by KC Kean
“Yes please, Sakura.” I smile and she rushes off to grab her things.
“What are we expecting to find here?” Oscar murmurs glancing at the screen in front of him.
“I don’t really know, hopefully a heads up for what to expect from The Games. Especially, if they do move it up like West mentioned,” Roman grumbles in response.
“Send anything that stands out to my encrypted email address, then we can look at it all together once we’ve sifted through it all,” I say, as Luna steps back into the room, wearing a loose pair of grey shorts and a black t-shirt with fluffy socks. Stunning as always. It seems I’m not the only one to notice either, as we all sit gawking at her.
Luckily my Sakura is confident as hell and doesn’t falter at holding all of our attention. Looking at her hands I’m surprised by the laptop she’s carrying.
“That’s not your usual laptop,” I say, pointing to the one in her hand.
“Err, no. This is my personal one that I brought with me. The other I bought here, it’s not safe for me to carry this one everywhere,” she mutters, and I nod in understanding.
“Let’s get started then shall we?” I smile up at her, ready to get sucked in.
We all get comfortable, and start digging through the files. It’s tedious, but we power through. Working in silence, and all focused on what we are doing, it doesn’t take as long as I expect. The occasional grunt from Roman when he’s reading something he’s not impressed with is all that fills the room. Apart from Parker shuffling to readjust where he’s sitting. Even Oscar hasn’t complained once...yet.
I finish organizing the unauthorized files as a knock sounds at the door.
“I’ll get it, I’ve finished anyway,” I mutter letting everyone continue with what they’re doing.
Thomas stands on the other side of the door holding eight large pizza boxes. This is what we get for letting Oscar order. Thanking him, I take them out of his hands and shut the door behind me.
“Done!” Luna shouts, before standing to her feet and stalking towards me. “Now, feed me.” She smiles, rubbing her hands together.
“Where do you want to start? Oscar ordered eight,” I say with wide eyes, and she chuckles.
“Of course I did, we’re growing boys, Kai,” he adds from the coffee table, without lifting his eyes from the screen. “Two more minutes and I’ll be done.”
“That’s what she said!” Roman hollers not lifting his gaze from the monitor, catching us all by surprise and making us chuckle. I can tell he’s pleased with the little outburst by the grin on his face.
Luna swipes the top few boxes out of my hands and carries them over to where the others are sitting. She makes space for the pizzas on the floor as all the tech takes up the coffee table. I take the other side of the space doing the same.
As she leans to place a box down beside Roman, he surprises her by pulling her down onto his lap, making her squeal and gaining our attention. Wrapping his arms around her waist he just holds her against him for a minute. I know that feeling, of just wanting her close.
“Baby, let’s eat,” she barely whispers, as he peppers kisses along her neck, closing her eyes with the sensation. I can’t stop staring, hot for my Sakura. I love being able to see her emotions on her face, when she hides them so well from the rest of the world.
Roman releases his tight hold around her, squeezing her hips for a moment before placing her back on her feet.
“You’re a damn temptation, princess,” he grumbles, picking the closest pizza box and chowing down without even looking at what flavor it is. “Who the fuck put pineapple on this pizza?” The disgust on his face has us all laughing, as Luna swipes the slice from his hands and starts to eat it. He quickly grabs another box and checks the content this time.
“Meat feast is my favorite, but I love me some hawaiian from time to time,” she giggles, as Roman glares at her.
“You better mean the pizza, and not some guy,” Roman grunts and she shakes her head, laughing harder at his response.
“Shall we eat and chat? My eyes are tired from all that,” she says, calming down and yawning lightly as she settles back beside him.
“Yes of course, are you nearly finished, Parker?” I ask, glancing his way.
“Yes, I’ll just send this last one now. Done. Now feed me too,” he groans, stretching his arms above his head. Lightning fast Oscar holds an open pizza box out to him, which he appreciatively takes.
