Chapter 18

CHAPTER

EIGHTEEN

PIKE

The house was too damn quiet for my liking. I sat there, watching the monitor with Dimitri and Maddox, but my mind was elsewhere. The plan was simple—watch and wait for Victor to arrive at Kent's place and finish the job. But all we'd seen so far was Kent, the disgusting piece of shit, lounging on his couch, stuffing his face with chips, and watching garbage TV. The longer we sat here, the more I felt we'd made a mistake, and I knew that Dimitri and Maddox felt the same way.

I clenched my jaw as I watched him scratch his beer belly through that filthy, stained tank top. Just looking at him made my skin crawl. The kind of scum that didn't deserve to breathe the same air as the rest of us. I should have killed him years ago instead of hanging on to this idea of my brother. The tenuous thread that I'd manufactured. The odd part was that it had worked. In the end, it had brought Eli back to me. Still, my fingers itched to grab my gun and put a bullet in Kent's head, but I knew better than to act on impulse. We just needed Victor to take the bait.

"How much more of this shit do we have to watch?" Maddox muttered next to me, his voice laced with irritation. "I swear if I see him stick his hand down his pants one more time, I'm gonna lose it."

Dimitri snorted. "You're not the only one. It's like watching a rat in a cage, waiting for it to do something interesting."

I leaned back in my chair, my eyes narrowing at the screen. Kent had switched the channel to some late-night rerun, his beady eyes half-closed. For a moment, I wished the bastard would choke on a chip and save us all the trouble. But no such luck. Instead, he yawned, scratched his armpit, and eventually dragged his sorry ass off to bed, the camera in the bedroom catching his every move.

"Jesus, this is a waste of time," Maddox grumbled, running a hand through his hair. "Victor's not coming. He's probably out there, somewhere else, planning his next move while we're stuck watching this asshole sleep."

Dimitri looked over at me. "What do you think?"

I didn't answer right away. Something was gnawing at me, deep in my gut. It wasn't just the boredom or the disgust I felt watching Kent exist. No, this was something else that made my skin prickle with unease. My eyes shifted from the monitor to the clock on the wall, then around the room, searching for something I couldn't quite place.

"You seen Natasha?" I finally asked, my voice gruff.

Dimitri blinked, caught off guard by the change in topic. "Not since earlier. Why?"

My frown deepened. "She's been gone too long. I don't like it."

Maddox raised an eyebrow. "You worried about her? She's a big girl, Pike. She can take care of herself."

"I know that," I snapped, the tension in my voice betraying me. Natasha was tough—there was no doubt about that. But she was also new to this world and the dangers that came with it. And if Victor was lurking around... I didn't even want to think about what could happen.

Dimitri sighed, his concern starting to show. "Maybe we should check on the girls. Just to be sure. Ronnie, too." He looked around for Enzo and Luca, but both had gotten bored hours ago due to the lack of action on the monitors, and they wandered off.

"Maybe we should send some club members to pick Kent up?" Maddox suggested.

"Do it." I was wasting time tracking him, visiting him, and beating him. Even thinking about him was a waste of time when I had something good I needed to hold onto.

I was already on my feet before he finished talking. "Let's go," I said, heading for the door with a sense of urgency that hadn't been there before.

Maddox and Dimitri exchanged glances before following me, their focus shifting from the screen to the real world outside. My mind raced as we moved through the house, thoughts of Kent forgotten. All I could think about now was finding Natasha and making sure she was safe.

Dimitri's phone was ringing just as we were heading through the house. "What?" Dimitri barked, but he stilled and snapped his fingers at us. "Courtyard. She's in the courtyard. There's a man in there."

We moved through the house with purpose, the urgency of Dimitri's words pushing us faster. The courtyard. Natasha. A man. My heart pounded in my chest, anger flaring up with every step. How the hell had this happened under our noses?

We edged past the windows, staying low to the ground. I could see the courtyard now—small, enclosed, with doors only accessible from Natasha's room. The light was dim, but I spotted her immediately. She was against the fountain, moving slowly away from a figure who lounged in the shadows, too comfortable, too confident. Victor. That bastard was toying with her, and every muscle in my body tensed with the urge to storm in there and tear him apart.

But I couldn't do that. Not yet. We needed a plan. We needed to be smart.

"I'll go around, create a distraction," I whispered to Dimitri and Maddox, my eyes never leaving Natasha. She was keeping her cool, but I could tell she was tense. We couldn't afford any mistakes and nothing could happen to her. I wouldn't let it.

"Pike, we can't just—" Maddox started, but I cut him off.

"We're not waiting. I'm going in," I growled, already moving before they could argue.

Just as I was about to step out into the open, a figure emerged from the shadows, moving toward the courtyard. For a split second, I thought it was another threat. But then I saw who it was—Eli. Thank fuck.

He didn't look at me. His focus was entirely on Victor, and his body language was calm but determined. He stepped into the courtyard, drawing Victor's attention away from Natasha. My brother was giving me an opening.

Victor straightened up, his eyes narrowing as he took in Eli's approach. "Well, well, making a choice then," Victor sneered, his voice carrying just enough to reach my ears. "These people? Such a fucking goodie two shoes after everything I've done for you." Victor tilted his head at Eli, looking eerily like a marionette. "Or is it just the blonde you're interested in? What if I let you have her?"

