Corrupt
Page 17
He dived for her, covering her mouth with his as he carried her down the hall, disappearing into a spare bedroom.
I exhaled a hard breath through my nose, aggravated with the constant tug of war with him. It never used to be like that.
My friends and I all butted heads over the course of our friendship. Of course. We had our own temperaments, vices, and senses of right and wrong.
But those differences strengthened us back then. As individuals we had weaknesses, but as the Horsemen we were invincible. We each brought something different to the table, and where one lacked, the others stepped in. We were a unit, on and off the court.
I wasn’t so sure that was true anymore. Things had changed.
Kai sat down on the couch while Will walked for the refrigerator, grabbing a sandwich off the plate of leftovers and a bottle of water.
I twisted around and grabbed the game ball I’d been awarded after we’d won the state championships in high school and shot it over at Will, slamming him in the upper arm.
He jerked, dropping the bottle of water and glaring at me with a mouthful of sandwich.
“Ow!” he barked, holding out his hands. “What’s your problem?”
“Were you in 2104?” I shot out, already knowing the answer.
There was a reason we’d moved Rika to the twenty-first floor. It isolated her from neighbors. But I was also well aware that my friends probably wouldn’t let the vacant apartment next door to her—or the opportunity to fuck with her—go to waste.
They didn’t live in the building, but they’d somehow gotten a key to the apartment.
Will averted his eyes, but I caught the grin on his face. He swallowed his food and faced me, shrugging. “We may have brought a couple of girls back from the club,” he admitted. “You know Damon. It got a little loud.”
I shot Kai a look, knowing he wasn’t in on it but pissed that he hadn’t stopped them.
I combed my fingers through my damp hair and pinned Will with a stare. “Erika Fane may be young and inexperienced, but she’s not stupid,” I pointed out, looking between him and Kai. “You’re going to have fun with her. I promise. But not if you get her running before we have her where we want her.”
Will bent down to retrieve the basketball. At six feet tall, he was shorter than the rest of us, but his build was just as strong.
“Kai and I have been out for months,” he charged, pressing the ball between his hands in front of his chest and looking at me as he approached. “I agreed to wait so Damon could have his part in this, but I am done fucking waiting, Michael.”
His patience was wearing thin, and I’d known that for some time. He and Kai had received lesser sentences based on the charges, but to be fair to Damon, we’d held back doing anything until he got out as well.
“Like that stunt last night?” I threw back. “Showing up at her house in masks?”
He laughed to himself, all too pleased. “It was for old time’s sake. Give us a break.”
But I shook my head. “We’ve been patient this long.”
“No,” he retorted. “We’ve been patient. You’ve been in college.”
I stepped up to him, a good four inches taller, and grabbed the ball out of his hands. I kept my eyes on him as I shot it out to my side and let it roll off my fingers, seeing Kai catch it in one fluid movement.
“We wanted her in Meridian City,” I told Will, “and she’s here. With no friends and no roommates. We wanted her in this building with all of us, and there she is.” I tilted my head to the window behind me, gesturing. “All that separates her from us is a door. She’s a sitting duck, and she doesn’t even know it.”
His green eyes narrowed on me, still listening.
“We know exactly what we’re going to take from her before we take her,” I reminded him, “so don’t fuck this up. Everything’s going according to plan, but it won’t if she feels she’s in danger before it’s time.”
He hooded his eyes and looked away, still pissed but obviously letting it go. Taking a deep breath, he slid off his black jacket, tossed it on the sofa, and left the room, heading down the stairs into the private basketball court off the living area.
Within seconds, I heard the echo of a basketball pounding against the hardwood court.
Kai rose from the sofa and walked for the windows, crossing his arms over his chest and staring silently outside.
I stepped up next to him. Planting my hand on the windows, I followed his gaze, watching Rika run the roller up and down, her once-white wall now turning blood red.
“She’s alone.” I spoke low. “Completely alone now. And soon she’ll have nothing to eat but our goodwill.”
I shifted my eyes to Kai, seeing his narrowed ones studying her. His jaw flexed, and at times he could be more formidable than Damon. At least Damon was an open book.
But with Kai and his stern dark eyes and hardened expression, it was always a guess what he was thinking. He rarely spoke about himself.
“Are you having second thoughts?” I asked.
“Are you?”
I continued staring out the window, ignoring the question. Whether or not I wanted this or liked any of it, it was never a question.
Three years ago, curious little Erika Fane wanted to play with the boys, so we indulged her, and she betrayed us. There was no way we’d forget. Once restitution was paid, my friends could have peace.
Kai kept his eyes on her as he spoke. “Damon and Will are blind action, Michael. Over three years, that hasn’t changed. They act and react from the gut, but for two men that once believed money and power could get them out of anything, they now know that’s not true.”
