Violent Angel (Pretty Broken Things #1)

13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

W arehouses weren’t usually the type of place any of Eros’ Eight went for missions, which put Elliot on edge the entire drive there. He studied the layout of the building Tig sent him, memorizing exits and potential vantage points, but there was no way to familiarize himself with what the vibe would be like using pictures.

To top it off, this was Lux’s mission, and he’d prepared for over a week, along with Hart, reading over files on each of the targets.

Elliot’d had less than five hours.

Being on Damon’s first assignment—and Lux’s first without him—made the whole thing a lot less stressful than it would’ve been otherwise, so there was that. Damon apparently loved blasting his favorite tunes in the car, singing along with them and encouraging Lux to join in when Elliot’s little brother whispered the lyrics from the back seat.

Between them, the mood stayed pretty light as they’d crossed the border into Maine. Despite the tension gripping his chest, Ellion found himself tapping his foot and smiling at the impromptu soundtrack both provided for the long drive.

None of the other drivers interacted with Eros’ Eight unless it was absolutely necessary.

Damon hadn’t gotten that particular memo. Yet.

If Gerard thinks he’s being too ‘familiar’ on missions, he’ll staple it to Damon’s forehead.

But…does he ever really need to know?

When the warehouse came into view, the music shut off. Gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter, Damon swept his gaze over the cars crowding the parking lot like he expected bad guys dressed in black to pop out between them any second.

Elliot put his hand over his man’s. “Deep breaths. You need to shut down any fear, any doubts, and keep your expression perfectly blank. Us having a driver acting as our bodyguard won’t seem strange—a lot of rich fucks go to these things. But you wouldn’t be nervous or care what was going on around you.”

Lux unclipped his seatbelt and leaned in between the seats. “Be intimidating. Maybe growl a little.”

Lips twitching, Elliot shook his head at Damon’s questioning look. “No growling. Let’s leave that for the dogs.”

“Got it.” Damon inhaled a measured breath, letting it out slowly as he parked. “You guys ready?”

Elliot inclined his head, checking in with Lux while Damon came around the car. “If you’re not up to this, tell me now. We don’t have to mention it to Gerard. Seeing those dogs being hurt is going to be hard for you.”

“I know.” Lux blew a stray curl away from his face, rising up on his knees to adjust his black, designer jean jacket and tuck the bottom of his dark blue T-shirt into his skinny jeans. Both of them were dressed more casually for this mission, like they came from money, but didn’t want to stand out. After a month of being at The Inn, it took some adjustment to see his little brother in anything besides comfy clothes or PJs. “But we’re gonna give them a happy ending.”

“You’re damn right we will.”

The door opened, Damon letting him out first before moving to the back to open Lux’s door. He waited until they started walking, keeping a step behind them, his voice low as they approached a few other groups going in. “Am I wrong, or is this not the kind of place where men are going to be hitting on cute twinks?”

“Babe, if you call me a twink again, I’m gonna remove one of your testicles while you’re sleeping.” Elliot playfully jabbed his elbow back into Damon’s ribs, only half serious. “This is an easier mission, the seduction probably won’t be sexual.”

Damon’s brow furrowed. “How could seduction be anything but sexual?”

“Seduction is always a mind game. You find out what someone wants and you use it. Sex is one of the easier things, but it could be admiration, power, money, status, you name it.” Elliot glanced over at Lux, sensing his brother pulling on the character he planned to play. Entitled little rich boy on the wrong side of the tracks with more money than sense. Since he was coming to the mission late, Elliot would play his own part by ear. “These fuckers are bottom feeders, but make them feel important and they’ll be easy to manipulate.”

“But, if they catch on, they can be just as dangerous as the men at the auction.”

“If not more. They don’t have as much to lose, they won’t care about keeping up appearances.” Elliot’s palm itched to slip his hand into Damon’s, and he shoved it in his pocket instead to stifle the urge. He needed to show a good example, not blow their cover because he’d gotten too comfortable touching his man whenever he wanted. He stared straight ahead. “Prepare for things to unravel at a moment’s notice. And try not to shoot the dogs.”

