Chapter 21

Chapter

Twenty-One

LAINEY

O ur car led the small parade of vehicles out toward Brooklyn. All black SUVs. All with increased security, and steel-reinforced doors with ballistic-resistant windows. We were making a statement. A show of unity.

The Vandals were all here. While they couldn't necessarily afford to be absent in total from Braxton Harbor for long, none would let Em or Pretty Boy deal with King alone.

Milo threaded his fingers with mine where he sat next to me. Adam was silent on my right. Ezra had grabbed the front seat and Bodhi drove. It amused me that Adam hadn't even offered up a token resistance to the seating arrangements.

No, we were all growing more comfortable with the rotation of where we sat, though Bodhi almost always drove. A smile flickered through me at the thought.

Control issues. We all had them. Some of us handled it better than others. I didn't think it was possible to love these four more, then they just climbed in the car as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Maybe it was.

Our new normal.

Bodhi drove and lately, we'd used his cars more than any others. That would adapt over time as we were able to loosen security. The penthouse, though, as lovely as it was, was Bodhi's space and none of us wanted to disrupt it anymore than we already had. I also liked my own and Adam seemed fond of his.

We might need to discuss a pooling of resources or maybe buying a building and redoing the upper floors. That idea had potential. I put a mental bookmark in place for later.

Despite the quiet, plans hummed in the air around us. Em had gotten confirmation of her shows and received two calls from the man who owned the theater in Prague. He was thrilled to hear she would be coming.

Maybe too excited, if Pretty Boy's reaction to the second call had been an indication. The buzz of violence, always present, had grown more audible for a time. But when I locked gazes with him, concerned, Milo had shaken his head.

No, he didn't like the other man's attitude. He didn't care for what seemed to have once been the "normal" in Em's life. The important part, however, was it was no longer the "normal" and Em would not be dealing with any of these people alone.

The Vandals would have her back. So would we. Maybe… just maybe, we would be coming back with Andrea. That part of the nightmare could end while we focused on her recovery.

If I didn't think too hard on what could be happening to her right now, it let me breathe. The moment I let my thoughts drift in that direction, the muscles in my back began to tighten and my stomach sank.

We couldn't kill Harper twice, but if I could—I would execute him daily until we had Andrea back with us. There were a number of different ways to kill him. We hadn't really been that creative.

Adam covered my free hand with his and stroked his thumb along the side of my hand. The gentle caress eased my grip, but didn't relax it entirely. As much as I wanted to cover my reactions, I didn't seem entirely capable of it anymore.

Or maybe Adam just knew.

I leaned my head against his shoulder. Without a word, he turned and pressed his lips against the top of my head. Yes, he knew. I flexed my hand around his and he continued to offer his strength.

Milo covered my hand in his with another hand. His support as steady and determined as Adam's, Bodhi's, and Ezra's. We would look after each other and together we would figure this out.

Then as if summoned by the deep breath I took, our fleet of vehicles turned into a driveway that would take us up to the private house King owned. Or at least, the house he was using.

Location was everything, the fact he was here in Brooklyn and not on Long Island had to chafe. It also gave him some distance from the families he'd sought to control for so long.

We were not the first out of the cars. That was the twins. They had been behind us but now they were ahead. The last time we'd all moved on a target, there had been others with us, this time, it was quiet.

Just family.

The two key players were Milo and Em. They'd discussed what they were going to do a few times. The siblings were equally determined to protect each other. Not a doubt existed within me that they were each capable of killing King if it saved the other.

No doubt at all.

At the same time, I wasn't sure either really wanted the burden. Then again, that was why all of us were here.

"Ready?" Bodhi asked as the Vandals left their vehicles behind us.

"Absolutely," I told him. I was. This "reckoning," for lack of a better term, had been a long time coming. Adam lifted my hand and kissed it once before he opened his door. Milo squeezed my hand, then nodded toward his side.

It would put the car between me and the house. Adam had already closed his door and opened Ezra's before Ezra could. The brief, albeit sharp, flush of pleasure in Ezra's reaction made me smile wider.

