Page 5 of Ravaged By the Dark (The Righteous 2)
Trevor’s crossed leg swung aimlessly as he sipped his brandy and read the latest book he’d acquired. It wasn’t his usual taste, but he found himself drawn to the muscular man on the cover. The dark, messy hair with brooding eyes and a broad, hard chest had him clicking purchase, and so far, he wasn’t disappointed.
Was he gay?
He didn’t like to put a label on what he was, and he hadn’t been in a relationship in a very long time. It had ended…abruptly and painfully. Since then, he hadn’t fucked enough people to make a final determination like that. He’d always been drawn to both sexes at different times in his life, sometimes at the same time, and quite frankly, he didn’t care enough to be bothered with worrying about it. He’d experimented and found he enjoyed the soft, delicate touch of a woman but also fantasized about being taken roughly by a man.
He flicked the next page just as a beeping sound reached his ears. He grabbed his phone and shut off the security alert. Sure enough, the screen showed four armed men were heading for the front entrance. He had no interest in them damaging his beautiful door, so he pressed a button to release the lock. As he watched, a thin smile lifted the corner of his mouth. The one in the front tentatively reached out and tried the door. Once they realized they could walk in and did so, Trevor sighed and grabbed the gun from the hidden compartment in the side of his chair.
He checked the magazine to make sure it was fully loaded, hid it among the folds of his long robe, and then sat back to wait. He glanced at his black slippers and a fluffy housecoat. They didn’t look near as tough as his tailored Italian suit did, but there was no time to change.
He watched the intruders on his phone, but he could easily hear the not-so-subtle bastards as they made their way up the stairs. No one had taught them the art of being quiet, apparently. He caught a glimpse of a tattoo on one of their hands and swore under his breath as he recognized the mark of the Imperial Mafia.
What the fuck did they want?
After what seemed like an eternity, they rounded the corner and came into the study. He held up his finger, pausing them in their tracks. He made a show of flicking to the next page on his tablet.
“Hold on a moment, let me finish this chapter. I’m almost done.” He fucking loved psychological warfare, and the stunned look on their faces had him laughing inside. He calmly lowered the book and smiled at his not-so-friendly guests.
“Well, gentlemen, what can I do for you this evening?” They looked at one another as if unsure about his nonchalant demeanor. “Well?” Trevor prompted. “I don’t have all night.”
“Our boss asked you to defend someone, and you turned him down.”
“And?”
“You’re going to change your mind,” the man in the middle said. He seemed to be the ring leader of the four, but they were all poorly trained and overtly nervous.
Why send boys to do a man’s job?
“As I explained to your boss, I cannot defend who he wants me to defend, as I’m already under contract to defend someone else that puts me in direct violation of conflict of interest. Even if I were to dismiss my other client, the courts would see an issue with me defending who your boss wants me to defend. Therefore, I cannot change my mind. Now, if that is all, you can see yourselves out.” He flicked his hand toward the door as if to shoo them out.
The man in the front stepped forward, a rookie move that blocked the view of two of the other potential shooters. “Youwillchange your mind!”
“I already told you I cannot.”
The man raised his gun, and for all his bravado, the barrel slightly shook. “My boss was clear, you change your mind, or you die.”
Trevor sighed. It was evident, his attempt at diplomacy was falling on deaf ears.
“Well, in that case….” Trevor moved fast, the bullet dropping the leader before he even registered that Trevor had moved.
He’d always been the best shot, a true natural marksman, proudly earning the nickname Crosshairs. Once you were in his sights, you were already dead. The next two bullets found their marks just as swiftly, but he had to roll sideways out of the comfortable recliner to miss being shot by the fourth man.
He scooted behind the large chair and laid flat on the ground as bullets rained down on him. He should have just gone with Arek, for fuck’s sake. Bullets slammed into the walls, furniture, and antiques all around the room as the fucker shot like he was one handing it and jerking off with the other. Shards of glass from his expensive vases and decorative mirrors shattered as they fell.
Son of a bitch!Those pieces were worth a small fortune.
Trevor peeked around the far side of his cover and spotted the reflection of the remaining man in the shockingly undamaged window. The guy was edging his way closer to where he was hiding. He rolled onto his back and stared at the reflection upside down. When the man was close enough, he pushed off the recliner with his feet and slid backward across the tile. The bullet found its mark as the guy looked his way—a perfect bullseye between the eyes. He watched in horror as the man fell face-first into his favorite chair, spraying blood all over it.
“Fuck!”
Jumping up, he shot the bastard until his magazine ran dry. He grabbed his surprisingly undisturbed cell off the reading table. Arek was never going to let him live this down.
