Page 60 of Brandishing Balance (Devil’s Psychos MC #3)

Marcos

W hat a fucking cluster fuck. I shook my head as I listened to Leonardo rant and rave at Fredrico Accardi, his best friend. Leo was pissed and Accardi just screamed about my boys Axel, Phoenix, and Blaze.

I already called Phoenix, who informed that Accardi had made Alessia upset and she didn’t want to go with him, so Axel took her home.

While I didn’t blame the man for wanting to make the woman feel safe, it wasn’t our fucking place to step in. Especially not when I just got shit squared away with the Seratellis.

“Fucking Christ,” I muttered, watching the two men scream at each other in the corner of the warehouse. Accardi clearly didn’t show Leonardo the respect he ought to show his Don.

“We need to go,” Nico grumbled beside me. “Maya and Luke are waiting. It’s going to be dawn soon.”

I nodded. I’d been watching the clock myself, but I wasn’t going to be the one to interrupt that fiasco.

“Accardi’s a snake,” Nico muttered, watching the two men.

“Yep,” Jason grunted.

Finally, Leonardo punched his best friend in the face, sending Accardi sprawling because he hadn’t seen it coming. Looming over the man, Leonardo growled a threat that I didn’t hear, but his meaning was clear. Fall in line .

Seratelli turned away from Accardi and stormed toward me. I straightened, ready for the fall out, but Leo turned to Nico. “I’ll expect the three of you at family dinner tonight.” He glanced at me and Jason. “The chopper is ready for you. Get back to your girl.” He walked away without another word.

“Fuck yes,” I muttered. “Let’s go home.”

Maya

I woke late the next morning. The clock on the nightstand read nine a.m. and I groaned, wondering if my guys had made it back or not. I kind of expected them to wake me up when they got back on the Yacht.

Worry filled me. What if they weren’t back yet? I scrambled out of bed, pulling on a night gown and grabbed a bathrobe out of the bathroom before I left the state room and flew up the stairs to the main deck—only to stop short when I saw Luke sitting with my guys, enjoying a hearty breakfast.

“Morning, mom!” Luke grinned brightly.

“Mi Vida.” Marcos stood from the table and walked over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist as he pulled me flush against him. “Good morning, my life.”

A smile pulled across my lips as I leaned into his touch and slid my hands up his chest. “Good morning.” I kissed him slowly. “How did everything go?”

“As planned. We’re going to family dinner, tonight.”

I raised an eyebrow. I’d never been to a Seratelli family dinner before. Nico hadn’t been on good terms with his family back then. “Should I be worried?”

“Nah,” Marcos shook his head. “Be worried for me. I don’t have a suit.”

I laughed heartily at his confession. “I guess we’re going shopping today.”

“Sounds miserable.”

“I bet Luke will look so handsome in a suit.” I ran my fingers through his soft hair. “We should take more pictures.”

“Didn’t you get enough pictures yesterday?” he smirked at me.

I shook my head. “I have nine years of pictures to catch up on.”

“That you do, Mi Vida. That you do. Come on, let me feed you.”

With an arm wrapped around my waist, he guided me over to the table where he sat down and pulled me onto his lap. Nico and Jason grinned widely at me as their eyes roamed over my body.

I leaned back into Marcos’s chest, feeling the warmth of his body as I smiled and said good morning to my guys.

There was nothing I loved more than the four guys right here.

Maya

Meeting Mrs. Gage was a dream come true.

Teresa Seratelli-Gage was a beautiful woman, inside and out, and welcomed Luke and I with open arms. Immediately she brought me over to her little gaggle of women in the front room, while Luke joined his father, Jason, and Nico in the parlor where other family members mingled around a full bar—bartender included.

The mansion was crazy over the top and I couldn’t stop staring around in awe at it all.