Thankfully, Eli didn't respond to the threat. He kept moving forward, putting himself between Natasha and Victor, his posture relaxed but ready. Natasha's face glowed nearly white in the dim light of the courtyard, but I was sure she was even more frightened now that she heard Victor bring up her sister. "I won't let you hurt the girl," Eli said casually like he was bored.

I glanced at Dimitri and Maddox, giving them a quick nod. They knew what to do. We split up, flanking the courtyard, using the shadows to our advantage. My heart hammered in my chest, but my mind was clear, focused on one thing—taking Victor down.

Natasha's eyes flicked to me momentarily, a flash of recognition and relief crossing her face. But she didn't give anything away. She kept her attention on Victor, just like we needed her to.

Eli stopped a few feet from Victor, his hands loose at his sides. I'd like to say that he was ready to intervene, but I didn't know if he was. I could only be thankful he was there, distracting Victor from my woman. That was a small grace right now. "You've been causing a lot of trouble, Victor," Eli said, his voice low and dangerous. "You can't keep this up. It's time to stop."

Victor chuckled, a dark, twisted sound that made my skin crawl. "Is that so? And what do you plan to do, little brother? Do you think you can stop me? Maybe that little blonde should be next? Or this one, maybe?" He leered over at Natasha.

Why was he calling him little brother? He was my brother. Fucker. I was close now, so close I could see the tension in Victor's stance, the way he was subtly shifting his weight, preparing for whatever came next. But he didn't know we were there, didn't know that this was his end.

"You aren't my brother, Victor," Eli's words came out like a slap, and Victor's eyes fluttered closed as if in pain. "You made a mistake," he said with disgust. "You used me." My pulse pounded in my ears, the seconds stretching out like hours.

And then it happened. Eli moved fast, faster than I expected. He lunged at Victor, forcing him to turn, and in that split second, we were there—Maddox, Dimitri, and me—closing in, cutting off any escape.

Victor's eyes widened as he realized what was happening, but it was too late. We had him surrounded, outnumbered, and outgunned. Natasha moved away from the fountain, stepping out of the line of fire, her expression hard but relieved.

"You're done, Victor," I snarled, my voice cold and final. He glanced around, knowing he had no way out. We had him right where we wanted him.

But instead of dropping his weapon, Victor smiled—a cold, knowing smile that sent a chill down my spine. "You think you've won?" he hissed, his hand twitching as if he was about to pull something. "You don't know anything."

Time seemed to freeze, everything slowing down as I saw him move, the faintest shift in his posture. I didn't hesitate. I fired, the shot echoing through the courtyard, and Victor's body jerked as the bullet hit him. He stumbled back against Eli, but I realized that Eli had pinned him there, a knife buried in his side, as he pulled up on the handle, slicing through the organs viciously. Jesus. There was shock in Victor's eyes, and then he collapsed to the ground, motionless.

None of us moved for a moment, the reality of what had just happened sinking in. I stared at Victor's body, my breathing heavy, my heart still racing. Eli stepped back, yanking the knife out and lowering his hands, his face unreadable and cold. Natasha approached cautiously, her gaze shifting between us and Victor's lifeless form.

"Pike?" she asked softly, her voice a mix of concern and relief.

I turned to her, my expression softening as I nodded. "Come here, baby. Are you alright? I was so worried." The words came out thick with emotion, my voice barely steady as I opened my arms. As soon as she stepped into them, I wrapped her up tightly, pulling her close against my chest. The familiar scent of her hair and the warmth of her body hit me at once, a wave of relief crashing over me so hard it nearly knocked me off balance.

I nestled my face in her hair, breathing deeply as if I could shield her from all the chaos in this world. The shaking in my hands was impossible to hide now, the adrenaline and fear from the night setting in finally, even though it was over.

"God, I was so scared," I murmured, my voice rough with the strain of trying to keep it together. I could feel her heartbeat against my chest, solid and steady, a reassuring rhythm that grounded me when everything else spun out of control.

She pulled back slightly, just enough to look up at me, her eyes wide and filled with concern. "I'm okay," she whispered, her hand coming up to cup my cheek. "I'm here, and I'm okay."

But even as she said it, I couldn't help but hold her tighter, as if letting go would mean losing her all over again. My hands gripped the fabric of her shirt, desperate to feel the solidness of her beneath my fingertips, the proof that she was here, really safe.

"I should have been here," I said, the guilt heavy in my chest. "I should have been here to protect you."

"You were," she insisted, her voice gentle but firm. "You were here when it mattered. You protected me."

Her words washed over me, soothing the raw edges of my fear and guilt. I let out a shaky breath, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, lingering there for a moment as I tried to pull myself back together.

We had a body to clean up, but we'd handle that shortly. Victor was about to become a resident of the local landfill. He was going to be maggot food. Glancing over at the body, I pretended not to notice as we filed out of the courtyard, Eli lingering behind for a moment as he left a single river rock behind, centering it over the bullet wound on Victor's forehead.

"Come on. Let's go inside." I urged, hoping that he'd follow. "Let's have a beer."

"I hate beer. It tastes like piss."

"I like whiskey," Natasha offered. When Eli nodded, she continued. "You and I will have whiskey then. Maybe we can get Ronnie to come up from the basement."

That seemed to interest him, and he reluctantly followed us inside, even though he took one last look into the courtyard. I couldn't read his expression.