25. Chapter 25 - Layrin
Chapter 25
W aking up the next day, I felt fully refreshed. After so much turmoil, so much worrying, the push and pull with the guys, I was finally feeling at peace.
Carefully getting up, I looked back at the bed. The boys were out cold, smiles on their faces. Even though they’d taken care of me last night, they hadn’t expected anything in return, just wanting to make my night restful since I’d been having nightmares.
I wanted to do something for them. I wanted to cater to them. Thinking about breakfast, I realized that I didn’t know much about how to cook, but I could definitely go pick something up.
Blowing kisses at their sleeping faces, I crept out of bed, grabbed some leggings, boots, and an oversized sweater. Twisting my hair into a messy bun, I snuck out of the house and took the car.
First stop: the restaurant. I saw a cute mom and pop dinner on the way back to the house that I wanted to try. I got one of everything, wanting to make sure the guys would be nice and full and have whatever they wanted. That took about twenty minutes, and my phone started blowing up while I was on the way to the second stop. The three of them were calling and texting me like the world was ending.
Pulling up to the coffee shop, I got out and picked up. “Hello?”
“Where do you think you're going?” Roux growled.
His question was followed by a panicked Ravi. “Whatever we did, we can fix it! Just come back!”
“Wait, wait, wait,” I said, trying to calm them down since I was obviously on speaker now.
“No, Rin. I think we’ve waited long enough. When we find yo—”
I interrupted before this got out of hand. “Who said I'm trying to get away from you?!”
They finally paused, and I continued with a sigh. I didn't know this would be that big of a deal. “You guys seemed tired, and I didn’t want to wake you. I thought since you three took such good care of me last night, I would surprise you with breakfast and fancy coffee in bed.”
Silence greeted me until Ravi's confused voice broke it. “Wait, so you're… You’re not trying to leave us?”
I laughed this time, a good long one, before I replied. “No. At this point, I know it would be useless, even if I wanted to. I just wanted… to do something nice for you guys.”
They were silent again, but it felt uncertain. It only reminded me that they'd experienced very little kindness in their lives and made me want to do even more for them.
“I have breakfast already, and I just got to the coffee shop down the road. I'll be back in ten minutes.” Walking into the shop, I saw the line and amended my estimation. “Maybe more like fifteen.”
“We have a coffee maker at home,” Rion's curt voice said, and I giggled. So impatient.
“No, that's a cappuccino maker, Rion. Not everyone in the house likes cappuccinos.” Over the past three months, I’d noticed that hardly anyone but Rion touched the cappuccino maker, seeing that Roux usually made himself tea and Ravi would grab either a soda or a cold sugar bomb coffee from a coffee shop.
Ravi's mischievous voice came through the line. “My love, have you been watching us?” The glee in his voice was contagious, but I bit my lip to keep from smiling too wide, not answering him.
“Well, this feeling is different. Going from the watcher to the watch-ee. It's actually kinda nice.” I could picture Ravi rubbing his chest, eyes dazed. Rion would be looking down in confusion, while Roux's frown grew deeper the happier he was. That picture alone gave me butterflies.
“I'll be home soon.” Blowing them a kiss, I hung up. I needed to get off the phone before I said something ridiculous.
Getting to the counter, I put in the order and waited for the four cups before taking them to the car. Luckily, I managed to dig out the keys one handed without dropping anything. Getting the door open was another feat, but I made it work. I set the coffee on the seat next to me before looking down to grab my seat belt.
I wasn't paying attention until a set of arms wrapped around my neck like a boa constrictor. Clawing at my attacker’s arms, I desperately tried to pull them away to get just a fraction more air, but it was no use. The grip became tighter and tighter as my lungs burned and my vision blurred.
The guys were going to freak out when I didn't come home soon. In a split second, my hand brushed against the smooth surface of my phone. Grabbing it while I was still conscious, I slipped it into the side of my tall boot, hoping that Rion might be able to trace it.
As my vision lost its battle with the darkness, I sent out a silent plea. Please, come find me.
