Thirty-Three Justice
THIRTY-THREE
Justice
Rain threads through the trees in steady lines, a quiet stitchwork that pulls the forest around me tight.
The ocean barrels loudly from the other side of my home, and salt hints in the air.
The porch roof catches the fall and turns it into a soft drumbeat above my head, and for the first time in too long, I feel settled.
I know my men patrol the trees around me, and I trust the front gate is well protected. But the woman sleeping in the house behind me, my woman, has me content.
Part of me wants to awaken her just to listen to her voice and feel the pleasure on my skin. But after I took her in the bar office last night, I brought her home and spent all night marking every inch of her. Making sure she knows where she belongs.
With me.
I take a sip of the coffee, and morning steam lifts past my face. The brew tastes dark and clean. My bare feet rest on the wet wood of a lower step, cool as river stone, and I enjoy the fresh rain-soaked air.
My phone buzzes, and I pull it from my pocket, glancing at the screen before answering. “Hi, Thorn.”
“Were you in a shootout on the police steps yesterday?” he snarls.
“I’m fine, brother. How are you?” I ask lazily.
He goes quiet for a moment. “Justice. What’s going on?”
“Somebody wants either Ella or me dead,” I say, not believing anybody had aimed at Rosalie.
This is about us. “I’ve got it handled. You’ve got more time on your honeymoon, and you have to stay there.
I don’t need to worry about one more person taking on bullets.
” If somebody’s after me, they’re after Thorn too.
“Is it Alexei?”
This is an answer I know for sure. “No.”
“How do you know?”
“Because Rosalie was in the crossfire.”
Thorn is silent again.
I can’t blame him. This sucks. “I don’t think it’s Mathias, and I made it clear to Sylveria what I’d do to her if she attacked Ella or me again, and I blew up TimeGem Moments pretty good, so she knows I’m not fucking around.
” I already texted him about that mess. “So it’s someone new trying to make a name. ”
“Are we still finding ghost hints in our server?”
“Yeah.” I have Kaz trying to track whoever it is, but I’ve been dodging bullets in the meantime. “Whoever’s new isn’t a very good shot,” I mutter.
“Maybe you’re just good at avoiding death, brother.”
I smile. His voice is warm and steady, the way it’s been since we were kids. Bliss suits him. “How’s Alana?”
“She’s been on Aquarius Social posting videos all morning. We might be having a bit of a contest.”
“You might be?” I ask.
He snorts. “Yeah, I think I accidentally challenged her to see who could get more likes through the day.”
“You’re never on Malice Media,” I retort.
“Yeah, I’m losing.” He doesn’t sound too sad about it.
The least I can do is help him out. “I can call Kaz and have him get some of our influencers working hard today.”
“Hey, that’d be great.”
“We don’t have anybody as good as Alana,” I admit.
His chuckle rolls over the line. “I know, but still, I’d like to at least give her a run for her money.” He sighs. “I hope you know how difficult it is for me to stay here and not come home.”
“I do.”
“We saw Ella on the media during the shooting. Where is she now? Alana wants to know.”
I think through my options and then, since this is my brother, I go with the truth. “She’s here with me, where she’s staying.”
Silence beats across the line. Finally, he speaks. “So we go to war with Alexei?”
I blink, surprised, and watch a jay hop between a couple of trees. “It’s that easy?”
“If Ella’s who you want, then yeah. It’s that easy.”
I rub my chest. For so long it’s just been Thorn and me, and he’s always had my back. But to hear him say he’ll go to war with a Russian mobster because of the woman I’ve chosen—that’s something. “Actually, I think Alexei’s okay. We talked the other day.”
“You talked to Alexei?”
“Yeah. He wants to maybe forge an alliance with the next generation. I told him we’d be open to it.”
Thunder cracks in the distance.
“Are we open to it?” Thorn asks.
Hell if I know. “Maybe, but if it keeps us from going to war for a while, we could at least talk about it. Who knows? Maybe your kid and Alexei’s kid will fall in love.”
“I don’t see that,” Thorn says. “How about your kid and Alexei’s kid fall in love?”
“I’m not sure I see that either.” It was one thing when I was speaking hypothetically, but now that I know exactly who the woman will be to carry my kids, I’m not sure I’ll let them go to the Russian mob. If nothing else, I bought us some time before war. We might as well enjoy it.
“I should probably tell you that Horace Whimple’s body was found on my main property by the ocean. Close to your place,” I murmur.
“Excuse me?” Thorn asks.
