Page 10 of Dark Things
“Pottery? Is that what I’m paying for? You should be taking advanced business courses, not fooling around with clay,” Stan scolds.
Cat swallows her food, cheeks flaming. “Daddy, I needed to take an art class to graduate, and pottery was the only one open to me without having an art major. I assure you, the rest of my classes are more business oriented.”
He humphs, but doesn’t comment further. If that was me, I’d be taking a belt to the back. Another reason I’m grateful that Cat never had to come to the compound. I would take all the beatings for her, same as I’ve done for Reb on occasion.
The rest of the dinner is uneventful, but the crackle of tension in the air is palatable once the dishes are cleared. Reb and I still have to sit through whatever torture Stan has planned for us.
Marc comes in to offer dessert, but Stan shuts it down. “Come, we need to discuss some business. Cat, make sure your grades are maintained, or that allowance you receive will be cut off.”
He doesn’t say goodbye or offer her any affection, just walks away, expecting us to follow. I kiss the top of Cat's head as we walk past and give her shoulder asqueeze. She offers a watery smile before following Marc into the kitchen.
“Let’s get this over with,” Reb whispers, marching in the direction Stan walked.
I follow behind, because there’s no place I’d let her go alone. Some may say that I’m obsessed or a stalker, but it’s much deeper than that. Reb is my reason for living, the other half of my soul. The escape from this fucked up existence, and I will stand by, protect, and offer myself to her for the rest of my days. Where she goes, I go. There’s never been a second’s doubt when it comes to Reb. I knew right away she was my fate, my everything.
“Shut the door,” Stan says once we enter the study. I haven’t been inside here yet. It’s just a room with a desk and empty bookshelves. I don’t know why it’s even here if he isn’t going to use it.
Reb stands at attention while I close the door. I come up beside her, holding the same pose. Two perfect soldiers to do his bidding. Nothing makes me more violent than Stan.
“You both have a mission. There’s a client who wants this man to be neutralized. Here’s the information. You have seven days to complete it. Don’t disappoint me, or you won’t like what happens.” He throws a flash drive on the desk. Neither of us make a move to take it.
“I’ve also had the team begin to track Mario’s movements. His ranch is a fucking fortress, but I expect tohave blueprints and security details for you in the next few days. Any questions?”
Neither Reb nor I speak up. Questions lead to beatings, and that’s not something either of us need right now.
He goes on, not noticing our scorn. “Mario’s done…everything I’ve been planning over the last five years—it’s here.Quel bastardo brucerà.” His stare bores into us. “He’s gonna die, and then it’s going to be my turn.”He thumps his chest for emphasis, then points to each of us. “So don’t fuck it up—you know who’ll pay the price if you do.”
His stare drills into my head before he pushes past and leaves us. I let out a breath of relief but don’t say a word until I hear the front door slam.
“He’s becoming more unstable, Haunt. I’m afraid this Mario thing is pushing him too far,” Reb says.
Gently pushing her back until her back hits the bookshelf, I cup her face. “No matter if he wants to take all of New York, we’re going to end this. After we take care of Mario, you and I will make Magnus a priority. We need Stan out of the way and too busy with taking back the Russo family before we can start searching. He won’t care so much once he has all that power back.”
“But why? He’s never said what Mario did to make him hate him so much,” she asks.
I kiss her lips softly before pulling back and looking into her eyes. “I don’t know the specifics, butStan had a life as a capo for the Russos before this all started. Mario was his friend and he betrayed him. That’s all I really know. I don’t remember much of my life in New York, I was a kid when my mom took us away. But five years ago, something set him off and Stan became the monster he is.”
I slide my hands down to her neck and squeeze a bit, giving her a rakish smile. She leans forward and bites my bottom lip. Groaning, I slide my thigh between her legs and push forward. Her gasp allows me to claim her mouth. Our tongues tangle, bodies pressed impossibly close.
“Fuck, we need to stop before I wrap those legs around my waste and slam into you.”
She hums and pushes me away, grinning. “Let’s go see if there’s dessert before we open up that drive. I want to pretend we won’t be tempting the grim reaper so soon,” she says, walking out the door.
I pocket the flash drive and make my way out of the office. Reb and I will discuss it once we’re alone. She’s right, the death that follows us is never something I’ll get used to. I just need to make sure it never touches her, even if it means I’ll lose myself in the process.
Rebelle
Fucking Stan and his bullshit. I should have known that he’d fit in as many jobs as he could while we’re atSkyton. After we opened the drive to look at the profile of the man we’re supposed to eliminate, I sent Haunt to bed. I couldn’t get my mind off of all the shit that’s happened in the last few days.
Moving back to New York, starting college, finding out Colter and the guys are here, and now this. Another kill, another way for Stan to control our lives. If it wasn’t for Magnus this would have been over a long time ago. I don’t even care about the money he stole from my trust fund. I would leave it all behind to have my brother back.
I huff out a breath and change into a pair of black cargo pants, my combat boots, and a black T-shirt. My guns go into my shoulder holster, and I slip my knives into various sheaths on my body. I put a light jacket on top of it and secure my hair in a braid.
I run my fingers over the wooden handle of a knife I’ve kept all these years. It’s made by the same craftsman who created the blade used to kill my uncle, and I’ve saved it for this very occasion. Revenge isn’t something I planned for my time here at Skyton, but it’s found me, and I won’t waste this opportunity. Seeing Colter has brought it all back, and I refuse to let him live the free life he thinks he deserves. We were all in the room that night, but only I was held accountable. Now it’s my turn to dole out justice.
Sneaking out through the front doors will be difficult with the extra people in the house even if Haunt is out taking care of the trackers for ourmission to kill Mario. While we don’t have a permanent car for Mario, because intel states he’s always being driven by someone, his number two, Gino, is predictable in his vehicle choices. This is the perfect time to slip out and take on a little mission of my own. But still I take precautions and slip out the window. There’s a low roof directly below my bedroom that covers the extended kitchen downstairs.
I lower myself down, making sure to be quiet before leaping off the short roof onto the grass. My ears strain to see if anyone heard the slight noise, but all is quiet. I jog over to the back entrance of the property to where I’ve stashed my motorcycle. It’s nothing fancy, but I figured keeping it with us could come in handy, like today when I’m determined to find out more about what the guys have been up to.