Teresa immediately dove into the history of the place, how it dated back to Leonardo’s great-grandfather and had been in the family ever since. She also dove into the history and drama and familial relationships of everyone in the room, regardless of the fact that I likely wouldn’t remember.

At dinner, Teresa sat beside Luke and me and filled him in on all the mischief Nico used to get up to as a kid—which fueled the rest of the family to chime in.

It made for a laughter filled dinner that eased the tension that was clearly clinging to the men.

Apparently, things hadn’t gone according to plan on their mission. Or so Marcos had told me.

He’d said it was nothing to worry about. They had rescued Alessia, that was all that mattered. The fact that she didn’t want to see anyone in her family was a different problem all together…and not really our problem.

My men did their part. And soon, I’d do mine. Or attempt to.

I wasn’t all that nervous through dinner; despite knowing I would be ending Hillcrest’s life after dessert.

Maybe it was Teresa’s stories and the family’s laughter, or maybe it was the thought of my years of harassment and torment finally coming to an end.

Either way, I wasn’t that upset at the idea of killing Dax Hillcrest after I ate a five-course meal.

The dinner was spectacular; the presentation and fine dining felt like being at a fancy restaurant, while the food was simply magnificent. I had to stifle my moan after Nico’s fingers dug into my knee the second time. His family laughed and Leo’s mother told me she was glad I enjoyed her cooking.

After dessert, the ladies retired to the living room, while the men retired to the parlor.

Leo led Marcos, Jason, Nico, and me down a set of stairs in the back hallway off the kitchen.

I left Luke with Teresa, who was going to take him to tour the second floor of the opulent mansion, so he didn’t feel out of place with the ladies while the men talked shop.

I held Marcos’s hand as we stepped down the basement stairs. My nerves were starting to flare up. The idea of seeing him again just made my anxiety skyrocket. It wasn’t killing him that I was having an issue with, but the idea of facing him again after everything.

At the bottom of the stairs, we turned toward the open cellar room, where several guys were standing around.

I recognized Johnny Taylor immediately and Kevin and Derrick.

There were a couple guys speaking with a thick Irish brogue that drew my attention.

Besides the Irishmen were some of Leo’s brothers who weren’t at dinner.

It was an interesting mix of different characters that made me realize just how many lives Hillcrest had affected with his fucking bullshit.

“Lass,” one of the Irishman nodded.

I nodded back, unable to speak. I squeezed Marcos’s hand tighter.

“They’ve been torturing him all day.” Marcos spoke softly. “Honestly, we probably would have dragged this out longer, but I know you want it done.”

I swallowed and nodded. “Yeah…sorry.” I glance around at the room.

“Don’t ever apologize for wanting Dax Hillcrest dead,” Nico spoke up, his voice loud and clear through the cellar.

He maneuvered past Marcos to stop directly in front of me.

He cupped the side of my face, and I steeled my spine as every set of eyes in the room turned to us.

“You’ve endured what no one should ever have to.

You lived through a torture worse than anything.

Worse than what these men have been inflicting all day.

Don’t you dare apologize for wanting that scum dead. ”

Again, I swallowed thickly as emotion clogged my throat and nodded. “Yes, sir.” I breathed the honorific, my eyes solely on Nico’s. His pupils dilated and a smirk tugged at his lips. God, I loved when my men got dominant, even if it was just to remind me that I was worth it.

“Ready?” Nico asked, his voice a soft growl.

I licked my lips. “Yes, sir,” I said again.

A soft chuckle went around the room. I ignored them all, keeping my eyes on Nico.

“Way to steal the show, dick,” Marcos muttered.

Nico smirked and kissed me. I closed my eyes and followed his lead, kissing him deeply until someone cleared their throat.

Nico slowly pulled away, and I looked up at him feeling dazed as I always did when I kissed one of my men.

“We’ll be right there with you. No one is going to care if you can’t do it, Little Dreamer. One of us will step in if you need us.”

“I always need you,” I murmured, softly. “All of you.”

