Page 112 of Sick Bargain

I can’t even look at Ransom at the end of the line. Can’t believe I did that to him. But he needs to learn what it feels like to be at the bottom again because I have plans for him… and he’ll need to keep more than Monster in line to succeed where I want to put him.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” I snarl once they’re lined up. “With all the shit we have going on, you fucks thought it’d be a good idea to piss me off even more?”

Their faces reveal nothing. I’d like to think I taught them that, but it’s just who they are. Kyd is smiling, but it gives nothing away because he’s always smiling. Most of them have mastered the blank-faced look, but there’s so much hidden under all that numbness. Above all, they fight like cats and dogs, but they’re loyal. To each other. I definitely taught them that part.

“Which of you assholes decided it’d be a good idea to steal a lion from the city zoo and release it in Moros?” I point at each of them, but Kyd’s hand shoots into the air.

“Full credit. Right here. You know I love lions, Director!”

I do know that. My god. “End of the line.”

He skips. “Worth it. His name is Fabrizio, just so we’re clear.” He hooks his arm through Ransom’s once he gets to the end, forcing him to do a twirl. “Can I bring him home? I’ll feed him and walk him, and he can sleep in my room!”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. I don’t even want to ask if he knows whereFabriziois now. Media got a report of a lion being in the tunnels under Trigger Mountain, so I’ll make him deal with that later.

Looking at Seven, because I consider him to be the most reasonable, I ask, “And who trapped seven tourists in the Asylum and called it an escape room event?”

His lips twitch, but his eyes give nothing away. “Hey, if seven people signed up willingly, what’s the problem?”

“Did they get out?” I ask. I already know the answer.

“It was Devil’s Night,” Glitch says, drawing my attention to his handsome face. “Not our fault they went in for a thrill.”

Bet they got the thrill of their lives. Scared to death, I hope not literally. “Bet you got a damn thrill too, didn’t you?”

Again, his lips twitch.

I look down the line, trying to read their eyes. These deceptive, brilliant, brutal men are my family, but being in charge of them is a task no man would take on willingly. They listen, but only when they think the idea is their own. They fall in line, but only when the punishment annoys them enough to do so. They get the jobs done, but only because they love lording their power over everyone else. They work together as a unit because I’ve trained them to.

“Facts?” I ask, knowing he’s biting his tongue, wanting to regurgitate everything he knows. Despite his mind and everything it holds, he’s just as loyal as the rest of them.

“Hello,” he says predictably. Then he literally pinches his lips closed with his thumb and finger, and Menace laughs, reaching around Riot to tug Facts into a loving chokehold. Menace kisses his cheek and whispers something in his ear. Facts blurts, “They all got out.”

Riot clamps a hand over Facts’ mouth, grinning. “Don’t look at me. I was… otherwise occupied.” Riot’s eyes shift to Ghost, and once again, I make a mental note to keep an eye on their dark level of rivalry.

I made a deal with them a long time ago. Ghost and Riot are brethren but Soren and Killian can fight all they want as long as it doesn’t interfere with Vile House work.

“Fuck you, Riot,” Ghost snaps, turning to glare at his best friend like it’s somehow Krypt’s fault.

“Top rank to whoever tells me what happened with those seven tourists,” I bait them, knowing they won’t take it. “Only one of them has been heard from this morning.”

“Which one?” Monster asks, glaring at me. He’s the hardest one of this bunch. He’s got the deepest abyss of damaged anger within him, and he doesn’t like me because I’m above Ransom. He respects me, but nothing, other than whatever Ransom does to him, calms him down enough to function as a human being. Out of all my Vile Boys, Monster’s story is the one that breaks my heart the most. He’s been with me in Vile House since he was eight years old, and he’s done a lot of healing in that time, but he’s still warped to a degree I can’t penetrate. And his level of healing isn’t… logical. I love him as if he were my own.

“Gabriel Lucero,” I tell them, watching their reactions closely.

Krypt, Ghost, Riot, and Menace don’t react. Kyd smiles wider. Ransom watches Monster. Glitch and Seven glance at each other. Facts jitters.

Okay, so it was Seven and Glitch. “Sit down.” So much for Seven being the most reasonable…

They all make their way to the giant table in the middle of the room, and now that they don’t have to be in rank, they separate themselves based on current spats. It’s funny to watch how their opinions of each other change from day to day. When you put ten egotistical men in a room for all their God complexes to mingle and war, their moods change depending on something as simple as a grin or a smirk aimed their way.

While they’re in rank, I stand. When we’re at the table, I sit at the head. I learned a long time ago to bring myself to their level while we talk about serious issues. It puts them at ease and makes them more responsive to conversation. Sitting, I look at my boys.

“I’ll deal with Devil’s Night punishments later. First, we have a vote.”

They all perk up. Even Monster.

“Krypt put in a request for Remi to move into Vile House permanently. In favour?”

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