Wicked Games by Jarica James

Otsana

Cleanup from the nightclub incident was not easy. The local media had run with the story, painting the town as dangerous and seedy despite the fact it was generally fairly quiet and crime free.

The final death toll was fifty-seven dead, the club goers not able to withstand over four shooters with assault rifles. Their stories were being told all over the news and my heart ached for them all. Though Helena’s death was like a knife to the chest.

Dani still hadn’t shown up and she’d shut down her phone, going straight to voicemail every time and texts staying unread. Knowing her, she was being destructive and I was terrified that would mean in the end I’d lose her too.

The guys had been gone for hours doing damage control and I had stuck around to help prepare for Helena’s funeral. Angelina had been baking and cooking nonstop. Seeing such a strong woman break down in tears as she stirred a pot on the stove or kneaded dough, was breaking my heart even more.

“Sana!” My name echoed through the house and my heart raced at the sound of Dani’s voice. I dropped the tray I was holding and bolted from the room. I needed to see that she was okay.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the anger. Her face was contorted in rage and I barely stopped before she was slamming her fist into my jaw. I was so caught off that I flew backwards, back slamming into the entry table, shattering it on impact.

Pain radiated from my back and jaw, but I barely noticed as I watched Dani lean down, inches from my face.

“This is your fault. You took my soul mate away and now you will pay for it. You won’t be the next head of the Priamos Family… I will. Prepare for war, cousin,” she gritted out, her mouth twisting into a grimace at the word cousin. My chest ached at her words, a soul deep pain that I knew I wouldn’t really recover from, not wholly. She had always been on my side, leaving her was painful, yet here she was blaming me for things outside of my control and promising to ruin my life. “I might not be able to kill your lovers, eye for an eye, but I’ll help strip them of their titles and leave you all homeless and penniless.”

She stepped back and walked out of the door, the sound of it slamming making me flinch. Footsteps approached but I barely registered them before Xander was helping me to my feet, his face concerned as he looked from me to the door that he’d obviously heard slam.

“You okay, Sana?” I nodded, my emotions completely numb now as I stepped away, not looking back as I headed down the hall.

Not sure what else to do, I started stripping and went straight to the bathroom, avoiding mirrors as I turned on the water and filled the tub. I’d stashed some bath bombs in here and I grabbed one out of the cabinet without paying attention to the scent.

My mind was eerily blank as I soaked in the tub, the warm water cooling down to the point of discomfort, but I couldn't find the energy to care.

The door opened some time later and Ky came in. From his tentative steps, I could tell he was briefed on what happened, or what Xander saw of it at least.

He sat on the edge of the tub, fingers trailing in the water and wincing. His eyes went wide at the temperature and he didn’t bother to roll up his sleeves before reaching in to remove the plug. For some reason, he didn’t pry as he helped me from the tub and to our room. I was aware enough for the numbness to scare me. My stomach rolled, the feelings way too similar to one other time.

“Come on, Sana. We leave in five minutes,” Eros demanded, having come down to school to collect me himself.

Panicked but keeping it at bay, I glanced around my room, the only real home I had ever had. Grabbing my backpack, I dumped it on my bed and gathered the only things that mattered to me, my phone, my laptop, a few of my favorite books, and some clothes. I had most at home, but I couldn’t leave Killian’s t-shirt behind, it still smelled like him.

As my hand reached for pictures on my wall, Eros slammed his hand into mine, crushing my knuckles painfully. I bit back anger and grief as he reached for the pictures and tore them to shreds, giving me no reminder of my life here.

“We go, now. Your father is gone and I am your keeper,” he said casually, his face set in an amused smile that made my blood run cold. My heart stopped at that.

“Gone, sir?”

“Dead,” he gloated, a small chuckle escaping. “And now I will help you reach your full potential. Let’s go, Otsana.”

Before it could swallow me whole, I shoved it all away. There was no time for goodbyes or worries, only survival if he was in charge.

Pain exploded on my face again and I blinked several times to clear away the vile memory. Killian was fuming, breathing hard as he glared at me, his face a mixture of worry and frustration.

“What the fuck?” I growled, my numbness slipping away and fury taking over. One hand went to my burning cheek and the other raised to smack him, but someone grabbed my arm from behind, the ironclad grip not allowing for even an inch of movement. I fought against it, refusing to let them win. I wanted to hurt, to fight, anything to get my frustration out.

“Fight or fuck, Sana. Your choice,” Killian growled. But Keir was shoving me onto the bed.

“No time for either. Get your shit together and we can figure it out after. We have the entire Family waiting for us and we need a united front. You have ten minutes. Cover you bruises, put a fucking smile on your face, and be a queen. Don’t disappoint me.”

I wanted to argue, but he was doing what he had to. That didn’t stop me from scrambling away and telling him to fuck off, before heading back into the bathroom and slamming the door. I didn’t have time for much, but foundation was about to be a must. I winced at the damage, apparently Dani had a hell of a right hook, blue and purple bruising already taking over. And now I had a lovely red handprint taking over on the opposite cheek. Fucking dick.

After slathering on enough to make the bruises disappear as much as I could, I walked out and went straight for my closet. Needing to feel like a bad bitch after the day I had, I grabbed my little black dress that hugged my curves perfectly.

I’d get my fucking by the end of the night for sure with this outfit.

“Alright, I’m presentable. Let’s fucking do this,” I growled, the guys looking amused as they turned and led the way downstairs to the Family.