“You have us, Mi Vida.” Marcos pressed a kiss to my temple.

“Always, Darlin’.” Jason kissed the crown of my head, as he stepped into me from behind.

I let out a deep breath and squared my shoulders. “Alright.” I nodded.

Nico turned away from me and nodded at Leo.

Leo looked at one of his brothers who were standing in front of the heavy metal door, and the man opened it slowly.

I walked through the doorway, my head held high as I took in the gruesome scene before me. Blood covered the floor and walls and the stainless-steel tables littered with different horrific tools, and there was an acrid burning scent in the air.

I took another breath as my eyes finally landed on Dax Hillcrest…or what was left of him. “Shit,” I muttered.

Marcos chuckled softly. “Yes, the guys have been busy.”

“You guys didn’t take a turn?”

“We got a couple minutes in before dinner,” Jason said.

Hillcrest was strapped unconscious to a medical exam chair in the center of the room. His head lolled to the side and his face was barely recognizable—someone had beat the shit out of him. The rest of his body was worse, though.

He was naked and someone had chopped off his cock and balls.

“His dick?” I gasped, feeling light-headed.

“That was me,” Nico grinned darkly.

I gulp as my eyes widen in shock. “Nicolai!” I can’t help the astonished laugh that escapes me.

“He won’t touch what’s mine, anymore.” Nico simply shrugged.

“Which was why I took his hands,” Marcos added.

It was then that I noticed both hands were missing. His wrists had been cauterized. That explained the burning smell.

“I cut out his tongue for all the threats he told you over the years,” Jason said, his voice low and in my ear as he stepped in behind me once again.

His voice sent a shiver down my spine and made my core clench. Fuck, their love for me was such a turn on. Their utter devotion made me so happy I could cry. “You guys are so romantic.” I can’t help the laugh that bubbled out of me. I might have been in shock.

Jason’s arms wrapped around me from behind and pulled me back into his chest, the heat of his body soaking into mine, making me realize how cold it was in the basement and I was only in a thin dress.

Marcos turned to me and pulled a pistol out of the back of his jeans. “I trust you know how to use this?” he asked as he held the Glock 9mm out to me, barrel down.

I nodded, because of course I did. I had guns of my own now. I wrapped my hand around the grip and brought it up to examine it. The safety was on, of course, and I quickly released the magazine to confirm it was loaded before I slid it back home.

“Do you want us to wake him up?” Marcos asked.

I swallowed thickly and nodded. “Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “Yes.”

Nico walked over to the stainless-steel table and grabbed a couple smelling salts and held them under Hillcrest’s nose.

While I waited for him to regain consciousness, I took the moment to really look him over.

Large swatches of skin were missing, like someone had taken a potato peeler to his body.

There were cuts and stab wounds everywhere.

Jason had mentioned earlier that they would have removed his finger and toe nails or drove needles under them, but as both hands were missing and all his toes were cut off, I couldn’t see.

It didn’t matter.

In the end, none of it mattered anymore. I wasn’t even sure why I was bothering to have Nico rouse the bastard either. Jason said he cut out his tongue. He wouldn’t be able to threaten me anymore.

Nico slapped Hillcrest’s face roughly. “Wakey-wakey douche bag!”

Hillcrest woke with a whimper, struggling to open his swollen eyes. He turned his head and as his gaze landed on mine, I knew he was too far gone to understand a word I might say. Still, I tried. “We found your shell company. The Senator can’t save you now.”

His eyes narrowed on me, as if he was understanding what I said.

“You can’t threaten me anymore. In the end, I won. You can’t hurt me anymore.” I raised my weapon and lined up the shot as a smirk pulled at his lips. Before he could make another move, I pulled the trigger, the recoil jarring my arm and the loud bang echoing through the quiet basement.

His body jolted with the impact of the bullet and blood oozed slowly from the wound.

With one clean shot through the head, Dax Hillcrest was dead.