Mae

30

My phone alerts me to a message. I ignore it and put on the ear protectors.

Leisure travel of my arms to a perfect 90-degree stirs up confidence in me to aim seamlessly. Usually, Aiden would lurk somewhere around me and keep saying, ‘you’ll miss it, you’re gonna miss it’. But I never do, despite his efforts to distract me. Today I’m alone here.

Aiden is with Luke, his apparently very serious boyfriend, and Ryan is training in New York with the special trainers hired by the Pierces to ready their bodyguards. Ryan wants to join the security team in New York.

Ashley and Grace work somewhere part-time or engage in fun activities during day time.

I’ve grown used to being alone in the Lethal.

Though we have a blast when everyone comes down here at around 6 in the evening to catch up on work. We have works like looking into the data of sailings and dock management, and training rookies who were always pumped up to work for the Pierces, but then they would go limp in a week.

That is how Ryan, Aiden, and Grace came into the group, but only Aiden and I hit it off. Grace and Ashley preferred to work here because the money was good.

They got some sort of satisfaction working like FBI agents, but only the cooler, movie-depicted version of them. Using high-quality guns for target practice, lifting weights and boxing in a ring, and kidnapping the wrongdoers.

I exhale and fire the bullet. “Dammit!” I throw the gun on the table when the bullet hits a little right than the center.

My phone lights up with another message.

Then another.

I open it and see pictures. Of the Pierces. From the auction event.

And then the picture of dad’s wrecked car with two guards holding guns, pointing in the direction from where the photos were taken.

I don’t look twice at the person who sent them and call the number. He picks up on the second ring.

“Yes, Lilith?” Tristan asks. The unmistaken amused and deep voice.

“What the hell does that mean?” I ask, my breathing raging out. Every time I had to hear his voice, I was reminded of the soft and boyish smile on his face when he used to talk to me. He sounds nothing like that now.

“What does it look like?” he counters back, purring. “I caused the attacked.”

I predicted it. I should unleash my anger. He committed his crime. I should make a hundred calls and ready myself to put a knife through his heart right about now. But I question his honesty.

“Why?” I ask. I’m surprisingly calm. The practice room is large and eerily quiet.

“Why, you ask?” I can almost see the scowl on his face. “Lilith, aren’t you gonna threaten to kill me? To torture me and make me pay for what I did?” when he hears nothing of the things he mentioned, he sighs heavily. “I almost killed your family, Lilith.”
My hands brush through my loose hair.

I remember what the guards told me. “Did you want to kill Stefan?” I ask.

Tristan clears his throat. A long pause before he speaks, unamused and un-smug. “Is he hurt?”

I close my eyes and let out a chuckle. I rest my hips on the table adjoined to the wall opposite the target slabs.

“Unfortunately, you got my dad. On his right shoulder.” I continue before he puts back on his mask. “You never intended to hurt anyone, did you?”
He breathes into the phone. “You don’t know that.” He spits in provoked anger. Growling and struggling to make his point. “You are wrong.”

“Am I?” I push forward and take the gun. I aim with one hand. I never hold a gun with one hand, but Tristan makes me do things I’ll never imagine. “Next time you want to prove your hate for the Pierces, try getting at me,” I say. “Try to hurt them again and I’ll kill you myself. Again. And this time, I’ll check the pulse.” I shoot and… bull’s eye.

………………  …………………

“Don’t do anything stupid, Mae,” Stefan tells me. “You’ve tried and you’ve failed to get bring down Wyatt and Tristan.” He sighs heavily. “We almost lost dad yesterday. If Wyatt is to tickle again, he won’t hesitate to actually kill one of us.”

I exhale, containing my growing frustration. Tristan is asking for trouble, and I intend to serve it.

“For the last time, Stef, I won’t let anyone harm our family. Trust me and tell me what I am asking.”
Surrendering to my request, he says, “Fine. But promise me you won’t do anything out of spite.”

“Stefan.” I press on. I don’t make promises I can’t keep, certainly not this time.

He finally gives in. I turn my intent ear to his words. “There’s no dirt I have on Wyatt. At least not physical proof. But, as rumors must have reached you too, Wyatt’s dealing in drugs. He wouldn’t trust anyone with those documented materials.”

“You think he handles the business personally?”

“Yes.”

If this new information is to be trusted, Wyatt surely would keep the paperwork of it where no one would doubt it to be. His house.

I smirk. “Thanks, brother. Take care of dad and keep informing me about his well-being.”

I hang up before he can protest.

I make another call.

“Ashley. I need you to meet me right now. Don’t tell anyone where you are going, alright?”

She’s obligated to say yes, and she does, but I regret not calling Aiden instead. Aiden proved himself worthy of secrecy many times. I’ll trust him with my life if it comes to that.

But he’s in love. And I have a strong gut feeling that Luke is not someone Aiden thinks he is.

I will need to look into Luke’s story before I can pass on any confidential information to his boyfriend.

“Okay, but dare I ask what we are doing?” Ashley asks, sounding every bit worried yet ready.

“Break into a house, steal some documents, beat some ass if interrupted?”

She laughs. “Sounds like a normal Tuesday evening to me.”

***