Page 98 of Ruthless Beasts

“Do we have the manpower?” Ace questioned.

“You know we do. But we can spend a few weeks and plan. It needs to be meticulous. Perfectly in sync to catch him off guard.”

“Two weeks from now, then?” Adam leaned forward.

“We’ll make it happen,” I confirmed. “I’ll have lookouts on the property prior. We’ll be prepared.”

“There is rarely a time we’re not prepared.” Adam bit his lip. “Still, I worry. Is this all worth it? I have sympathy for Blaine’s family. And lord knows I have scars from what Accardo has done to me. Both on my body and my heart. But are we making it worse? Could we find a truce?”

“Do youwantto find a truce?” Ace pushed.

“I- fuck, lord, forgive me, I don’t. I want him dead. He deserves to be dead. But not at the cost of Belle. I can’t lose her. I can’t lose another wife. I can’t bury another child.”

We wouldn’t survive that. Elizabeth and his son may not have been mine, but I felt the despair all the same. Felt what losing them did to Adam and Ace. Stood by as I barely held them together. We couldn’t handle that again. We couldn’t fall into another void of despair and climb ourselves out again.

“It won’t happen,” I promised. “I won’t let it.”

I spoke the words with such force that I was positive the universe heard my plea and granted my wish. It. Would. Not. Happen. Again.

Adam closed his eyes, grounding himself for a moment. “Call a mandatory meeting in two days. We’ll have it here so that Belle won’t be alone. Rearrange Hannah’s schedule. We need Belle occupied because planning something like this, a scale this large… it might take a few hours.”

“We’ll get it done,” Ace promised as he picked up his phone, probably already putting orders into action. “The men would like their pound of flesh.”

“Keep the ones with families on the smaller jobs.” I pushed myself away from the wall. “We don’t want a repeat of Blaine over something so petty.”

And itwaspetty. This whole situation started out of petty jealousy and greed. That was why Accardo attacked Adam’s family. He wanted his control of the drug trade in the city, not realizing he’d never have gotten it. He would have killed Adam and there would have been Ace or me ready to take his place as leader. We had always been strong alone, but together, we were nearly unbreakable. And we’d never been more in sync than we were now, sharing a family. Our plans for two weeks, a petty string of retaliations, would end in his heartbreak. I couldn’t saythat man didn’t deserve it. He did. He deserved every fucking thing he got.

But the backlash that was sure to come — the blood, the tears that would be shed — were we ready for it?

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

BELLAMY

“Oh, my god,” I groaned as I pushed another bite of brownie into my mouth. “This has to be the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

“Not the best thing I’ve eaten.” Mercer smirked from where he sat in the corner.

“Eww,” Hannah huffed. “Gross.”

So much for a girl’s evening, I guess. These men are always right there, always close by, and I didn’t mind. But sometimes I’d like to moan over a brownie my best friend brought over without a lewd reminder of Mercer’s tongue between my thighs.

I fixed a stern look on Mercer. “This is a girl’s night, remember?”

He held his hands up in surrender. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Besides,” I beamed, “this brownie trumps the best thing you’ve ever eaten hands down.”

His eyes darkened, “Challenge?”

Hannah cleared her throat. “I’m here, guys.”

“Me too,” Drew chimed in from where he leaned against the door. “Unfortunately.”

“No one asked you to speak, damn it. It’s girl’s night!” Hannah was nearly stomping her feet.

“What did Drew do to you?” Mercer questioned.

“Exist,” she growled.

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