Inside, the whole place stank of dog shit, piss, blood, and hay, the humid air gritty with the dirt flying around whenever the dogs’ bodies collided or they struggled against each other on the ground. A heavy metal fence surrounded the dogs in the small makeshift arena, supported by stacks of hay, the two owners standing on top of them and screaming at the dogs from either side.

The snarls from the dogs were nothing compared to what came from the throng pressed up against the barrier. Screaming bloodthirsty encouragements, the crowd made it clear how little they cared for the living creatures they’d placed bets on. All that mattered to them was how quickly they won whatever bets they’d made, and if they’d get extra with their predictions on how the brutal fight would end.

Above the crowd, on metal scaffolding platforms, the wealthier observers kept away from the unwashed masses, but these ones were different than any he’d encountered at clubs or private parties. Dressing down had been a good idea, because other than their literal elevation above everyone else, if those men and women came down, no one unfamiliar with clothing labels could guess they were in a whole different tax bracket.

Stopping short in front of him so fast, Elliot almost knocked him over, Lux brought his hands up over his ears as a deafening cheer rose all around, along with the pain filled yelps of one of the dogs. Elliot understood why his brother wanted this mission, how badly he needed to save the poor animals and shut this twisted shit down, but him coming had been a bad idea.

It was too late to turn back now.

Grabbing Lux’s wrists, he forced his hands to his sides, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “I can’t promise we’ll save them all, but some of these dogs will have better lives because of us, you hear me? Lean into your training. Shut everything inside down. You’ll give yourself away if you freak out.”

Lux nodded, his eyes going wide as a tall woman approached his other side.

She slipped an arm around him. “Aww, you poor thing. These mean ol’ men drag you in here without telling you what would be going on?”

“No…my dad made my brother bring me.” Lux gave the woman a shaky smile. “I’m okay. He thinks I’m a wimp, but I’m gonna prove him wrong.”

If nothing else, Lux’s improv skills were definitely on point.

Elliot patted his shoulder, playing along. “Damn right you’re not. Fucker wants to cut you out of the will, but me and you? We’re gonna run things when he finally kicks it.” He smirked. “Bring home a woman like this and I betcha his heart stops right then and there.”

A delighted laugh escaped the woman’s lips as she smacked Elliot’s chest. “Oh, I like you. I’m not sure whether I should be flattered or insulted, but you’re a good big brother.” She looked him over, from his Amiri black sneakers to his lambskin leather racer jacket, visibly pinning a net worth on him. “You’re also waay more interesting than the assholes I came with. Why don’t you come join us? We’ve got the best seats in the house.”

Okay, so maybe standing out a little hadn’t been such a bad thing after all. This woman might be completely heartless toward animals, and anyone she considered beneath her, but the teeny tiny bit of compassion she had would be drawn to Lux.

But as she motioned them up the wide scaffolding stairs, her attention locked on Damon, and she held back to loop her arm with his. “I take it you’re the hired muscle? You won’t be on duty all night, will you? My name’s Amy and I know the perfect place for you to take your break.”

Damon slid her a knowing look, his no-nonsense bodyguard expression slipping as he seemed to mentally debate whether to lead her on or brush her off. “I’m…D…”

“Big D.” Amy let out a breathy laugh. “Me likes.”

You won’t like when I toss you off this fucking platform and let the dogs chew your face off.

Tugging on his sleeve, Lux rose up on his tiptoes to hiss in Elliot’s ear. “Stop giving her your murdery look.”

“I’m not…” Elliot plastered a smile on his lips as Amy’s friends turned to introduce themselves. His smile became more genuine as he identified all three targets. “Hey, it’s nice to meet you. My name’s Elliot, this is Lux, and that’s apparently ‘Big D’.”

There were a few nods, several ‘Hey’s, and one or two ‘What’s up’s before the group turned their attention to the two new dogs being shoved into the arena. All except for a couple of women, who took Amy’s lead and chose someone to cling to.

