One Family

by Smyth, R. A

  Preston and I move into the parlour to wait. If it wasn’t for the fact I never want to come back here, I’d just forget about it all and leave now, but I want to grab the last of my clothes, and I could do with some more school uniforms.

  The problem with staying at the warehouse most of the time is that I never have clean laundry. Until Prestons dad almost killed him, we didn’t even have a washer and dryer, but now that he’s living there permanently, we had to buy a set. They’re currently sitting unused in the back shed. We got the washer plugged in and hooked up to the water supply, but the few times we tried to wash anything; they came out stained a different colour or three sizes too small. We quickly gave up on the idea and I’ve been getting Greta to do our washing every week. We probably need to revisit the washing machine though and work out how to do it for ourselves.

  “Do you think he suspects anything?” I ask Preston quietly, keeping my voice low in case anyone overhears us. The team of police and investigators should all be upstairs, though.

  “I don’t think so.” I nod my head, happy with that assurance and the two of us lapse into silence until Greta comes in with trays of coffees, sandwiches and treats.

  “Eat up dears, it hasn’t been an easy day, and it’s not going to get any better. You’ll both need your strength,” she admonishes like we’re children. The reminder of the few happy childhood memories I have brings a smile to my face as she exits the room, leaving us in peace. She doesn’t know the half of it. While my dad’s murder deals with him coming after Sophie, it opens a whole new can of worms.

  “We need to talk about Aiden and Ty,” Preston eventually says after he’s eaten his way through half of the plate of sandwiches.

  “What about them?” I ask, confused why he would be thinking about them right now.

  “We need to talk to the school, sort out their funding so they can stay. With Kurt and the girls around, all four of us need to be there to keep an eye on Sophie. Besides, I think we’re better off sticking together as much as possible.”

  I’d completely forgotten about our discussion regarding school this morning. It already feels like that conversation was ages ago.

  “Yeah, that’s fine. We can easily cover the remaining fees for them. I’ll speak to the admin tomorrow morning,” I reply easily, surprising myself. It’s not too long ago that I would have taken this opportunity to distance Sophie from the gangbangers and use it to make her see that she doesn’t need them. Things are different now, though. I’ll happily put up with them if it keeps her safe. They would clearly do anything for her. Aiden practically stalks her every move, and four sets of eyes on her at school is better than two.

  “We probably need to take over Sophie’s fees too. If Kirk continues to pay for her, he has influence over the staff. He could easily find out if she’s there or not.”

  Damn, I hadn’t even thought about that.

  I nod my head in agreement with him. It won’t be a problem to cover her tuition fees either, and throw a little one-percenter weight around while I’m at it, get the secretaries to tell Kirk she’s not at school when he phones to enquire.

  “We should stop in town on our way back,” I say, making a mental to-do list of everything that needs done. “Grab clothes for everyone and pick up new uniforms. I’m guessing the guys didn’t have a chance to pack a bag before they were hauled off to Kirk’s mansion.” Look at me being all fucking accommodating!

  “Yeah, and groceries. We can’t just pop out for takeaways when we feel like it now.”

  Ugh, he’s right. I’m going to have to learn how to cook if I don’t want to starve to death. I can’t live off cereal every day, a growing boy like myself needs meat.

  “We probably need to buy sofa beds as well,” I add on, thinking about the warehouse. How the hell all five of us are meant to live in that small space without killing one another is beyond me. It’s definitely not going to work if I have to continue sleeping in the same room as Preston. He fucking snores, keeping me awake all night. I’m getting bags under my eyes for fuck’s sake. Nor am I subjecting myself to sleeping on the sofa every other night. It might be comfortable, but I need my fucking beauty sleep if I’m going to continue looking this fucking handsome for Sophie.

  Preston just nods, pulling out his phone and tapping away on it, probably looking up where we can purchase sofa beds and ordering the cameras he mentioned earlier.

  We aren’t left sitting there for much longer before a young officer we haven’t met comes in, telling us the pool house has been cleared and we’re free to use it.

