Page 20 of Power of Shadow

Eli bends down and pulls him up by his shirt until George is standing straight. But whining continues.

None of us are impressed one bit.

“What the fuck?” he asks, confused.

The door slams shut behind us, and a bloodcurdling female scream rings out.

Out of reflex, I turn, and pull my gun out of the holster. From the corner of my eye, I see Eli doing the same thing, his barrel aimed at George. Mine is pointed at the woman. Meanwhile, Theo stands relaxed, smiling, with his hands in his pockets.

Psycho.

“Shut up!” My words reach the blonde, and when she sees the gun, scream dies in her throat. Panicked gaze jumps from me to the guys, then to her husband, then back to me.

“Honey, I’m fine,” George says to calm his woman down.

A wave of laughter rolls through Eli. A groan from behind me lets me know George took extra blow to the stomach.

“You’re fine.” Eli’s playful words come before another groan from George. “Well, maybe your pretty nose is a little broken, but you’ll look more like a man now. Right, buddy?”

The woman moves, no doubt wanting to help her husband. She takes a step when the click of my gun being unlocked stops her again.

“Don’t,” I growl in warning. “Lead the way to the living room, where we’ll all be more comfortable.”

I know the layout of the penthouse by heart, but I’m just a guest, after all. For now.

We enter the living room, which is glass-walled on two sides and has marble floors. Replicas of Van Gogh and Caravaggio paintings hang on the walls. A leather sofa stands in a half-circle in the middle, with a matching marble table in front of it. There’s also a white oak chest of drawers and a few vintage details.

Totally not my style, but then again, I’m no expert. My friend has obviously pumped a lot of money into this place. Not his own money, by the way.

“Sit down.”

I watch, with something akin to affection, as George immediately obeys my command and stains his pristine white seat with blood.

“What’s all the fuss about?” From the stairs leading to the top floor, another woman’s voice calls out. Soon, someone is running down the wooden stairs, and another blond head appears.

A girl in her early twenties stops on the last step. She’s wearing short denim shorts and an oversized T-shirt with one shoulder exposed. Her blue eyes stare at us with disbelief.

“Well, hello, beautiful.” Eli turns on his charm.

Honestly, this guy is a man whore.

Theo walks around the table and sits down right next to George’s wife. He casually rests his hand on the back of the seat and puts one leg on the table.

“Who are you?” the girl asks, taking a step closer to her parents.

“Don’t be shy, baby doll. I don’t bite. Unless...”

A sigh escapes me because my brothers are definitely having too much fun given the business we’re here to conduct.

“I’m Mia, not a baby doll.” She snorts sidestepping him and sitting down on the edge of the couch.

“The whole fam’s here. Wonderful. Now, let’s get started.”

I holster my gun, but Eli keeps his in plain sight. From my jacket, I pull out the folded papers and toss them on the table. “Sign this,” I demand of George.

“What is it?” The confused look on his face says everything. His gaze roams between our faces, though none of us has the slightest intention of answering. Apparently, he can read, so I see no reason to.

Finally, wiping his right hand on his pants, he reaches for the document. The other hand still clutches his sore nose.