31. Bram

31

brAM

I crouch low in the dense underbrush, watching the clearing intently. Torin and Tate are hidden nearby, also waiting for our little assassin to show up. The anticipation is killing me - I can't wait to get my hands on Poison again.

A flicker of movement catches my eye, and I tense, peering through the foliage, expecting to see Poison, but it's just a woodland creature. Sighing, I turn to Torin. "You sure this is the place?"

"That's what they said," he whispers.

"Doesn't look like Poison is going to show," Tate pipes up, having been unusually quiet on the bash through the underbrush.

"Maybe we should just get your dad contained and then wait inside for her?" I suggest, getting a bit pissed off sitting in a hedge.

"No," Torin says. "For starters, that might tip Poison off if she is close by, but also, I kind of want to see what she will do to him."

"Oh, for fuck's sake," I snarl quietly. "You want him dead now, don't you?"

"Whatever happened to shit I don't want to deal with?" Tate snaps as well.

"Look," he says calmly. "Getting him whacked is a problem for me in the short term, yes. But long-term… it might make things easier."

"How so?" I frown at him as he considers his words.

"It's no secret from you that I want out from under his thumb and my mother's. But I want more than just a new crew. I want The Syndicate."

Tate and I exchange a glance, and I purse my lips. "Come again?"

"You heard me," Torin mutters.

I stare at Torin, trying to process what he's just said. "You want to take over The Syndicate? Are you out of your fucking mind?"

Torin's eyes flash dangerously. "Watch it, Bram. I'm dead serious."

"How exactly do you plan on pulling that off?" Tate asks, sounding as sceptical as I feel.

"Simple," Torin says with a predatory grin. "We let Poison take out my father. That eliminates a major obstacle in my way. Then, we capture her and use her to infiltrate the organisation from the inside. With her skills and our combined powers, we can work our way up until we're in a position to take control. "

I shake my head in disbelief. "That's insane. The Syndicate would never let that happen. Not to mention trying to convince Poison to turn on her employers."

"You care about her now?" he challenges me.

I grimace. He has cornered me and pissed me off even more. I do care about her in my own twisted way, whatever that entails. I don't really know what that even means. I know I can't stop thinking about her. I know I want to possess her entire being until she doesn't know where she ends, and I begin. I know I don't want harm to come to her unless I'm the one hurting her. Does that mean I care about her?

Fucked if I know.

"And what makes you think she'll cooperate?" Tate asks quietly, dragging me from my thoughts.

Torin's grin turns cruel. "Oh, I have ways of ensuring her cooperation. By the time I'm done with her, she'll be begging to do whatever we want."

I see Tate's jaw clench, but he says nothing.

"I'm not loving this plan. I just want that on the record before this goes tits up."

"Noted," Torin growls, glaring at me. "But that is the way it is going down. It's time we stepped up in the world and showed everyone we really are the Kings of Thornfield."

"What happens if Poison doesn't show?" Tate asks.

Torin turns his glare on him. "I requested her."

"Doesn't mean they'll send her. "

"Then we let whoever take out my dad, and we go back to our original plan of not letting Poison go the next time we get our hands on her," Torin states, full of answers to this ridiculous situation, which requires me to sit under a shrub. I'm a fan of nature as much as the next dark fae, but this is scratchy, uncomfortable and boring as fuck.

I shift uncomfortably, trying to find a position that doesn't involve thorns digging into my arse. "This is bullshit," I mutter. "How long are we going to wait out here?"

Torin shoots me an irritated look. "As long as it takes. Poison, or whoever, will show up eventually. The Syndicate doesn't fuck around with deadlines."

Well, that's true. It can't be much longer, hopefully. But as we sit there, falling back into a brooding silence, I can't help but feel Torin has done us dirty. He has misled us on this goose chase, and that has riled me up. I have to wonder if there is more to this, but what else? He has already thrown the most ambitious of plans at us and expected us to fall in line. Not that I won't. But I'm just a bit pissed off that we weren't consulted first. Tate looks as grim as I do about this entire clusterfuck, so I know it's not just me.

"So what's with you and that blonde mouse?" I hiss at him.

He glowers at me. "She is a remarkable woman. Don't dismiss her as something she isn't."

"Oh, someone is being defensive," I whisper-snap. " What about Poison? Does this remarkable bitch know you stick your cock into another female every chance you get?"

"Actually, yeah, she does."

That stumps me. "Really?" I ask in a normal tone, surprised. "She what? Just doesn't mind?"

"It's complicated," he mutters.

"Shh," Torin hisses. "Listen."

We fall back into silence, but I'm not listening. I'm beyond curious about this blonde now. Who is she? And how has she managed to wrap Tate Blackwell, the most unemotional being I've ever come across, around her little finger?

"Must be a good shag," I say under my breath, earning a death stare from Tate. "Well?" I ask Torin. "What is it?" My hearing isn't as honed as his vampire sense, so I don't hear jack shit.

He frowns and slams his finger to his lips.

I roll my eyes and go back to daydreaming about Poison. Yes, I was pissed with her when she stung me with her vines—beyond neat trick, though, I have to admit—but now I'm mellowing slightly. It doesn't mean the next time I see her, I'm going easy on her. No chance in hell. But perhaps this caring thing isn't as far-fetched as I once thought.