Chapter 1 #5
“My cousins tend to die preventable deaths at early ages.” Alexei is nude now, flicking on the water for the shower and tossing an insouciant look over one shoulder. “There are toothbrushes in the bottom righthand drawer. Help yourself, Ash.”
Ash follows those instructions and opens the drawer.
There aren’t just toothbrushes in there. There are dozens of them, all of them brand-new and factory-sealed. Ash frowns and chooses one at random, turning the sink on and lathering his brush with toothpaste before attacking his mouth with an orgasmic groan.
Widow watches Ash, a hand towel clutched in his fist that he uses to mop the sweat from his brow. His hand is hurtin’ bad. Idiot. My lips twitch as Bohnes leans in the doorjamb beside me, folding his arms.
“Told you Burt was a mob guy.” Bohnes smirks as I glance back at him.
“So what? He still owns the talent agency, so it’s not a complete lost cause. I’ll just win the Stars and Stripes Vintage Classic and we’ll see what happens next.” I shrug it off like it’s nothing.
“One more thing,” Bohnes continues in a pretty funereal whisper. “I’m throwing you a house party here after the wedding, in place of a reception. Prescott brats only.”
Bubbles percolate my blood. One of Bohnes’ famous pop-up parties at our new place? That’s so peak Prescott.
“I’ll let Jennifer know tonight and by tomorrow, all the right people will RSVP.
” I shrug out of my jacket and toss it at Bohnes’ chest, leaving him to catch it.
My ass is covered in Widow’s cum, and I need a rinse, too.
Bohnes and I both know that as soon as business is concluded for the evening… it’s time for Nightmares to frolic.
There’s too much tension for sex now, so we rinse, change, and head back down to the foyer to find both Nisha and Bastian waiting impatiently for us.
“Pick your rooms, cause we’re movin’ in and we’re movin’ in tonight.” I put my hands on my hips, turning to look out the front window in the direction of the garage. All those hot cars. All that horsepower. Mine, mine, mine. “Welcome home, my friends.”
“Welcome home?” Nisha echos, letting her brown gaze sweep the room with a muttered curse. “Queen, holy shit.”
“Can I please just ask one question?” Basti puts his hands together in prayer, edging his attention over to Ash.
Ash sighs, slinging the sheathed blade up to rest on his right shoulder.
“Go ahead.” Ash tilts his head, waiting.
“Did you spit or swallow?” Basti wonders and Nisha elbows him.
Ash and Alexei both have an immediate, visceral reaction, turning sharply away from one another.
“Seriously, man, what the fuck?” Widow demands, all growly and outraged, as Bohnes chuckles with genuine amusement. “Who asks something like that?”
“Am I missing something here?” Bastian is genuinely confused. He doesn’t know the dicksucking thing was done under duress. Not his fault. “That was a totally valid question.”
“Is everything settled, Queen?” Nisha whispers to me, taking my arm while everyone else is mildly distracted. Not that these fuckboys ever really look away from me. “Are we good?”
“We’re good…with the mob.” I pause, sigh. “For now. We just have a few teensy little murders, frame jobs, and financial crises to deal with first. Don’t worry though. After all that’s over, we’re livin’ like squares. Everything from there on out will be handled aboveboard, nice and legal.”
“Uh-huh.” Nisha is eying me critically. That’s her job, to look at me like that. To question everything. “Fine. What’s our next step?”
I head for the front door of the house, surveying my crew as the girls finish their security rounds and gather on the circular driveway near the fountain. They’re chatty and curious, shorts flossing their butts even in the cold weather. It’d be nice if they had proper bulletproof vests. Or guns.
We need to remedy that, as soon as possible.
“We…might need to hunt down and murder an Oak Valley Prep student.” I purse my lips as I turn to look at Nisha, but she’s not unsettled by the information. Nisha is committed. It’s too late now. We’re all under the family’s jurisdiction, for better or worse. This can’t fail.
“Give me a name and I’ll figure out a time and place.”
“That’s my girl,” I reply with a grim smile, moving outside to address my crew.
The wind whips my unbound wet hair around as I study the crows perched on the fountain.
On all sides of us, there are woods. It’s dead silent out here, a huge contrast from the Prescott neighborhood.
Everyone is waiting on me to say something, both the girls in front of me and the boys behind. Everyone.
Adrenaline rush. Being the leader comes with high stakes. If I fuck up, even just a little, then somebody I care about dies.
Doesn’t get any more real than that.
“One last sweep of the property and then we can start security shifts,” I say, watching the crows ruffle their feathers in response to the murmuring of the crowd. They don’t fly away though. I decide that’s a good omen. “If you haven’t picked a room in the guesthouse, do it. We’re movin’ in.”