Page 4 of Raine
The Charmed Brothers are a gang who deal in guns and a whole lot of other shady shit, but whatever drugs they possess, they’re fucking amazing if they could dull the dislike Acheron has toward me.
I’d kill for him without a blink of my pretty cobalt eyes, but I’d also shove one of my stilettos so far up his ass just to see the discomfort and fury line his face. Justyce has always said we are more like brother and sister than him or Arrow and myself, sibling rivalry or some shit, even though there isn’t an iota of my blood running through his veins.
Instead of entertaining him, I push the fork full of food into my mouth and moan, licking my lips after. His eyes follow the motion, his fists clenching and drawing my attention to the gold ring on his finger before returning to his angry gaze.
“Hurry the fuck up, Raine. Justyce wants to talk to us, and we can’t do that without you. I’ve got shit to do, woman.”
With that, he turns on his heel, stomping down the hallway with his expensive shoes clicking loudly. I look to Olga to find her shaking her head and muttering curses under her breath.
I giggle and finish the pancakes. “He’s a gem, isn’t he?”
Laughing, Olga reaches for my empty plate. “Go before he comes back,” she says and winks.
Rolling my eyes, I push out from the island and walk toward the bar and entertainment room where we host our meetings. Pushing through the frosted glass doors, I avert my eyes to the window, deliberately avoiding Arrow’s stare.
“Big couple of nights, Raine?” Justyce questions, the disapproval lingering in his voice as I plop myself on the couch across from him.
I meet his graphite-colored eyes, then flip him off. He smirks, and it is the first time in a long time I’ve seen the worry lines ironed out on his face. He looks… happy, and that makes me smile.
“Why are you smiling?” Acheron barks, and I roll my eyes for the umpteenth time since he entered my life all those years ago.
“What do we need to talk about? I need some fucking sleep, J.”
He tips his head. “That I can see, but it’ll have to wait.”
“What’s up, boss?” Arrow queries, and I risk a glance at him to see his cognac eyes already boring holes into me.
Hurt washes over his features when I turn my face away from him, not wanting to ride the fucked-up merry-go-round that he and I have been punching holes in for half my life. A lighter flick draws my attention back to Justyce and Acheron. Acheron is lounging next to Justyce on a black lounge, legs spread wide with a cigarette hanging from his lips, eyebrow raised, and looking at me.
I look away from him and focus on the red cherry burning bright as Justyce inhales from his cigarette. I screw up my nose, the nicotine capitalizing the space, and making the pancakes in my gut roll.
I really need to fucking sleep this shit off.
Bringing my shaky hands to my lap, I wait for Justyce to speak the words he dragged us here to listen to. After a few more drawls and his gaze fixated on me, he sighs and butts the cigarette out in the black ashtray on the coffee table.
“As you know, my father is in Villa Asylum. Kind of ironic, seeing as he bought it for torturing people who wronged him,” he pauses, a strangled chuckle grinding up his throat.
He wants us to believe he is fine with it, that he hasn’t been fighting for his father’s approval and love his entire life. But just like I don’t want anyone’s pity, I won’t give it to him when I see the war he’s fighting on the inside.
Justyce is a strong man, a warrior, and a damn good person to the people he loves, but fuck with him and feel his wrath. He’ll become the judge, jury, and executioner in an instant.
“We’ve covered our tracks, but I know it won’t stop Avernus from digging deeper as time passes. He was my father’s second-in-command and best friend, even though he always wanted to be head of the Tartarus Mafia. He’s going to be violently angry and on a completely different level to what we’ve ever encountered with him in the past.”
I shudder thinking about Acheron’s father; the thought making my eyes slide over to him. His jaw is tight, his fists white-knuckling the tumbler of whiskey in his hands, and it looks as if it’s about to disintegrate in his grip. His lapis eyes collide with mine, and I avert mine immediately. If we were placing bets on who had the worst upbringing and parenting, it’s Acheron. Without a doubt, he has encountered some unthinkable things with the father who raised him.
I’m not naïve, not in the slightest. With all I know from Acheron’s childhood, it’s merely a splinter, a speck of sand in the hourglass, compared to the unspeakable things he was subjected to growing up with that psychopath.
“So what are you saying, brother?” Arrow asks, his intonation sounding curious.
“We need to make sure we have our stories straight, that they all coincide with each other’s.”
“I spliced the cameras. We were all at Arcane at the time of the fire.”
“I know, but that won’t assuage Avernus because he’ll be on a warpath.”
“So, what are you saying about Kenzi?” I ask, my mouth opening before I think through what I spit out.
Justyce growls, his dirty blonde hair falling over his eyes and causing him to rake his hands through it. “From what I can gather, he wasn’t aware Draconis had her. I dare say my father wanted her all to himself,” he snarls.