I exhaled a hard breath through my nose, aggravated with the constant tug of war with him. It never used to be like that.
My friends and I all butted heads over the course of our friendship. Of course. We had our own temperaments, vices, and senses of right and wrong.
But those differences strengthened us back then. As individuals we had weaknesses, but as the Horsemen we were invincible. We each brought something different to the table, and where one lacked, the others stepped in. We were a unit, on and off the court.
I wasn’t so sure that was true anymore. Things had changed.
Kai sat down on the couch while Will walked for the refrigerator, grabbing a sandwich off the plate of leftovers and a bottle of water.
I twisted around and grabbed the game ball I’d been awarded after we’d won the state championships in high school and shot it over at Will, slamming him in the upper arm.
He jerked, dropping the bottle of water and glaring at me with a mouthful of sandwich.
“Ow!” he barked, holding out his hands. “What’s your problem?”
“Were you in 2104?” I shot out, already knowing the answer.
There was a reason we’d moved Rika to the twenty-first floor. It isolated her from neighbors. But I was also well aware that my friends probably wouldn’t let the vacant apartment next door to her—or the opportunity to fuck with her—go to waste.
They didn’t live in the building, but they’d somehow gotten a key to the apartment.
Will averted his eyes, but I caught the grin on his face. He swallowed his food and faced me, shrugging. “We may have brought a couple of girls back from the club,” he admitted. “You know Damon. It got a little loud.”
I shot Kai a look, knowing he wasn’t in on it but pissed that he hadn’t stopped them.
I combed my fingers through my damp hair and pinned Will with a stare. “Erika Fane may be young and inexperienced, but she’s not stupid,” I pointed out, looking between him and Kai. “You’re going to have fun with her. I promise. But not if you get her running before we have her where we want her.”
Will bent down to retrieve the basketball. At six feet tall, he was shorter than the rest of us, but his build was just as strong.
“Kai and I have been out for months,” he charged, pressing the ball between his hands in front of his chest and looking at me as he approached. “I agreed to wait so Damon could have his part in this, but I am done fucking waiting, Michael.”
His patience was wearing thin, and I’d known that for some time. He and Kai had received lesser sentences based on the charges, but to be fair to Damon, we’d held back doing anything until he got out as well.
“Like that stunt last night?” I threw back. “Showing up at her house in masks?”
He laughed to himself, all too pleased. “It was for old time’s sake. Give us a break.”
But I shook my head. “We’ve been patient this long.”
“No,” he retorted. “We’ve been patient. You’ve been in college.”
I stepped up to him, a good four inches taller, and grabbed the ball out of his hands. I kept my eyes on him as I shot it out to my side and let it roll off my fingers, seeing Kai catch it in one fluid movement.
“We wanted her in Meridian City,” I told Will, “and she’s here. With no friends and no roommates. We wanted her in this building with all of us, and there she is.” I tilted my head to the window behind me, gesturing. “All that separates her from us is a door. She’s a sitting duck, and she doesn’t even know it.”
His green eyes narrowed on me, still listening.
“We know exactly what we’re going to take from her before we take her,” I reminded him, “so don’t fuck this up. Everything’s going according to plan, but it won’t if she feels she’s in danger before it’s time.”
He hooded his eyes and looked away, still pissed but obviously letting it go. Taking a deep breath, he slid off his black jacket, tossed it on the sofa, and left the room, heading down the stairs into the private basketball court off the living area.
Within seconds, I heard the echo of a basketball pounding against the hardwood court.
Kai rose from the sofa and walked for the windows, crossing his arms over his chest and staring silently outside.
I stepped up next to him. Planting my hand on the windows, I followed his gaze, watching Rika run the roller up and down, her once-white wall now turning blood red.
“She’s alone.” I spoke low. “Completely alone now. And soon she’ll have nothing to eat but our goodwill.”
I shifted my eyes to Kai, seeing his narrowed ones studying her. His jaw flexed, and at times he could be more formidable than Damon. At least Damon was an open book.
But with Kai and his stern dark eyes and hardened expression, it was always a guess what he was thinking. He rarely spoke about himself.
“Are you having second thoughts?” I asked.
“Are you?”
I continued staring out the window, ignoring the question. Whether or not I wanted this or liked any of it, it was never a question.
Three years ago, curious little Erika Fane wanted to play with the boys, so we indulged her, and she betrayed us. There was no way we’d forget. Once restitution was paid, my friends could have peace.
Kai kept his eyes on her as he spoke. “Damon and Will are blind action, Michael. Over three years, that hasn’t changed. They act and react from the gut, but for two men that once believed money and power could get them out of anything, they now know that’s not true.”
