Treachery Prequel

“Luca Bailey is why I’m here. We told you to get that girl under thumb four weeks ago and yet you haven’t managed to accomplish it. What the fuck is the hold up?”

I rubbed the back of my neck.

“She’s not as easy to pin down as you might think. Maybe if you told me the reason you’re gu

He was across the room and in my face before I could finish the thought.

“You don’t need to know the reason. All you need to know is that we want her to answer to us when we come calling. And seeing as how she’s in your line of sight on a daily basis, that makes it your problem to get her under control.”

The tip of his finger jammed dead center in my chest, my jaw locking to keep from knocking the son of a bitch away from me.

The time would come when he’d pay for all the beatings he gave me as a kid, and for all the threats he’d jammed down my throat after I became too big for him to take me on in a fight.

My eyes dropped down to where his finger touched my chest, before climbing slowly back up to his face. I smiled to see the fury rolling behind his grey eyes, to see the red sheen of hatred coloring the lines on his aging face.

His voice a low growl, he ignored my grin, his focus entirely on whatever it was Luca stood to gain for him.

“Bring the bitch to heel. I don’t give a fuck how you do it. Just make sure it’s done.”

Reaching up, he gripped my cheeks with his fingers, the tips of his clipped fingernails digging into my skin, the inside of my cheeks being shredded against my teeth.

I’d inherited my height and build from my father, which meant he wasn’t a weak man. But that didn’t mean I’d put up with his rough handling much longer. I just had to find a way to bring him down.

“You’re a good-looking kid, Ta

My head snapped back as he shoved away from me, the sides of his suit jacket flaring at his sides when he spun to storm from the room.

By the time, I pushed away from the chair and stepped out the door to return to the pool room, I caught sight of him walking with the twins and their father, Ezra’s jaw a hard line as they were being led from the house.

Our fathers’ days were numbered. They just didn’t know it.

All nine of us were biding our time, waiting until all the factors were in place for us to retire the generation above us so we could take over.

Until then, we did as we were told, marching to their orders without always knowing why we were given those orders in the first place.

My hands were clenching into fists at my sides as I turned into the pool room to lock eyes with Gabriel.

Like me, his expression was weary. Stepping up to him, I took the beer he handed me and slammed half the bottle before asking, “Did they happen to mention where they were going this time?”

“Fuck no,” he grunted, pot smoke rolling over his lips. “Did you have a nice chat?”

My jaw ticked. “Yeah, I’m so filled with the warm and fuzzies right now, I might have to sleep with a teddy bear tonight just so I don’t lose that lovin’ feeling.”

More smoke poured from his nostrils, his eyes narrowing on the shot Jase was lining up on the pool table. The balls clacked together before Gabriel answered, “Heart to hearts with the old man are always inspiring. Is he still pissed about Luca?”

Relaxing back against the wall, I closed my eyes, the vision of a problematic female coming into my thoughts.

She was a problem I wanted to crush and a body I wanted to explore. I both hated her and wanted her, which only pissed me off because, of all the available pussy roaming around the campus, I was being forced to target the one chick who didn’t jump at the chance of climbing in my bed.

Luca’s stubborn attitude was a

“Yeah,” I finally answered. “We need to cage her in tonight.”

Laughing Gabriel stubbed out what was left of his joint in a crystal ashtray.

“What do you need me to do?”

My gaze focused on Jase, a plan piecing together in my thoughts that I would need every available resource to pull off.

Thankfully, I had a team of deceptive soldiers to choose from, every single one of them only giving a fuck about themselves and what they could get out of helping me.

Luca had no clue what was coming to her. Not that she deserved it. Not that I gave a damn what it would do to her.

The fact was, her existence was a thorn in my side and until I could wrap her up in a pretty red bow and hand deliver her to my father, she was a problem and nothing else.

It didn’t matter that I loved to watch that small muscle jump above her eye when she was mad. Didn’t matter that it did something to me to see the way her cheeks pinked up whenever our mouths hovered inches apart. It couldn’t matter that I’d felt a spark the night I’d tested the waters and kissed her by the bonfire.

Catching her off guard had been the only reason she’d melted into me that night. I didn’t give her time to remember I was the biggest asshole on the planet. Not even a second to recall the way I’d yelled at her the night we first met.

I wasn’t stupid enough to think she’d melt so easily this time, not unless I found a way to catch her unbalanced and off guard all over again.

Sipping from my beer, I set the bottle on a side table and rolled the back of my head over the wall to lock eyes with Gabriel.

“Find her and make sure she comes to the party tonight. I’ll take care of everything else.”