Page 28 of Brandishing Balance (Devil’s Psychos MC #3)

Nico

W alking into the lounge at the Seratelli family house, I weaved through cousins and family members, friends and acquaintances that loitered in the space, sipping cocktails and liquor. I greeted everyone that slapped me on the back as I walked by, giving pleasantries as I went.

It was a far different welcoming than my first night back at family dinner, and I didn’t know how I felt about it. I was grateful to all of them, of course, but I still wasn’t used to being back in the fold after so many years away.

I walked to the bar and ordered a whisky neat. Resting my elbow on the bar, I turned to face the room, just as my cousin stepped up beside me. “How’s your girl doing?” Leo asked.

Turning my back to the room, I sighed. “She’s…alright, I guess? She’s hanging in there. It’s hard to say, really. She’s surviving.”

Leo nodded solemnly, “That’s to be expected, right? I mean, she lived through something no one should ever endure.”

“Yeah,” I muttered despondently. Thankfully the bartender set down my whisky at that moment and another for Leo, before he walked away.

“You know, I’m here for you. If you need anything at all, even a fight, I’m here.” Leo squeezed my shoulder reassuringly.

I barked out a laugh. “You still get in the ring? God, what would the family say if I bruised their precious don?”

“Your don too.” Leo nodded at me. “I’m still your don, too.”

I swallowed roughly, meeting my cousin’s blue eyes. I jerked my head once in agreement, the emotion clogging my throat made it hard to speak.

“But yes, I still get in the ring occasionally,” Leo continued. “And who says you’d even get close enough to land a hit, let alone bruise me?” Leo smirked at me and raised his whisky to his lips.

Chuckling, I shook my head. “Alright, cousin mine. I’m game. Let’s do it.”

Leonardo grinned and nodded. “After dinner?”

“Yes. At the gym?”

“Yes.”

Both of us clinked our whisky glasses together, agreeing to the plan.

“Invite the Knights. Let’s get that finished too,” Leo said before he tossed his whisky back and walked away from me.

Marcos

I had just sat down on the couch in the living room when my phone pinged with an incoming text message.

Glancing around the room at Maya and Luke watching a movie, while Jason finished up the dishes from our dinner in the other room, I hoped the message wasn’t anything that would pull me away from family tonight.

Dagger :

Leo agreed to a sit down with the Knights. Tonight. At the gym, after family dinner.

“Shit,” I sighed, glancing at the clock.

It was almost seven p.m. Family dinner with the Seratelli family started at seven p.m. sharp.

It was usually a two-hour affair and then drinks after.

But with a fight on the table—judging by the meeting being held at the gym—I bet they would be done by nine, and at the gym by nine-fifteen.

I needed to call Johnny.

“What’s wrong?” Maya asked, her voice soft as she looked over at me.

I glanced at Luke who was engrossed in the movie, before I met her eye. “Just club stuff.” I nodded my head toward the kitchen.

She got the hint and stood up. Maya walked into the kitchen where Jason was finishing up the dishes. Jason looked over at her as I followed behind her.

I got straight to the point, knowing Luke would notice our absence sooner than later. “Nico texted. The Seratelli’s agreed to a sit down with the Ravager Knights. Tonight. We gotta head out in a bit.” I told both Maya and Jason at the same time.

“Where?” Jason asked, shutting off the water. He reached for the dish towel to dry his hands.

“The Seratelli’s gym,” I responded, my eyes on Maya. Her face was hard to read; she looked sad and almost worried. “Maya?”

She met my gaze, but the dazed expression on her face had her looking a million miles away.

In the five days since she’d been home, I’d watch her go in and out of these dissociative ‘zone outs’ as I referred to them, but it was like her brain was struggling to keep up with the events in real time.

“You’re leaving us alone?” Her voice, as it always was since the attack, was soft.

The instinctive protective urges flipped on inside me, and I let out a low growl, as I stomped toward her.

She didn’t back up or cower away from me—thank God, because I realized how aggressive I was being after the fact—no, she looked up at me with a trembling lip and unshed tears in her eyes that broke my damn heart.

I hated how Hillcrest had fucked with her confidence and self-worth. Every time she cried, I wanted to tear Hillcrest down and fucking torture him to death.

I vowed that Hillcrest would pay for every single fucking tear that Maya shed.

I put my hands on either side of her face, cupping her neck and jaw.

I made sure to speak gently, but firmly to her.

“You are safe here. The house is wired with the alarm system and no less than thirty cameras all over the place. The three of us will receive a message on our phone if there are ANY issues. There will be two prospects outside, and I have a police cruiser parked down the street with someone on our payroll watching the house. You know how to use a gun and where we keep them. Your own gun is in the nightstand too. This is not at all how I wanted to leave you, but we have to go to Nico.”

Maya took a shuddering breath and a tear slipped down her face.

Jason moved behind her, his hands wrapping around her waist and she only startled a bit, until she looked over her shoulder at him. He wrapped her tightly in his arms while I gently massaged her neck and jaw.

Maya’s eyes closed as she tilted her head back against Jason’s chest, giving me more room. I smirked and slowly massaged her jaw and neck muscles in long, slow swipes down her neck. Watching her relax in our arms was a sensual thing.

Jason rubbed his hands over her stomach and up her sides and back down her hips, being careful to keep his touch sensual and stay away from anything that might make her uncomfortable. “You are a brave, strong, woman.” Jason dropped his voice low, making it gravelly as he spoke into her ear.

Watching the goosebumps roll across Maya’s skin, just from listening to Jason’s voice was always a sight to behold, and I would be lying if it didn’t make me a tiny bit jealous. But watching them now, after so long, just filled me with happiness.

“You can handle anything that life throws at you,” Jason continued.

Maya’s eyelids fluttered, but remained closed.

I couldn’t help myself; I held her chin between my thumb and forefinger and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. Maya gasped, and I felt the puff of air hit my lips. I backed away only slightly, watching as her eyes snapped open. “Wha—”

“You are the strongest person I know,” I said. “You can handle anything that life throws at you.” I repeated Jason’s words. “You can handle this. We will only be gone a couple hours and we’ll be back as soon as we can.”

Maya swallowed as tears once again lined her eyes.

I felt sick. I was doing this to her this time.

Once again, I was leaving her, and she was silently begging me not to.

Why the fuck was I doing this? My phone buzzed in my pocket.

I clenched my jaw to keep from lashing out at the damn thing as I met Jason’s gaze over Maya’s head.

He had that stone-face look about him, that said he was in business mode.

“I have to go, Mi Vida. I will see you later.” I pressed another kiss to her lips and turned away. I walked into the mudroom without looking back; despite knowing I was breaking her heart right now.

A moment later, Jason was joining me in the mud room as we both laced up our boots. I heard Maya’s stifled sob before I walked out the backdoor.