  Not wanting to spend any more time here than necessary, I quickly get to my feet and head to the pool house, stuffing the last of my clothes in a duffel bag and heading back through the house to my SUV, making a pit stop in the kitchen to check in on Greta and let her know I’m leaving. I also told her to go home when the forensics team were finished. There’s no point in her being there, especially since I have no intention of ever going back. I’ll continue paying her her full salary until I can find something else for her to do. She’s been more like family to me than my own parents, so I would never see her stuck. Honestly, if I could, I’d have her come to the warehouse, but it wouldn’t be safe for her right now and I don’t want to deal with the scathing looks I’d get from Aiden and Ty. It’s probably about time I learnt to do shit for myself, anyway.

  Instead of getting into the SUV and driving it away like I want to, I park it in the garage, taking heed of Prestons words earlier about changing our cars so we’re less conspicuous. It’s a fucking travesty, though. I love my car.

  All the other guys our age drive around in their teeny tiny sports cars, thinking they’re all that just because their car can do zero to sixty in less than three seconds, Preston included. Sure, it might help them pick up chicks, but what the idiots don’t think about is that they can’t do anything with those girls in their car because the interior is too damn small.

  Now, with an SUV, that’s not a problem. Want a girl to sit in your lap? No problem, plenty of room. Want to go down on a girl in the front seat? Easy, push the chair right back and pretty much anyone would fit in the floorboard. Want to fuck her in the backseat? Totally achievable, because, unlike the shitty over-priced sports cars, I actually have a backseat.

  Fair enough, I haven’t had a girl in my car for that purpose since Sophie showed up, and now that I finally have her, I have to give it up? It fucking sucks!

  Sighing heavily, I climb out of the SUV and head over to the slick McLaren Spider. Yeah, I just gave off stink about sports cars, but I only pull this baby out when I’m feeling the need for some speed. She’s not my every day car like the rest of those idiots.

  Preston climbs into the passenger seat and I don’t waste another second, starting the engine and gunning the car down the drive, getting us the fuck out of there.

  Chapter 5

  I’m sitting at the kitchen table with Aiden’s phone and a long-forgotten cup of lukewarm coffee, staring at the photos of Barrett’s dad that Preston sent through, while Aiden and Ty talk around me. I’m not listening to a word they say, too caught up in trying to make sense of what I’m looking at. It’s a bloodbath. Every drop of Steven’s blood is coating the walls, the floor, the bed, every available surface space. Whoever did this to him wanted him to suffer, but why? Who did he piss off so badly that they would do this? Other than one of us, of course.

  The phone rings in my hand, and Oliver’s name pops up. “It’s Oliver,” I say, handing the phone to Aiden. I expect him to walk off with it and talk to Oliver in private, so I’m surprised when he answers it and puts it on speaker, setting the phone down on the table as he pulls out the chair beside me and sits down. Ty sits in the chair opposite me, and the three of us lean in to listen to what Oliver has to say.

  “Yeah?” Aiden answers in his usual clipped tone.

  “You alright?” Oliver asks immediately, his voice heavy with tiredness and concern.

  “Yeah, we’re
fine. Nothing that won’t heal in a few weeks.”

  “And Ty?”

  “Same, man, we’re both fine,” Ty speaks up.

  “Good,” Oliver breathes, relief clear in his voice.

  “What the hell happened last night?” Aiden demands.

  “Fuck, Kirk called a meeting with the one-percenters and showed them what he’d done to Charles, and essentially told them to fall in line or get out. One of them tried to leave, and he killed him, so the rest quickly held their tongues and agreed to do whatever he wanted.

  “It was all going okay until he asked me to call you two in for the cleanup. Some kid who was there with his dad recognized your names and told him you weren’t loyal. He had photos and audio of you both with Sophie. Kirk went fucking mental, calling Trey to bring you both in. I’m sorry man, I phoned you as soon as I could, but when Sophie told me she couldn’t get in touch with you, I knew I’d been too late.”