“Okay, from the unauthorized files I know that there are numerous trials that are a part of The Games, but only three will be selected. We can enter them together and work as a team, but some may enter alone.” I glance at Luna, wanting to hear her choice. I know we’re together, but she’s mentioned being a lone ranger a time or two. I want to make sure we’re all on the same page.
“Together,” she says with a soft smile, understanding my silent question. I release the breath I didn’t realize I was holding as I see the guys do too. Nodding, I continue.
“It doesn’t state anywhere the location this all takes place,” I say, flicking between a few tabs on my screen. Finally taking a minute to inhale some pizza, I take a break from the screen.
“From what the experiences say, you are blindfolded until you are on the property. Apparently they’ll take us just like they did Red for The Pyramid,” I mutter, hating the pain it puts on Luna’s face at the mention of it.
“Everyone describes it as an old county estate. The land it sits on must be massive because everything is set up and takes place within the grounds,” Luna adds, before grabbing another slice of pizza.
“Great, that’s important to know. It looks as though it’s spread out over five days, but nothing is mentioned about the duration of each trial or what happens in between, if anything,” I continue to explain.
“The main trials mentioned are the Gas Chamber, the Shooting Range, The Maze and The Slums. These are the ones people have experienced, but their recollections are a little varied,” Luna adds, glancing around us all.
“So they’re the same premise but adjusted occasionally to adapt to modernization,” Roman says, and I nod in agreement. That sounds about right to me.
“Yeah, because it’s definitely twenty-first century shit we’re dealing with here,” Oscar grunts, and I couldn’t agree more. This whole thing is based on family agreements from years ago, and we have no choice but to participate for a chance at survival.
“I also found a few rumors mentioning something called The Static. There are no details surrounding it, but it’s something to bear in mind,” Parker adds, sitting on the floor with the laptop on the coffee table and the pizza box in his hands.
“Nearly every rumor mentions November too, but nobody seems to know why,” Roman says, scrubbing a hand through his hair, sending the usually tamed strands all over the place. We like all the details, and as much as we are picking up new information, it’s not the whole picture like we’d prefer.
“So, we’re going to be blindfolded and taken, by surprise, to an unknown location, where we’ll then spend the next five days competing in three trials as a group. Trials that we must survive or face death, and we may be dealing with this much sooner than expected,” Luna summarizes, ticking each one off on her fingers, sadly hitting the nail on the head.
“Pretty much,” Oscar says, staring down at the pizza box in his lap. Shit, this is hard for all of us, but most of all Oscar.
Luna must be able to sense the sadness wash over the room, as she looks around us settling her eyes on Oscar.
“What don’t I know?” she quietly asks, not really wanting to pry but needing to understand his pain.
Clearing his throat and trying to slip back into party boy mode, he smiles at her across the table.
“My two older brothers died in The Games, baby girl.”
“God, Oscar I’m so …” He stops her with a wave of his hand.
“Fuck pity, I don’t need any of that. It’s in the past, we’re all good now
.” Stuffing a slice of pizza in his mouth he brings the conversation to a halt.
I glance at Luna who is looking at him with pain in her eyes. I’m not sure if it’s because of what he’s dealing with, or because he just dismissed her so easily. Shaking her head, she stands to her feet. Looking down at the ground, hands on her hips she responds to him.
“I don’t pity you, Oscar O’Shay. I was six years old when my father was killed in front of me, so bad my brain refuses to remember the details. Speaking with Rafe last weekend, I’ve come to learn that my father's body was taken from the scene and my mother's phone was left behind.” She sighs, lifting her gaze to him, “I know pain Oscar, and I know we’re never all good after loss like this. I’m here to talk when you’re ready, okay?”
I look at her in awe. She didn’t push him, pity him or tell him how he should feel. There is a lot of loss in this room. My sister, Oscar’s brothers, Luna’s father, even Parker’s mother to some degree. We all deal with things in different ways, but she is right, the pain never truly leaves.
