SWNOVELS Before the Storm: Chapter 34
Another explosion rocks the ballroom and more screams pierce through the air. There’s too many innocents here and no way to get them out without inciting a panic. We try our best to keep innocent people out of our business, but there are times when casualties are inevitable and I’m afraid this is one of those times.
“What are your team seeing on the ground?” I ask Crew. Our own team is a few minutes out, but we don’t have any time to waste. If the Legion have information, I’m going to leverage it in the meantime.
“Black SUVs. They think the explosions are a type of grenade but apart from the first one, they’ve seemed a little small for that kind of firepower.”
“Fuck,” I growl, turning to Rayne. “They’re using our fucking weapons. That’s the mini grenade Everett designed last year, the ones that we sent to Russia that never arrived.”
Elijah joins us, his jacket discarded somewhere and the sleeves of his white button up pushed to the elbows, revealing his intricate tattoos. “I have two teams mobilizing but they’re going to struggle to get through the chaos.”
“Aren’t you Elijah Russo?” Kovu asks, showing the most interest he has since the group approached us.
“I am. And you are?”
Confusion fills each of their faces. Do they not know he married Snow? Surely they do, because they have their ear to the ground everywhere, especially the families they’ve done work for.
“Isn’t he your enemy?” Bishop asks.
“Snow is my wife.” Elijah fills in the blanks.
“We’re the Legion. I’m sure you’ve heard of us.” Crew holds out his hand and Elijah shakes it with a rare smile.
“Ah yes. You killed my father and uncles. I owe you a big thank you.”
Four sets of eyes stare at the man who I never would have chosen for my baby sister, but who has made her happier than I’ve ever seen her. I also never expected to like the guy, but the more time we spend together, the more we get along. But don’t tell the fucker that. He needs to know if he ever hurts Snow, I will not hesitate to end his existence.
“What are you doing in Chicago? Don’t you have an underworld to guard or something?” Trust Elijah to poke the most ruthless men in the country. They’re loyal to no one, so they will not hesitate to kill him where he stands.
“You make it sound like a small feat.” Crew withdraws his hands and surveys the man in front of him. If anyone in the family is going to get us all killed, it’s definitely going to be Elijah. He’s reckless.
He shrugs, not making a move when another explosion vibrates through the floor beneath our feet. They’re getting closer and we’re standing around having a fucking mothers meeting. “I don’t pretend to understand the logistics of cities I’m not familiar with. However, I have always been… curious how four men such as yourselves convinced the five families to allow you to mediate their business.”
“People will do anything when their loved ones are on the line.” Kaos smirks.
“Can we stop gossiping and figure out what the fuck is going on?” Rayne snaps. The man isn’t known for his social niceties, not unless Emerson is around, and even then it’s short-lived.
“Rayne and Elijah, head to the roof, see what you can see from up there. I want confirmation about who this is, and I want to know if Annalise is here,” I order.
“And if she is?” Rayne asks.
“Then I want her dead,” I say as I step away from the group. They’ll be expecting us to come from above, for our teams to surround them, but they won’t see me walking out the front doors coming.
Horrified faces watch me as a stroll toward the front doors. There’s a chance I’m going to get blown up, but it’s unlikely. Annalise won’t want me to go in such a painless way. She wants us to suffer and given I’m running the family she thinks belongs to her, I suspect that’s especially true for me.
I check the gun in the back of my pants as I walk through the doors and into the street. Smoke clouds around the edge of the building, drifting into the sky in dark gray shadows. Six black SUVs crowd the entrance and I lift my empty hands to show I’m not armed. The same men that held a gun on my woman two weeks ago have them trained on me now, but I don’t flinch.
Being in the firing line is part of my job description.
I stop a few feet from where the men are lined up, their eyes wary as they look around for my backup, but they won’t see them. Rayne and Elijah are ghosts at the best of times, but on a dark night full of chaos, they won’t see them until it’s too late.
The men’s eyes are trained behind me which causes me to look over my shoulder to find Crew and Bishop stepping out from behind a thick layer of smoke. Annalise is going to take this show of solidarity one of two ways. Either she’s going to decide she’s bitten off more than she can chew, or she’s going to take this as a move against her, and it’s only going to increase her hatred toward us.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” Speak of the devil. She steps out from behind one of the SUVs, her tight pantsuit immaculate despite the ash falling around us like snow. She walks toward us, the click of her heels on the asphalt making the moment feel like a scene in an action movie.
“Annalise,” I regard her. “This is quite the public display you’ve created here.”
“Well, when you don’t leave that little estate of yours for weeks on end, I figure I have to catch you while you’re out.” She shrugs.
