Scars (The Triad 1)

“I agree, precious. And not only is their name idiotic, they’re proving themselves to be just as stupid. Our new intel tells us they’ve decided to put their hat in with your family, Scar. We think that’s why they started trying to push their agenda in our area. Your family is trying to get a foothold in our city in total disregard for our truce.”

“Well, I feel like we kind of saw this coming,” I said.

“We did. But that doesn’t mean I’m any less annoyed that I have to deal with it now. They know it was us that went in guns blazing, killing a lot of their crew, and then burned down their primary drug factory. To say the least, they’re pissed,” Tristan said on a laugh. It rumbled through my body.

“What’s our next move?” Elliot asked from across the room.

“Keep our eyes and ears open. Make sure we stay a step ahead of any plans they may have for us. They’ve gone silent for now, no doubt probably trying to rebuild after we took out such an important aspect of their operation.” Seb and Elliot both nodded. “And I’d also like to get Scarlet here a job. She needs something to do, and if she is going to be a part of this fucked-up family, she’s going to need to pull her weight.”

“What did you have in mind?” Sebastian asked as Elliot simultaneously groaned. I smiled at how annoyed he was going to be that the other two were really starting to trust me.

“I’m going to take her into the city today and show her around the Tower.”

“The Tower? What the fuck is that?” I asked.

“The Tower is what we call our main building of business. We call it the Tower because it quite literally looks like a tower. It’s one of the tallest buildings in the city.”

“And what are your plans for me there?”

“I’m going to introduce you to some people and then let you get to know our cybersecurity team. And while you do that, I’ll get some much-needed work done that I’ve been putting off in the time you’ve been here. I’ve also got some meetings dotted throughout the afternoon.” Butterflies swam in my stomach. I was ecstatic I was finally being trusted with something that I would actually be good at. I could finally be useful.

“About time you guys see my worth,” I said, sticking my nose in the air.

“That has yet to be proven,” Elliot mumbled.

“When do we leave?”

“In an hour. So go get dressed and have some lunch, and then we will head into the city.”

“Do I even have clothes in there as nice as yours for like, a work environment like that?” I chewed on my nails, a nervous habit that sometimes came back when I was worried about something new. Tristan gently grabbed my hand and pulled it down away from my mouth.

“We’ve made sure that you’ve got any possible outfit combination you could ever want or need. But this isn’t some stuck-up corporate office, babe. And even if it was, you’re one of us now, and that means if you wanted to walk in there naked, you could.”

I snorted.

“Warn me first if you’re going to go in there naked, though, please. Because one of us will need to go in there first and warn anyone that if they look at you, I’ll start breaking extremities,” Sebastian said. “On second thought, Tristan. I’d prefer no one look at her anyway,” he said darkly.

“How am I supposed to get any work done if no one can even look at me?” He huffed, pouting. I stood up off Tristan’s lap and made my way over to Seb. I kissed him and whispered in his ear. “And if anyone looks at me, you can punish me for it later.” I bit his ear, and he groaned. I laughed and ran up the stairs to get ready before he could grab me.

“That better be a fucking promise!” he shouted up the stairs after me.