  “Don’t worry about it. We appreciate you trying,” Ty reassures him. He’s frustrated and annoyed, though. Not at Oliver, but at the situation we’re now in. “The kid at the meeting. Did you get a name?” He asks, but we all know who it is.

  “No, but apparently he goes to your school.”

  Kurt. It’s the only person it could be. Who else would be at that meeting and know about Aiden and Ty, as well as having fucking pictures of us? And audio as well. What the fuck? I dread to think what was on that.

  My hands start to shake, unadulterated rage coursing through me. It’s not enough that he tried to rape me, the fucking psycho put all of us at risk last night and nearly got two of my guys killed. He can’t keep doing this to us and getting away with it. Kurt might not have known what would happen to Aiden and Ty when he told my father, but he knew it would be bad. He’s been threatening to get rid of them in his creepy ass notes for weeks now, and last night he finally made a move to do just that. Now it’s our turn to respond, and I want him to fucking suffer.

  I zone back into the conversation, realizing I’ve missed part of it and they have moved on to talk about something else.

  “— surprised Steven hasn’t come demanding he hand Sophie over,” Oliver says gravely, anger evident in his tone.

  “Steven’s dead, man,” Ty informs him wearily. His words are met with silence on the other end of the line.

  “He’s what?!” Oliver splutters. “How the fuck did that happen? He was fine when he left The Citadel last night.”

  “No idea. They found him this morning. Someone killed him during the night. It was fucking brutal, so he must have pissed someone off pretty fucking badly.”

  “Jesus, this whole thing is turning into a disaster. Too many important people are dying or disappearing. The authorities are going to be asking questions and snooping around soon,” Oliver laments, voicing our own concerns.

  “What one-percenter did Kirk kill at the meeting last night?” I ask, speaking up for the first time.

  “I dunno his name, but he was involved in the import/export business, if that’s of any help?”

  It takes me a few seconds to remember what each one-percenter family in Crescentwood does to earn their money, but I gasp when I realize who it is. “Meaghan.”

  I can’t say I would have been sad, regardless of whose parent it was. The parents and their children are all rotten to the core. The disappearance of her dad will hopefully have Meaghan distraught and tear apart what remains of her family, leaving us to focus on bringing down the remaining one-percenters.

  “How are things there today?” Aiden asks, swiftly moving on, not giving a shit who’s dead.

  “Bad,” Oliver responds wearily. “Kirk’s fucking furious. He tore apart the house and killed three men in his rage. He’s got the rest out looking for you, so you better lie low for the next few days. Even better, get out of here. The three of you should just take off, get far away from here and start a new life.”

  Each of us takes in his words for several long minutes. I’m not sure about the others, but I know I wish we could do as he advised. I know we can’t, that we have to bring down The Citadel and those involved, and free those girls, but a part of me, a selfish part, just wants to run away with my guys and pretend none of this is happening.

  “We can’t,” Ty eventually huffs. “We can’t let the one-percenters get away with what they are doing at The Citadel, and Kirk needs to be brought down.”

  “Besides, we can’t leave you here,” I add. “I told you, you don’t belong in The Feral Beasts, Oliver. I meant it. If Aiden and Ty are getting out, then you are too.”

  He chuckles softly down the line, humoring me, but I can hear the defeat behind it. He doesn’t believe he’s ever getting out, and understandably so, but he’s got a good heart. I don’t know how he ended up joining them, but he’s not like the other members. He deserves a life that’s not steeped in violence and smeared in blood.

  “Well, if you won’t leave, lie low at least and be safe. Let me know if you need anything.”

  “We will. Just keep us updated on what Kirk is up to, we’ll let you know when we have a plan in place. Call us if shit goes sideways,” Aiden finishes before hanging up.

  “So...we lay low for a few days, come up with a plan to defeat them all and live happily ever after?” I ask, trying to make light of the dire situation we’re in.

  Ty gives a soft chuckle. “Dirtily ever after...but, yeah, pretty much.”

