LAURA DIEGOI spat out the clumps of blood in my mouth as the wood-walled room whirled and blurred dramatically in my vision.It had taken me longer than I would have liked to realize I wasn't alone, the gray-eyed man with the dark linen of clothes hanging off his lithe, sinewy frame still standing only feet from me, the black plastic of my mobile pressed firmly against his ear.I let out a small breath, surprise choking my frame so that I couldn't call out to the Umbrella Man, and warn him that he was exposing us to the enemy.“Mmmph,” I groaned, sagging against the restraints the man must have put on me when I had been passed out and throwing back my head to meet his emotionless gray eyes as the whirl of the ceiling fan above us grounded.Goosebumps broke across my skin as I watched the man as though seeing him for the first time and letting him watch me too, predator to predator, as though we were sizing up ourselves. There was something wrong with the picture, the rake of a man a
ALEXANDERMy eyes felt like they just about exploded out of their sockets when I saw Darlene pacing around the lobby of my father’s secret penthouse.I fisted my hands by my sides, gritting my teeth when I met Dennis’ sea-green eyes.“Babe? What are you doing here? What's going on?” Darlene’s honeyed voice had gotten octaves high as I felt the rest of the ring members file in around me.I locked eyes with my copper-haired best friend who had an unreadable expression on his face as he stared at the toned form of Prince Charles who had been standing beside me.“What a nice, peachy fucking family reunion, I ought to shoot you where you stand Lucas,” Erwin drawled, leveling the gun with Dennis’ head before I stepped in the shot, making him sneer at me as he hesitated before he lowered the stiff arm.“This isn't fucking divorce court Alexander, your wife can't keep showing up here with outcasts,” Prince Charles growled in a voice that sent shivers down my spine so that I turned to match hi
DARLENE“Is this a bloody joke?” I screamed, feeling my hands shoot into the yellow candescence of the wide, tubular-looking room as the blood pounded hotly in my ears. “Dar please, I can explain all this,” My husband’s baritone was even as usual, but I could sense the undercurrents of panic in the way his voice wavered at the end as I whipped my hair this way and that, trying to register everything I was seeing.There were long winding chains dragging from the low stone ceiling of the cellar, the workbench and gurney at the end of the room with the flickering white of a fluorescent dangling above it made my blood run cold.What had they been doing here? The room was empty, save for the ominous-looking barrels that were piled high in the corner, their deep brown backs throwing off the yellow light.“My God,” I whispered before realizing that I had gasped out loud when the ugly-faced man in the ring chuckled dryly.“Ain't no God here Lassie, count yourself lucky, not everyone who gets
ALEXANDERLaura Diego was gone. Gone like a pack of crackers in a chicken coop. It was all I could do not to choke out a scream when I had run in only seconds behind my wife to find the cellar empty, the bloodied chains we had used to hold her scattered uselessly on the floor.“I think we should all go home,” My last words hung heavily in the air as Darlene’s face contorted with an emotion that made white hot pain spike through my chest.I exchanged uneasy looks with the purple-eyed man then, watching the dots of perspiration on his upper lip before he jerked his head so violently to the side it was a wonder everyone else didn't notice.I took a cursory glance around, seeing that Dennis and Darlene were talking in low tones and that the gray-eyed ghost and his Rottweiler side chick Erwin were nowhere to be found.“What the hell happened back there? How the fuck did Diego get out?” Prince Charles hissed, looking more worked up than I had ever seen him so that I had to wonder if there w
FREDERICKI had stolen into the manor the way I came, my heart ripping me the reaper’s jagged drum beats in my chest.“Fucking hell,” I groaned, spreading my arms to brace myself on the tough mahogany wood of the dresser to stare at the blue-eyed man in the mirror.My strawberry-blonde hair had fallen limply over my face so that some of the short strands brushed against my eyelashes, making my eyes water animatedly.“Where the hell are you Laura?” I hissed through clenched teeth, glancing around the ornately designed rustic room once more, my eyes lingering on the brick-red wallpaper as though the dark-haired woman would be hiding between the creases.“Fucking hell, what a day,” I wheezed, raking my fingers through my hair and trying not to remember the state I had been in when I watched Darlene chase after my brother back at the hotel.How her eyes lit up when she told me Laura was not to be trusted. There was a lot of shit that wasn't adding up, shit that made gas bubbles grow in my
LAURA DIEGO“Jesus fucking Christ,” I groaned, kicking out the thick wood of the barrel cover to crawl out of the sloppy mess of rich wine that had soaked through my clothes and wounds.I drew in a large gasp, feeling every bit like that one girl from The Revenant movie as I crawled out of the barrel, the red juice sloshing noisily onto the floor as I squinted through the sharp sizzling pain that clawed at my sides and back.I had lost the gun in the mess of neatly arranged barrels after I had contemplated going up the damned stairs and shooting that bitch Darlene in between the eyes once and for all, imagine MY surprise when the sound of footsteps pounding above me and rushing down the stairs reached my ears.“Fucking hell Laura,” I chuckled dryly, knowing it was a good thing I had been fast on my feet, limping to one of the barrels and searching for an empty one, before throwing myself headfirst into one of the tubular coffins just as the door snapped open behind me.I’d listened to
