Page 24 of Bender

“Um, maybe ask him?” Ace snarks.

I’m not in the mood for his shit, and he shrinks away from the dark look I aim at him. I’ll pay for it later when he’s a whiny brat about my harsh tone, but fuck it. Grey’s scared, and if scorched earth tactics are the only way to make him feel safer, so be it.

“Peanut, I know you’re scared. Can you talk to me? What’s going on?” I gentle my voice the way only Grey and Blu can bring out of me. Grey isn’t who answers.

“It’s him.” Blu’s tiny whisper is unexpected. I thought I left her asleep in our bed.

“Who, jellybean? Who scares you both and why?” I ask. My fingers tighten on the grip of my weapon, index easing onto the trigger.

I fuckin’ hope it isn’t one of my brothers making them both shake with fear. I have to think it can’t be. For days, we’ve been eating with them, spending time so Blu and Grey can get to know the lot of them. I really hope it isn’t Anatoly, either. Hate to start a war with the Bratva at our own front door, but fuck if I won’t do it for the two of them.

All eyes are on Blu as she points to one of the men standing in the V behind Anatoly. I don’t recognize him, but that’s not saying much. He’s only been here a few times since Amaliya took refuge with us and her father promised to help solve the burgeoning problem of human trafficking that seems to be cropping up around here lately.

Most of the time, he leaves the wall of muscle in the cars out front, coming inside with only one or two of his guards. I have no idea why they’re all here today, but I don’t doubt Blu.

“You know Vasily, Little Girl?” Anatoly gruffs. His bark has my hackles rising, but Blu just nods.

“How?” he demands, and there’s no mistaking the dominance in his tone. She responds without hesitation, words tripping and stumbling out.

“H-he came to master’s house. A few times. He-he laughed when master made Grey?—”

That’s all she gets out before the sharp crack of my gun firing shocks her into silence.

The man’s stunned face freezes, without time for even the rictus of death’s agony to wash over him. He’s clocked out before his body hits the floor. No one moves. I watch Pakhan Balakin, and he watches me.

“You know, we probably could have interrogated him for information, asshole. Now, we got a mess in the foyer and not a damn thing to show for it,” Jax chimes in with his bullshit, as usual.

“Fuck you, Jax,” I growl. He’d have done the same, worse, if Blakely had been scared. Shit, she stubs her toe, and he’s taking an ax to whatever chair leg hurt her because apparently, only he’s allowed to put marks on her.

“Gentleman, I believe I have the information you’ll need regarding Vasily’s extracurriculars. Or rather, I will have the information available by the end of the evening. Please excuse me, daughter. I will take my leave and handle some business before returning later tonight.” Anatoly turns on his heel, his men following in their newly lopsided formation behind him.

“Any more of your men sick fucks like this one?” I yell to his retreating back. The older man turns his icy stare over one shoulder but never breaks stride.

“If so, their bodies will be delivered to you in much the same as Vasily’s is now. On this, you have my word.” He climbs into the open door of a tinted out SUV, and the others follow into the trucks that go before and behind him, leaving us to the mess of my making.

“Grey, Peanut? Can you take Blu and go back to our room now? I gotta take care of this. I promise, you’re gonna be okay. I swear it.” I can’t hide the tremble in my voice. My heart’s breaking for the panicked horror etched on his face as he takes in the bloody body on the floor.

“I got ‘em, Kon.” Arlo, silent until now, calmly pulls Grey from my back and carries him away bridal style, Blu following them both up stairs with Blakely and Amaliya’s arms wrapped around her. I hear Blu and Arlo’s soft whispers as they soothe Grey’s hiccuppy sobs. As soon as the sound of my door closing breaks the quiet, I turn to my brothers. My family.

One by one, I meet Shaw, Cameron, Jax and Ace’s eyes. Until now, they’ve accepted that the classified nature of my contract work requires secrecy when I’m gone on assignment. Even when I brought Grey and Blu home, none of them asked where I’d found them or pried into how close I’d been these last few weeks while I’d handled the task given to me by the alphabet soup agency I contract for.

Well, Shaw knows most of it, because we served together for so long. I’ve done my best to keep him out of it, lest it be decided he could be roped in and involved.

“Yeah, they were local. The sick fuck’s house where I found them was local. This shit’s happening here, in our backyard. And we’re ending it. For Blu. For Grey.”

“For Amaliya,” Shaw adds.

“Her, too. And all the others. And if that means we have Balakin at our backs, fine. But if it means we have him in the dirt under our feet, instead, we handle that, too. Whatever it takes.” There’s no question in my words. Only intent. Promise.

“Whatever it takes,” my brothers, every one of them, vow.

Then we set to cleaning up the mess, because the very last thing we need is a dead body bringing the cops to our door. I know Anatoly won’t dime me out, but that doesn’t mean we can just leave evidence out there for anyone to find.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

BLU

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