Good things still happened. The tidal waves of darkness threatening our position would not be allowed to drown us. Frankly, I'd always wanted to learn how to surf.

Milo continued to hold onto my hand as we gathered. I slid the purse strap over my shoulder and then eyed the building. It wasn't a bad house. Though it definitely needed touch-ups.

He'd gone ostentatious, but you could see the cracks in the pavement. The paint on the trim was chipped. Even the landscaping showed signs of neglect. The bushes were a little too tall and intruded on the railing along the porch.

The grass was uneven in places, particularly along the longer drive as though the shade from the trees interrupted the growing cycle. It was a huge house, designed to project security, wealth, and entitlement.

Unfortunately, the message was utterly undercut by the myriad of little things that confirmed the illusion was wearing away around the edges. Somehow, I doubted that money was the issue where all of this was concerned.

King had the money.

He just lacked the acumen to make it happen. Perhaps he just failed to bring in the staff who could handle it. Needless to say, he was failing.

We were here to see the wax wings melt and send him plunging back to Earth.

"No security," Ezra commented, his disdainful sniff echoing a dismissive opinion. "How the mighty have fallen."

"Don't get cocky," Adam warned him with a clap against his shoulder. "And stay with Lainey."

With his back to us, Adam didn't catch Ezra rolling his eyes or the way he shot a look at me. Adam's protective instincts were never going to let Ezra or I go first.

"Behave," I mouthed, loving the way his eyes lit up and his smirk. But I still shook my head. He could give Adam shit later. Not now.

Not here.

Huffing out a breath, Ezra winked at me and then focused on the house. Em was out of her car and she stood framed by four of her guys. None of them looked any happier about being here than Milo did.

"Shall we?" I offered, heading for the front doors. We'd given King enough of a show with all of us gathered out front. While his estate wasn't as large as Der Sonne or Waltham Corners or Harrow's Park, it was definitely set back and away from the streets.

The only way to continue to observe us would be with cameras. We had a little surprise for that too. I'd just pressed the doorbell when my phone buzzed.

Fletcher : You're all clear. I've intercepted his cloud feeds. Happy hunting, Cos.

Impeccable timing, as always. No one answered the door immediately. Unsurprising. I gave it a solid sixty seconds before I rang it again.

"Well, this is a surprise," King greeted us via the intercom. "Though I thought it was just going to be you and Emersyn, Miss Benedict."

"No you didn't," I countered. "Because you are not stupid. Now, are you coming down to invite us in or should we continue with our other plans?"

One thing about men in power. They didn't like subversive challenges to their control. You'd think they would dislike overt ones more, but no—those gave them a chance to flex and prove something.

Subtle digs, such as the fact he was alone in the house and didn't even have the staff to let us in would sting his pride. The reminder that we didn't have to be here. We didn't need him, he needed us. The salt for the wound.

"Come in," he invited and there was a sound of a buzzer and then the door clicked as it unlocked. Not a servant, but he didn't come out either.

While not a full point, he had taken the first serve and sent it back. Adam was through the door with Ezra moving in his shadow. Bodhi followed, then Milo eased his grip so I could go as well.

Awareness of the Vandals moving with us kept my focus ahead. Kellan fell into step directly behind me. They would watch our backs. The guys had worked it all out in their planning.

The wide foyer faced a grand staircase head on and opened into three other rooms. A walkable mosaic circle decorated the center of the foyer. Everything else was framed around the Venetian marble.

It was too expensive for what was around it. The inlay made the rest look cheaper, damaged. The design should complement and raise the value of the room around it.

This failed on all levels. The regency table did not match the vintage metal patina plant stand. The gold sheen clashed with the wrought iron of the stair's railings and the fine filigreed work.

If one had decided to cherry pick some pieces from a catalog of different periods and aesthetics, you might have come up with this.

The fact a sitting room was directly off the foyer and boasted Georgian pieces, rather than Regency or wrought-iron didn't promise comfort for decorations or seating.

A line of paintings decorated the walls ascending to the next floor. One of them looked a great deal like Em and I wasn't the only one who noticed. Not that I had time to study it as the man we were here to see descended the steps.

