Damaged Goods

Dani: Plus, look at her.

With that, she sent a photo of Sana all dolled up. Between her bright red pouty lips and sexy red dress, I was ready to pull a Keir and tear down the place. Fuck, she’s perfect.

Killian: God, she’s gorgeous.

Dani: She is, did that makeup myself. Now get your waiter on it and keep me posted.

Keir: Done.

He stood up and dialed the restaurant, pacing as he barked orders into the phone. “Marco, I have a special couple coming in tonight. You do everything in your power to make this man regret taking out my girl. I’ll send over a photo in a moment. Do it and I’ll owe you one. Oh, and Marco? Treat her like the queen she is.” He hung up and tapped at his phone for a moment before he picked up his paperweight and slammed it into the wall, the heavy glass orb embedding there.

“What the fuck were we not clear about?” he asked. “Did we stutter? Is this a test? Someone fucking enlighten me.”

“She’s not just a submissive. She’s a fucking brat. I’d say she’s testing boundaries, ” I suggested. It was obvious in every twitch of her jaw and clench of her fist when she heard an order.

“The fight makes it so much better,” Killian said, absently rubbing his hand over his dick just at the thought of our girl. I couldn’t blame him; her fight did make it even better. I wasn’t joking when I’d warned her I’d break her.

“Let’s go,” Keir said, nodding at me before stalking out, us trailing closely behind. I was the one who normally drove, being the best driver. But it also freed Keir up to check his phone on our way to places. Business always popped up when you were least expecting it, and he needed to be the most available of the three of us. Now, if I could keep the bloodshed to a minimum, this would be fun.

When we arrived at the restaurant, Sana was just walking in with what must have been her… date. Even the thought of it nearly had me crashing my car instead of parking it. My car was precious to me, so that was a testament to my commitment to this crazy woman.

The man himself wasn’t anything to brag about. Between his too big suit and annoying cheerful smile, I knew this wouldn’t go anywhere. Sana could lie to herself all she wanted, but she needed men who could understand her and her lifestyle. This loser definitely wasn’t that guy.

“Damn, didn’t think I’d ever see you hurt your baby,” Killian teased, earning a sharp glare that he didn’t even acknowledge. We climbed out, walking around to the back door where our cousin Gabriel met us, his grin bright.

“What a nice surprise, Boss, guys,” he greeted, leading us back to his office. Even he avoided looking at any one of us while he spoke, trying to avoid referring to the wrong triplet as head of the Family. “Marco updated me, and he’s taking the table himself.”

“Appreciate it,” Keir said, walking over to the security feed and growling. “I take it there’s no sound?”

“It’d be deafening with the crowd out there, but we have a table partitioned off on the other side of her, so you’ll never be spotted.” He grinned as he pointed out the alcove, very satisfied with himself. A row of plants covered the top of the partition, making it nearly fully secluded. “We save that seat for Family business.”

“Perfect,” I said, already walking out there. We needed to box Keir in before he did something stupid. The last thing we needed was the kind of cover-up we’d need for something so public.

It wasn’t even five minutes into the date when we heard a yelp and the sound of liquid spilling. Killian stood and peeked through the vines before he sat back down, laughing. “The fucker just got a lap full of wine.”

“Can I get you guys anything?” Marco asked as he walked by, his smile wide.

“Get me some breadsticks? I like a snack with my show,” Killian said, chuckling quietly as he turned back to us.

“On it. This is going to be fun,” Marco said, disappearing into the back. We watched on, equal parts annoyed and amused as the night unfolded, having to hold ourselves back more than once as we watched him check out the bartender.

“He’s got our goddess in front of him, and he dares disrespect her?” Keir growled as her date’s eyes drifted to the bartender yet again, but his phone cut him off mid-rant. His entire body tensed as he read, standing abruptly and shoving his phone back into his pocket. “Time to go.” This was important to us, so if he was saying it was time to go, something urgent must be happening. He’d never walk away from her like this otherwise.

We moved carefully through the back of the restaurant so she wouldn’t see us, stopping by Gabriel’s office again on the way out. Knowing better than to ask questions, he nodded at our explanation of ‘Family business’ and promised to take care of Sana as he would any of us. When we got in the car, Keir finally filled us in.

“There’s retaliation on the west side. Apparently the Lachs aren’t happy about their fucking package,” he said, giving me the address after that short and not so sweet summation. “Go.”

The order told me everything I needed to know, my foot pressing down on the accelerator as I took the roads less traveled across town, getting us where I wanted to go much faster. The fight was still ongoing as we parked, and even though my blood boiled at the thought of my car getting damaged, I wasn’t going to let my men die over it. Killian was already handing over our assault rifles before I’d even parked, all three of us slipping out of the seats, fully armed. We couldn’t just charge in, so Keir and I bolted for the fight, Kill heading for their getaway vehicle and taking out the tires. We had a good six men here against their five. Good odds.

Gunshots and shouts rang out, the acrid smell of gun smoke making the air hazy. A shot whizzed past my head just before I ducked behind one of our guy’s cars, popping out and landing several shots through one of the enemy's shoulders and head, missing the Adrostos next to him. My shots were always precise, and this was no different.

“Fuck you, Adrostos. I see you hiding back there like a fucking pussy. Come face me, man to man. You killed my brother. Let me see the light drain from your eyes as I take your and your brothers’ lives. An eye for an eye and you’re a package deal!”

“Cover me,” Keir ordered, stepping out from behind the car, Killian somehow going unnoticed on the other side. The Lachs weren't known for their smarts, though, so I guessed that was to be expected.

“Your brother was dumb enough to cross my family, and we won’t tolerate your disrespect any longer,” Keir called out. My eyes were focused on the men around their leader, all of their guns trained on my brother. Our men still surrounded us, and from what I could tell, the odds were in our favor, but it was a matter of who made the first move. Knowing how angry he was about this situation and how pissed he’d already started the night, it would likely be Keir. But my brother hadn’t become our leader for nothing. Even in the heat of a rage, he made careful decisions, knowing the difference between decisions that would save and cost lives of those on our side.

“You’re a dead man, and your empire is falling, starting here and now, you little bitch!” he yelled, raising his gun. Killian was faster, three consecutive shots from his rifle taking them out one by one. All three fell to the ground before we had to dodge bullets from a different direction, crouching down and taking out the approaching men, likely leaving their cover in the trees.