Chapter 11 #4
He’s way more fucked up than we could ever be.
“Braiden, you’re older and maybe in some ways wiser than us.” Ah, Von. Always the diplomat. “We grew up in the same environment as you. Trust us when we say we won’t get caught, and we’ve got this. So drop this whole bullshit of trying to supervise us and tell us what’s really going on.”
Braiden leans back in his chair, closing his eyes before opening them and signing again, this time punctuating his words.
“You all have individual targets on your backs, and these targets? They all want blood in one way or another. And I wouldn’t have cared except you want to keep this whole place a secret.
If it blows up, you won’t be able to hide it from your fathers, and my involvement here would be questioned.
” He sweeps his gaze over us. “I don’t want any issues between our families after they worked so hard for years to keep the peace. ”
“We’ll handle our problems, and if push comes to shove, you can all blame it on me.
” Kane finishes another drink and crushes the ice in his mouth.
“I can handle their rage, and it won’t affect your families.
I’ll take full responsibility for whatever happens.
” Kane gets up swiftly as he stares at the TV screen.
“What the fuck did you do?” His furious gaze lands on me.
“Checkmate, Kane. I think they are right on time for the auction. Wonder who’d suit their preferences better tonight.”
Flipping me the finger, and rushes to the door, probably darting to the dance floor.
Braiden shakes his head. “He has a crush on someone or something?”
“Or something,” Von replies, and gets up as well. “Braiden, no offense, but I have plans for this evening that don’t include me sitting with you all. Cheers.” He finishes his whiskey in one gulp and puts the glass on the table. “I’ll see you around.” And just like that, he’s out too.
“Don’t you need to go too?” Wyatt asks, adjusting his platinum watch. “Lavender is here.”
A familiar possessiveness washes over me as her beautiful face comes to my mind, my body still rock hard, remembering her pressing hers to mine and how completely in my power she was.
My curious, curious cvetochek.
All I wanted was to drag her to my dungeon and rip that fucking dress that’s a weapon against my sanity, running my hands all over her smooth and puckered skin and leaving my mark of ownership on it so she’d know she has no free will.
She belongs to me, and while she might run away from everyone and question their authority…she won’t have such choices with me.
She’ll be only mine.
“And by the way Aurelia declined the invitation. She continues to live her boring and pathetic existence.”
Ah. He’s in for a surprise then.
Braiden’s brow furrows. “I have three sisters.” They are triplets, to be exact. “Welding power over those who have none is not a sign of strength. It’s a sign of weakness that cannot and would never be respected.”
“When you lose one of your siblings to a lie a desperate girl created, a lie that destroyed their whole existence, then we will talk. Until then, you can all fuck off.” Wyatt rises.
“Hopefully, we won’t have to see each other again for the foreseeable future.
” He leaves in a second, shutting the door and making the clock hanging on the wall shake from the impact.
Braiden focuses his eyes on me as I take a large sip of my drink. “I have this for you.” He fishes something out of his suit pocket and places it on the table, sliding it to me. A flash drive. “It has the information you’ve been looking for.”
I hold his gaze, making no move to touch the thing because everything has a price in this world, and whoever tells you otherwise is a fool.
Like Uncle Arson always taught me.
Free cheese lies only in the mousetrap.
“How did you get it?” I don’t bother asking why he even has it. Braiden must have run a full background check the minute they agreed to work with us.
I would have done the same thing.
“Accept the gift, Levi, and hunt that fucker down. Because he knows about you and he waits for the perfect chance to strike.”
I open my arms wide, spilling some of the whiskey on my fingers. “Let him come to me then. I’m waiting.”
“Cowards do not face us directly. They go after those who belong to us.”
“I can handle it, and besides…you know how hunting works. To catch a prey, you have to dangle the bait and then trap it.”
He ponders my words and pushes his chair back, rising to his feet to leave.
I don’t expect him to say anything, but he taps on the wall, and I look at him again as he signs, “A hunt is an interesting thing that fuels the hunter’s blood.
Until the bait becomes more valuable than the prey.
That’s when the sport turns dangerous. Because the hunter becomes a protector with a weakness.
Be careful, Levi. Our obsessions are our liabilities. ”
“I won’t ever have a liability.”
“If you believe that, then you truly are a fool.” He steps outside and closes the door quietly behind me, leaving me with the weight of his words as I focus on the TV, watching Lavender laugh at something Scarlett says before dipping her spoon in ice cream and eating it.
Lavender is mine, and she will stay that way. However, for her to become my liability, I’d have to love her.
And that won’t ever happen.
Because to love, one must have a heart, and mine was crushed a long time ago.
She’ll have all of me.
But my heart?
I can’t give what I do not have.