been a while since their enemies had tried to tear them down. Business was booming, regardless of the entire world’s ill fate cursed upon them. The Ravens had been head-to-head with the Lions for a long time. And it had been a while since any of them had tried to provoke a war neither of them wanted.
But then just a year ago, a new sort of hell had descended upon them. There was this nameless vigilante group, made of shadows and people they hadn’t known. And it was these shadows that were slowly dragging all the small businesses back to the hell they deserved to be in. They were slowly building up. Tearing down the smallest gangs. And using those bodies to climb their way up the ladder.
Angel hadn’t been worried until last year. When they’d finally struck the Ravens. And had managed to bring down an entire pillar that held them up. Angel had spent the entire year working, while his father turned to every corner, in search of ways to build back the business they’d managed to lose.
The people they’d killed.
He’d played the part, and had cleaned up his father’s mess as he was taught to do so .
Last year had been the lowest Ravens had been since…
Since a while.
They’d managed to survive, with a new curtain of fear draped around them. They were mocked, laughed at, for their foolishness. For their lack of integrity.
And in that moment of weakness, Angel’s father had succumbed to their needs and had gone to the Lions.
It had been their greatest mistake.
Angel hadn’t known when his damned father had run with his tail between his legs to the Lions, but he knew the alliance. Knew exactly what it entailed.
Profits would be shared. People would be used from both sides. And their lifelong rivalry would be put to rest.
In return for the Lion’s protection, his father had gambled his people.
The day he’d known about the alliance was the first and last time Angel had lost his cool. Such a foolish decision. An emotional reckoning that would ruin them. A part of him had been happy. Hadn’t this been what he wanted? The destruction of this ruined empire?
But the people . The homes that would be destroyed if the Lions got their hands upon them. It would be disastrous. Somehow, Martin’s decision had wracked his entire damned plan. A part of him wanted to wage a war against all their competitors. The Lions, everyone, just destroy them once and for all. But he knew he couldn’t do that. Not for a long time.
And now he stood, cleaning his father’s infuriating messes. Angel breathed out and looked up at his inner circle. The people who’d stood by him when he was busy building his entire reputation. So many years had somehow only built their confidence in him .
It provided him with the stability he needed.
Maybe it was that stability that allowed him to truly relish the opportunity the Lions had presented.
He’d have an entire week to find out about the Lions. To discover their ways of work, their ways of life.
To finally gain more information about their wildcard. Although she was a simple spokesperson, after having seen her a few days back, Angel couldn’t let go of the terrible feeling that churned in his chest. It agonized him to think back to the smile on her face, the way her honey eyes twinkled as she shot him.
And purposely missed.
This wildcard, she was a storm. A storm that might finally be their end.
Angel had to figure out how to use her perfectly.
Finally, a small smile curved his lips and he looked up at his friends, “This week is perfect.” He said quietly and saw all of them relax, “We form the alliance. And we adhere to it.”
He heard his friends grumble in response as he turned his calm smile upon them, “It’s okay. I think we can improve by beginning new relations. And by not starting a war with the Lions.”
“Are you sure?” Christina asked and Angel nodded, his eyes blank as he continued.
“I think it’ll do us good to side with them. We could use their profits.”
Jack hummed in response as Angel got up from his seat, brushing invisible dust from his pants to smoothen the material out, “And I think it’ll be a good way to figure out who Raylene Walker is.”
“And how much harm she can really do.”