26. ~Mason~

26

~Mason~

Roman burst on into the living room holding the guy we intended to use for all he was worth in a headlock as he dragged him in, his head covered with a black hood.

He released him in front of where we were all gathered on the black leather wraparound couch —aside from Curt who was continuing to make arrangements with his guys on the phone out on the patio as he smoked up a storm. According to Bree, he wasn't a regular smoker, just a stress smoker.

And this mission ahead of us certainly qualified.

So much so that I was going to have to go back to my former controlled persona just for tonight. I couldn't risk it any other way. Not with this. Not with the stakes and not with how much it meant to the mental health of Lev and Bree.

Roman released the guy roughly and ripped off the hood.

And then Kyle Trass stared up at all of us from his knees, blinking rapidly and trying to process what was happening.

"What the—" His gaze landed on Levi. "You didn't fuck me up enough to—" He caught sight of Bree then, his shock increasing tenfold. "Brianna, fuck. How are you… what's happening?"

"You're here to do us a little favor," Roman told him.

Levi rose to his feet and shoved his hands into his pants pockets. "Come on now, Dad, don't be concerned about scaring him. Fear is a powerful motivator." He walked to Kyle and loomed over him, that dangerous side of him coming out. He growled, "It's not a little favor. Malcolm Lynch is involved."

"No," Kyle said, his naked fear staggering. Whoa. "No, I can't."

"You seem under the impression that you have a choice in this," Levi said. He shot out his hand and fisted it in Kyle's hair. "You don't, motherfucker."

Kyle looked over his shoulder at Roman standing there with his arms folded as he leaned against the bookcase observing and supervising. "Roman Knight," he breathed. He turned back to Levi. "Your dad kidnapped me right from my office at Ravage. My security guys and my employees are gonna figure out what went down and they're gonna come for me."

Levi scoffed. "They won't be able to follow my dad's path and track you. I've run interference."

"You… what… you can do that?"

"Yeah, and I'm just that fucking good, so keep that in mind before you decline to cooperate freely again." He gestured at me and Colt. "Not to mention, my boys here are right on the edge, knowing that you're one of the sick fucks involved in kidnapping me and Brianna. They want to rip your fucking head off. And me? Well, you already know that I have no limits whatsoever. Not when it comes to those who hurt my loved ones."

"I'm not a threat to you. I could've come after you for impaling my hand and attacking me on my own territory, but I didn't. I considered it justice for you after what went down at the abandoned police station six years back. You know I feel bad about it, real bad. I even helped you both."

Bree rose to her feet then. "Not soon enough. Not by a long shot."

Kyle's attention went to her, pain all over him. "I'm so sorry… what they did to you… I can't even… there are no words."

Levi smashed his fist into his face.

He grunted, his head snapping to the side.

"Don't make her relive it, motherfucker."

Kyle wiped blood out of the corner of his mouth. "I'm sorry. Look, back then I couldn't do much until they left that shithole for a bit. I was on the chopping block too. Malcolm had threatened me with castration for fuck's sakes. He didn't like my constant protests about what went down with you two."

"If that's the case, he's useless to us," Colt piped up. He shoved a hand through his mohawk. "Shit."

"He can turn it around," Roman spoke, having just been there watching, clearly wanting Levi to handle this by himself, knowing he needed to.

Levi looked out at him and something unspoken passed between them before Levi ordered Kyle, "Get up."

He staggered to his feet, looking all around at us worriedly.

Except at Brianna.

With her, he had that pained look mixed with what looked like a whole lot of guilt and regret. He was having a hard time holding her gaze for more than a few moments at a time.

That part was shame.

Exactly what he should be suffering from feeling.

He'd recognized that what had happened to them had been wrong and so incredibly fucked-up, yet he'd just stood back out of fear for himself, while two kids had been tortured and also traumatized for life.

Bree stepped forward and stroked Levi's arm, giving him a nod.

He recognized her need to handle it now too and took a step back to allow her room with the bastard.

"You feel bad about what happened, I see it all over you."

"I do and I'm so fucking sorry that—"

Bree snapped her fingers. "Stop." She took another step forward until she was right there in front of him. "You want absolution, this is what's going to happen." She slapped her hand to her hip and told him, "You'll contact Malcolm with the promise of vital intel concerning Levi's vengeance crusade against him. You'll emphasize the gravity of the situation regarding Royce Humphrey's murder, citing Levi now having formed an army that completely wiped out him and his merry band of mercenaries. You'll tell him that you'll trade intel that will enable him to come at Levi and his army and stop him before he comes for Osiris. It will be in exchange for Malcolm's promise of protection for you, as well as you agreeing to work for him again, emphasizing that you've become a successful businessman and you will bring him in on your plan to franchise Ravage ."

Kyle took her words in, then sighed heavily. "Look, sweetheart, I get it, and I actually do want to help you, to absolve myself at least in some small way to take some of the edge of the guilt I've been carrying since all that shit went down. But I'm not gonna be able to do any of that if I'm dead. As soon as Malcolm realizes I've double-crossed him, he'll come for me."

"He won't be able to do that," she assured him.

"How's that?"

Levi stepped forward. "This isn't just about justice, it's lethal justice. A sick fuck like him can't be allowed to live."

"Jesus fuck." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, but how can I know the same fate's not gonna happen to me, that you aren't gonna turn this crusade of yours on me the moment Malcolm is buried?"

"That's our end of the deal," Bree said,

"We'll let you go, leave you alone," Levi clarified. "It will be done."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "That's… a hell of a thing."

"With Lynch dead you'd be completely free and clear," Roman spoke.

He took a moment to absorb it all, then he gave a reluctant nod. "You've got me. Only fucking way to survive."

Damn straight it was.

After what he'd been a part of, he was fucking lucky that was even on the table for him.

"All right," Levi said, folding his arms across his chest. "So, for your part, we need the cameras downed in the elevator."

"What? How the hell am I gonna convince a paranoid fuck like Malcolm to do that?"

"Make it clear what a paranoid fuck you are. You have intel he needs, valuable intel. It gives you leverage to get in the door in the way you feel comfortable. You can also make it clear what I'm capable of, that I have the ability to tap into his entire surveillance system and work it to my will."

"Shit, he'll probably down the whole thing after he tells Lynch that," Colt commented.

"I'll take care of it," Kyle assured us.

Levi stepped into his space and growled, "Make sure you do, or the deal's off, and I guarantee you won't make it out of there alive."

Kyle nodded vehemently.

With that, Levi stepped back and wrapped his arm around Bree.

He looked out at us and gave us a chin lift.

Things were in place.

The time had come.

It was on.