Page 7 of London Has Fallen

“Did he say why?” Cronos grits his teeth, his upper lip twitches as he tries not to snarl which puts me on edge.

“He wants me to redo the trials with the triplets.” I keep my anger buried deep inside me as I take a couple of calming breaths.

“You do this, you know what that means, right?” Cronos nods and darts his gaze away from me.

“I won’t hurt them, Artemis,” he murmurs softly. It fucking destroys me to be so disconnected from my own twin. He built a wall around himself and closed everyone out. He works behind the bar here because he refuses to have anything to do with the family business. We aren’t like the other families, we are the middleman if you will. We allow all the narcotics to go through our ports and turn a blind eye, we broker arms deals, and the skin trade is still active, thanks to my father. Bishop, Royal, Andreas and Knox detest this and have tried to shut it down but Ian, Karl and Costa have refused and fought them at every turn. Granted though, Costa doesn’t exactly deal in the trade—he just captures the girls and gets them hooked on heroin before Karl and Ian come and collect them.

I don’t enjoy that side of the business. Those girls are someone’s daughter, sister, mother, friend, cousin. They are fucking people and yet they are traded like cattle at a slaughter house.

“We’ll figure this out before it comes to that.” He snaps his gaze back to me, his brown eyes are so dark they appear almost black.

“The girl needs to go in order for one of them to win.”

“She won’t be a problem. I’ll break her before she can even pass the first trial,” I say firmly.

“Is that before or after you fuck her?” he sneers, my eyes narrow at my twin.

“Say whatever the fuck it is that you are avoiding?” I grit out.

“You’ve had more ass than a fucking church pew, yet earlier I saw you pinning London Murdoch beneath you in the booth. Don’t let your cock cloud your judgment because family will always come first and that girl isn’t family.” He doesn’t wait for a reply as he climbs to his feet and storms out of my office, slamming my door behind himself hard enough to rattle the pictures on the walls. I sit here, staring at the closed door for so long my eyes begin to burn. I have no idea how all of this fell on me. I may be the oldest but not by much. Cronos was my wingman, my right hand, my go-to but ever since the trials, he’s just… not himself. He’s receded so deep inside himself that I’m not sure any of us would be able to reach him.

I pull into the long driveaway that leads to my father’s house. He says it’s our home but I’m not sure that man has any idea what that fucking word means. My brothers and I haven't had a home since our mother died. She grounded us and kept us together as a unit, but since she passed, we’ve all become people she wouldn’t recognize—me especially.

Climbing out of my car I take a deep breath and scan the other cars in the driveway, noting that Cronos’s Toyota Crown RS is missing from the lineup of vehicles. Pinching my lips to the side, I shake my head and make my way around the back, knowing Costa would have brunch served out on the back patio so we have a mountain view as we eat. He does subtle shit like this all time to show us how much money he possesses without actually having to say it. I round the corner and spy the triplets straight away, sitting at the large table that is piled with food–enough food to feed a fucking small army, just another thing Costa does to show his wealth.

“Brother.” Adonis grins as he spots me first. Apollo and Ares both turn to me as I claim the spot next to Ares.

“Where’s Cronos?” I ask the three of them, not bothering with pleasantries. Ares and Adonis share a look before turning their attention back to me.

“We thought he was coming with you,” Ares says.

“You asking or you telling me, brother?” I growl. Apollo glares at me, out of the three of them he is the one with balls. He never shies away from a fight and that is his greatest strength but also his biggest weakness. He’s a hothead.

“He said he was coming with you when I spoke to him last night,” Apollo forces out through clenched teeth. Reclining in my chair, I pin him with a bored look. I can tell from the way his jaw is stiff and his eye keeps twitching that he’s pissed off about something.

“What are you so mad about, little brother?” Ares and Adonis both slink back into their chairs and drop their gazes to their lap. Yeah, if that isn’t a sign that their triplet is about to explode I don’t know what else is.

“We saw you with her.” I keep my face neutral and force my jaw to not lock as I hold his gaze.

“And?” Apollo grips the edge of the table and leans forward, I fight the smirk from breaking free at the challenge in his gaze. The five of us grew up using our fists to sort out our squabbles. Even now, we still fight to prove a point.

“You planning on helping us and your twin or you going to fuck the heiress and help her so Costa gets rid of us and you have no one to worry about coming after your crown?” As the last words leave his mouth I strike out without a sound. I ignore the shouts of my other brothers as I grip Apollo’s throat and squeeze. The little shit doesn’t fight me knowing I will win any fight between us.

I lean in, leaving a sliver of space between us. “I am going to fuck her.” His eyes widen in surprise at my admission. “I’m going to make the bitch beg for me. I’ll make sure she is so hooked on me that she has no idea that I am really destroying her from the inside out.” I release him with a shove and lean back, running my gaze over each of them before finally settling on Apollo again. “London Murdoch will never win these trials, I won’t allow it. Think what you want of me but know this, little brother, I would never let any cunt harm a hair on your head. I will make sure the three of you and Cronos come out of these trials the victors. We will watch the heiress burn and then we will finally be free of this bullshit.” Adonis and Ares stare at me with wide eyes, this is the first time I have admitted that I want out of this life aloud. Apollo shakes his head and scoffs.

“He will never let you leave and if you do, we’ll all pay the price for your betrayal.” I clamp my mouth closed, unable to answer Apollo as Costa makes his grand entrance. My stomach churns at the sight of a girl beside him in a tiny black cocktail dress, her hair is messy and her makeup is smudged. Jesus Christ, she can’t be any older than the triplets. Costa whispers something in her ear and she turns her gaze to the four of us, her blue eyes widen.

“Your whore couldn’t sneak out through the front door?” Adonis snarls. Costa pins him with a look that promises retribution.

“Go now, my dear, my sons need a lesson in manners,” Costa says, keeping his gaze on Adonis. The girl turns to leave but not before Costa smacks her ass, making her yelp in surprise. I swallow the bile that threatens to spew from me and tear my gaze away.

“Sons, he says,” Ares mutters. I glare at him and shake my head subtly, warning him to shut his mouth. He takes the hint and slouches back in his chair in a huff—we may fight and work on each other’s last nerve but the triplets and Cronos know that I will always protect them from the wrath of the man that gave us life. Costa claims his seat at the head of the table, grabbing his napkin off the top of his plate. He shakes it out and drapes it over the top of his lap, his calm demeanor doesn’t fool me. He’s up to something.

“Where is my son?” The triplets look at their laps, leaving me to cover for Cronos.

I meet Costa’s gaze unflinchingly, the longer I hold his stare the more the vein in his forehead begins to pop at my blatant show of disrespect. Before this becomes a bloodbath, I remember why I am playing nice and back in Switzerland so I avert my gaze as I answer, “I needed him to do a collection for me.”

“I told him to be here,” Costa shouts as he slams his palm down on the table. I fucking hate how the triplets subtly shift toward me in their seats. They act tough and talk a big game but the truth is, the three of them have been on the receiving end of Costa’s anger one too many fucking times.

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