Wicked Games by Jarica James
Otsana
“This is ridiculous. Why couldn’t I just stay at the estate?” I grumbled as Ky drove us through town. It felt like I’d just fallen asleep when he was forcing me awake.
“Not a chance. Last time we entrusted our guards with you, you ended up kidnapped and tortured.”
He had a point, but I wasn’t a big fan of needing a fucking babysitter. I’d protected myself in this city for years before them. What happened in Gamester’s Paradise would have happened regardless, I was outnumbered and they were waiting. I could lay low just fine. What were they going to do, infiltrate the entire Adrostos estate? Yeah right. That’d be suicide.
“And we are going to do this every day? No secret meetings… no moments alone?” I growled, my anger waking me up.
“Okay, first things first, we need to get you a fucking hot drink,” he said. “Before I pull over just to spank your ass and show you that you don’t get to speak to me that way. You know damn well why we’re doing this so stop acting like a brat.”
“Newsflash, Ky, I am a brat,” I bit out.
His lips formed a thin line but he didn’t bother to engage me again. Knowing it was pointless to fight back, I turned to look out the window. He didn’t give me much about where we were going, but I nearly laughed when he stopped by a drive through coffee shop. It wasn’t exactly Larry’s place, but I’d take it.
“Welcome to Roasted Dreams,” a far too cheerful barista chirped out, making me wince.
“I need a large hot chocolate with a shot of espresso, and a large black coffee. Throw in two scones too,” he ordered, his voice the usual cool tone. She stuttered out our total before he drove around.
I waited until we’d pulled up to say something. “Espresso is disgusting and does not belong in hot chocolate, Kyrell Adrostos.”
“Well, Otsana Adrostos,” he said, giving me the side-eye. “You need it so you can stop being a hangry brat. It’s this or I fuck it out of you.”
“I’ll take option number two,” I said, giving a sly grin. That honestly did sound like a far better way to wake up. Especially since I woke up to him flinging the covers off and yanking me out of bed. Now ruining hot chocolate? He’d gone too far.
“Tomorrow you can go with Kill,” he grumbled before the girl pushed open the window. “Keep the change.”
“Oh, th-thank you, s-sir,” she stuttered, eyes wide. Her hands were shaking and I secretly hoped that she spilled the espresso on him. Luck just wasn’t with me apparently, because she handed it right over with no mishaps.
He nodded once before rushing off. He held the drink carrier in one hand as he navigated up to the road. When he stopped to wait to pull out, he handed my things over. When he didn’t let go, I raised a brow.
“You will drink all of this before we get there. You have fifteen minutes,” he warned. “I mean every. Last. Drop.”
My eyes narrowed at his tone. “And if I don’t?”
“Why don’t you not drink it all and find out?” he asked. His lip curled up into a smirk as he studied me. “I’d love nothing more than to punish you.”
“You guys should work on those rage issues,” I said, taking a sip. I kept my face even as the bitter infused drink filled my mouth. Satisfied, he turned back to the road.
Somehow, I managed to suck down the drink within the next five minutes. I popped it into the cupholder before closing my eyes and leaning my head back.
When I felt him shift the car off, the espresso had already taken hold, so I felt less grumpy. Until I opened my eyes and saw where we’d parked.
“A gym?” I asked, glaring at him.
“Yes.” The one word answer was all I got out of him before he was climbing out and walking around the car. He opened my door and waited for me to get out. I stepped to the side so he could close it, but gasped as he backed me against the back door. He was so close our noses brushed, his eyes boring into mine as he dared me to try him.
“You don’t get to come back here, after running away at every fucking turn, and act like we are being irrational. You saw us torture someone and ran. You dated someone else. You ditched our guards off and on. And then you got yourself taken. You’ll be a good fucking girl, and do what we ask of you for now. So get used to taking orders, queen, because the only ones you get to issue orders or backtalk to, are our men, not us.”
My heart raced at the proximity and threat in his voice. The twisted part of me wanted to see what he’d do if I challenged that, but since we were about to go inside, I decided to keep my mouth shut. His angry expression slowly morphed into a pleased one and he slid a hand around my neck. He grabbed a handful of my hair and tightened it, tilting my head and slanting his lips over mine. The kiss was bruising and possessive and when he pulled away, he trailed his lips over my jaw to my neck, stopping on my ear. I shivered as his warm breath teased me. Then in his low, sultry voice he teased me.
