Page 20 of Sinful Little Lies

The rest of the guys trickle into the kitchen and sit at the island, pulling me from my thoughts. Emmett is the first to speak. “Grimm, you’re going to fucking love this.”

My eyes shoot up and a grin spreads on my face. “Yeah, I better. The monster wants to come out and play. Who’s the prick we’re knocking off the hit list?” I ask, turning to Eli.

“Tonight’s mission is a bit different from our normal feat. A woman. A powerful one at that. Her name is Mallorie Mavros,” he responds. He flips it open and pulls out a small portrait along with a piece of plain white paper. Holding up the picture, Eli begins to explain our assignment for the night.

“Mallorie has ties with the black market. A lady who likes lethal weapons. She started dealing with smaller blades like daggers and trench knives. More recently, she’s been dipping her toes in the deep sea waters of firearms. The Brotherhood was looking to purchase some of these exclusive weapons from her inventory. Long story short, she fucked us over. She asked for a fifty-thousand dollar advance for the weapons and went radio silent for almost four months. Ms. Mavros resurfaced again ata motel near Ramsey about two weeks ago. She hasn’t tried to contact us once. We’ve got eyes on her, but it’s on us to either get the money or take her out.”

I let out an unexpected laugh. “Ramsey? Why would she choose a hiding spot twenty minutes away from us? Is she trying to be slick, moving right under our noses, or is she really back to fix things?”

Eli shrugs, “I haven’t read her journal, dude. I don’t fucking know. Simply telling you what Idoknow. I tried to do some digging and found that her parents bought a house in Ramsey, secluded from the rest of the suburbs. Those that spotted her at the motel, followed her to the house. Jaden and I cross-checked the address with the eyes we have on her and it’s a match. Looks like she’s there alone, so we’ll leave in a couple of hours.” He states, tapping the island and walking out of the kitchen.

I lock eyes with Jaden, his typically charming grin has disappeared from his face. “I don’t kill women. Those are against my rules of morality,” he says, shaking his head.

Chuckling, I sip on my whiskey, “You don’t have any rules of morality, moron.”

As he walks by, Jaden clunks the back of my head with his hand. “Yeah, I do. Women. Children. They don’t die.”

Nodding, Emmett joins in. “Then you better hope she’s got the money to save her ass. Not like you’d be the one to off her, anyway. We all know Grimm wouldn’t be generous to give one of us his kill. Don’t sweat it.” Jaden sucks his teeth and retreats to his room, slamming the door behind him.

Sighing, I down the rest of my drink and immediately pour another one, repeating the process. Emmett rests his hand on my shoulder and pats. “Whoa, just a few weeks ago we were in this very spot and you were telling me to chill out with my drinking. You good?” He asks, his brows furrowing.

I nod. “Yeah I’m alright. Family stuff. It’s complicated.”

Giving me another pat on the back, he walks out of the kitchen, leaving me alone.

I don’t know what’s worse. The silence around me or the voices that fill my head when I’m alone telling me to reach out to Verena and make sure she’s okay. I don’t care about the weapons or the killing. The Brotherhood and these dumb assignments. They used to give me such an adrenaline rush. But there’s nothing like the rush I get from being in the same vicinity as V. I’d much rather be in her company instead of doing dirty work for The Elders.

A sinking feeling settles in my stomach. Maybe I shouldn’t go. It would be good for me to stay back in case Verena came by and needed me, I mean, a place to stay.

Even though I know it’s really not possible, I can’t help but wish my plans for the night were different.

I feel it. I feel it with every pump of my heart.

Something isn’t right.

A few hours later,we’re parked outside of an enormous white brick house, onyx lining every trim. There’s a light on upstairs, but the rest of the house is blanketed in complete darkness.

We get out of the car and the guys start walking to the house. I pop the trunk, removing my bag and throwing it over my shoulder. Gently, I close the trunk, then jog to catch up with the guys.

As we come up to the residence, I let my intentions be known. “Alright. In and out. I don’t want to be here all night.” I look around and their faces are twisted and confused.

“Since when don’t you enjoy this stuff? What the fuck is going on with you?” Jaden asks.

“Nothing. I’m just tired. Let’s go,” I answer, pushing past them and stopping at the door. I stand in silence while patiently waiting for Eli to work his handy magic. Within ten seconds, the front lock is picked. The less time this takes, the better.

Reaching in my waistband, I pull out my gun and step into the foyer. I tiptoe into the house with Jaden behind me and together we scan the sitting room and bathrooms, while Eli and Emmett scope out the kitchen and dining room.

We meet again in the foyer in front of a massive staircase, and Emmett flashes a grin and a smile. “All good!” he whispers excitedly.

I nod and Emmett points up, letting everyone know where to go from here. Slowly, we file up the stairs and around the banister. At the end of the hall, a door is open and light pours out of the room. A laugh breaks out and Emmett’s hand goes up, signaling us to freeze.

It wasn’t a feminine laugh. That was a man. Irritated, I turn to Eli and whisper, “You said she was alone. Who is that?”

He side-eyes me, not up for my attitude. “I said itlookedlike she was alone, dipshit. It was an assumption. Or is that too big of a word for you to comprehend?”

Emmett turns, giving his gun to Jaden and flicks us both on the nose. “Both of you stop it. Right now. It doesn’t matter who is here. There’s enough of us to take care of it.” Focusing on me, he speaks again. “In and out, right?”

“Yeah,” I agree, lifting up my gun and heading towards the room.

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