Page 82 of Trouble

That cry silenced the room. Everyone turned their focus to the dais, hushed silence gathering over the crowd of what looked to be at least fiftypeople.

And then I saw him. The man who’d caused so muchevil.

William Steel was a handsome man for his age, with iron-gray hair and the same square jaw and broad shoulders as his sons. I hadn’t had time to appreciate how much of their father was in the twins the first time I’d met him, and it’d been too dark to really tell. But the physical appearance was all they’d inherited from him. As much as they might be capable of killing, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that neither Louis nor Liam would ever be capable of the kind of evil their father had unleashed upon their entirefamily.

He strode up on the dais with confident steps, stopping on the other side of Louis to where Wesley was standing, and turned to face thecrowd.

“Friends. I want to thank you for coming here on such short notice. Tonight is a historical night for London, and I would hate for any of you to miss it. I know relations between many of us have been tense for some time now, and so I thought it important for you to see with your own eyes how I will stomp this….rebellionout once and forall.

“The Steels have ruled London for decades, and while I’m sure many would love to see us de-throned, I also know most of you would agree that we have run the city with a fair hand. Until my sons took it upon themselves to ruin the empire my Family’s built from within.” William reached out and grabbed a handful of Louis’ flaming mane, yanking his head back. “Lies. Corruption. Deceit. Treason. This is what I’ve put up with from my own kin these past few years.Everything for the Family.It seems my sons have forgotten their code of honor, along with their principles. And so it is with a heavy heart that I announce a death sentence on my youngest child. It is my hope that his brothers will see reason and come to heel once they understand that William Steel does not suffer betrayal from anyone—not even his own blood. If they don’t… they will suffer the samefate.

“And as for the rest of you…” He released Louis’ hair and pointed over the crowd with two fingers. “There have been whispers of overthrowing the Steel empire for two years now. Yes, of course I know. And I know that every single person in here has been a part of theseconspiracies.”

Murmurs rose from the gathered men. William silenced them with a handgesture.

“It ends tonight, or you will find that I am not the only one to lose a child. Know that any conversation you have about overthrowing my rule, I will learn of. Know that the punishment will be swift and merciless. Too long I’ve allowed this bickering, even in my own house. No more. It is my hope that tonight’s execution will underscore just how serious I am—and that we can all walk away from here with a new understanding and a prosperous working relationship going forward.Wesley?”

He nodded at the large man by Louis’ side, and panic exploded in my brain when I realized what was about to happen. Right now. I’d assumed the assassin would be here in time, I’d assumed everything was going to be all right. It hadn’t occurred to me that we might fail. Even after the cemetery, I’d had an unshakable faith that in the end, we would all besafe.

That faith came crashing down as I saw Wesley slowly raise his gun. We were toolate.

No, no,no!

I grabbed Liam’s arm, willing him to do something—anything—to make this stop, but I needn’thave.

He slipped out from behind the boxes and raised the gun he’d taken from the guard whose neck he’d broken, aiming it at Wesley within the blink of aneye.

But before either man could shoot, a resounding bang made everyone turn toward the warehouse’s frontdoors.

It took me a little while to realize what had happened. More men stood in the now broken-down doors. Maybe twenty of them, guns trained on the people inside. It wasn’t until I spotted two distinct figures I realized help had finallyarrived.

I’d never seen the twins’ brothers before, but one look at the two raven-haired men leading the group of newcomers, and there was no doubt in my mind who they were. They were as big as both the twins and Isaac, one of them perhaps even more so, and their grimly set features were undeniably from the Steellineage.

“Nobody fucking move,” one of them, the slightly smaller one, shouted. “Anyone flinches, they get a bullet between the eyes. Do not draw your weapons. Do not be a hero. You willdie.”

You could have heard a pin drop, the silence spreading across the warehouse was that deafening. Until William Steel pulled his own gun faster than the human eye could follow and pressed it against Louis’temple.

“Blaine. Marcus,” he said. “How nice of you to join us, though I am unsure what you thought you’d accomplish here. You won’t be able to get a shot off before your brother is dead. You and I both know you don’t have the balls to sacrifice one of your own. An unfortunate taint left over from your mother’s influence, I’m saddened to say.” His eyes flickered to Liam. “Ah, and I see you didn’t take our little chat last night seriously, either. Who is it going to be, then, Liam? Wesley? Me? No matter who you shoot, your twin will die. But you can still live. You and that girl you seem so fond of. Lower your weapons—all of you. Only one of my sons has to die tonight. The choice isyours.”

No onemoved.

I looked from the Steel brothers to their father, and across the sea of made men between them, and I knew this wouldn’t end well. The longer Liam and his brothers hesitated, the sooner someone in the crowd would snap and draw his weapon, and all hell would break lose. And I would lose Louis—and possibly alsoLiam.

Moving carefully, I slipped out from behind the crates to stand by Liam’s side. He was too focused on his father to pay me any mind, which was probably for the best. However, I caught Wesley’s eye, possibly because I was the only one moving in his field of vision. He glanced at me—and I stared back. Willing him to remember what we’d promised would happen to his boyfriend if he didn’tcomply.

Something in my expression must have shone through, because he kept his eyes on me for severalmoments.

I raised my hand and tapped my fingertips against my temple.Think.

At that moment, I swore to myself that if either of my twins got hurt from this, I would personally find his lover. And I would endhim.

Wesley tore his gaze from mine, and my heart sank at the same time as my fury boiled in my veins. He thought my threat could be dismissed, that I didn’t have the strength to carrythrough—

The gunshot echoed through the warehouse, like a singular thunderbolt. Deafening as it echoed off the metalwalls.

I—and everyone else—stared at the dais. William Steel lay lifeless on the floor, crumpled in a heap next to his tied-up son. A red mark leaking a thin trickle of blood was visible on histemple.

Wesley lowered his gun without taking his eyes off his former boss’sbody.

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