“Good girl.”
Then he was gone as quickly as he cornered me, heading for the door and pulling it open. He waited there, and I took a shaky breath before rushing after him.
The gym was a boxing gym, a ring set up on one side of the wide, warehouse style room. Training mats lined the other. A row of lockers were off to the right of the entrance, a long bench in front of it where a few men sat. The moment they saw it was us, they sprang to their feet.
“Hey, boss,” they greeted in near perfect synchrony before heading for a door on the back wall. Ky and I followed behind, garnering looks from the boxers training. I wrinkled my nose as sweat and a sour, acrid stench hit my nostrils, the whole place making me feel like I needed a shower again.
The moment I stepped into the backroom, I had to hide my laughter behind a cough. Ky glanced down at me, but he was amused this time.
“Unexpected?” he joked, glancing around the room. It was a full dive bar behind the gym. It reminded me of an old school speakeasy with the way they had it in the back of a boxing gym, but it wasn’t exactly a typical bar. Instead of high top tables, there was one long conference table. The only other seating were the bar stools that lined the old fashioned bar. It was all dark tones, deep wood, burgundy, and gold. It might have looked high class if it weren’t for the dingy feel to everything.
“I hear we got Seth back,” one of the men asked now that we were in the back. Ky nodded solemnly.
“Not we. She got him back,” he explained, nodding his head my way. “This is our queen, Otsana.”
“Sana,” I corrected, nodding my head. They both looked at me and bowed slightly.
“Charley and Brandt,” the first guy introduced, pointing at himself first, then the other.
“He was one of our own. Thank you,” Brandt praised, his slicked back hair shining as he bowed again.
“How are shipments? Any more snags or interruptions?” Ky prompted, taking a seat. Brandt and Charley sat across from him. Ky pulled me into his lap, not letting me take my own, a move that was definitely noticed by the others.
“The Lachs have been taking our weapons shipments here and there, something you already know about,” Charley started, but Ky waved him on. “Apparently, the drugs weren’t enough for the greedy bastards.”
“Well… they will be recovering for a long while. Not only did she knock out a large group of them, we also hit their other base. They’ll be licking their wounds and leaving our stuff the fuck alone for a long while I suspect.
“Damn,” Charley whistled. “I’d hate to be on the wrong end of that fight.” I couldn’t help but smirk at that, loving the amount of respect reflecting in their awed expressions. It was a far cry different from the look of fear that the head of the Priamos Family garnered.
“From our last report, we’re down a few men. So tell me, what have we done to account for the absences?”
Charley went to the bar and grabbed a leather bound ledger of some kind. He flipped it open and I saw it outlined several points per shipment.
“We’ve simply reconfigured without the extra men,” Charley explained. “It gave us each one more, but it wasn’t more than we could handle.” His assurance was met by an approving nod from Ky.
“Perfect. Pay attention for attempts at retaliation and keep me up to date. I’ll stop by next week and check in,” he assured them.
“Thanks, boss,” they agreed. And just like that, all business dropped and the three men relaxed.
“So, how’s the boxing tournament coming?” Ky asked, eyes lighting up a bit.
“Not bad,” Brandt said. “We’ve got the men’s classes covered, but the women’s division isn’t picking up. Unless your girl here wants to come teach the ladies how to fight?”
Ky gave me a look, but shrugged. “Things are dangerous right now. When they calm down, I have a feeling she’d be happy to kick anyone’s ass.”
I grinned. “Hell yeah.”
“We have more stops to make. Let’s go,” Ky said, tapping my hip for me to stand before he got up. He led me out with a hand on my lower back.
“Where to now, boss?” I asked, biting my lip to stop from laughing at his annoyed glare.
“That’s sir to you, or master if you’d prefer, but boss isn’t for you. You’re our equal, our queen, not our underling,” he said, his voice low and serious. My cheeks flushed at his statement. I’d never been considered an equal before. It was all or nothing in my Family, I was training to be the best and the only leader to come out on top. Though it seemed that little Tony didn’t get the memo. “And to answer your question, we’re hitting a bakery.”
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Business?”
“You’ll see,” he said. It apparently amused him, but I had no clue why.
