GUNNAR"She's a fucking Harper and you're protecting her?" Ace's voice bellowed. Luckily, Quinn's bedroom was at the other end of the house. I hoped she wouldn't hear him."We're protecting her," I corrected, meeting Jericho's eyes before settling on Ace, "All three of us because it's in our best interest," I stressed the word our so they knew how important this was, "Mickey wants her and we want Mickey.""So you want to use her as bait?" The corner of my brother's lips quirked into a coy smirk. He wasn't always this morbid but he apparently embraced the darkness wholeheartedly. Ace still wasn't one for torture. It allowed his guilt to creep in on him so he chose to kill without a thought because, with the job already done, there was no way to convince himself to back out."No," I growled out the word, grip tightening around the crystal glass holding my whiskey, "I've done that to her already.

QUINNThe house was bathed in darkness. Ace wasn't home. I assumed he had a job to do, someone to take care of and I was surprisingly elated about that. After our conversation, I tried to avoid both him and Gunnar like the plague. Jericho gave me the space I needed but offered to take care of Venus a little while longer. I didn't refuse him because I was still wallowing in my pit of despair.It had been a few days since I came to this house. An eerie silence was all that was left behind after everyone left in the mornings. The helpers barely even made a sound. The only time that silence would lighten was when Jericho came home. He would walk Slash, his German Shepard, and Venus together before going to the kitchen to make us lunch. Jericho knew I wouldn't eat with any of them, I hadn't done so from the time I arrived, so he always asked someone to bring the food to my room.Tonight, however, I was hungry beca

QUINN The scalding water from the shower pelted onto my back, washing away my dirty deeds from the night before. It would be our little secret, one I hoped desperately wouldn't happen again. Images invaded my thoughts. How his smoldering gaze bore into mine as those sinful lips brushed against my skin. How his tongue worked me as if he had done this before to my body. The marks littering my skin was his claim, one I couldn't wait to evaporate from my skin. Because sleeping with him was a mistake. The sweetest, most exhilarating mistake that I would make over and over again given the chance. But I couldn't do it. I felt bad for him and what had happened to him when he was younger, however, what he did to me to exact revenge was demented and I wasn't certain I could look past it. Being caught up in the moment landed me naked in bed with him, having his own way with me. There couldn't be a repeat.

QUINN "I feel terrible. You took care of Venus longer than necessary and I'm staying in your home and now you're leaving without me having at least one decent conversation with you," I whined, shifting on the balls of my feet as I stared up at the nice brother.  Jericho fisted his hair and then looped a hair tie around it, "I figured at least one of us three needed to cut you some slack. Anyway, you only think I'm nice because you don't really know me." "Do you want to kill everyone just because you don't like them?" I sarcastically quizzed with a smile that felt real after so long.  Jericho pretended to give my question some thought, bright green eyes reflecting the afternoon sun, "No, I don't think so." "And do you spew orders expecting everyone to follow them as if you're God's gift to mankind?" My question dripped with just as much sarcasm as the first one.  Jericho bit back his smile, shaking his head vigorously, "I

GUNNAR I rose to my feet, thin black dart pressed between my thumb and index finger. A card spade symbol had been stamped along the length of the dart in white ink. It didn't take a genius to figure out who these darts belonged to. I looked down at the guard's body at my feet, releasing a growl of frustration. Fucking morons. Each one of them that was hit tonight was a bunch of morons that I apparently paid to wear a suit, stand around, and look pretty. I looked out the window of Quinn's room, a clear view of the road from where I stood. Then I turned to the ruffled bed and clenched my jaw. If she came back or if I found her alive I would kill her myself. The infuriating bratty woman crawled under my skin. I didn't know whether I felt angry or if I felt stress wondering where the fuck she went and with who. It was both emotions, I settled, stalking out of the room and marching my way to my brother's.