Page 9 of Midnight Secrets

Jordan wandered into the staging area with that feral grin that said he was being an asshole. “I got my computer geeks to add a few surprises into the system for us.”

Xavier and I threw each other a worried look. This wasn’t going to end well for us. I creaked my neck from side to side to loosen up my body. If that asshole was grinning like that, I was about to get my ass kicked.

The lights went out and the only visibility was infrequent red emergency lights that added an eerie glow to everything. I snapped my goggles in place and readied myself. Normally, holograms of enemies appeared when we least expected them. This time, soldiers jumped out at us and tackled us to the ground with brutal force.

I lost myself in the ebb and flow of battle. Soldiers leapt out at us to engage us in arm-to-arm combat, snipers firing at us in this elaborate building Jordan had converted into a war zone. It was exactly what I needed.

I grunted at a kick to my kidneys, but flipped around to land a blow on my assailant, forcing them back as my leg swept their feet from under them. My laser gun fired several shots to their forehead before I moved on.

The darkness was where I thrived and became the man who evolved from all the punishments and beatings. Every time Dad put me in that cellar with no lights, it allowed my other senses to develop. He created a creature of darkness who hated him and everything he stood for. I followed the path laid out for me, but I twisted it every opportunity I got. He wanted me to study finance, so I did. Only now I was able to tiptoe into his accounts and create mischief without him even knowing I was there.

My knuckle grazed the chin of another soldier who tried to capture me. He stumbled back and my foot connected with his chest. In the real world, I would have snapped his neck.

Dad gave Mum a monthly allowance that made my blood boil. It was just enough to maintain her image but never enough to allow her any form of independence. In defiance, I had laundered money for a new house through his accounts. It was fully fitted with everything she could ever want. She no longer had to live under his roof in London. Courtesy of Dad, she had a shiny new account with enough money so she would always be comfortable without him. All it had taken was a subtle moving and selling of shares with the profits drained into a new “project.”

My chest slammed against a wall when I lost concentration for a split second. An arm wrapped around my neck to try and make me submit. I learnt long ago that I submitted to no one. I stamped on my assailant’s foot and suddenly dropped my weight to break his hold. I spun on my knees and came up behind him, reversing positions, so my arm was around his neck.

I grabbed my laser gun with my other hand and fired several rounds into the side of his head. His body armour flared red to indicate he was dead in the game. In my mind, I visualised every one of these men putting that scared expression into Lucrezia’s eyes. The problem was that I couldn’t figure out why that bothered me so much.

When I finally reached the end, Jordan was already there, Xavier reaching us a few minutes after that.

“Fucking hell, Jay,” Xavier said, sliding down the wall to sit on his ass. “We had a big lunch, you could have gone easy on us.”

“Our enemies wouldn’t account for our lunch schedule.” Jordan grinned like the psychopath he was.

Sweat beaded on my brow and pooled at the bottom of my spine. My pulse still pounded in my ears as I put the pistol into a docking booth. “I fucking hate that we need to have these skills,” I muttered.

“I agree,” Xavier said in a low tone. “But no one is coming after anyone I care for. If the fuckers on the Council thought we were weak, you can guarantee Jay and I would be on their hit-list to take our places on the inner Council.”

They were only children with no heirs. I had three brothers to take my place, so I was expendable.

Jordan’s phone pinged and he swiped the screen, his eyebrows lifting. “Lucas has a business meeting tonight and Catarina is meeting some friends from school for one of their birthdays.”

“Looks like Lucrezia is all by herself tonight,” I said, clarifying his thoughts.

“What the fuck has the baby of my family gotten herself into?” Xavier groaned. “I thought it would be Sofia since she was at university and gaining a little independence. I fully expected Uncle Lucas to have put a hit on some poor, unsuspecting student who had taken too much of an interest in her.”

I laughed at the image of a student sniffing around one of Lucas’ daughters. Any man would have to be incredibly brave or have aspirations of being a eunuch to consider taking his dick anywhere near one of those girls. My dick had definitely taken interest earlier and he was a rebellious little fucker who tended to lead me into trouble.

“Sofia’s security detail Mario has her locked down every night by ten o’clock. He’s very strict about where she can go and has all her known associates vetted,” Jordan informed us.

“Sounds very clinical,” I replied. “What’s his background?”

Jordan turned to me. “You think there’s a problem?”

I shrugged. “He’s male in a university filled with drunk and willing students all ready to experiment, and he has Sofia in bed every night by ten. Are they in a relationship?”

“Uncle Lucas would kill him,” Xavier said, pushing himself to his feet.

Jordan trailed his fingers through his hair. “Maybe I should have another look at him…”

“Leave the man alone,” Xavier snapped. “Maybe he just takes his job seriously. Has Sofia complained?”

“No,” Jordan replied. “But when has Sofia ever complained?”

Xavier grasped Jordan’s shoulder. “You need to stop seeing threats and ghosts everywhere you look.”

Shaking my head, I wandered past them. I still thought that shit sounded shady. From an early age, I was taught never to trust someone who followed the rules. They were generally creating mischief behind their façade of decency.

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