***
“Get up, get up!” My head snapped to the side as the sting on my cheek woke me up. I went to cup my cheek, but my arm wouldn’t move. A few useless yanks helped me realize I was tied to a chair with my arms behind my back. What the hell? Why do I keep getting kidnapped?! The guys are never going to let me out on my own again!
I wasn't that surprised when I saw Neil standing in front of me, arms open, smiling like a used car salesman. I didn’t want to look at him for longer than necessary, so I took a moment to survey my surroundings. It looked like I was in some kind of security surveillance room, one side featuring a bay of monitors, a large control panel, and a row of metal shelves along the wall. Several buckets on the shelves were labeled with chemical names I couldn't pronounce, but I had no trouble understanding the toxic sticker on all of them. The oddest part was seeing several dirty shovels in the corner, along with gardening gloves and a body lying right next to the wall. The air smelled of fresh dirt and leaves, and my mind wracked itself for an explanation until I thought back to the place the boys told me they buried bodies: the forest reserve.
That’s not good.
“There’s the little bitch of a princess. Welcome!” Neil came closer, showing all his teeth like a predator about to feast. I should have known that confrontation at the gathering was going to bite me in the ass.
“Fine, Neil.” Rolling my eyes, I kept my tone sharp and precise, pretending to be cocky and sure. “You can have all the territories. I don’t care.” If that was what he needed to feel like a big man, fine. I was going to ask the guys for help with that anyway.
He chuckled and came closer, swiping at his suit like it had some invisible dirt on it. “Oh, no. The time for that deal has passed, and now that I’ve had time to think, I came up with an even better solution. Killing two birds with one stone if you will.”
What the fuck is he talking about? I tried to figure out some answers, breathing so hard it caused my chest to rise and fall rapidly. Something felt wrong. Why was he so happy? Killing two birds with one stone… That meant it had to have something to do with the triplets, but what?
As my worry turned into panic, I began to twist my wrists, trying to find some space to work with. My skin began to burn from the friction, but my bindings weren’t loosening. I thought about all those Foedus rules and remembered that I was on the council.
“What could you possibly do to me?” Sticking out my chin, I glared at him. “You can’t kill me. It's against Foedus rules!”
His lips curled up into a sinister smile, one that made my blood freeze. “That's only if you get caught, little girl, but you see…” He leaned over me, his shadow blocking out the light, causing his beautiful face to become a garish mix of light and dark planes. “This wouldn't be the first time I’ve killed the head of a family.”
He twirled my hair around his finger. “The trick is to never leave loose ends. Since the council doesn't care about us killing anyone but the head families and their direct descendants, it's quite easy to keep everything nice and quiet.”
With his other hand, he cupped my face. “Especially when they don’t have any family support to skulk around, to look into the deaths, to get revenge.” His hand lowered, circling around my neck, and his fingers began to dig in, slowly, maliciously closing up my airway. “That's why it was so easy to kill your parents.”
My eyes flew wide as I choked back my curses. He killed my parents?
He curled my hair around his finger then quickly closed his hand into a fist. With a sharp movement, he yanked my head back, my scalp screamed in pain as my roots were being yanked out. “I can see it on your stupid, pathetic face.” His voice went up an octave to mimic a female voice. “Why did you do it?” His hand gripped my chin, digging his nails into my face, mashing my cheeks together as he screamed, “Because your mother and father were weak, and I wanted their territory!”
He let go of me, kicking my chair back as he laughed. My head slammed into the floor, and my eyes rolled back into my head as pain radiated through my skull. My body ached all over, and my limbs started to tingle. It was just no use. Even with my limbs awoken by the slam to the floor, I couldn’t get out of here.
“Car accidents are the easiest to manipulate. When they take it in to be serviced, the tech loosens the brakes, then you just have to kill him. Next, make sure the intended victims are assigned a job that takes them up a dangerous road. Find a weak-minded local at a bar close by and spike their booze so you increase your chances of someone hitting them. Then kill the local and his family.” He recited this so proudly, so calmly, that instead of feeling scared, I was growing more and more angry.
