“See that, Connor?” I called, looking for my newly balding brother along the table and finding him in the shameful position furthest from our father right at the end. “You could take a lesson or two from this fella on how not to look like a pussy when taking a beating from your better.”
Connor looked inclined to say something, but Brooklyn whirled on him, tugging a pistol from the back of her skirt and levelling it in his direction.
“Don’t open your mouth if you like it that shape, bald man,” she warned. “I get shooty when people are rude to Hellfire.”
I chuckled darkly as I looked up at her, lust burning through me in a powerful wave while I watched her dancing on the table before a room full of enemies and wielding a gun without a flicker of fear in sight. Though in all honesty, she hadn’t had nearly enough practice with that weapon and the likelihood of her actually managing to shoot my brother from this distance was slim, so I whistled to get her attention back on track.
Brooklyn pouted at me in disappointment then whirled around to aim her gun at Anastasia instead.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” she said seriously, touching her free hand to her heart and showing off that ring again. “But you can’t have my Niall.”
“Yours?” Anastasia scoffed, her disapproving gaze roaming all over my little psycho and getting my back up in a way that was mighty likely to cause death.
“Yeah,” I agreed loudly, making everyone look my way once more. “All hers.”
“He took me up the aisle and rammed my ring and all that jazz,” Brooklyn said proudly. “And he doesn’t even like your flouncy tits.”
“What is she saying?” Pa barked, either genuinely unable to figure this out or refusing to believe it until he heard it from my own mouth.
“That beautiful creature up there,” I called loudly, pointing to Brooklyn and making certain that everyone in the room was looking at her before I went on. “Chose my unworthy self to be her creature. To serve and protect her from now until my death. So I’m sorry, glove.” I flicked half a glance at Anastasia whose eyes seemed about to bug out of her face as she realised what I was saying. “But I did tell ya I wasn’t a good match. And now it turns out I’m no match at all. You can’t marry a man who’s already married.”
I turned my attention back to my pa as Anastasia’s feral shriek lit the air and found his furious gaze locked on mine as he took in this act of defiance for what it was. The shattering of his control over me.
Brutus leapt from the table as Anastasia attempted to launch herself at my new bride and the Russians all yelled in fear as the enormous dog slammed into her, knocking her to the ground.
“Time to go!” I barked, snapping my fingers at Jack who immediately moved forward with his arms held wide for Brooklyn. She laughed excitedly then did a running jump from the table straight into them.
He turned and ran with her instantly, not needing any further instruction while everyone at the table leapt to their feet, pulling weapons and trying to escape from Brutus who dove headfirst at them, fangs bared and ripping into flesh left and right as he went.
I turned to leave as well, jerking to a halt as strong fingers wrapped around my wrist and I was forced to look back into the eyes of the man who had owned me up until this very moment.
“You know what this choice will cost you?” Liam O’Brien demanded furiously, all the worst of his demons rising up in his eyes in a way that had once terrified me beyond anything in this twisted world of ours. But I had long since become a far worse monster than he was, and it was about time he realised what he’d created in his cruelty.
“I know what it’s cost you,” I replied, nice and low, leaning in so he’d hear every word. “The feral beast you whipped and chained has finally broken free of its shackles. Question is, old man, are you gonna let me run free? Or will you be fool enough to try your luck in collaring me again? Because if you don’t back me in this then you’ll make an enemy of me. I won’t be yours a moment longer. I won’t be a part of this organisation you love so well. And worst of all, I’ll make you into my prey the next time I decide to go on the hunt.”
His face paled at those words and the truth in them, the reality of what he knew I was and how well he understood those threats as he blinked and damn near flinched out of fear of me. He saw my truth then. Understood my line and in that moment, I knew he wasn’t fool enough to try and stop me. This was done. He could deal with the Russians and call me back once they were no longer trying to capture me for their own designs too.
I gave him a shove so hard that he was sent flying back into his chair which almost upended, then fired four shots into the ceiling, sending the rest of the people in the room diving for cover.
“I’ll be seeing all of you then. Feel free to give a donation to charity in lew of a wedding gift. My wife has particular tastes and won’t be impressed by any of the bullshit you would gift her, so give it to some baby animals or some shit and do something good for once in yer miserable lives.”
I whistled sharply for Brutus who was somewhat distracted by the arm he was savaging but he looked up at my command, barking aggressively before taking off after me as I stalked towards the door.
I didn’t run. Didn’t even hurry myself particularly, giving any of them the chance to take a pot shot at my back if they had the balls for it, but none of them did and in the wake of the carnage I’d inflicted upon all of them, I strode from the room.
“You will live to regret this, Niall O’Brien!” Anastasia’s words reached me just as the door swung closed at my back. “No one treats me like this! No one!”
I snorted in dismissal before heading back outside to my truck where Brooklyn and Jack were already sitting in the passenger seat while the big fella aimed a shotgun towards the doors in anticipation of anyone following me.
I dropped into the driver’s seat and looked at the two of them as Brooklyn arched her spine and whooped in victory, tipping her head right back so that she would have fallen had Jack’s hand not been firm around her spine where she straddled him.
I caught her chin in my grip and made her look at me as I stole a moment of true freedom in her eyes then kissed her hard, letting her feel my passion for her in the press of my mouth on hers.
“You done good, Jack,” I said as I pulled back, turning her to look at him next. “Maybe good enough to earn yourself a kiss too?”
I gave Brooklyn a questioning look and she bit her lip as she nodded, her hips grinding over Jack’s lap and making me all kinds of jealous.
I watched her as she leaned in, my hand still clasping her jaw as she moved forward and parted her lips in anticipation of the kiss she was offering.
For a moment he held himself exactly where he was, his eyes drinking her in before slipping to meet mine, and I smiled as I saw the question in his grey gaze.
“You want me to give you the order?” I guessed and he nodded, though the hunger in his eyes as he looked to her again said he was damn close to taking what he wanted either way. “Then do it, lad. Make her moan for us.”
Tension filled the car as we all waited for him to do it, my heart pounding restlessly as a mixture of jealousy and lust built within me as the seconds ticked by, filling with heat and a promise which made all kinds of fucked-up sense.
Jack shifted forward just as the front door banged open at the top of the steps, and I cursed as I was forced to hit the gas, accelerating away before a Russian or a sibling or someone equally annoying could come after us.
I sped down the gravel drive, the wheels kicking up small stones and flinging them in every direction before I steered us out onto the road and whooped with triumph.
“We should celebrate!” Brooklyn cried. “I want to go somewhere fancy. As fancy as a peacock in a bowtie.”