Wicked Games by Jarica James
Kyrell
“What the fuck?” I growled as I ducked behind the car, bullets barely missing me as I dropped. “This isn’t just the Priamos Family. We’ve been fighting waves of assholes for days.” Days. That’s how long we’ve been fighting our way to our girl but they seem to have limitless men at this point.
“I’m assuming we are taking out several Families at once. Why would they offer themselves as fodder for that man?” Killian mused, standing up and shooting off another wave of bullets into the crowd.
“Retreat!” someone yelled from the other side, all gunshots falling away before the sound of tires screeching left us alone in the drive.
“And once again. What the fuck?” I said, standing up and looking at our men behind us, all who still had guns clutched in their hands and the same look of confusion on their faces.
“Why would they retreat?” Keir said, kicking at the car we’d used as a blockade.
“Because I told them to.” Sana’s voice had us all jumping over the car to get to her. She laughed as she walked forward, but the blood covering her made it seem unhinged.
“Are you in charge now, baby girl?” Killian asked, giving her a sly smile.
She snorted. “Not in a million years, Kills. I have a Family.”
“Yeah, with us,” Keir growled, rushing forward and pulling her to him, both hands holding her face as he owned her mouth. When he pulled back, he kept her there, glaring at her. “Princess… if you ever pull some stupid shit like that again, I’ll bring you back from the dead just to put handprints on that fine ass of yours.”
“I was drunk and desperate?” she tried. But she damn well knew we’d figured it out, we were hardly stupid.
“Don’t lie to us, it’s unbecoming. This is why you’ve made all those comments since we found you. Limited time wasn’t until he came to get you,” I challenged, wanting her to finish it.
“No… it was never in my plans to come back here. I also planned to do it differently but I was over half a bottle in and desperate. If they’d made it past your guards downstairs, then I knew it was a matter of time until they found me.”
“I’m sorry we left you,” I said. We’d cursed ourselves many times since that night. One of us should have stayed to protect her, they’d proven themselves enough to outsmart small guard details and we’d left her vulnerable.
“It’s in the past,” she said with a sigh. “And we’ve got work to do.”
“What’s the status of a Family appointed leader?” Killian asked since she’d told us plainly it wasn’t going to be her.
“My guess would be Vincent, but he’s adamant he’s happy in his role, too old for bureaucratic bullshit,” she shrugged. “I’d say Dani, but she’s MIA, even here. I did tell Vincent to send her a message so she at least knows about Eros and Tony.”
“Well, I’m starving. Let’s find food and booze and let the smoke settle,” Keir said. He was still tense, barely out of her personal bubble. We were treading far too close to hangry status for him and that wouldn’t be good for any of us.
“We need to figure out details. But it seems we are now aligned with the Priamos Family. But changes will be made,” she added bitterly. “Come check out hell sweet hell.”
With that she turned and walked up the long drive. It was a semicircle and the other cars had retreated the opposite direction, our men blocking both now that they’d gone.
“Xander, that means you too!” Sana barked, then lowered her voice to us. “I have a feeling he can help convince some of the guys that your way of handling the city is better.”
“He is a smooth talker,” Killian agreed. Xander caught up to us but didn’t say anything, just falling in step as we approached the front stairs of her childhood home.
“Eros was into gaudy, wasn’t he?” I noted, eyes landing on the golden cherubs adorning the fountain and the marble gargoyles on the roof. She laughed and shook her head.
“Understatement. It’s worse inside.”
Truer words had never been spoken. Between the expensive cushioned carpets to the golden accessories, and the overly large artwork, it was like something out of a museum. Nothing about the place said it was a home.
“Ah, here is Vincent. Uncle Vinny, this is Xander, the Adrostos version of you. Then this is Keir, Kyrell, and Killian Adrostos, my boyfriends.” Keir growled at the word boyfriend, but we hadn’t exactly asked her to marry us so it was the best word to use... for now.
“Nice to meet the men that could handle our Sana,” he said, bowing his head slightly instead of offering a hand to shake. “What’s our next move now that the front is secured?”
“Call a meeting for tomorrow afternoon. I want heads of every element of operation and reports. I’m not handing over the Family until it’s on the right track. And I need a list of allies and agreements Eros had. It’s going to be a long few days, men,” she said. It was hot as fuck to see her using such a commanding tone, standing proud and leading the Family. We’d seen moments of it in the past, but with a man like Eros still in play she hadn’t fully accepted that role yet. After this, I had a feeling she would blow us away.
“Consider it done,” he promised, turning and walking off down the hall.
“And me, Queen?” Xander asked, still standing at attention behind us.
“Xander, I need you to be our eyes and ears. Blend in where you can and offer help. Take no shit if they try to backtalk, shoot first and assert dominance. Vincent will be able to help you figure things out. As we try and fix this shit storm, I need to know just how deep our men’s loyalty lies and how to move forward.”
“Understood,” he said, turning and walking off after Vincent. She turned to us then.
“I need to alert the staff so we can have food ready. I’m not sure how many of your men you want to remain, but the rest should head back so the city isn’t unprotected,” she reminded us. Keir just smirked and nodded. He’d already texted orders, only a few remaining behind to watch the grounds.
She walked off, leaving us standing there in the foyer. Killian burst into laughter as soon as she was out of earshot.
“This is exactly what I was waiting for. She’s fucking made to be a queen, and not because of the shit Eros did, but just fucking look at her barking orders as good as Keir and figuring shit out.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Keir said. “And I’m going to fuck her on that desk, a final desecration to his memory.”
“We’ll eradicate every bad fucking memory she had in this house,” I agreed with a chuckle before sobering slightly. “We’ll have to keep an eye on her. It’s been an intense few days.”
“That it has,” Sana said as she walked in, grinning at our conspiring. “Food will be ready soon and I have booze. Let’s go out by the pool.”
“We didn’t exactly dress for a pool party,” Keir deadpanned, looking down at our dirty suits.
“Pools don’t require suits when the house is yours,” she shrugged, already walking away.
“My lady has a point,” Killian agreed. He was already pulling off his shirt as he followed her.
She wove us down the hall and through a pretentious game room. But when she stepped outside, I was pleasantly surprised. The pool was surrounded by greenery and rock formations. Lawn chairs sat on the small deck and that’s where she went, stripping down to her bra and panties.
“That’s one hell of an invitation,” Kill said, rushing forward and joining her. She paused at the water’s edge and turned to us.
“Oh, I forgot to add. Eros was my real father and my mother killed herself to escape him.” With that parting gift she jumped into the pool.
“Yup, we’ll need to watch her,” Keir muttered, shaking his head. She may have a lot to work through yet, but the moment she stepped out of the house to go back home, she’d be stronger than before and free of the chains that had held her captive for years.