“Sometimes it's more like Russian roulette as to when they’ll get hit, which means we need a back-up plan. So, the same tech that loosened the brakes must also add an explosive that will go off as soon as the car is hit, ensuring that all the evidence burns up, even if it’s a small fender bender.” He cocked back his foot, bringing it down toward my face. I lifted my chin just in time so his heel connected with my shoulder. My body slammed into the cold, hard concrete, pain exploded everywhere, being the only thing I could focus on.
“And that, my dear, is how to kill a high-ranking member of Foedus. Even if people suspect something like foul play, where is the evidence?” He giggled until he tilted his head, his expression growing severe. “But now I know the only crack in my master plan was not knowing about you .” He lifted his foot and kicked me in the stomach.
Crying out, my body's instinct to curl up into itself was prevented by my arms and legs being tied. Bile rose up, threatening to come out, but clenched my teeth, biting down hard as I kept it down. The burn of acid in my throat causing me to gag. My internal darkness rose, trying to dull the pain, but it was too much. The pain came from everywhere. My head pounded, a headache working its way around my skull, and I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open.
“You know, you're a cold bitch.” He glared down at me like I was a bug. “I was expecting you to be a blubbering mess over your parents’ death. I was looking forward to you being a wet snot-covered idiot by the time they got here.”
Cracking open an eye, I glared at him. I wasn't going to admit that what he’d said hurt, that an ache in my heart had burst forward for my dead parents. I’d always resented them, thinking they’d chosen to leave me alone in this world, but that wasn't true. It was all because this sick fuck wanted more territory. It was maddening, but I kept that shit locked up tight. I wasn't going to let him use me for the show he wanted to put on. I was stronger than that, I had to be to protect the guys.
This was just another way to get to the boys, to break them. My voice cracked when I asked, “Why do you hate them so much?”
He crouched down, all emotion wiped from his face. This was the real Neil Ambros. “Those putrid, disgusting dirty-blooded vermin are the only ones who have the ability to take everything from me. Just because they have a drop of my brother's blood, they get to covet the Ambros name and legacy.” His whole body shook, rage taking over his face. “No. I am the last true Ambros, the real head of this family, the real head of this organization, and I’m going to use and abuse them until I get everything back.” He scraped his nail down the side of my face. “They are my toys, puppets if you will, and you are going to help me keep them in line.”
A sound blared as an alarm went off, and Neil looked towards the monitors. When he turned back to me, his normal creepy smile crawled along his face. “And they're right on time.” He grabbed the chair, lifting me up and settling me to face the doorway. “I better pick you up, or they’ll be so mad they won't use those big brains of theirs.”
I wanted to yell at the door, to tell them to leave me, but my mouth was so dry that no sound came out. My throat burned from his earlier treatment. This was bad. From what I could tell, Neil was a loose cannon. How far was he willing to go to control the boys? The crazed look in those eyes that bore into mine had me realizing he was willing to take this much farther than I thought. If the worst happened, I hoped the boys would be strong enough to take him on.
The door twisted open just as Neil pulled out a gun and held it to my head. Rion was the first in the door, his eyes going from the gun to me. “Everything is going to be alright, Rin.” Roux and Ravi followed with equally determined faces, their eyes a cold shade of blue that reminded me of winter.
“Aw, you have a fucking nickname for her. Pathetic!” He spat the last word, but the guys didn't flinch. They stood together, making a solid line across from their uncle, glaring at him like I wasn't even there.
“Come, come now, boys. You knew this day was going to come sooner or later. You made the mistake of showing your hand, your affection.” He pointed to Ravi. “You should’ve let her eat that cookie. Her death would’ve been so much less painful.”
What? Cookie? I thought about that day in the mall. Ravi had dropped the bag and went to get new cookies.
Ravi didn't say anything. He stared at his uncle like he was bored, but when he put his hands behind his back, I saw his muscles tighten and knew he was hiding clenched fists.
“Either that, or you could’ve let that car hit her, but then she would’ve really been in pain.”
Realization hit me. Neil was the one who’d been after me this whole time… but why?
