Retribution (28 page)

“She took out the target herself,” Wesley said, coming to my rescue.

My father nodded. “Very well then. You are dismissed, Wesley. Bree, I need to speak with you.”

Wesley bowed briefly before turning to leave. My eyes locked with his as I pleaded with him not to leave me alone with the monster in front of me. He frowned and shook his head just enough that I could see it. He had no choice but to leave. We both knew it. I was simply being a coward.

Wesley left, closing the door behind him. The room stayed silent as my eyes rose to meet my father’s. He tilted his head to the side, studying me. I kept my face devoid of any emotion, but I was terrified of what he would say to me.

“Brendon and his father will be here tomorrow morning at nine. You will greet and interact with them. Dress as we’ve discussed.”

I closed my eyes and fought to keep my breathing steady. I hated Brendon. I’d met him only one other time, but that was enough to know that I couldn’t stand him. He was a pompous, demeaning ass who thought he was God’s gift to women. He was also second in command of one of the biggest crime families in Ireland.

My father and Nico, my father’s boss, planned to marry me off to Brendon to join our families together. I hadn’t bothered to tell them that we weren’t living in the 1700s anymore. It didn’t matter to them. They saw me as a piece of property and treated me accordingly.

“Is there a problem, Bree?” my father asked, his voice like ice.

I quickly shook my head. “No. No problem, Father.”

He stood and walked around his desk to where I was standing. He towered over me, and it took everything in me not to turn and run.

“Do I need to remind you
again
of what is expected of you?”

“No.” My voice shook.

“You will do everything in your power to win Brendon over. Fail to do that, and—well, let’s just say things will not go smoothly for you. Are we clear?”

“Yes, Father. I will not fail you.”

“I should hope not. You’re dismissed.”

I bowed before quickly turning and walking to the door. As soon as I was back in the hallway, I started running. I climbed the stairs to the third floor and ran past my own room, heading straight for Wesley’s. I didn’t even bother knocking before slipping inside and locking the door behind me.

Wesley was sitting on his bed. His head jerked up as I threw myself at him. I sagged into him as his arms circled around me and tightly held me.

“Bree, what’s wrong?” he asked, his breath tickling my ear.

“Brendon,” I said. My body started to shake, both from the job we’d done tonight and the thought of seeing Brendon tomorrow.

Wesley’s whole body went rigid as he cursed softly. “When?”

“He’ll be here with his father in the morning. I’m expected to entertain them.”

He cursed again before pulling me tighter against him. “I’m so sorry, Bree. If there were anything I could do, I would.”

“I know,” I whispered.

I knew he would if it were possible. Wesley would do anything in the world for me, but his hands were tied. He couldn’t go against Nico and my father without the fear of a bullet finding itself in his skull. He was just as trapped as I was.

I knew my situation would only get worse if Brendon decided I was worthy of him. If he took me back to Ireland, I would be at his mercy and completely alone. Sometimes, death seemed like the better choice.

“I’m scared,” I told Wesley. “I’m going to lose what little I have. I’m going to lose you.”

He stayed silent. There was nothing he could say. We both knew my words were true. I would leave for Ireland, and he would stay here and continue to kill or do whatever was asked of him.

“Come on,” he said suddenly as he dropped me onto the bed and stood. “Let’s go play.”

I grinned, the first one of the night. “Let’s go.”

He took my hand in his and led me from the room. We walked back down the stairs to the first floor and made a right. When we reached the doors at the end of the hall, he pushed through and flipped on the light switches. I squinted for a moment as my eyes tried to adjust to the bright lights. I looked around at the massive room. Every piece of gym equipment imaginable was tucked inside along with a wide-open space we used to train.

Wesley and I had started our training at an early age. By the time we were ten, both of us were deadly with not only weapons, but with our bodies as well. We started referring to our grappling sessions as playtime since it seemed to be the only part of the day either of us enjoyed.

Neither of us had been to school. I wasn’t even sure if the government knew we existed. We’d had classes here in the mansion in the mornings, followed by strict fighting and weapons lessons in the afternoons. Besides us, there had been only three other children, and they were all a few years older than us. Wesley and I had been together since diapers, and the bond that had formed between us ran deeper than my father or anyone else realized.

“You ready to get your ass kicked?” Wesley asked as he kicked his boots off and pulled his shirt over his head.

I considered him my family, but even I had to stop to admire his body. The years of training had molded his body into a deadly weapon. He was pure muscle, his arms and stomach solid steel.

I smirked at him as I took off my boots. “Are you? I know how embarrassing it is for you when you have your ass handed to you by a chick.”

He laughed. “Bring it, babe.”

We moved to the mats and slowly started circling each other. If it came down to strength, I would lose in an instant. Lucky for me, I had one hell of a kick, and I was fast. Wesley might be stronger than me, but he wasn’t nearly as fast. Plus, I was tiny. It made avoiding him almost easy at times.

I grinned at Wesley as we moved. There was a fire in his eyes that I rarely saw anywhere else but in this gym. He enjoyed our sessions as much as I did. It was the only time we could truly enjoy ourselves. Plus, we got to kick the shit out of each other.

Wesley suddenly darted toward me, his arms out in hopes of pinning me. I twisted sideways, and his fingers brushed my arm. Before he could recover, I spun and kicked. I gave a tiny shout of triumph when my foot hit his stomach. He grunted before backing off.

“That was too easy,” I said, pretending to yawn.

“I’ll give you easy,” he grumbled as he came at me again.

He aimed for my stomach, but I blocked his arm with my own. He caught my arm and flipped me until I was on my back on the ground. A split second later, his body was on top of mine, pinning me.

I cursed as I fought to free myself. When he didn’t budge, I decided to fight dirty. My teeth latched on to his arm, and he yelped. His weight shifted enough that I was able to break free. I shot to my feet and jumped out of reaching distance.

He glared at me. “That wasn’t cool.”

I rolled my eyes. “At least I didn’t knee your boy parts. Count your blessings.”

His frown deepened. “Leave those be. I need them.”

I laughed. “Sure you do.”

He lunged for me again, but I was ready. I jumped out of the way. His body moved past mine, and I decided to take a chance. I leaped on his back and wrapped my arms around his neck, cutting off his air. He tried to break free, but I held tight.

I yelped when he moved backward. My back hit a wall, and I gasped when my head connected as well, but I didn’t loosen my hold. He rammed into the wall again and again before finally dropping to his knees. I instantly released him, and he started coughing.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I crouched down next to him.

He shook his head. “You have one hell of a stranglehold.”

I grinned. If he was capable of speech, he was fine. “Not my fault you’re weak.”

He glared up at me. “Do you want to go another round? You got lucky. It doesn’t happen often.”

I stuck my tongue out at him, unable to stop myself. “It wasn’t luck. You’re just pissed ’cause I won.”

“Whatever,” he mumbled as he stood, pulling me up with him. “I think that’s enough for tonight. You need to go to bed. You’re going to have a long day tomorrow.”

Just like that, my good mood disappeared. For a few minutes, I’d forgotten what I would have to face in the morning. I broke free from his hold and turned for the door. “You’re right. Good night.”

“Bree, wait!” he said as he grabbed my arm and spun me back to him.

“What?”

“I…” He hesitated. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”

I laughed humorlessly. “No, it won’t. We both know it won’t ever be okay again.”

He pulled me to him and kissed my forehead. “I love you.”

“Love you, too,” I whispered.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he pulled away and walked toward the door.

I stood there until he disappeared from sight. “Me, too.”

Things would never be all right. I was about to lose my best friend and the only home I’d ever known.

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The Consequences of Sin
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