“I can assure you the chief of police, a close friend of mine, will want to hold someone accountable for such reckless destruction of property. If you wanted a meeting, all you had to do was ask.”
Her features harden at the mention of the police. They aren’t going to be happy about this, and the number of witnesses is going to make it difficult to cover up. But if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say that’s her plan. She wants to expose us for the criminals we are. She wants the city to know the family they consider royalty are nothing but two-bit thugs. Too bad for her that’s not how this is going to play out. “It’s a little hard when you’re focused on…other things. How is Ayvah?”
Her name on Annalise’s lips has a growl climbing up my throat. I want to kill her just for uttering my woman’s name, but a firm hand on my shoulder holds me in place. I take a breath, forcing the monster down. It’s not the time nor the place for him to be released. “Ayvah is well, thank you. You actually just missed her.”
“That’s a shame. She’s such a pretty little thing. I had a lot of interest in her if you’re ever looking to sell, but then again I suspect she may no longer have the thing that made her so valuable.”
I’m about to ask what she means by that when Crew lets out a chuckle. The deep sound drags her attention from me and if possible, the sneer on her face grows deeper.
“What the fuck are you laughing at? You’re a little far from home, aren’t you?”
“Even the devil deserves a holiday from time to time.” He shrugs. They didn’t come by their name by accident. The four men are as dark as they come. There are no morals, no emotion, nothing they won’t do to get what they want. They are demons in every sense of the word and Annalise is a brave woman to cross them. “We were just enjoying a nice evening with the Saint James family when we were rudely interrupted.” He gestures to the rubble on the street. It’s a fucking mess and I don’t envy Snow who will have to deal with the press the moment this is over.
A tall man approaches Annalise from behind and whispers something in her ear. She listens intently before a smug smile tugs at her lips and she nods once. “Little brother and your women have returned to your fortress,” she says casually. Why would she be happy about that? Unless there’s an angle she’s playing.
“The problem with you, Storm, is that you’re predictable. Every move you make can easily be seen coming if you’ve been watching long enough.”
My heart beats hard in my chest. Have I just sent my family into a trap?
“It’s quite a nice estate really. I grew up there until I was sent away, and I was surprised by how much of the layout I remembered when I was there earlier tonight,” Annalise taunts. “I bet you’re wondering how I got into your home. There are so many guards, and you’re certain of their loyalty, how is it possible?”
I lunge forward, ready to end this right here and right now. This fucking bitch needs to die, even if I know everything she says is just to get a rise out of me. She wants me to retaliate because right now we’re at a stalemate. Neither of us are willing to make a move and start a war, but sooner or later one of us is going to have to, and they’ll be solely responsible for all the blood shed that follows.
Crew and Bishop grab me before I can make it close to the woman who is making our lives hell and hold me in place. “She’s trying to get a rise out of you, Saint James. You’re smarter than this,” Bishop growls in my ear, his grip on me tight to make sure I don’t do something I can’t take back.
“This is an interesting arrangement you have here. Who’s working for who?” She points between me and Crew, her brows pulled together in mocking confusion. “I can’t imagine either of you is very good at taking orders.”
“What were you doing in my house, Annalise?” I force the words through gritted teeth.
“Oh, nothing.” She shrugs. “I just wanted you to know that I can get to you anytime I want. You, your sisters, your pretty little girlfriend. Anytime I see fit, I can get into your fortress and take everything you hold dear.” She turns her attention to Crew and smiles. “Perhaps you should rethink which side you’re on.”
“Do you think it wise to threaten a man like me?” He raises a brow, but the barely contained rage is just below the surface. His jaw is tight, the tension in his neck forces a vein to pop out and throb. He’s just as close to losing it as I am, and I suspect he’ll be a lot harder to hold back than I am.
“I think men like you have an inflated impression of how scary they actually are.” She rests her hands on her hips dramatically and I barely stop myself from rolling my eyes. This woman is so vastly different from her brother, even with the vague similarities in their appearance you wouldn’t guess they’re related.
Bishop lets out a bark of laughter and his father follows suit. “We are reasonable men, however I can assure you that if you think about bringing your operation into our city, we will end you, your husband, your entire business before you can blink an eye. And we are always aware of who we align ourselves with, and we are very comfortable with the side we’ve taken,” Bishop says diplomatically.
Annalise’s face drops into a frown. The smug smile she had a few seconds ago is gone, and her glare falls on me. She saw this playing out a lot differently than it has, and although having The Legion on our side is a good thing, this may be the thing that tips her over the edge.
Knowing she can get to my family, and my woman anytime she pleases has dread pooling in my gut, and for the first time in my life, I can’t be selfish. I have to do what’s best for everyone. I’m just not sure what that is yet.