Taking my eyes off her to glance at Oscar, I see the appreciation in his eyes. Rising to his feet her strolls over, wrapping her in his arms.
“Thank you, baby girl.”
She hugs him back and the rest of us sit in silence, giving them their moment. Like magnets they lean into each other, their mouths connecting effortlessly. I can see him pour his feelings into her, his actions speak volumes without using any words, the gratitude in every brush of their lips.
Slowly stepping back, he lets her take a seat and throws himself down beside her. She stifles a yawn again, which Roman and Oscar notice. Oscar turns slightly and pulls her towards him, leaning her against his chest, which she does willingly. Roman lifts her legs onto his lap, and she doesn’t complain, allowing them to position her while she relaxes.
“From the unauthorized files I was also able to compile a list of recommended weapons. We should be able to get them from the vaults,” I say, wanting to make sure we discuss everything.
Luna hums in response. “I don’t know about you guys, but I can get us plenty of access to weapons from the Gibbs vault. If you print the list out I could go down on Saturday to see what could be useful. From what their experiences said, they weren’t given time to go to the vaults, only being able to take weapons they had in their room.”
“I’ll go with you, princess. We can go before or after we meet the agent, whatever suits you,” Roman offers, and she smiles lightly as she rests her eyes.
“Great, then on Sunday I’m meeting my Grandmother. It’s about time since I haven’t seen her since Washington, and she might be able to add anything we’ve missed,” she says, not opening her eyes and her voice getting softer.
Nobody responds as we all sit and stare at her. Oscar strokes his hand through her hair as we all watch her drift off.
“She’s working herself too hard,” I whisper, not wanting to disturb her.
“You’re right. Between classes, the additional training and the mind-blowing revelations coming out of nowhere, she hasn’t really had time to rest,” Roman adds, staring down at her now sleeping form.
“While she’s sleeping, now might be the time to tell you about what she asked me on the car ride over.” Parker whispers, gaining our attention.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
(Roman)
Saturday morning is finally here, and as I check myself over in the bathroom mirror, I quickly spray some aftershave and I’m ready to go. Wearing my tight black jeans and a plain black t-shirt with my combat boots, I look like a bodyguard or a bouncer, depending on who you ask. I somehow convinced Luna that we should all go with her and watch from the car when she meets with the agent, but we’re heading to the vaults first.
The agent always goes to the same coffee house on Saturday afternoons and we agreed that was the best place to catch him off guard. Running my fingers through my hair, I sweep it to the side, leaving the gel out for today because I’ll be wearing a cap later.
Stepping into the lounge, Parker is sitting back relaxing on the sofa in just his boxer shorts. His hair is all messy and he has a cup of coffee in his hands, watching some program about the devil. He hears my footsteps approach and looks at me with a smile.
“You shouldn’t look so good in black, Mr. Rivera,” he says, and I roll my eyes. “What? You know it’s true, even Luna agrees.” Does she? Good to know.
“I’m ready to head out. I don’t know how long we’ll be, but we’ll bring the weapons back and split them between the rooms like we mentioned. Then we can leave to meet the agent.” He nods in agreement and shoos me away.
“Go, the thought of you and Luna has my morning wood back, and I need to relieve myself in peace,” he says with a grin and I chuckle at him. He was never this confident in himself before Luna arrived, and even less sure of himself when we first met.
“You can picture me sucking you dry as Luna rides your face,” I call out with a grin as I open the front door. The groan I hear in response is what I was going for, and I shut the door behind me.
I take a second to adjust myself, the visual runs through my mind too. As much as Parker and I would mess around together occasionally, our want for Luna has filled that hole. She’s our main focus, but I love the fact that she likes to watch us. Not afraid to let us be who we want to be and explore our sexuality together, including Oscar too apparently. I can see the curiosity in his eyes, ever since his dick rubbed against Parker’s when they both fucked our girl at the same time.