  Our banter gets a small smile from Aiden, the three of us lapsing back into silence as the door opens and Barrett and Preston walk in. Their arms are weighed down with numerous bags and Barrett has a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He dumps the bags and duffel by the door, while Preston sets his down on the kitchen countertop and starts unpacking enough food to feed a small army.

  Before anyone can say anything, Barrett storms over to me, yanking me out of my chair and dragging me into the bathroom. Slamming the door behind me and pushing me against it.

  “Barrett,” I breathe, unsure what to make of his commanding behavior. He’s been through a lot the past few days and I’m worried he’s not okay. I don’t have time to say anything else as his lips slam into mine, the weight of his body pressing me further into the door as he dominates me with his mouth, our teeth clashing and our tongues fighting for control.

  I clutch the front of his shirt in my fist, holding him to me, needing this as much as he does. I pour all my worry for him, my fear for all of us, my anger at my father, and Charles and Steven, and my desperate need to feel loved and accepted into the kiss.

  He gives as good as he gets. I can taste his own anger at his father, his affection for me, his acceptance of the guys with every swipe of his tongue, and I soak it all up, wanting every part of him.

  When we’re both struggling to breathe, he breaks the kiss, trailing his lips along my jaw. “I should have done that this morning,” he whispers hoarsely, his nose buried in my hair, breathing me in. “I was being an idiot.”

  I wrap my arms around his neck, stroking my fingers through the hair at the back of his head, my face buried in the crook of his neck.

  “Are you okay?” I murmur.

  He sighs, his warm breath tickling my ear. “Yeah. I’ve missed you.”

  He brings our lips together again in a slower, softer kiss. I revel in the taste of him as our kiss once again turns heated, his hands drifting up my sides until he skims the underside of my tits. I gasp into his mouth and he deepens our kiss, his hand moving to cup my breast over my t-shirt, squeezing it until I emit a low moan, arching into him. I grind myself against his erection, his smooth movements and dirty kiss making me wet and needy.

  He slowly runs his hands back down my body until he reaches the drawstring of my shorts, untying them. They immediately drop off my slight frame, falling into a pile at my feet, quickly followed by my boxer briefs.

  Barrett drops to his knees in front of me, licking his lips as he looks at my pussy. He pushes on my inner thighs in a silent demand for me to ope
n for him until I step out of the clothes at my feet and spread my legs.

  He lowers his head between my thighs until he’s kissing my nub, before flattening his tongue and licking me slit to clit. He repeats the action over and over until I’m panting, my hands fisting his hair, pulling him closer to me as I groan in pleasure, my head tilted back against the door.

  A loud knock on the door startles me, pulling me back from the edge of my climax. “We have shit to discuss if you two are nearly done,” Preston grumbles through the door.

  “Fuck off, Preston,” I moan, Barrett’s ministrations not letting up. He inserts two fingers into my wet heat as he sucks on my clit, his teeth grazing it. The sharp sting sends me soaring into oblivion, my hands tightening painfully in Barrett’s hair as he continues to pump in and out of me until my cries of pleasure turn into whimpers, my heated skin sensitized to his every touch.

  Pulling out of me, he sits back on his haunches, his lips glistening with my juices as he pulls my clothes back up my legs, tightening the shorts at my waist before standing up.

  The second he’s standing in front of me, I grab him by the front of his shirt, using my other hand to wrap around the back of his neck and yank him into me, kissing him deeply. Fuck, I’ve missed these moments.

  Another knock on the door has me growling into his mouth. I’m going to strangle Preston if he interrupts us again.

  “I gotta piss, love,” Ty laughs, making me roll my eyes. The whole fucking lot of them are assholes.

  “You have a cock, go piss outside, you melter,” I snap at him, my eyes never leaving Barrett’s. For the first time today, he has laugh lines around his eyes.

  “What did you just call him?” He chuckles.

  “A melter?” I laugh. “He’s being annoying.”

  “Your gibberish is fucking hot.” He leans in to kiss me again, a quick peck of our lips, before pulling away. “We probably need to get out there, though. They won’t stop.”