I tell him the whole story. “It’s over about a mile from the house, cordoned off, still a police crime scene. I searched my house and the rest of the grounds and couldn’t find anything.”
“So some anonymous source called it in and buried the body on your land?”
Isn’t that convenient? “Yep.”
“Have they done an autopsy yet?”
“Today,” I say. Rain drips from the porch roof. I wipe my knee where it splattered and take a sip of coffee. “Of course, even if the killer planted evidence that links the death to me, it’ll be gone.” We have contacts in the coroner’s office.
I listen to the silence. This is Thorn trying to convince himself not to come home and take care of things.
“I’ve got this,” I tell him. “You need to trust me.”
“I do.”
The absolute truth in his voice warms me in a way most people will never understand. My condition leads to this as well as to pain. I guess there has to be some balance.
Thorn clears his throat. “Justice, take care of these problems, would you?”
I finish the coffee. “Of course. Enjoy your honeymoon.”
“Are you sure Ella’s the one?”
I chuckle. “I’m absolutely positive.”
“Good.” He sounds pleased. “Bye.”
The line clicks off. I text Kaz instructions to get all of our influencers moving and see if we can spark activity today on Malice Media.
With the most advanced algorithm out there, we should at least give Alana somewhat of a challenge.
I’d like to help my brother save face, even though he didn’t seem to care much about it.
Kaz doesn’t answer. That’s odd.
My phone buzzes again from a blocked number. I accept the call but don’t say anything.
“Are we at war?” Alexei Sokolov’s voice comes through calmly.
I sigh. “Because of Ella?”
He’s quiet. Quiet for two beats. “No. What’s wrong with Ella?”
“She’s mine. That’s concrete. So if we’re going to war because of our connections to TimeGem and Aquarius, let’s do it.” I wouldn’t mind a decent fight, to be honest, but I’d rather a bunch of good men didn’t get killed.
He sighs. “I’m not willing to go to war over that at this moment, considering I’m marrying your woman’s best friend. I thought we had a deal with the next generation.”
“We might. Especially if you have a daughter,” I say.
His slight growl tells me he doesn’t like that.
“The future is years away,” I note.
“Maybe,” he says. “But we’re at peace right now. Or at least I thought we were.”
I scrub a hand through my hair. “You’re going to have to be clearer than that, and don’t speak Russian.” I add a Gaelic insult on the end, just to have some fun.
“I don’t speak Gaelic,” Alexei snaps.
He’s been cranky since somebody tried to blow up his homestead.
“What’s going on, Alexei?” I ask, keeping my temper.
“I’ve got you and one of your men on video close to my place when the rocket was launched.”
I rock back. “Bullshit. That can be faked.”
“Doesn’t look fake,” he returns. “Was it you?”
Is he messing with me? “You know it wasn’t.”
“I don’t know that.”
I don’t have time for this. “Fair enough. What do you want from me?”
“You come show me how this is fake and I’ll let it go. If not, expect a bomb coming your way, and I’m talking the entire Malice Media infrastructure.”
I wince. I really don’t want Malice Media blown up while Thorn’s on his honeymoon. “Fine. If your computer gurus can’t figure it out, mine can. Meet at my corporate headquarters.”
“Oh no. Mine,” he retorts. “You come to Hologrid Hub.”
“My computer guy is the best, and he works from Malice. He knows the system. I give you my word that you’ll be safe.”
Lightning zaps close to the tree line. “Fine, but I’m bringing firepower,” Alexei says. “I’ll be there in an hour.” He clicks off.
God. Russians are cranky.
The door opens and I hear movement as Ella steps outside, wrapped in the comforter.
I glance up. She’s beautiful in the morning light, her eyes the color of sapphires, her hair wild and mussed around her shoulders.
She looks more pixie than ever, and I’m hit by the raw need to protect her, to keep her safe.
She hesitates, then walks over and flops into my lap. I catch her and hold her close.
“Good morning.” I kiss her, going deep.
She kisses me back, sinking into my chest. “All right, now you need to talk,” she murmurs, sleepy.
I’m not much of a talker. Even so, her voice smooths over my skin like a balm.
“Tell me about your mom,” she says.
I automatically lapse into Gaelic, then catch myself. “Sorry. She was beautiful, kind, smart, and fun.” I tighten my arms around Ella. “You would’ve liked her. She treated Thorn like he was hers too, and he loved her as much as I did. She created the best games for us all to play.”
I pause, trying to remember the good parts of my childhood. Our father didn’t like us much—he was pretty much a bastard—but my mother, his second wife, made life enjoyable. “She brought brightness. Her voice was sweet and soothing. It could heal. Different from yours, but still kind.”
