by Faith Gibson
Hayden couldn’t get close to the driveway with so many vehicles in the way. Natalia released her seatbelt as a policeman walked in front of them with his hand up. Hayden rolled down his window, and the cop stepped up. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to turn around.
Natalia leaned over the console. “That’s my house.”
“And you are?”
“Natalia Jones.”
“Do you have any identification on you?”
“Yeah, it’s… Shit, I left it at Maveryck’s.” In her rush to get home, Natalia left her purse in the guestroom.
“Sorry. Without ID, you can’t come any closer.”
“I’m on it,” Kyllian said. The cop walked off, pulling out his phone. As he made a call, Natalia watched the firefighters. The house was no longer burning. Her car didn’t look as if it had been damaged, but the house was mostly gone. Black, charred wood stood like ominous sentinels around the edge of the structure. The room on the side closest to her was tilted inward, covering the kitchen. The most damage was at the back where her bedroom was. All her clothes and shoes destroyed. They were material things which could be replaced. Her weapons would be fine. She just had to get to them.
“Maveryck has your ID. He’s—” CRACK!
Natalia screamed as she ducked. Hayden already had the car in drive, turning away from the house. Another bullet shattered a different window, and Kyllian cursed from the back seat.
Natalia leaned over the console to check on him. “Kyllian?” Mav’s brother was slumped over on his side. The white sleeve of his T-shirt was now dark red. “Kyllian! Shit. How bad is it?” Natalia started to climb over into the back seat, but Hayden jerked her backwards.
“Get your pretty ass down, Lollipop. You’re not dying on my watch.”
“But Kyllian…” Hayden’s hand on her shirt had Natalia sliding back down until her head was no longer visible.
“Kayos? How you doing back there? Talk to me, Brother.”
“Rory’s going to kill me,” he slurred.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t be thrilled if one of my sons was shot either,” Natalia said, glad to hear Kyllian talking, even if it was strained.
“Nah. She’s gonna be pissed at the blood on my shirt. Says it’s a bitch to get out. Might as well toss it.”
“You need the hospital?” Hayden asked, driving like the hounds of hell were on his tail.
“Nah. It’s just a scratch.” Kyllian groaned, and Natalia was pissed. Her fucking family did this. Forget what she said about taking Mikael down and leaving Ivan and Viktor alive. One of them was probably the shooter. Mikael wouldn’t take the risk of coming after her himself.
“Talk to me, Havyck.” Mav’s voice was inside the vehicle.
“Two shots fired. Kayos is hit, but he’s talking. Lollipop is secure. I’m headed to Lucy’s.”
“Princess?” Maveryck’s voice was shaky.
“I’m fine, but I’m going to fucking kill Mikael. This shit ends tonight.”
“Easy, Princess. Let Hayden get you somewhere safe. I need eyes on you, then we’ll talk about your cousin. I’ll meet you at Lucy’s.”
“Call Ace. Tell him to lock down your house. I’ll call Ryker and Lucy,” Hayden commanded.
“Hayden…”
“With my life, Mayhem.”
“Thanks, Brother. Princess? I’ll see you soon.”
“I’ll be waiting,” she said. But in all honesty? Natalia would be finding a way to get back to Mikael. Fucker didn’t get to shoot at her family and get away with it. And yes, she knew she was referring to the Lazlos as her family. She had only just met them, but in her heart, she knew she would do anything to protect Mav and the twins, even if they couldn’t be together. There was no one more perfect for her than this strong, gentle man and his two precious boys. If she couldn’t have them, she could at least keep them safe.
Natalia zoned out, planning her revenge against her cousins, while Kyllian sat quietly in the back seat, and Hayden called several people while he drove. He pulled up to an iron gate, punching in a code. When he drove through and up a long driveway, Natalia looked around.
“This is where Lucy lives?”
“Yeah. Her dad was filthy rich,” Hayden said, his voice perturbed.
“Warryck?”
“No, her adoptive dad. He was a scientist.”
Natalia figured there was a story there, but they pulled up to the garage, and Hayden cut the engine.
“Come on, Brother. Let’s get you inside.” Hayden went to the back and put an arm under Kyllian’s, helping him walk.
