21. Magnus #2
Half of my face turns up in a grin. “Of course, princess.”
“I’m going to kick your ass.” June chuckles gently, the tenseness in her shoulders leaving momentarily.
“Don’t tease me with a good time.”
We both hop out of our respective sides of the SUV and join Dominic and Hayes.
The two of them are chatting but stop when we approach.
Another thing for June to get mad about.
Can these idiots be any stupider? Am I the only one who thinks the key to this entire thing with June is including her, not making her feel like an outcast?
Why would anyone want to stick around when people treat them that way?
I guess if they can’t get their shit together, I’ll confess my love to her, and we can run away, just me and her.
“What’s so funny?” Hayes asks when I let out a laugh I didn’t realize was audible.
Oh, just imagining a fantasy life where June and I live happily ever after. Something that could never be possible, for a multitude of reasons.
“Was thinking about this cat meme I saw earlier.”
“Get your fucking head in the game, Bryant.” Dominic turns to Hayes. “Tell them what you told me.”
Hayes glances between the three of us. “Perimeter is clear. Beckett and the suspected man inside.” His jaw tenses before he continues. “He’s asked for a few minutes alone with June.”
The figurative rug is pulled out from under my feet.
My heart thuds wildly in my chest. The idea of not being there, not having eyes on her, to confirm her safety, it nearly ruins me.
But then an idea sparks, one that will give him what he wants, while maintaining some level of control. “Do you have your phone?”
June pats her pockets, coming up empty-handed. "No, I didn't think I'd need it. Why?"
I point to the other two. “Either of you have yours?” I pull mine out and unlock the screen. Grabbing Dominic’s from his hand, I glance toward the building where Beckett is currently hanging out with a soon to be dead man.
“What are you doing?” June asks me.
The rest of our little group succumbs to whatever plan I haven’t filled them in on yet.
"Give me a second." I push the video chat button on mine, connecting it to Dom's. I hit the mute button on my end and look at June from head to toe. "Turn around."
Her front pockets are small, too small. Women’s clothing is stupid. Maybe if they had bigger pockets they wouldn’t have to carry purses or juggle fifteen things in their dainty hands.
I run my hand over her ass, sliding the phone into her back pocket, leaving the camera part exposed to the outside world.
I’d rather have a different vantage point, but this should allow us to hear everything that does go down and give us the advantage we need to intervene if Beckett goes against the truce and pulls something.
Granted June wasn’t necessarily written into the rules, it’s obvious if he harms her, consequences will follow.
“You done feeling my ass up?” June looks over her shoulder at me.
“Never, princess.”
The sound echoes through the cell in my hand, confirming that there’s a decent probability this will work.
“We need a safe word; in case you want us to come in sooner.” I shut out the sexual thoughts that come to my mind.
“I can handle Simon. Don’t you think you guys are overreacting?”
Does June still not realize how dangerous the men in her life are? Or does she, and simply not care?
Dominic clears his throat. “June. There is a man in there, tied to a chair, waiting for death to come from any one of the guys standing in front of you. I assure you, we will find great satisfaction from ending his life. It won’t be our first, and it won’t be our last. The guy who brought him here is no different than us.
He is a ruthless, dangerous, selfish criminal, and has little regard for human decency.
He may have some fixation on you, but if you think for a second that it’s comparable to an innocent crush, you are wrong.
Men like us, we are possessive. When we see something we want, we take it.
If we can’t have it, no one else can. Beckett is no exception.
” He steadies his intense gaze on her. “Do you understand?”
June slowly nods her head. “Yeah, I…”
Dominic adds, “Do not forget, Beckett is the enemy. He will use his cunning and charm to persuade you otherwise. He cannot be trusted.”
“And why should I trust any of you?”
“Don’t.” Dominic grips June’s shoulder. “It’s better that way.”
June studies his hardened face and I wish I could do a deep dive into what she's thinking. Each second she spends with us is another that she learns the truth about how brutal we can be. How we have been. How we will continue to be. This life isn’t something you ever escape from.
The things that we’ve done—the sheer number of people we’ve tortured, killed, left for dead.
All in the name of maintaining our reputation, keeping the business at the forefront of our priorities.
The reason we’re still standing when so many others have fallen is because we do what it takes to stay on top.
