Page 60 of Brandishing Balance
I blushed slightly at the intensity in his words and the fact that everyone in the room was watching us. “Marcos…”
“No, Maya. Hillcrest has terrorized you for long enough. He doesn’t get one more piece of you. He did this because he’s a sadistic fuck, not because you did anything wrong. You can’t let him win anymore.” Marcos was so adamant, I could only blink back at him and swallow thickly as tears lined my eyes.
“’k,” I breathed.
His eyes searched mine, as if looking for the lie. Then he kissed me, in front of everyone, his tongue sweeping in and devouring me whole. I clung to his cut, holding him against me.
“Damn, brother. Get a fucking room,” Kara said.
I tried to pull away, but Marcos still gripped my chin and he only held me tighter, refusing to let me go. I moaned softly before I pushed him away, blushing. Feeling the eyes of everyone in the room on me, as I met Marcos’s smirk. I buried my face into Marcos’s chest as several guys snickered.
“Don’t be embarrassed, Maya,” Kara said, chuckling. “I was giving my brother shit, not you. You do whatever the hell you want, damn the consequences.”
I pulled away from Marcos’s chest, my face red, and smile at her. Shrugging, I say. “I plan on it.”
Picking up my coffee again, I walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. “So what’s the plan?”
Johnny had an amused smile on his face as he glanced between me and Marcos. Scratching at his thick blond beard, he looked to Marcos. “Guess we’re waiting to hear how you want to handle Hillcrest.”
“We’re going to find him and his entire organization. We’re going to wipe them all out, but leave Hillcrest for last,” Marcos said.
“What the fuck?” Derrick groaned. “Why?”
“Because I’m going to serve him up on a platter for my old lady. Maya gets that kill.” Marcos said.
I gasp as his words register. My mouth slowly opened, only to close again when I find I have nothing to say.
Again, all fucking eyes are on me.
I met Jason’s eyes first, wondering what the hell he was thinking, as he was being his usual stony self. “You deserve it,” he said, his voice commanding.
A shiver went down my spine at the cadence of his voice. Every damn time that man spoke, it made me shiver. I loved his damn voice so fucking much… just about as much as I loved his stupid face and self. If only me and him could work past our shit.
Nico walked around the side of the kitchen table to kneel beside me, “This is your decision, Little Dreamer. Whatever you choose, I’ll be right beside you.”
I smiled and cupped the side of his face with my palm. “I would expect nothing less, Nicolai,” I murmured, then leaned forward and kissed him softly.
“You’d be ok with that? Killing Hillcrest?” Johnny asked, pushing the issue.
I pulled away from Nico and sighed. Scratching at my messy bun, I shrug a shoulder. “I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “But I know that if I can’t do it, one of my guys will.”
“Amen,” Marcos, Nico, and Jason said in unison.
A smirk tugged at Johnny’s lips as he studied me for a moment before he nodded. I didn’t know what he saw, but I felt confident in my decision. I wanted the chance to at leasttry. If I couldn’t do it in the end, then I knew my guys would make him suffer. I hoped they fucking tortured him first.
Jason
IwatchedMayafromacrossthe kitchen. Sitting at the table with her coffee mug, she looked utterly regal. A fucking queen addressing her court. I could tell that Johnny felt it as he watched her, even Kara never took her eyes off of Maya.
Maya had always had a way with people, a charm about her. It was fucking magnetic and immediately drew us to her way back then. She hadn’t understood, and I hadn’t had the words to explain it, but something cosmic had drawn us to her, from the very first meeting.
Now, as she perched on her chair and addressed the room, her spine straight and that easy confidence back, I felt myself fall in love with her all over again. Not that I ever truly stopped, but damn, was she fucking sexy.
Nico still kneeled beside her, his hand on her thigh, eyes watching her reverently.
“How do we find him now?” I asked, glancing around the room at the men all staring at my woman.
“My brother is already searching,” Kevin said. “Jack said he’s found some leads and is digging deeper. The IP address for the warehouse helped him dig into financial records and find Hillcrest through other business ventures. Jack’s working on it.”