Neil flicked his hand at the boys. “You know that I had to keep you on your toes. Plus, it's always been fun to take away your toys. I haven't gotten a high like this since you guys were thirteen. All of you had been so very careful not to make that mistake again, but I knew it wouldn’t last forever. You boys are soft in the heart, after all. A trait you must've gotten from your mother.” He laughed and laughed, but the boys didn’t take the bait.
“What do you want, Uncle?”
Rion’s voice held obvious contempt. Neil reacted by digging the gun into the side of my head. “Don’t play around with me, boy. I already had a light play session with the girl, but I’m always up for a good playdate.” He bent down to lick the shell of my ear, and I gagged. “Maybe the next one can be more… physical.”
“Leave. Her. Alone,” Roux’s gruff voice ordered, the warning laid down in front of everyone.
“You know, boys...” He took my chin in his hand and forced me to look at him. “I’m a little disappointed. All this fuss over some pussy. Average at best, I’m sure.” He tutted, let go of my head, keeping the gun at my temple.
Ravi took a step forward, ready to go for me, but I shook my head. We needed to wait for the right moment. It was the only way we would all get out of here alive.
Rion grabbed Ravi back, asked again, but this time it was smooth and controlled as he bowed his head. “What do you want, Uncle?”
Neil liked that, cooing to his nephew, “Now, that is more like it.” The pressure of the metal against my temple lessened, and I could finally breathe. “I thought about a lot of things after last night. I thought about killing Miss Rose right here, having it disguised as a suicide, then burning the building down to erase any evidence to the contrary.”
The boys stiffened as Neil laughed, waving around the gun like an idiot before putting it back to my head. “But then I realized that you three would become rebellious, want to take revenge, blah, blah, blah, and I couldn't waste your talents, talents I cultivated, like that." Neil's smile turned cold, "I knew I couldn’t get rid of you like your parents, especially with Maria always up my ass about your potential, so I had the perfect idea. I’m going to fake her death,” he pointed to the body bag, “with your cooperation, of course, and take her with me to a safe house. There she’ll stay in order to keep you three in line. Think of it as insurance so that you do what I say when I say.” His free hand caressed my head in a way that felt creepily personal. “Or else someone will have to pay.”
Take me with him? Did that mean we were going to be separated? We were never going to see each other again unless their sick uncle said so? Darkness filled my heart, hardening it. No. I refuse. I won't do that. I won't let him separate us. We need each other.
“We’re not just going to let you take her,” Ravi answered this time, looking at me as he rubbed his nose with two fingers. The signal.
Neil tutted. “Oh, Ravi, you should keep quiet. You're not the smart one. Let the big boys talk.”
Ravi’s whole face went dark, his eyes turning into slits as he leaned forward to come toward us. Rion pulled him back at just the right time, whispering in his ear, and Ravi calmed down a bit.
We’ve got to think of a way out of this. Think, Layrin. Think. Do not let this man tear us away from them.
“Now, I am not a heartless man. I know that I can only get so much out of you three with only fear alone, so if you do something extraordinary, I will let you come visit. What do you think? Thirty minutes every six months? That should be enough for one of you to fuck her and get back to work?”
No. I can’t let this happen. My stomach churned and my chest tightened, making it harder and harder to breathe. My mind circling around the idea of not seeing them, not being with them, the only people who have ever cared about me. Glancing at the guys, I begged them with my eyes. Tell him no. Tell him that you won't do that, won't accept that deal. This is your moment, your chance, to get back at your uncle and get rid of him for good. It's just you three, me, and Neil. We’re already in the forest reserve. Just tell him no.
Rion was the first to look at me, to stare into my eyes like he was trying to tell me something, but he was too good at having an unreadable face. He lifted his hands, then dropped down to his knees and whispered, “Sorry, Rin. We can’t lose you.” Then he looked at his uncle. “Okay. We’ll do what you say. Just untie her. Her ankles already look like they're bleeding.”
Roux and Ravi’s heads snapped to their brother, questions in their eyes. It only took a second for them to lift their hands and knelt in submission. All of them giving me up without a second thought. I stared at their bowing forms, static filling my head as my heart dropped into my stomach.
