Page 47 of Possession

He looks over his shoulder. “Where exactly did you say Kai was?”

A chuckle bubbles in my throat. “I didn’t.”

He rolls his eyes. “I have a girl to slide inside tonight.” He shrugs. Meaning he wants to return home in one piece.

“You and me both.” I wink at him as my hand clamps down on the door handle.

Hushed voices infiltrate my senses as we step inside our dimly lit warehouse. The creak of the heavy metal door doesn’t draw attention to us as I expected, so we stride toward the voices.

“What the fuck?” a guy says. Standing tall with broad shoulders and a bald head, he’s dressed in black. He steps away from the wall, and knowing my brother has my back covered, I continue on my pursuit with confidence. He drops to the floor with a bullet between his eyes. I step over him, but the office door flies open, and I remove my weapon and take aim before he’s even considered drawing his own.

He falls to the floor, bleeding out from his neck.

Two down.

A shadow moves to the side of the door and another on the opposite side. I hold up my hand, instructing Rocco to pause.

“Stein. Get your ass out here right now!” I grit out.

“Not a chance!” he yells.

Fucking coward.

Gunfire pursues, and I step behind one of the concrete pillars while Rocco and I shoot toward the office. I glance at my brother, who is taking cover behind one of the pallets, no doubt ready to be shipped tonight. Our product. His eyebrows dance back at me, and he tilts his head toward the office.

Don’t you fucking dare, I mouth, and he throws his head back on a chuckle before ignoring my instruction and jumping out, leaving me to cover his ass while he somersaults and fires at the pricks taking solitude in my office. “Come get me, motherfuckerrrrrs!” he screeches, and I briefly close my eyes at his childish actions before continuing to cover him.

A guy jumps out in the doorway, and before my bullet can penetrate his face, Rocco grunts, then I wince.

I step out and march toward the fucker that dared to shoot my brother. He’s bleeding out on the floor, but I don’t give a shit; I’ll drain every last breath from him. Lifting my shoe, I stamp hard on his neck, relishing the crushing beneath my foot as blood spurts from every direction and life drains from his face. Perfect.

“That all you got?” Rocco throws in their direction, and I want to kick him in the face and tell him to act dead to give me some peace. Instead, I clock Kai moving in the shadows and gift him a nod.

He pulls the tab on the smoke canister and throws it into the office.

Three men rush from the room, and Rocco and I aim shots at their legs while Kai steps behind them, knocking them to the floor. Then he disappears into the office before returning with a flailing Stein.

Stein coughs and splutters, trying to catch his breath, while I focus on my brother.

He surveys the hole in his jacket. “You ruined my leather, motherfucker!” He kicks one of the guys who lies semiconscious on the floor in the head so hard the loud crack of his skull is a giveaway to his demise.

“Fuckkk.” Kai grimaces when blood splatters across the concrete. Then he checks Stein for weapons, discarding a gun across the floor before pushing him face down and tying his hands behind his back with cable ties. He yanks him up, gripping Stein’s head in his hand, forcing him to face me while his other hand lands on his shoulders, keeping him in place, kneeling at my feet. I glare down at him, and panic flashes across his face as he pales.

“Rocco?” Rocco’s head snaps in my direction. “You’re going to use that weapon of yours tonight.”

His lips tip into a knowing smirk. “Yeah?”

I nod and step back, allowing my brother to step forward while Kai’s firm hold keeps Stein in place.

Rocco slices through his clothes with well-practiced ease, leaving them pooling to the floor. Then he slices his chest, taking slivers of flesh with each swipe, leaving Stein wailing and struggling in Kai’s firm hold.

Towering over him, I glare down into his pleading eyes. “Explain,” I bite out, beyond pissed at his betrayal.

“I needed the money, man. It wasn’t much. You can afford it.”

Wrong answer.

Rocco scoffs, then he cuts into his forehead, down the side of his face, across his jawline, and follows it up by joining it at the top where he started.