Page 16 of Chaos Luck Wrath

“There’s nothing I can do about it,” Jonathan apologized for the umpteenth time on the other end of the phone that lay on top of her desk on speaker. He continued, “The Holskis are claiming that they don’t want involvement in a family dispute.”

“Family dispute?!” she shrieked. Great, just fucking great. Another flakey-ass criminal organization was going to turn a blind eye. Trying to reel herself back in, she lowered the volume of her voice. “Keep putting pressure on them, make whatever negotiations you have to. I don’t care what the hell it costs, we can’t afford to lose support right now.”

After their goodbyes, Layne hung up and pushed away from the desk. She walked over to the window that overlooked the street out front. It was as empty as the room she was standing in.

Alone with her thoughts, she got lost in the web of hypotheticals being woven in her brain. Were any of them going to be left standing at the end of this? Could she pull the trigger to end her brother’s life? Maybe if she gave herself up, Joey and Gage would have a chance at survival.

Her train of thought was interrupted as her cell phone began ringing from its position on her desk. Layne rushed over and answered, “Yes?”

Silence.

“Hello?” Her voice carried the crankiness from her lack of sleep. She double-checked to make sure the call was still connected before she repeated herself.

More silence.

She turned her back to the door so she could perch her ass on the edge of her desk. “Oh, for fucks sake,” she was prepared to hang up until she heard the silence breaking on the other end.

Liam’s laughter echoed in the receiver like he had just delivered the world’s funniest punchline. “Jesus Christ, Layne. You sound stressed. You should learn to let loose a bit. Go get a massage or some shit.”

If she hadn’t been dealing with high blood pressure before, she sure as hell was now when she heard him on the other end of the line.

“What the fuck do you want?” she muttered tiredly.

“Just checking in on my big sister, making sure you’re doing okay. Is that a crime?” Liam nearly had her convinced for a split second that he gave a damn.

Looking at the clock hung on the wall, she forced out her exhale. “Given what time it is, yes.”

“Hmph,” Liam seemed to take offense. “I guess I will get straight to the point. Have you decided if you’re going to be surrendering control of all your assets to me?”

“I’ve been a little busy. I know this might be difficult for you to understand, Liam, but running this business requires a lot of work. So, if you’d?—”

The phone was taken right out of her hand. When she gazed at the thief, Gage stood there with fire blazing in his eyes as he put the phone to his ear. She had never even heard him come in.

His massive hand looked like it was about to crush her cell as his body filled with palpable tension. “Look here, shithead. You come fuckin’ near her again, I will kill you. You call her again, I will kill you. You so much as mention her name, I will kill you. Do you get my drift?”

Layne dropped down onto her feet from her seat on her desk and attempted to pry the phone from Gage.

Easily keeping it out of reach from her, he pointed at her and then the chair aggressively. He mouthed the word ‘sit’ with such force she nearly heard it shouted from his thoughts.

Slowly, she sank into the office chair as she waited for Gage to conclude his talk with her brother.

Gage was greeted with Liam’s sniggering. “Oh, you must be the other one I’ve been hearing so much about. Couldn’t find a woman of your own so you had to settle for passing my sister back and forth between you and your brother? Seems real fuckin’ pathetic if you ask me.”

The twitching in Gage’s jaw was visible despite the dim lighting of the office. His anger was rolling off of him and very quickly filling the room. He responded through clenched teeth, “That’s a lot of big talk from a little fucking man.”

Liam’s cocky attitude danced along his words, “Tell Layne she better start making up her mind on what she wants.” His emphasis on his sister’s name was clearly intentional after Gage’s threat. “I’ve got far less patience than she does, and I have my eyes set on taking back a lot of things that belong to me.”

Before Gage could snap back, the call went silent as Liam disconnected. He looked at the phone before dropping it down onto her desk. “Goddamn asshole!”

Layne sat there staring at him, unsure of what to say to ease him down.

The brown hues of his eyes were filled with the darkness of his current mood. “I don’t want you fucking talking to him again. Not without Joey or me present. God knows what bullshit he’s going to start filling your head with. Do you understand me?”

He rubbed a hand over his short blonde beard, the frustration painted all over his face. His eyes shifted to Layne when she began to get up from her seat. “Just go upstairs and get to bed, it’s late.” There wasn’t much pleasantry in his voice as he ordered her to leave like a child being sent to bed.

Trying to provide a level of comfort, she softly spoke as she reached out a hand to his tensed arm, “Gage?—”

Jerking his arm out of her reach, he raised his voice. “What?!” The sharpness of the word cut through her as it bounced off the walls of the room. “I don’t need you to be a brat right now!”

---