Knocking on her door, it takes a moment for her to answer, and when she does I’m left speechless, staring at her beauty as always. Her hair is thrown up in a messy bun at the top of her head, with loose pieces floating around her face. She’s wearing denim skinny jeans with a loose fitted Rolling Stones tee and combat boots too. Her makeup is done, there’s some black liner stuff around her eyes and her lips are painted red.
Hot. As. Fuck.
“Hey, baby. Are you ready to head out straight away?” She asks, rolling two small cases into view. They must be empty for us to use to bring the weapons back. I nod in response, and she raises her eyebrows at me.
I clear my throat and shake my head. “Hey princess, you look gorgeous as always,” I mutter, finally finding my voice. I grab the handles of the suitcases, pulling them towards me as a sign I’m good to go, and she locks up.
Moving the cases together in one hand, I hold the other out for her to take, which she does. It always warms me when I feel her delicate fingers in mine. She makes me sappy as shit.
“You okay?” She asks, as we step into the elevator and the doors close.
“I am, are you?” I look down at her as she squeezes my hands staring back at me.
“Yeah, I’ll be better once I’ve figured out the agent, but for now I’m good.” I love that she answers honestly, letting me see past the mask she always wears.
“It’ll all be fine, princess, don’t worry.”
The elevator dings and we step into the lobby, Thomas offering a small smile in passing as we make our way outside to the waiting Rolls. It’s Ian. I like how Luna has made a bond with this guy. He’s willing to help her however she needs, and is the only guy outside of our group I’m not jealous of being close to her.
I throw the empty cases into the locked compartments in the trunk as Luna climbs in. When I join her she’s tapping away on her phone.
“Sorry, my Grandmother was just reconfirming tomorrow,” she says, pocketing her phone as she smiles at me.
“You don’t have to explain to me,” I respond, shaking my head. Lacing my fingers with hers I bring her knuckles to my lips, her eyes tracking my every movement. When they are just a breath away I show my teeth and bite them instead of kissing them like she expected.
The gasp that passes her lips makes me grin, and her eyes darken as she looks me over.
“We need to do something about this sexual tension, princess. Before my dick falls off from a severe case of
blue balls.” She smiles back at me, the seductive glint to her lips coming naturally.
“I agree. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to your big cock because of me,” she murmurs huskily in response, as her eyes trail down to where my dick is trapped against the inside of my jeans. Her other hand slowly starts moving to the spot she’s staring at, when the Rolls pulls up outside the entry to the vaults, stopping her hand and ruining the moment.
Damn it, Ian. Does he not know what I’m dealing with here? Luna grins at me knowingly, as she steps out of the Rolls. Following behind her I grab the suitcases, while the first security guard checks her over.
“Swipe your hands any higher up the inside of her leg and I’ll fucking chop them off,” I growl murderously at the bastard who quickly steps away from her.
“Baby, he’s just trying to do his job,” Luna mutters glancing over her shoulder at me, as the guard steps inside the building.
“His fucking job is not to touch my girl,” I grunt stepping inside with Luna following behind me. There is another guard in here with the dick from outside, who is quick to step towards me.
“I apologize for the confusion, Mr. Rivera. It won’t happen again,” he says, a slight tremble to his voice.
“You better hope it doesn’t.” I glare at the idiots, wrapping my arm around Luna’s shoulder and walking her to the vaults.
“Do you need any assistance …”
“Do I look like I need any fucking assistance?” My temper is shot, and he shuffles his feet nervously, unsure of what to do.
The elevator door opens, and we step in. I press the button for the Ace floor and the door shuts before us.
“Have you calmed down now, Mr. Alpha?” Luna asks, smirking at me from the corner of her eye.
“I’d be absolutely fine if people didn’t touch what is mine,” I grumble, swiping a hand down my face, but her smile just gets wider. Pulling her in with an arm around her shoulder fast, she giggles against my chest. “You’re such a brat, princess.” I grin against her head, and the door opens.