Dressed in a button down shirt, tie, and slacks, he looked like he'd just gotten up from his desk at the office. He'd failed to put on his coat though.

"Emersyn," King said as he reached the last step and focused on her. For the most part, my best friend just folded her arms when King held out a hand to her. "It's good to see you."

"Can't say it's mutual," she fired back. I was very fond of the bluntness. While Em had never been cruel, she'd always gone for the quiet response. The one to mitigate the damage and to disguise how bad things might be.

Not anymore.

"Understood," King said slowly, though there was no mistaking his disappointment or disapproval. He glanced over the Vandals but continued to study all of us until his gaze landed on Milo. "Son."

"Asshole," Milo answered.

Another sigh.

"You know what, Jeff," Doc said as he stepped forward. It cut King off from being able to even approach Emersyn. My initial judgment where he was concerned was a very large question mark.

Doc was much older than Milo and Em. He'd known Milo since he was a boy. But the radical age difference wasn't what gave me pause or caution. It was the familiarity with Em when she was a baby and his ties to Milo that were closer than family in some ways.

Some.

Still, he made Em happy. That I could never fault.

"Let's save the bullshit. No one wants to hear it and you really can't sell it anymore." He gestured to the other room. "If you want us to sit somewhere, lead the way."

"Mickey J," King practically tsked as he turned to lead us through to another room. Probably an office or a library. Somewhere he held the power.

Instead of pausing at Em, though he had glanced at her, King came to a stop in front of me.

"Miss Benedict?" He offered his arm. Milo didn't make a sound. None of them did. But if looks could kill, I was pretty sure King would have been dead at least a dozen times over.

"If you insist," I murmured. We had goals for being here. While I couldn't stand the man, I was also not as personally invested as everyone else beyond what he'd done to my best friend and my lovers.

They were very much my personal investment.

"I do," King said as my hand came to settle on the crook of his arm. He didn't attempt to touch me in any other way and merely walked through the foyer and into the sitting room, then beyond it to what was ostensibly a library. "Would you care for a drink?"

"Perhaps," I said, considering it. "Why don't I get the drinks for everyone and the rest of you talk?" After all, he wanted to talk to Em and to Milo.

Those were the important ones.

King frowned briefly, but the fact he nearly ran into Bodhi when he turned seemed to give him more pause. Bodhi didn't say a word. He also didn't look away. In fact, King was definitely the one to stop the staring contest first.

"If you insist," King murmured, parroting my earlier comment.

"Of course," I looped my purse strap across my chest so I didn't have to set it down and I turned to the room. "What can I get for you?"

"Milkshakes are probably not on the list, are they?" Freddie's question splintered the frostiness in the air and I grinned at him.

"Unfortunately, no, they aren't. But I can check on beer or soda."

Freddie didn't normally drink, so it was a safe bet he'd go for the soda or nothing at all. "Soda's fine, or water." He cut a look toward King. "I'm not picky."

The man snorted. It didn't take long to get drink orders from everyone. As I took over the bar, Bodhi drifted along with me. He just shook his head when I asked if he wanted anything.

While everyone waited for their drinks, they divided, putting most of them on one side of the room with King on the other. Based on Milo's interrogations, most of King's security had quit. Arguably, some had just disappeared, but you might as well say they quit.

Apparently, the odds weren't in their favor.

Who would have thunk it?

King chose a cognac to drink. I poured a small measure for myself. Opened wine for Em, though she'd just shrugged. Beers for some of the boys. Water and soda for everyone else.

The only drink I delivered was King's because he hadn't come anywhere near the bar. Since I had both glasses, I gave him the choice of which he would have.

"Thank you," he murmured and I raised my own glass in a quiet salute before I sampled a mouthful. It was sweet, but also spicy. The rich flavor demanded attention. It warmed the belly and spread that heat through the rest of me.

"You're welcome."

I crossed to where Em had taken a seat. None of the guys were really sitting, so I just settled on the arm of her chair. She shot me a quick smile, then we focused on King.

"Who wants to begin?" King asked. It almost sounded like he was offering a concession, but he wasn't the one in control of the room or the situation.

The knowledge of which continued to grow in his wary gaze.