33. Matthias
Chapter 33
Matthias
I groan, leaning my head against the sofa cushion as I search through Liam’s computer drive. I hacked in before killing him but haven’t been able to trace down who sent him the video. I’ve taken a deep dive through his email network, and it’s the first time I’ve had hope I’ll find anything.
Scarlet’s safety is my priority. Someone who had access to the security film of her killing her father took the time to set her up. I can’t brush it off, but that doesn’t mean I’m not miserable being away from her.
I want nothing more than to go home to my wife, pin her to the wall, and fuck her senseless until she understands exactly how serious I am. The sheer amount of willpower it took to come to my place in the city instead of following her into ours is something I should win an award for.
Not to mention how hot she was blindfolded and handcuffed to me. Did she notice the way she leaned her weight against me? Somewhere deep inside her, she instinctively trusts me to take care of her. Now, I just need her to feel that way all of the time.
“You look pathetic,” Bash says from the large leather chair beside me. I decided to escape to my house, not knowing this annoying ass would show up.
I glance up from my screen, glaring at my youngest brother. I miss when he looked up to me. Then I didn’t have to take his constant shit talking. I’m so looking forward to the day some girl puts him in his place. He won’t know what hit him.
Bash tilts his head. “What are you smiling about?”
Unable to hide my smirk, I say, “How much I’m looking forward to your downfall.”
He huffs through his nose. “What’s that supposed to mean?—”
The encrypted files finally open, revealing exactly what I’ve been looking for. My fingers fly over the keyboard, so close to finding whoever tried to fuck with her. It doesn’t take long for me to hack into the person’s phone, locating them after finding their name.
I jolt up, standing from the couch, already making my way to the door. I shove my phone into my pocket as Bash grips my arm.
“Tell me what the hell is happening. You look like you’re going to kill someone.”
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do. I found the guy that sent the video of Scarlet killing her dad. I’ve got his location.”
“You thought you’d leave without me? I’m coming too.”
A muscle tenses in my jaw, and I give him one last out. “This is going to get messy.”
“Dude, she saved our lives. Plus—” He smiles, and it’s fucking devious. “—she’s my sister.”
He might be my little brother, but he’s all grown up now.
“Where are we going?” he asks, already pulling out a gun from a locked cabinet.
“We’re going hunting.”
“Where did you get the video?” I ask, the tip of my knife grazing down the asshole’s arm. Blood trails the blade, but I’m careful not to cut too deep. He needs to last long enough to get the answer. It didn’t take long to realize he’s just a middleman, which means I need to dig his source out of him. We’ve been at this for the last ten minutes, and the man’s already covered in marks.
“Go fuck yourself,” the man hisses from where he’s leaning against his mangled car. The entire left side is dented in from where I crashed into it, pushing him off the road.
Bash slams his fist into the guy’s gut. “Wrong fucking answer. Try again.”
He smiles up at us, looking entirely too confident for the situation he’s in. “You can’t protect her. He’s got eyes and ears everywhere.”
A shudder rolls down my spine, and my grip tightens on my knife. Knowing for sure someone’s out there wanting to hurt her has all my hair standing on end. I need to find them and shut them down before they can come near her. “Who? I’ll pay you triple whatever he offered.”
He tips his head back, exposing his neck. “You can’t buy this type of loyalty.”
I grab him by the collar, slamming him into the crumpled steel of his car door. “You’re going to tell me, or I’ll fucking kill you.”
“Too late.” Blood pools over his lips, coating his chin and throat as he slumps to the ground motionless.
What the hell? He shouldn’t have died from what I’ve done so far. I’d been saving that for later.
Bash flips him onto his stomach, revealing a long gouge that runs the length of his back. It must have hurt like hell. He’d just been playing with us, waiting out his time until he died.
“Fuck. He’s the only lead I have, and now he’s useless.” I slam my foot into his back, frustration crawling through my veins.
Bash grips my shoulder and pulls my attention to him. “We’ll figure this out. No one’s coming near my sister.”
I turn back to my men, who are cleaning the space. “Bring him to the Vaults. I want everyone to see what happens if they come after my wife.”
Damon and Xander are already waiting when Bash and I show up to the Vaults.
“Why the fuck didn’t you call us.” Damon shoves my robe into my chest hard enough to knock the air from my lungs.
“We had it handled.”
“You had it handled?” Xander yells. It’s so unlike him I take a step back. “You rammed your car into theirs. Do you have any idea how fucking dangerous that was?”
“It worked, didn’t it?” Bash gives Xander a cocky grin, and I have to catch Xander before he can punch his little brother.
“If you’re mad, be mad at me. It was me who brought him, after all,” I cut in.
Damon shoves me again. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m fucking mad at you.”
“They aren’t kids anymore, Damon,” I say.
He glares at me, brows pulled low. “I know that, but ramming a car?”
“There’s more to this than me taking Bash on a joyride. Shady things keep happening. At first, I thought they were one- offs, but now I think they’re all connected. Scarlet’s asshole ex showed up out of nowhere, trying to get her to go with him. I should have found out how he knew where she’d be. I’m still pissed at myself for killing him too fast. Then there’s the attempt to break into her apartment.”
“You’re just telling us this now ?” Xander cuts in.
“Tonight’s the first time I’ve had any semblance of a lead. Liam showed up with a video of Scarlet killing her dad. There’s no way a guy like him should have had access to it, so I’ve been hacking his computer since then. I decrypted his files and figured out who sent it to him. That’s who we were after tonight.”
“Fuck,” Damon whispers under his breath.
I continue. “Before the asshole died, he told us that whoever he was working for had eyes and ears everywhere. Whatever this is, it’s not just about Scarlet’s position.”
“So what now?” Xander asks.
“I won’t let her leave my side until we figure this out.”
“We’ll help—” Bash starts, but we’re cut off by two men carrying the bloodstained body down the stairs.
Damon whistles under his breath. “You really beat the shit out of him.”
“You’d have done the same.”
“I fucking did.” Dark eyes that match mine gleam, and for a moment, I regret not cutting off this fucker’s cock.
We put on our gold wolf masks but don’t bother with the hood. There isn’t a single person in there who doesn’t know who we are.
Xander and Bash each take one of the unconscious man’s arms. Our guards aren’t able to follow us into the Vaults. Instead, my brothers drag him through the aisle, leaving a trail of blood. All eyes are on us as they take in the scene. It’s a show of power, one that can’t be mistaken for anything else.
I take the no longer breathing body from my brothers and turn it so it faces the crowd. His back propped against the dais beneath where our throne-like chairs sit.
Blood pools from his mouth, ears, nose. The red slashes from the cuts down his chest are easily seen through his open shirt.
No one steps forward to claim the man, knowing full well they’ll be pinned right beside him.
My brothers take their seats, overlooking the crowd, but all eyes are on me as I walk to the edge of the dais and press my foot into the back of the soon-to-be dead man’s head. “This is a reminder of what happens to anyone who fucks with us. You’re going to wish you had it as good as this guy if you so much as think about coming after what’s mine.”