Page 2 of Orion Ruined

“Let’s figure that out later.” In situations such as this, we know the drill. “Logan, take Camila’s car into the garage. Here.” I pull the keys from my pants pocket. “And put the bodies inside. Don’t forget to turn off their cells.”

“Don’t insult me, Orion. I’m not a rookie,” he scoffs, taking the keys. “Come on, Kai. I’m gonna need help.”

I take a second look at the girl. Who the fuck is she? Who sent her? And why? Why tonight? She has blood all over her. She must be wounded. Her clothes are torn, and her top, well, her top’s too small for her breasts, that’s for sure. Why am I even looking there? The way she looked at me right before she crumbled at my feet… fuck. For that reason only, I’ll let her live. For now. Dammit, I hate that she looks so innocent, lying here unconscious. I bet she’s not. She can’t be. Either way, I’ll be damned if I don’t find out.

I pick her up and take her upstairs, straight into one of the guestrooms at the end of the corridor. The only guestroom on the east side of the house, usually reserved for real guests, or those incapable of going home after a night out.

“I’m up here!” I yell at Kai and Logan when I hear the front door opening.

Since I live alone, my house has always been the safest place for our meetings. Nobody’s allowed to walk in unannounced. My privacy is what keeps me safe. I don’t allow anyone to come close without me knowing, thanks to the perimeter of sensor-activated cameras around the property. Except my sister Lisa. She often comes with her daughter, but not unannounced, as my cell buzzes each time there’s movement in the vicinity. Besides, she’s the only one who knows about Kai and Logan. From day one. They met, too. So I don’t even consider her a threat. She brings me food and whatever else I ask her for, and I’d give my life for her.

This girl here must’ve come straight after Camila. I remember my cell buzzing, but I also remember being too angry at Camila’s arrival to check.

Kai and Logan join me in the guestroom.

“She’s still unconscious,” I say to Logan. He’s the doctor, after all. He’s the one who has taken an oath to save lives. Not me. I’d rather kill them and get it over and done with.

Logan looks at her closely for a moment. “One thing’s for sure, her body–”

“Logan,” I warn him. I know where his mind goes.

“Whoever sent her must’ve known about our meeting tonight.” Kai glowers at Logan and me. “And us.”

I pace around the room. That realization is beginning to weigh heavy on me. “Fuck!”

“Most of the blood is around the stomach,” Logan observes.

“How long can she survive a gunshot wound to the stomach?” Evidently, Kai hopes she’ll die before she sees any of us again.

“It would depend largely on the gun, and the type of bullet,” Logan replies. “A 22-caliber rimfire round would make a hole less than a quarter-inch, and might not ‘pass through’ but actually remain in the stomach. A 30-caliber hunting round with a soft point or hollow point projectile designed to expand and expend its energy rapidly would probably blow her stomach apart, killing her quickly. There are hundreds of bullet calibers designed for different purposes, so it’d be impossible to go over all the possibilities.

“Another issue would be the angle of the bullet’s path. If it only hit the stomach and not the liver, pancreas, a kidney, or a major artery or vein, the chances of survival are much higher. If the bullet were to tear the abdominal aorta, death would happen very quickly from blood loss, not the stomach injury the bullet caused.

“Aside from these observations, a bullet would pass through other materials before reaching the stomach, so a heavily dressed individual might have a different life expectancy. Since this one’s practically naked, and she was able to walk here, the chances are that she’s not shot,” he concludes, scratching his chin.

That’s too long a ramble for my liking. I check my watch and frown. “Shit. With Camila dead, we don’t have time to waste. As usual, this meeting never took place.”

Kai nods.

Logan points to the girl lying on the bed. “What about her?”

“Let me deal with the bodies I already have for now.”

“Cleaning crew,” Kai states darkly.

I nod. I work with the best cleaning crew on the East Coast, with no connections to anyone in my family. One great piece of advice my father gave me: no matter what you’re up to in your life, find yourself an independent cleaning crew.

“Both of you, stay here. I’ll be back in ten.”

LOGAN

Goddamnit! We didn’t have to kill Milan’s wife! It took us years to get to where we are, and because all of us are trigger-happy, we now have a dead woman on our hands. She was hardly anyone’s role model, but still. She was a good bargaining tool, seeing as she wanted to bang all three of us at some point. And that poor bodyguard didn’t stand a chance.

Orion’s life-transforming changes he wants to propose to the syndicate, a ‘smart’ mafia life for all, is great. I’m sold to the life where I step back and practice medicine. But it’s hard taking even one step forward with the asswipes that are Milan’s men, the Slavs, who never keep their word. I didn’t need this today. Had I stayed at home, I’d be tucked up in my bed right now with a girl under each arm. Not getting annoyed that if this gets out, some prick from my own family may want to cut my balls off, our syndicate’s calling card. I know, I was the one who came up with it–you betray us, you lose your balls. As for death, it will come for sure, but not before a good, lengthy torture. Of course, nobody will get anywhere near my balls as my trusted blade’s always in my pocket, and my skills are equivalent to that of a surgeon with twenty years’ experience. But still.

If it wasn’t for this tempting girl lying on the double bed in front of me, I’d certainly think tonight was wasted.

“I’ll be on lookout out front.” Kai sounds pissed. He’s always pissed. He hasn’t stuck his cock in anyone for nearly a year and of course he’s miserable. Getting on his motorbike and going at a deadly speed is where he’ll lose his head one day, and properly–not like he did last year, over a girl.

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