DARLENEThe car ride back to the McKenzie manor had been quiet and stiff. I stared out the window, my eyes raking over the blurred spine of trees as they whizzed past in my vision.Alexander’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel as he sped through the highway, making me pause on a long, drawn-out inhale as I resisted the urge to tell him to slow down.I didn't trust myself to speak past the burning in my throat, and I couldn't bare the way his eyes seemed to burn a hole into my head as he stared at me through the rearview mirror.”How’s your brother doing these days Xade? Same old?” Dennis cut in suddenly, breaking the awkward silence so that I cringed, shaking my head at him when his copper-red shock of hair turned to look back at me.Alexander ignored him, his eyes narrowed at the road that seemed to be stretching on for hours.I let my eyes wander over the chiseled line of his side profile, feeling something stir between my legs as I took in the wash of his obsidian hair, the
ALEXANDERI watched Darlene’s slender back as she shuffled into our room and I closed the door with a quiet click behind me, the conversation from downstairs still leaving a bad taste in my mouth.There was something off about Frederick r, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Darlene seemed happy about it though, would it make me any more of a douchebag if I ruined it with my suspicions?I watched her whirl to face me, mirroring the small gentle smile on her pink lips and raking my hands through my hair exhaustedly.“You okay?” She whispered, her gold-speckled green eyes glistening as I watched her shrug out of her dress, the sight of her bare rounded shoulders making I swallow the moisture that had gathered in my mouth.Was I okay? I wasn't certain I could boast of the fantasy.“Are we okay?” I tried instead, craning my head to watch with my heart hammering against my ribs as she claimed up, rearing back like I had slapped her in the face.“I don't want to talk about that rig
DARLENE“Rise and shine sleepy heads! Breakfast’s ready!” Prince Charles’ booming baritone cracked through my skull before a wash of yellow light bored through my closed eyelids so that I groaned, breaking into a chuckle when Alexander groaned beside me.“Fucking hell Charles, did your parents not teach you to knock?” My husband hissed, throwing the soft white duvet away from his hard body and stretching to his feet to snatch the coffee mug the purple-eyed man held out like a peace offering in one hand, his gaze sliding over to me and darkening a shade before he smirked.“I don't believe they did,” He whispered breathlessly, nodding his head to the door where the strawberry blonde-haired man was leaning against the doorframe in brown capri pants, a pearly grin stretched across his smooth face.“Have some decency Frederick, my wife’s in the room,” Alexander whispered, scoffing loudly and sipping his tea as I stretched a yawn and shimmyed away from the bed to rest my head on my husband’
FREDERICK“Die motherfucker,” I gritted, pressing my finger into the claw of the trigger and feeling the gun jerk in my hands, the impact pulling me forward so that I tumbled into the stone flooring.“Come on! Go go go!” I screamed through gritted teeth, waving my hands wildly at Darlene and pushing her around the car as she surged through the barrage of shots pummeling us and firing off a few more rounds as the Umbrella man roared with pain, tearing the knife from his eye with an impossibly loud sucking sound.“I need to get closer,” I hissed through my teeth as I rounded the bend of the car to meet Alwxander’s tense body where he was hunched, hiding from the rain of bullets with Darlene curled in his arms.I swallowed the bile that had risen in my throat, jabbing my fingers into my palms to battle the wooziness that stabbed the sides of my head and peering through the rim of black sedan to see that the man now had a gaping hole in one eye that still spurted blood as he glared around
STEFAN MCCOYMy knuckles were white on the trigger as I watched the man’s hard body as he walked slowly into the room, his eyes never leaving the gun I had pressed dutifully against his wife’s empty ass head.“No sudden moves Alexander or I’ll have the woman’s brains plastered across the floor,” I growled through clenched teeth as Alexander staggered into the room with his father and more of my men surrounding them.I had known something was off the minute I left the penthouse, even before the sound of gunshots echoed out behind us and I asked Markov to turn the car around.The white penthouse with its flashing lights and tall pine trees loomed as ghastly as ever, as I motioned the men every which way, feeling adrenaline rush through my veins when the sounds of gunfire exploded around the sides of the house as my men sniffed the bastards out like the rats that they were.“Please, McCoy, don't do this, My wife has nothing to do with this okay? I’ll, I’ll give you whatever it is you wan