Angelina had already lined the tables in food but the mood was somber, no one touching any of it yet. Even she had lost her usual feistiness. As we walked in to take our spots, a few people glanced at my cheek where I was sure the bruise was shining through.

“This isn’t good, boss,” Xander said with a heavy sigh. Keir didn’t say anything as we took our seats, but as soon as we were settled he slid over his phone to show us the headlines. Right there was our biggest fear.

Gang violence has taken over Haverden.

“Will there be a chance we can recover from this or is the club going to have to shut down?” Seth asked. I perked up at the sound of his voice, glad to see him looking healthy and snuggling a baby. He gave me a wink when he saw me looking.

“Not likely,” Killian admitted, mouth set in a grim line. He was obviously frustrated and I couldn’t blame him at all. He’d poured his blood and sweat into that job and it was crumbling around him.

“We’ll deal with that afterward. Right now, we have a funeral to finish planning,” Kyrell said with a sigh. At that everyone fell silent, more than a few sniffles coming from her family. Helena didn’t deserve this and I was devastated for so many reasons. For Dani, her family, my guys.

“We’ve handled it, the funeral is tomorrow, sir,” a tearful woman said from down the table. She stood and leaned over to properly see us. She was unfamiliar, but I still hadn’t figured out everyone’s names yet. We had been a little caught up with getting kidnapped and dealing with Eros and the Lachs’ bullshit.

“That’s Helena’s sister, Valerie,” Killian whispered while Keir nodded in approval.

“Anything you need is yours. And bill us for everything.” She noted before the tide broke loose and the man next to her had to pull her down to sit. It was only then that I noticed how pregnant she was.

“What do we do after that? What’s our plan for retribution?” the man who’d comforted Valerie asked, his voice infused with venom.

“We’ve taken out the Lachs’ main base, and their warehouses. Intel keeps coming in of stolen shipments, rival involvement. The Therons and the Volantes have turned. But our numbers are far higher, we own this city and won’t go down without a fight,” Keir summarized. “Next step is to get through the funeral, then we up our patrol. I’m calling a meeting with the heads of the Therons and the Volantes after that.”

“What about the Family that helped kidnap our queen?” someone called out, but I let out a dark chuckle.

“That would be my former Family, the Priamos. Eros is more dangerous than the other three combined, and worse, he knows me. Hell, he trained me,” I said. “We have to cut off his ties, not directly approach.”

“Did anyone catch the man who killed Helena?” Valerie spoke up again. She’d calmed her tears and now she wore a face that promised pain.

“Your queen did, he is dead,” Keir said. The pride in his voice rang clear but I hung my head, ashamed I wasn’t quicker, that I couldn’t save her. I’d been worried about them, but trained to worry about me and only me. It had me questioning if I was even fit for the role the guys had given me.

“Thank you,” Valerie choked out. Angelina must have overheard as well because she plopped an entire chocolate cake in front of me and nodded firmly.

“Yes, thank you. I know you well enough to know you tried to save her and even if you could not, you didn’t let her die in vain. This is yours.”

It was such an Angelina move that I couldn't help but smile, my mood lifting a little. If she had faith in me then maybe it was time to start having faith in myself. I was a bad bitch when I had to be, but in the off times I often slipped into doubt, hating who I saw in the mirror and I didn’t have time for that bullshit anymore. I was in charge of my life now and it was time to show the Family I was worthy of their respect and trust.

* * *

The day wascloudy but the rain held off as we stood under the awning at Helena’s funeral. The amount of people that came out was heartwarming, or maybe I just hadn’t grasped how large the Family was.

Among the crowd were a few familiar faces, like Joe and sweet Frank from the bakery. But there was one glaring absence from the crowd. Dani was nowhere in sight and I had a sinking feeling she wouldn’t be showing up either. We’d been taught through the years that life was fragile, death inevitable, and there was no time to mourn. What worried me was what she planned to do with the feelings she was dealing with. Dani was a drinker, but not a sad drinker. She hated drugs and loved violence, so I had a distinct feeling there would be a line of bodies in her wake.

My heart ached as Valerie spoke about her sister, painting a picture of the type of life she led. She was a sister, a girlfriend, and overall just a genuinely good person. Something that wasn’t easy to find among mafia families, it was definitely a big blow to the Adrostos clan.

Watching the guys drop roses on her casket before it was lowered into the ground was painful. The entire funeral a glaring reminder that stepping into a Family wasn’t just dealing with the darker side of things, like torture and gore, it was harsh realities like this one.

As the funeral came to a close, Keir, Kyrell, and Killian hung back to speak to everyone as they left. I smiled and said all the right things, but my focus stayed on our surroundings, still holding out hope she would come.

A flash of a dark suit and Dani’s signature messy pixie cut was all it took for me to take off at a full run. My heels sunk into the damp earth as I sprinted after her, the guys shouting after me.

“Dani!” I screamed, likely raising the dead with my lack of manners but I didn’t really give a fuck. She turned at the sound of her name, her haunted eyes and tear streaked cheeks like a knife through my heart. She managed to slip into a crowd so I lost sight of her, tires peeling out of the main lot a moment later.

A sinking feeling settled in my gut as I watched her leave. She hated me, and blamed me for Helena’s death, and it was a rift I knew wouldn’t be able to be repaired. The loss was devastating, and it just made the idea of going back to Eros at the end of our agreement that much more impossible. No way would I live that life without one single ally to soften the blow.

For now, I just had to give her space and hope she came to her senses. Grief changed people, but Dani had always been on my side, I just hoped that was a fact that didn’t change this time.