The front door flew open, and a pretty brunette ran down the steps. “What the hell, Uncle Kyllian?” Behind the woman, who Natalia assumed was Lucy, was a tall man who made Natalia stop in her tracks. Partly because his eyes took in all of them while scanning their surroundings. The other part was because he moved Hayden out of the way and picked Kyllian up like he weighed nothing. “Hi, Natalia. I’m Lucy. The handsome one is my mate, Tamian. Please, come inside.”
There was that word again – mate.
Natalia followed Lucy into her house. It was just as large as the one she grew up in. The difference? This one was a home. Soft colors. Photos of the Lazlos. Love. She felt it every time she was around this family. No matter if it was a couple or all of them. These people loved each other. Natalia hoped she could get rid of her blood relatives so she could keep experiencing everything this family had to offer.
Chapter Nineteen
Maveryck
Maveryck was shaking. His Princess and two of his brothers had been shot at. Natalia was right about ending her cousin. Mikael wasn’t going to stop. Maveryck made the necessary calls, one of them being his twin. He gave War a rundown of what was happening, and War assured him he would guard the boys with his life. Ace was calling in reinforcements to guard the outside of Maveryck’s home.
When he arrived at Lucy’s, Maveryck barely had his bike on the kickstand before he was running toward the door. It was quiet when he entered, so he called out to his… to Natalia. He didn’t know what they were to each other. He just knew she had to be okay. “Princess?”
“I’m here,” Natalia said from the top of the stairs. He ran up them two at a time and dragged her into his arms, burying his face in her neck.
“Fuck, Princess.” He pulled back and held her face gently between his hands. “You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. Someone called Rev is in with Kyllian. It was just a graze on his bicep. He’s getting stitched up. I’m so sorry.” Natalia leaned her forehead against his chest.
“Shh, none of that. Let’s place blame where it lies – with your cousin.” Mav kissed her temple then took her hand. “Come on. I want to see Kyllian for myself.”
The large bedroom was filled with shifters. Lucy stood off to the side, wrapped in her Gargoyle’s arms. Hayden was sitting on the side of the bed next to Kyllian. Rev was putting a bandage on Kyllian’s arm. Maveryck figured that was for Natalia’s benefit. If it was just a graze, Kyllian would already be healing. If he shifted, he would heal that much quicker.
Hayden jumped up when he noticed Maveryck. “We need to end this fucker. Tonight. I won’t have him gunning for my family!” Hayden’s eyes were flashing from blue to golden. The lion was too close to the surface.
Maveryck stopped his brother’s pacing with hands on his shoulders. “Why don’t you take Kyllian outside while I talk to Natalia?”
“Yeah. That’s… Come on Kayos. We could both use some fresh air.” Hayden waited for Kyllian to climb to his feet. When he did, the two of them hurried from the room. Lucy’s estate was twenty private acres. Plenty of room for two lions or eagles to get lost in the woods for a bit.
“Rev, thank you for coming so quickly.”
“No thanks needed, Brother. You know that. You need anything else? Need me to look Natalia over?” Maveryck growled, and Rev held up his hands, grinning. “Enough said. If you don’t mind, I’m going to hang around. I�
�d like to be in on taking down a Volkov.” Rev flashed his eyes to Natalia, his brows dipping between his eyes. “Shit, no offense.”
“None taken, but I’ll be going after my cousin alone. I won’t have any more of you hurt on my account.”
“Fuck that noise.” Maveryck got in Natalia’s face. “You will not be going in alone. I know you are more than capable, but I won’t have you hurt to protect our family. Now, let’s go downstairs and put a plan in motion.”
Natalia crossed her arms over her chest, scowling. He loved how fierce his Princess was when she was pissed.
“Why don’t you guys head downstairs and wait for Ryker. I’d like to talk to Natalia,” Lucy said. Maveryck didn’t want to let Natalia out of his sight for even a second, but Lucy was giving him the death glare.
“Fine. But I’m getting into the good liquor.”
