Jace
Daniel’s breath comes in short, panicked gasps. His back scrapes against the alley wall where Kieran pins him, one hand fisted in his collar, the other held loose at his side like he’s still deciding whether to break bones or end it fast.
I’m not in a rush.
“Please,” Daniel chokes, eyes flicking between the three of us, for once not seeking out Eris. “You don’t understand—”
I slam my fist into his gut; no need for understanding his perspective. We’ve seen enough.
He folds like a cheap suit, the sound leaving him wet and choked.
Silas steps forward, grabbing him by the hair and yanking his head up, forcing Daniel to meet our eyes. “You showed up where you weren’t wanted.”
“You followed her,” Kieran adds, his voice quiet as his anger teeters on the edge.
“I didn’t do anything—”
“You did everything,” I snap, finally losing what little patience I was holding onto. “You made her look over her shoulder. Lose trust in her system. Fear making the wrong decision while needing to protect herself.”
My fist lands again, this time against his ribs. There’s a crunch that causes Daniel to cry out, but he bites through it as quickly as he can.
Silas stares down at him, devoid of emotion.
Kieran’s eyes settle on me. “He’s done.”
I nod once, jaw tight. “Agreed.”
Daniel slides down the wall, coughing, blood smeared across his mouth and chin.
The last few minutes have felt like hours, each of us taking turns to beat the shit out of him.
But it isn’t enough. I understand now why Eris wants him to stop breathing, though I also see why she needed more privacy to get it done.
Dude is a talker. He won’t shut the fuck up.
Silas has knocked out three of his teeth, and still the idiot keeps running his mouth.
I crouch in front of him, tilting my head as if he’s something under glass, a problem already solved.
“You should have disappeared when you had the chance.”
He spits blood at my feet. “She’s not worth all this.”
I smile at him and nod. “That’s where you fucked up.”
Daniel is no longer our concern. He’s reached his expiry date.
I turn toward our girl and her best friend, where they sit in the open hatch of my SUV.
Roo is behind Eris, legs wrapped around her waist like a monkey on her back, as she sips something violently pink through a straw. I’m not sure if she’s even bothered to look up from her phone, but they both knew exactly how this would end.
Eris has a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. I almost want to call her expression triumphant. She could have shot him as soon as we were in the alley; she didn’t because she wanted to teach him a lesson first. Or that’s my running theory.
It’s that or the violence is a turn-on.
Neither option hurts my feelings.
I meet her eyes, holding her gaze. “Is it your turn now? Or do you want us to finish?”
Eris slides out of the back of my SUV, and Roo follows behind her. I don’t know how I didn’t notice her gun in her hand until now, but she studies it like it’s new as she prowls toward Daniel.
“I’m almost disappointed he couldn’t take a beating better than this,” she mumbles to Roo, looking right at Daniel.
“It is sad, isn’t it,” Roo agrees. “Kind of wasting a bullet when he’s a few more hits from choking on his own blood.”
“Rock, paper, scissors?” Eris inquires.
Her best friend grins, holding her hand out. “One, two, three.”
“Paper.”
“Damnit!”
Eris grins at her. “You always choose rock. Pick something else.”
“I panic,” Roo all but growls in frustration. “Why do you always pick paper?”
“Because I know I’m going to win.”
“There’s only three things to pick from,” Roo argues.
Eris holds her finger up, as if she’s pausing the conversation. She tips her head, and they both stare at a wheezing Daniel.
Her shot is so quick, I miss her moving the gun. One second, her hand is limp by her side, and then it’s pointed directly at Daniel’s forehead, a bullet already lodged in his skull.
The sound hits my ears before blood oozes down his face.
“He won’t be a problem again.” Eris turns to me, her voice soft and sharp all at once. “Roo’s brother will do the rest.”
“Ivan?” Silas asks.
Roo glances at us, eyes narrowed as if she doesn’t want to answer. “Yes. He’s waiting for us to leave because I skipped dinner for this, and he doesn’t want to deal with me.”
Eris huffs a laugh. “You said you had tacos for lunch.”
“I did not,” Roo insists.
“Liar,” Eris mutters with a grin. “We could have ordered dinner.”
I shake my head and herd them toward the vehicle. “How do you get any work done if this is a usual night?”
“We manage,” Roo tells me, but Eris just smiles as if it’s the biggest secret she’ll never tell.
Kieran sits in the passenger seat and turns to frown at the girls. “I’m never doing recon at a bar again.”
Silas snorts, but it sounds like we’re all on the same page.
“Agreed,” I tell them. “Especially if she’s taped into a bikini top.”
“It’s a backless top,” Eris explains. “Not a bathing suit.”
“It’s hot, and none of us are trying to get stabbed for touching you in front of your bestie,” Kieran pops back. He glances at Silas and grimaces. “Again.”
Eris and Roo cackle like lunatics as I pull the SUV away from the alley and the dead body. A giant blond man slinks through the shadows, there and gone, as he collects the last of our problems.
Ivan, I hope.
But the girls aren’t worried.
It really hits me as we drive away…
They’re above the law.
Protected by their boss.
Incredibly insane.
And Eris is ours.