DARLENE“Something’s wrong,” I whispered breathlessly, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight as I watched the man with the Jerry curls stride away from the large lattice silver gates, a gun held tightly in his right hand.“What the fuck do you mean something’s wrong? McCoy’s going with most of his men! This is our cue to go in, grab the twins, plant the bombs, and hightail the fuck out of here in time for Mrs. McKenzie’s dinner special,” Erwin snapped blithely from his crouch beside me, the rim of a sniper rifle held tightly in his hands, as he peered through the scope.“Lassie’s right, this seems too easy, they must have found out about the decoy car approaching already, that's the only reason for him to leave...and yet,” Williams McKenzie growled on my right flank, raising the tight hulk of his frame into a low squat and inching to slap himself against the tree, the burnt orange blackness of the forest blending perfectly with our camo gear.“We should-” Erwin start
ALEXANDERThe bright fluorescent lights tore through my eyelids to fry my eyeballs before I had even opened my eyes. I groaned, the soreness in my arms and stiff legs making me groan louder as I let my head fall back into my chest.What the hell did the bastard hit me with? Fucking hulk?“Ugh!” I groaned, screwing one eye open to lock gazes with my brother’s blanched face and watching him sag with relief when he saw that I had opened my eyes.“Alexander? Fuck! Thank saints you're okay,” He rasped breathlessly and I felt the scowl deepen between my eyebrows as I glared at the swollen purple bruises on his face that had left the skin of his face puffy and red.“Your buddy didn't take too kindly to you I reckon, stabbed you in the fucking balls just like you did to me you piece of shit!” I barked acidly, watching my brother rear back on the chair that he was strapped to like he had been slapped.I looked down to see I was lying on some makeshift gurney table, feeling my heart pound wildl
DARLENE“Where is he? Where’s my husband?” I whizzed when I caught up to the ring chief scowling in the middle of the road, his hands fixed patiently on his narrow hips.“He’s gone Dar, that McCoy took him,” Prince Charles gritted, eyeing me carefully before I noticed his hand cupping the large gash on his chest, the trickle of blood pooling on the purple suit staining the area black.“Here, let’s get you to the car,” I gritted through clenched teeth, managing to push the words past the lump that had grown in my throat and tugging the man’s hand free when he resisted before hooking it over one shoulder, grunting when he leaned his weight on me a little.I could hear the whirl of sirens in the distance as they got closer and I yelped, slamming to a stop when the purple-eyed man stopped suddenly in his tracks.What the hell was it with mafia men and having death wishes? I tried not to look at the nasty knife wound on his abdomen or the purple and red bruises on his chin and focused inst
FREDERICK“Did you have to do it that hard?” I whispered, feeling tears gather in my eyes as I watched the Umbrella Man tower over my brother’s limp body, his brown eyes almost luminescent in the dark.“Quiet Frederick, you're ruining my groove, take him.” Stefan McCoy growled and I felt my heart hammer in my ribs as the masked ninjas dropped from the trees like banana monkeys, hooking my brother’s hard body onto the stretcher as I watched on with widened eyes.“Is he dead?” I rasped breathlessly, feeling panic burn in my chest as I trotted after the men, the crunch of dried leaves under my feet sounding loud in the silence as the masked men marched my brother to the large white van that had been parked off to the side of the highway.“Not yet,“ The Umbrella man whispered, rubbing his hands together in glee as they loaded him into the van and I felt a flicker of doubt spark in my chest.“So it’s all good now right? Everything will go as planned now?” I coughed, scarcely trusting mysel
ALEXANDERIt took longer than I would have liked for my eyes to adjust to the near blackness as I entered the forest.“Where are you? You son of a bitch,” I ground through clenched teeth, waving the gun this way and that and aware of the way I was panting loudly, carefully placing one foot in front of the other.My arms were starting to get sore from holding the gun up and high, my knuckles white on the trigger as I crept along the line of trees, freezing when I thought I had heard the distinct sound of a tree branch snapping.Could this get any fucking worse? Did the motherfucker have to pick the shittiest forest in the whole of New York to make his dramatic comeback?“Go on and run away like the coward that you fucking are McCoy, I can smell that cheap perfume from a mile away,” I jeered loudly, feeling goosebumps rise on my skin when my distorted voice echoed back to me in the blackness.I tried to focus past the hum that had started in my ears but my mind was not following my eyes
DARLENEMy husband hadn't made any sense when he got off the phone with the purple-eyed man and it made even less sense now as we sped toward the edge of town with his knuckles white on the steering wheel.I braced myself against the cool leather of the dashboard, trying to calm the staccato beating of my heart in my chest as we sped through the stretch of asphalt and felt a wave of nausea press insistently against the roof of my mouth.“Are you sure about the address?” I wheezed, unable to bear the silence any longer and risking a glance at the chiseled line of Alexander’s jaw, the way his piercing green eyes were starting dead ahead, his flock of obsidian black hair falling over his face as the muscles of his shoulder and bicep flexed when he fishtailed the steering wheel.“White Villa at Maple Street, I didn't know he lived there, there's only one of the kind, you can't miss it,” He whispered, and even though I knew the steel in his voice couldn't have been meant for me, it made sh