Neil squealed with glee, then complied with his request, yanking on a string that unraveled the bindings on my hands and legs. He kept the gun to my head as he yanked me up to stand. “That's right. You three look so good groveling on your knees. I think this will be a new family tradition.”
What were they doing? My nostrils flared as my body heated from the inside out. Did they think they were the heroes? Giving up the girl so she could stay alive? They were murderers, killers, assassins. They were the villains that would stop at nothing for their desire, their obsession. This was wrong. All of this was wrong.
Was everything they’d told me a lie? The darkness crawled around in my mind, filling every crevice with doubtful thoughts. I could feel my sense of self bending, stretching so thin I could feel the cracks.
They thought they could say all those things, do all those things, then take it back like nothing had happened between us? They thought they could leave me in the dust? My body began to shake. Violence licked at the back of my head, stealing all the pain and using it to fuel my hate.
Neil’s gun kept tapping my temple as he talked, but I couldn’t hear a word he said. My ears were filled with the pounding of my heart. Did they think they could leave me after everything?
The more my mind fixated on them and their kneeling frame, the crazier the thoughts became. I was going to be alone again … They’d promised… They’d promised it wouldn't happen, that they would always be with me. Did they lie to me, again!? Why did they convince me to trust them just so they could betray me!?
No. I was not going to let that happen. I would rather die.
Something inside of me snapped. The darkness urged me to show them who they were messing with, show them all how serious I was, how dangerous I could be.
A cold fury of focus took over my mind, pulling up the move Roux had taught me when we trained with guns. I slammed my heel onto Neil’s foot, causing him to lose his balance for just a second. I balled my fists, smashing them into his crotch, disabling him enough to break his wrist and twist the gun out of his hand. Turning it on Neil’s bent form, I shot him.
Swiveling away, I heard his body crumble to the floor, but that didn't matter. He meant nothing to me. No, I was on a mission. I was going to show the Ambros triplets who they’d fucked with. Who they pushed over the edge.
Stomping toward them, I pointed the gun right at Rion’s head and screamed, “You think you can leave me?!" My chest heaved, my mind tilting off kilter as my body shook. "No, you can’t leave me alone. Not again. The only time we will be separated is in death.”
My breathing came out hoarse and erratic, my eyes wide as I moved the gun from Rion, to Ravi, then Roux, all of them staring up at me from their knees. How dare they! How dare they try to make me go back to being alone! Alone and weak. Well, who’s the weak one now?
They wanted me so badly that they’d lied and manipulated me. They’d taken care of me and protected me. They’d killed people for me. They had done all of those things, yet it was so easy for them to throw me to the wind. Well, I would show them what true obsession was. I would show them what happened when my mind and heart were fixated on someone.
As my mind sunk further and further into the darkness, covering myself in those dark and disturbing thoughts, Rion grabbed at the gun. I was prepared to yank it back, but he did something unexpected, jarring me out of my own despair. He tugged the gun forward, resting his forehead against the barrel. Smiling up at me, his velvety words plunged in deeper than my toxic thoughts.
“Yes, Rin. Yes. This is what I’ve been," he shook his head, "what we’ve been waiting for.” His eyes closed, letting go of the gun with his palms up as if he were surrendering to me.
Ravi pulled the gun to his head next, licking his lip as his eyes flamed with a wild excitement. “We’ve always wanted this from you. This passion, this need, this overwhelming possession.”
Roux pulled the gun to his head, my eyes growing wide at his full smiling face, like a kid on his birthday. “If taking our lives is what you want, then they're yours. We’ll pay any price you deem acceptable. We’re just too happy that you feel so strongly for us, you finally understand how we’ve felt for you all this time.”
Backing up a step, I lowered the gun inch by inch. A shiny bright thought broke through the dark abyss in my mind. I don't want to hurt them, not like this. Three sets of eyes were shining in my direction, filled with an insatiable lust and hunger. Their gazes glowed with a crazy sort of haze that spoke of years of obsession coming to the forefront, and I liked it. No, I loved it, craved this all-consuming attention.