When we got to SweetHeart’s, the bakery in question, I only became more confused. A feeble looking man was hobbling out from behind the counter. Ky tried to meet him halfway, but despite his appearance, he shuffled quickly. Ky leaned down as they clasped arms, kissing him once on each cheek. It was the biggest I’d seen Ky’s smile outside of Angelina. The way they treated the elders in their life with so much respect always warmed my cold, dead heart.
“Oh, and who is this young beauty? Much too pretty for you, eh?” he joked, his boisterous laugh raspy and mischievous. I liked him immediately.
“She really is,” Ky joked, letting the old man rib him. “How’s business, Frank?”
“Good, good. On both accounts,” he laughed, the sound warm. “Can I get you both something sweet?”
“You made all this, this morning?” I asked. This man accomplished more in his work day than I do in a week. The fact Ky was here checking on him had me appreciating him even more. I loved that they took care of their own in this city. The Priamos clan would never.
“Early to rise and all that,” he chuckled. “But I have an assistant to help in the morning, these old hands can’t accomplish what they used to.”
“Could I get a cinnamon roll?” I asked, glancing at Ky. He nodded to Frank.
“Make that two,” he prompted. Frank went back around the counter and put them in a bag for us, handing it over. “Flip the sign?”
“On it,” Ky said. He went to the front door and flipped it to closed. I should have known this wasn’t just a wellness check. “Over here, Sana.”
Frank was already going through to the kitchen. By the time we went through the doors, he was heading for another. I assumed it was an office or storage room, but when he flipped open the door, it was like a command center. A large map of the city was on the wall, colored lines mapping out routes. He didn’t have any of the product here, but I had a feeling this was where they came for their orders and routes. Pictures were tacked to a large cork board, a few faces I recognized among them.
“Are the marks for deceased?” I asked, both Frank and Ky nodding. “Got a marker?”
Frank looked confused, but didn’t question Ky’s woman, apparently. He grabbed one off of the desk and handed it over. I went over and marked off three, then handed it back.
“These three are dead,” I said.
“How do you know?” he shot back, spicy Frank apparently coming out to play.
“I put a bullet through their eye sockets,” I deadpanned. “Likely more, but those three are the ones I caught and I got their boss.”
His boisterous laugh caught me off guard. “Well, I’ll be damned. Okay. That makes our routes a bit safer.”
“That’s part of what I wanted to say. Let me know if you notice a change. But tell your men to be vigilant, this won’t go without retaliation. We just don’t know if more reinforcements will come.”
“Oh god,” I said, my head finally catching up with all of the crazy that had been happening lately. “My cousin.”
“Your cousin?” Ky asked, his voice careful.
“I assumed Eros sent him, but then I was caught. The Lachs were double timing Eros with their own agenda. My cousin came by just to tell me he wanted me for his own. He wanted to run the Family and needed me to help him do it.”
“Why did he need you?”
“I was Eros’ pet. He raised me and molded me to meet his own standards. Little Tony didn’t get so much as an extra lesson from the man, so he wants to make me his wife,” I bit out, shuddering at the thought. “But if there’s retaliation, it would be by him. He was here on Eros’ behalf. But he has his own separate agenda. He’s planning something.”
“But if Eros thinks that he’s lost him, then there will be hell to pay,” Ky pointed out. Poor Frank’s head was bouncing back and forth between us as we worked through it.
“The guys spotted some members of other Families in the city recently,” Frank supplied, both of our heads snapping to his. “That’s part of my update.” He pulled out an old school three ring binder and opened it to the back, then handed it over to Ky. It was a page of pictures, all men in suits.
“This is the son of the Theron Family. Have they turned?” Ky asked more to himself than us.
“And the guy with the fluffy hair?” Frank said. “He is the second in command of the Volante Family.”
“We need to go talk to Keir,” Ky said darkly, closing the binder and handing it back. “Keep our men on task, just take precautions.”
“Of course, boss,” Frank said. “Be safe.”
“Always,” Ky promised, clapping the man on the shoulder before walking out. Frank handed over the bag of pastries and I took it, giving him a smile before following Ky out.
As soon as we were alone Kyrell turned to me, anger in his eyes.
“This is starting to look like a war, kitten. Get ready.”