Tamian laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “I think I have just the thing.” Maveryck and Rev followed the Gargoyle, but he turned to look at two of the most important women in his life. Lucy shooed him out the door with her hands, and he shook his head. Girl was definitely a Lazlo.
“Jasper, one of our Clan, sent us home with a case of special stock Jameson. It’s pretty damn good,” Tamian said when they were downstairs. He led Maveryck and the other Hound into the game room and gestured toward the sitting area. “Have a seat.” Rev fell back into an overstuffed armchair. Maveryck had planned on pacing, but he felt compelled to do as the other shifter said. He knew of Tamian’s special abilities. The Gryphons could coerce humans into doing as commanded, and they could make them forget. Tamian could control humans, shifters, and animals alike.
Tamian poured three tumblers full of the amber liquid and handed one to Maveryck then to Rev. “She’s the one, isn’t she?”
“Yeah.” Maveryck took a sip of the whiskey and moaned. “Shit, that’s good.”
“Have you told her about Gryphons?”
“No. I need to, because with everything that’s happening, the truth is bound to come out sooner rather than later, and I don’t want her to be surprised.”
“I wasn’t sure if you had said anything. That’s why I put the bandage on Kyllian’s arm,” Rev said, sipping his own Irish whiskey.
“Jenna stopped by earlier, and I thought she was going to spill the news then.”
“What the hell did she want?” Rev asked. All the Hounds were aware of the way Jenna left. And now, they all knew about the twins and how Jenna just dumped them on him.
“Bitch wanted to check on her sons. Man, I wish I could have recorded what happened when she saw Natalia. Jenna said it was good I’d hired a nanny because the boys were too much. She didn’t get to finish whatever she was going to say, because Natalia was in her face. My little Russian basically told Jenna she’d fucked the pooch with no lube. Told her she was no kind of mother, and that Natalia was going to be the best for the boys because they deserved nothing less.”
“Ooh, feisty,” Rev said.
“She is that. Plus, she already loves the twins, and they are completely smitten with her. Marshall gave his mother about two seconds of his attention before telling Natalia he loved her. After what Jenna did, I’m kind of glad my kid cut Jenna down with three words directed at someone else. But yeah, Jenna asked Natalia if she knew what I was. Natalia said she did, but I think Jenna was hinting at me being a shifter and not a mercenary.”
“We’re back, bitches,” Hayden announced as he and Kyllian strode through the patio doors. “Where’s the lollipop?” he asked, looking around.
“Upstairs with Lucy,” Tamian said.
“Oh, shit. That’s not good.” Kyllian laughed until Tamian growled at him. “Easy, big guy. But you know your mate as well as I do. She’s either tearing Natalia apart with her claws for bringing danger to our family, or she’s making plans to have a girls’ weekend. There’s no in-between with her.” Tamian grinned, raising a glass to toast his mate, because Kyllian was right.
“Maybe I should go check on them,” Maveryck said.
“Maybe you should calm your tits, Uncle Mav.” Lucy strolled into the room with Natalia behind her. “Ryker’s coming up the driveway. I know you all have a lot to talk about, but I’m hungry. So, I’m going to start supper while you guys have your little powwow. If you need my computer skills, those will have to wait until I’ve eaten.” Lucy walked over to Tamian and took his glass from him, downing the contents. “Shit, that’s good. Hayden, pour Natalia a glass of this or whatever else she wants. She’s going to need it,” Lucy said, glaring at Mav.
Maveryck wished he was a mind reader in that moment. What the fuck had she and Natalia talked about? “You okay, Princess?”
“Hmm? Yes, but I don’t need any alcohol. I want to have a clear head for this.”
“This?” Mav asked.
“My mission.”
“Our mission,” Maveryck and Hayden said in unison.
“We have a mission?” Ryker asked, striding into the room. Their older brother looked calmer than Mav had ever seen him, and that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Ever since he lost Juliette, Ryker was the most stoic, pissed-off male Maveryck had ever known. Even more so than War when Harlow had been killed. For the last twenty-five years, Ryker hadn’t smiled. He was barely tolerable on most days. He had eased up some since finding out his daughter was alive. Being around Mac was softening his edges, but this was different. Ryker almost looked… resigned. He walked directly over to Lucy and kissed her temple. “Thank you, Little Dove.”