Ella caresses down my neck. “I’ve been thinking about how my voice eases you. If you look at my energy as citrine, and yours as obsidian and garnet, I’m kind of light to your dark. I think it’s possible that you and I exchange energy as well, and mine is healing to you.”
That’s sweet and makes sense. “What’s mine to you?”
Pink blooms across her face. “Irritating.”
Ha. That’s not why she’s blushing. Amusement filters through me.
My phone buzzes. I sigh, reaching for it, hoping Thorn hasn’t changed his mind. The number’s unfamiliar. I put it on speaker. “Who’s there?”
“Hi, it’s Wesley Whisper.”
Ella frowns. So do I.
“How’d you get this number?” I ask.
“I’m a computer programmer,” he snaps. “So here’s the deal—”
I stiffen but let him speak.
“I think you’ve kidnapped Ella. I’m on my way to the police station, and when I get there, I’ll not only file a missing person’s report, but I’ll tell them you blew up TimeGem and committed battery on me.”
“I don’t like being threatened, Wesley.”
He coughs. “That’s too bad, because I’m going to save her if it’s the last thing I do.”
Ella sits up. “Wesley, I’m here. I’m sorry things ended the way they did, but I haven’t been kidnapped.”
I kiss her forehead. Nice of her to step in, though I’m already thinking I’ll have to kill the guy.
Unfortunately, she must read something on my face, because she frowns and shakes her head. “I’m trying to save your life here, Wesley.”
“I don’t care about my life,” he retorts.
That I can understand. I’d die for her, too.
“Either you meet me and talk this out, or I’m going to the cops. I don’t believe you’re not under duress,” Wesley says.
Ella rolls her eyes. “I wouldn’t lie to you under duress.” Her cheeks pink slightly because we both know she’ll do whatever I want with enough encouragement. She glares at me. I smile. God, she’s cute.
“All right, Wesley,” I say. “We’ll meet with you—”
“Not you,” he breaks in.
Maybe I’ll just beat the shit out of him.
“Oh yeah, me. If you don’t drop this, you’re going to end up dead.
” I don’t think he’s recording me, but if he is, I’ll deal with it later.
“We’ll meet you in half an hour at the Malice Media headquarters.
” I can deal with him before Alexei arrives.
“You’ll get fifteen minutes, and if you still want to go to the cops, I’ll make sure you do it in a coffin. ” I end the call.
“That really wasn’t nice,” Ella says.
“Are you kidding me?” I retort. “After the two meetings, let’s go shopping. See how nice I’m being? I’m letting you meet with him first.” I want to go ring shopping. I’ll surprise her.
Even her frown is sexy. I want to get her naked again.
Now. “We’re meeting at your office,” she says.
“If you ask anybody to kill him, they will.” She’s not wrong.
She leans up and cups my face, running her palm over the whiskers I didn’t bother to shave this morning.
“Promise me you won’t kill him. He’s a decent guy. ”
“Have you slept with him?” It shouldn’t matter, but I want to know.
“Nope,” she says cheerfully. “We dated a little bit, but it just wasn’t there.”
She probably just saved his life. “So long as he gets the message he can’t go to the police,” I warn.
“I know. I’ll talk to him.”
“I’ll be there.”
She leans up and kisses my neck. The woman is seriously touchy, and I’m shocked by how much I like that.
“I hope I didn’t force you into this,” I surprise myself by saying.
Her instant laughter fills me like joy. Or what I figure joy feels like. “You weren’t exactly subtle, but I do want to stay. I like you, Justice.” She glances down at my neck. “You make me feel safe. I’ve never felt like this. Not really.”
Her sweetness does something to me that feels new. Good. I shift my weight and pull out a bracelet from my back pocket to clasp around her wrist. “Saw it the other day. Thought you’d like it.”
She breathes out, circling her wrist so the citrines and garnets catch the light. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
My phone buzzes again. Have I ever been this fucking popular? I might have to turn the damn thing off. I lift it to my ear. “Beathach.”
“Hey, it’s Bronco. I’m at Malice Media’s headquarters and am supposed to meet with Kaz about security. He’s not here, and he’s not answering his phone.”
“That’s unusual. Find him.” I stand, still holding Ella. “Also put extra security in the lobby. I’m on my way, and the Russian mob is coming to tea.”
Now all I have to do is convince Wesley to leave Ella alone without killing him and pissing her off, deal with the Russian mob to avoid a war, and keep the cops from arresting me for the murder of a man I didn’t like.
What could possibly go wrong?