We are feared, we are powerful, we are lethal.
June has only gotten a taste of what it means to be with us, and yet she’s never once shied away in the face of the unknown. She’s either a fool or a perfect match for our chaotic disaster.
“Are we done here, or is this where you continue to try to ‘scare me straight’?” June uses her fingers to wrap air quotes around her last few words.
I bite at my bottom lip to hide the smirk that would give away the immense satisfaction coursing through me. I fucking adore how she challenges each one of us and refuses to be a sheep, blindly walking its way to slaughter.
“Pineapple,” Hayes announces out of nowhere. “The code word.”
June runs her palm against Hayes’ face. “Cute.” She walks away without another glance and disappears into the old, abandoned warehouse that is identical to the countless others surrounding it.
Far enough from the city limits that people won’t notice the screams of agony of those being tortured inside.
We keep local police’s pockets lined and they stay out of our hair.
At the end of the day, everyone has a price for keeping their mouth shut.
And luckily for us, we have plenty of funds to grease whatever hands we need to.
“You sure know how to keep a man waiting.” Simon Beckett.
“What can I say, I’m a busy woman.” June walks further into the building, the door latching shut behind her. She stops, her body tensing slightly.
My fingertips turn white from the grasp I have on the phone in my hand. Dominic and Hayes both peer over my shoulders, watching the minimal contents of the building we can see from this vantage point.
Beckett’s footsteps approach June, his shadow cast over her. “Is it him? The man who hurt you?”
June sucks in a breath and exhales. “Mmhm.”
“I’m glad I could find him for you.” Beckett pauses. “Something the men you spend your time with were clearly unable to do.” He shuffles closer. “You know…I could give you anything you wanted.”
June stands her ground, unmoving from his advance.
All three of us tense and wait for this to be over. The clock to tick the seconds away and for him to finally reach the point of why he wanted to see her alone.
“Why did you request I come in without them?” June asks the question we’re all thinking.
“A couple reasons, really.” The volume of his voice changes as if he shifts his position. “One, to see the satisfaction on your face at having this man tied up and ready for you. That is definitely something I didn’t want to share with them.”
“And the other?”
Beckett lowers his tone. “Well, you, of course. You’re heavily guarded.
They even tag along when you go to work.
And you haven’t been to your apartment lately, which could only make a man assume you’ve shacked up with them permanently.
Leaving me minimal options if I want to see you.
Of course, I could rely on your weekly girl’s night outs. ”
The sick fuck is stalking her. But am I at all surprised? We’re kindred in that sense.
“Here I am. What do you want?”
Oh June, never ask a man like Beckett something so loaded like that.
Hayes whispers, “We need to get in there.”
“Let him play his cards. She’s got it under control,” I reassure him.
Not to mention, Beckett won’t harm her, not today. He wants the same pleasure we all do. To see the man who hurt June suffer.
Beckett continues. “I want to give you a choice. It’s a simple one, really.”
“Yeah?” June fakes intrigue.
“Be with me.”
June laughs. “You know that will never happen.”
“I don’t know. I can be pretty persuasive.”
“What makes you think I’d ever choose you?”
“It’s me, or death.”
June doesn’t back down, instead, she steps toward him. “Then fucking kill me.”
And on that note, the three of us bolt through the door and enter the building.
Beckett cautiously backs away and throws his hands up in the air. “Easy now, fellas. The truce is still very much intact.”
June turns to us. “Seriously? I was fine.”
I guess June’s definition of fine is telling a psychopath she’d rather die than be with him. No big deal, totally normal. If it weren’t for the cease-fire and thirst for revenge, she’d probably already be dead.
Actually, from the smug look on Beckett’s stupid face, I’d say she just activated some ultimate challenge in his mind. A quest that he will spend the rest of his days on until he finally claims her as his own.
Does he not realize June is an untamable woman? Even if she didn’t care for Dom or Hayes or me, I doubt she’d ever settle for this douche of a guy. Simon Beckett could never be man enough for a woman like June, let alone the vixen that she is. That won’t stop him from trying though.
Hayes positions himself in front of June, his body like a shield blocking the douche rays coming from Beckett.
“You sure you’re okay?” I ask her, my hand resting on the small of her back. I slide it down and click the button on the side of Dom’s phone to shut the screen off.