“You’re welcome, Uncle.” She grabbed Tamian’s hand and pulled him out of the game room.
Maveryck wondered what he was thanking their niece for, but they had other things to worry about. Like going after Mikael Volkov. “Okay. So, we’re all in agreement to go after Mikael. Natalia and I talked about whether or not to leave the other two cousins alone or take them out at the same time.”
When everyone looked at Natalia, she walked over to stand beside Maveryck. She seemed distracted. He wanted to get her alone and find out what she and Lucy talked about. Had Lucy threatened her? He didn’t think his niece would, knowing how Mav felt about Natalia. When she pressed against his side, he didn’t hesitate to wrap his arm around her waist. She smiled up at him, staring intently at his eyes before turning serious again.
“Neither Ivan nor Viktor are smart enough to lead the family. If we leave them alive, they’ll most likely self-destruct before one of the other leaders takes them out when they learn Mikael is no longer alive. But that news won’t travel fast since most of the other families are still scrambling from their own losses. I have no doubt Mikael has shared the fact that I have a new identity, and neither of my cousins has any love for me. They will make it their mission to finish the job, so I say we take all three out at the same time.”
“What happens to your family’s empire once those three are gone?” Hayden asked.
“They are not my family,” Natalia hissed. “But for the sake of conversation, the family’s estate and all the money will just sit there. Maybe we can get Lucy to do her special brand of manipulation and move the money into an account we can use for the twins’ future. I don’t want or need the money. Well, I could use some new shoes. Fucker burned down my house.”
The males in the room laughed, and Maveryck pressed a kiss to her purple hair. He might have inhaled while he did so.
“As for the house and contents, it will sit there until one of the other families decides to take it over for themselves, unless I sell it first, because I sure as hell don’t want it.”
“What about Marta?” Mav didn’t want to kill the woman, and he didn’t think Natalia was cold enough to do so either.
“We can make sure she has enough money in her account to live on comfortably. She has family she can return to, but whether or not she does will be up to her.”
“And your father’s contacts? His business deals? Do you know what will happen when Mikael is no longer around?” Ryker asked, po
uring his own glass of Jameson.
Natalia shrugged. “They’ll look elsewhere to do business. I can give you those names. My father thought by keeping me from learning to speak Russian I would blindly obey. I learned the language on my own, and I listened in on every conversation he had when at all possible. While he was teaching Mikael about the business, he was unknowingly sharing his secrets with me. Anatoly was old school. He kept everything in ledgers. Unless Mikael has transferred the information to a computer, it will be easy enough to obtain.”
“So don’t burn the place down. Got it,” Hayden said, winking. Maveryck growled at his brother, who laughed. One of these days, Maveryck was going to get Hayden back. When Hayden found his own mate, Mav was going to make his baby brother’s life hell.
Natalia looked up at Mav. “Is it possible to use that information to take down those drug dealers, gun traders, and human traffickers my father worked with?”
“Yes. We will hand the information over to Sutton. He will put together teams, make the long-term plans that are required for things of this nature.”
“Good. That was my plan growing up. To take over the family and dismantle it once he was gone. Of course, that was before I learned I wouldn’t step into his seat. As soon as Anatoly began grooming Mikael, I knew my plan was moot. I had to continue being the good little soldier until such a point came where I could escape.”
“How did you escape?” Ryker asked. He didn’t sound accusing exactly, but he wasn’t the most trusting male. He’d already given Maveryck his opinion of allowing Natalia into his home. If he could have seen her giving Jenna the verbal ass-whooping, Ryker would probably be as proud of her as Maveryck was.
“Mikael said my services as guard were no longer needed, but honestly, I believe he saw me as a threat. He said since I didn’t get along with Viktor, I should find somewhere else to live. He promised to give me enough money to find a place. When he pushed me out the door, he said my only job was to find my father’s killer. When I accomplished that, he would keep me on the payroll as family assassin. This will be the only time I ever say I appreciate something Mikael did. If he hadn’t kicked me out, I would have never found all of you.”