Elliot’s skin crawled as the big breasted woman with orangy-red lipstick named Cynthia backed him into the railing and slid her hand right into the front of his jeans. Her breath stank of sour alcohol and mint cigarettes, the taste even worse as she slammed her mouth over his.

Groaning, she yanked on his soft dick. “Amy always brings the best treats. Relax and let me take care of you, gorgeous.”

“Jesus, Cynthia, let the man breathe.” One of the guys who had a distinct gym bro look about him smirked as Elliot freed himself from the woman’s fondling. “Gotta watch out for that one, she’s handsy. That’s what my dad gets for fucking the help.”

Cynthia pouted. “You’re the worst brother ever, James.”

“ Half -brother. And stop bitching, I brought you, didn’t I?” James motioned to the dogs fighting below. “It might not look fancy, but I make a nice chunk of change every time we organize entertainment like this. You place any bets yet, or did you hear from a friend of a friend that I might be looking for investors? You look like someone I might want to have a chat with.”

After fixing his jeans, Elliot leaned against the railing, nodding slowly. “I might’ve heard something. But when my dad finally fucking drops dead, I’ll need more than ‘a chunk of change’ to make it worth my while.” He met James’ dull, mud brown eyes. “You look too smart to be wasting prime real estate like this on just dogs?”

James puffed out his chest and nodded. “Well, yeah. Stick around and I might show you my real money maker. Those shipping containers out back? You’ll be able to take your old man’s money and triple it in a month, easy.”

“This I’ve got to see.” Elliot groaned as his phone buzzed, pulling it out and glancing at the screen. Calls from both Damon and Lux had been renamed to ‘Expired Sperm Donor’ and James spat out a laugh when he glanced at the screen. “Sorry, I’ve got to get this.”

“No worries, I’ve been there.” James patted his shoulder, then looked down at the fighting dogs. “Fuck yes! I knew that bitch was a winner!”

Moving away from the group, Elliot checked his phone, quickly reading the message.

Damon: Lux isn’t doing too good. Do I pull them off?

Elliot glanced over to where Cynthia had cornered Lux with another woman, the pair sucking on his little brother’s neck and laughing as he evaded their efforts to get his pants undone. A few feet away, Damon had somehow ditched Amy, and looked very tempted to make dog chow out of the drunk pair stuck like leeches on Elliot’s brother.

Elliot: No, I’ll get their attention. Soon as Lux is free, go outside with him. Shipping containers. He’ll know what to do if you find anything.

Damon: You want me to leave you here alone?

Elliot: Yes. Do your job and go.

A glance showed how close Damon was to refusing, his expression going closed off, like it should be. But he stayed near Lux, ready to get him out of there once Elliot did his part.

Grabbing a few beers from a stack of boxes everyone was helping themselves to, Elliot crossed the platform and held one out to Cynthia. “Peace offering? I hope you’re not too upset at me brushing you off back there. Business comes first.”

“Not if you’re coming back here to play with me.” Cynthia caught the other woman’s eye. “Or with us ? Your little friend doesn’t seem to like this game.”

Offering the second beer to the other woman in a way she would take as an invitation, Elliot uncapped his own and brought it to his lips. “Well, we were interrupted. If she can catch up, I don’t see why not.”

From Cynthia’s expression, he might as well have thrown her a big juicy steak, one she was ready to tear into, right on the dirty floor. In seconds, her hands were on him, her friend moving behind him and tugging his shirt free of his pants to slide her hands up his back.

Usually, the only women Elliot dealt with on missions were the victims he freed. He didn’t want to scare them when he was soaked in blood, so he kept his distance. They’d been traumatized enough.

These women were a whole different breed.

While they sucked and stroked, pawing at him, scratching the skin they bared, the odd yelp from the dogs only seemed to excite them more. The only time they stopped was to check out if the dog they’d bet on was still alive.

He understood why this mission was marked for one of the biggest cleanups Nexus had handled in a very long time. The touches that make his skin crawl would be washed away in a blood bath.

Aside from him, Lux, and Damon, the only ones walking out of this place with a pulse at the end of the night…

Would have four legs.