Page 68 of Fixation of the Mind

Roux huffed, “One bullet wound in the arm or leg wouldn't kill them.”

“And me?” I glared back at them, throwing my hands up since they didn't seem to care that they shot up an innocent resturant with people in it. “What if you ended up hitting me with one of your bullets?”

Ravi's hand came up, cupping my face as he giggled. “Silly girl. We never would’ve hit you. We’re the best marksmen in Foedus.”

Rolling my eyes up to the ceiling, yanking my face away in frustration. I took a breath and massaged the sides of my head. No one got hurt. They might be insane, but no one got hurt, Layrin.

Rion’s words hit me a moment later, and I realized he was talking about "putting down" men in general, and not just the Riccis. Groaning, I turned to Rion. “Please don't tell me the waiter is dead in the trunk.” They wouldn’t have had enough time to hide him anywhere else if they did.

They looked at each other before turning back to me, then Ravi cheerfully said, “The waiter is definitely not dead in the trunk.”

Narrowing my eyes on him, I could see the smile behind his mask. “Don't lie to me.” My warning was clear enough that he immediately changed his tune.

“Okay, the waiter is dead in the trunk, but that was Roux, not me," pointing to his brother as the culprit.

Roux’s eyes narrowed, sliding to his brother as he whispered, “Snitch.”

Facing forward, I closed my eyes, crashing back into my seat, reminding myself that at least he’d told me the truth... even though I’d had to press him for it.

That was growth, right?

Chapter 23

Rin was so cute, scolding us the entire way back home, going on and on about not causing a dangerous scene in public again. At some point, she moved on to not killing assholes just because they were assholes. What she didn’t understand was that killing him wasn't just some impulse. It was a need—an inescapable, insurmountable need to make sure that no one touched what was ours.

It had started with that whole massage debacle. None of us wanted someone's hands on her naked body, even if that someone was a woman, so when she went to bed the night before, we started planning. While we were going to let her go have fun with her friend, that didn't mean we were just going to sit on our thumbs at home. No, we devised a plan to follow her and make sure nothing happened.

Since I was the only one with actual massage therapy knowledge, I got to impersonate the massage therapist and put my hands on that beautiful body. There were a few times I got so lost in the feeling of her, in soothing away her aches, that I forgot I was pretending to be a woman.

We moved to tailing them to the rest of their appointments, making sure Rin was taken care of and protected.

Then we saw that fuckboy waiter through the glass, leaning into Rin, touching Rin, and my body shook. I gripped down on the steering wheel so hard it groaned. Ravi and Roux didn’t fare so well either, their faces filled with hate and vengeance. It was the easiest decision in the world to send them to take care of him. Didn't even think twice.

When we finally thought it was all over, those damn Riccis showed up, and we lost our minds, already revved up from the waiter. As far as the Riccis were concerned, I’d admit we went a little overboard. We’d let our emotions run wild, but if I were being honest, I would do it all again.

Once we were back home, the car in the garage, Roux said he would take our special friend into the ice room until we had time to plant a new tree. Ravi and I took Rin in the house. We tried to usher her away quickly enough that she wouldn’t get too curious, but she looked over her shoulder, asking in a hushed tone, “What does ‘plant a new tree’ mean?”

Ravi cupped her cheek, giving her a quick kiss. “You're so adorable. You know the Ambros tree reserve on the far side of campus?” She nodded as he led her into the house. “Well, each tree that you see out there is covering up the body of someone we’ve killed.” Her eyes flew open, her shocked gaze bouncing between us as Ravi finished. “It's extremely hard for someone to dig up an endangered plant, let alone a tree. You have to go through a lot of red tape and politics to get permission.”

“S-s-so they can’t pin the murder on you? Doesn't a body take a long time to decompose?”

She was so smart, so perfect, that I wanted to lock her up in the house and throw away the key. “Yes,” I responded, “and that's why we came up with an organic chemical compound which will speed that process up by fifty to sixty percent. We cover the body in that before we plant the tree.”

“Wow. Morbid but impressive.” Her praise filled my soul, and it hungered for more, like it could be sustained by her words alone.

“Yes, yes. So wonderful.” Ravi threw his hands up in the air before turning around to scoop her hands in his. “What about getting you ready for the gala tonight? I'm so excited to see you in the dress I picked for you.”

She looked up at me. “When do we have to leave?”

Glancing at the clock, I responded, “In about an hour.”

Looking around, she bit her lip before saying, “Well… I only need about thirty minutes.” Her flushed cheeks and hesitant voice had my body going into hyperdrive, already buzzing with energy.

Ravi’s smile turned sly. Looking between us, he circled around her back, his hands gripping her waist as he whispered in her ear, “I think we can come up with something to do for the other thirty minutes.”

She looked to her bedroom, giving us the green light, before she threw her hands up. “Wait! I just got my hair and nails done, so don’t mess them up.”

This time, it was my turn to smile. “Noted. I promise we won't mess up anything.” Capturing a lock of her hair, I kissed it before moving over to her ear. Ravi was kissing along her neck, making her whimper. I took a quick break to coo into her ear, “I think having you on all fours at the end of the bed, ass in the air as we take turns fill you up until you’re dripping, should leave your hair and nails intact. Yes?” Her eyes turned molten, lips parted, and I knew that was her version of a yes. Pulling up her dress, I ran my fingers along the seam of her pussy, making her breath hitch and her silver eyes roll to the back of her head. “I think an orgasm from each of us should fit in that timeframe.”

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