The gun slipped from my fingers, dropping to my knees, I stared at them as I realized what I'd been about to do. Shame and horror took over as I lifted my shaky hands, covering my face to hide my shame. I sobbed over and over. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Punish me. Break me. Do whatever, but please, please don’t leave me. Please. I can’t go back to being alone in this world.”
Three sets of hands were on me in an instant. Their soft voices telling me it's okay. They would never leave me. They trusted me with their lives. Over and over, they told me what I needed to hear until my mind was clear of the darkness, reminding me that they would follow me into the depths of hell and beyond.
When I finally felt a little more like myself again, I looked at Neil’s prone form then back to the guys. “I’m so sorry I took that from you. I know you wanted him to suffer so much more.”
Rion looked down, giving me the truth. “Yes, we did want him to suffer much worse, but the benefit of seeing you in all your glory was well worth it. Our woman took down our greatest enemy for us. That sounds like a perfect ending to me.”
Ravi hung onto my arm, cuddling into me as he breathed, “Fuck him. We have Rin.”
Roux kept running his fingers through my hair, the calm, steady strokes keeping me level. “Let's get out of here.”
Rion and Ravi nodded at his words, helping me up since I refused to be carried. Rion’s phone rang, and he put it on speaker as his eyes connected with mine. “Did you see all that? Is that, partnered with the evidence I collected connecting him to my parents’ murders, enough?”
Maria laughed. It was a low, cruel sound, one that spoke of supressed retribution. “Yes. It's enough to have him stripped from the Ambros family. If Layrin hadn't killed him, we would’ve.”
My brows furrowed. How did she know? Rion pointed at one of the buttons on his jacket, and I stepped closer to see it wasn’t a button, but a tiny camera.
“Yes, Layrin. I and several others of the council have watched the live feed Ambros sent us. It has been very informative.” Her stern voice made it sound like she wasn’t happy.
Cin’s voice broke through the speaker. “Girl! You didn’t tell me you were fucking triplets ! Also, I wouldn’t be your bestie if I didn't tell you that this relationship of yours is toxic as fuck… but I’m here for it, girl! Get it! Get all that dick!”
Not a second later, I heard Maria. “Cinzia! Give that phone back!” She blew out a breath before putting back on her head council voice. “In light of the situation, we will be calling an immediate council meeting. We expect you four to be there in thirty minutes.” She clicked off the line, and I looked at the boys, realizing that in order for them to get all of that on their uncle, they’d had to show the council that there was more than one R. Ambros.
Oh fuck .
My eyes shifted around, my mind furiously thinking of ways to get out of this, when Rion put his hand on my shoulder. “We have a plan. It's okay.” Looking up at him and his smiling face, I nodded, trusting them explicitly. I grabbed his hand and squeezing to let him know he had my support. Rion pulled out the mini camera from his shirt, tapping the screen on his phone before slipping it into his pants.
Making our way to the door, all of us lost in thought, we heard a soft moan coming from behind us. We slowly turned around to stare at Neil’s prone form. His finger twitched and we all burst into action, jetting over to his body as fast as we could. The guys grabbed him, turned him over, and we all saw his chest rise and fall. The side of his head covered in blood, Rion bending down to examine him. Apparently, while I had hit his head, the wound was only a small nick on the side.
Rion looked up at me, his eyes changing from green to blue to brown within seconds. Happiness danced along his face as he said, “I think we can keep him alive.”
Ravi smiled down at Neil, clapping with glee. “And we have the perfect basement to stash him in!”
Not taking a second to gloat, Roux grabbed the rope on the floor and tied him up. Grinning down at him, “We can drop him off at the house before heading to Foedus.”
Their happiness was infectious, laughter bubbled out of me as the boys hurried to put him in the trunk, then Ravi and Roux helped me get into the car since my stomach and head still hurt. They vowed the whole way to the meeting that they would make him pay for everything he did to me.
It was nice to hear, but my mind was focused on the problem ahead with Foedus. It was too early to celebrate when the day wasn’t over yet.