Page 76 of Retribution

Lorcan’s hands splay across my hip bones, and he tugs me tighter as he bends me onto the table. His lips graze my stomach, and I weave my fingers through his hair. He’s at the waistband of my pants, and I am slick with need when a fist thumps repeatedly on the door, and then Finn lays on the buzzer without letting up.

I close my eyes and let my shoulders collapse onto the table. Lorcan is above me, hands braced on either side of my head.

“I’ll handle this. Don’t move.” He brushes his lips against mine before he disappears.

The heavy door swishes back.

“I got news,” Finn says.

“It can wait. I’m busy,” Lorcan’s voice is tight.

“You’re not going to let me in?”

There’s a brief pause where I picture them sizing each other up. With a sigh, I sit and run my hands through my hair. I have no idea where my elastic went.

“Kimmy, put on some clothes, will ya? We got things to discuss.”

Jumping off the table, I snatch my shirt off the floor and get it on. His condescending tone sets my teeth on edge.

“It’s fine.” I mean about Finn coming in, not about being interrupted. The sooner we let him in, the sooner he can say his piece and leave. Once he’s gone, I’ll convince Lorcan we should pick up where we left off.

He comes back to me, grabbing my coat off the ground and putting it in my hands. His lips skim my forehead before he faces his brother.

“What’s got you in a tizzy?” Lorcan raises his eyebrows, tugging me close to his side.

Finn’s surveys the room for a moment, and he smirks. “Sorry to interrupt.” His gaze lands on Lorcan. “Me and the boys did a roundup. They’re in the basement.” He nods toward the door. “Come down. Help me decide what to do with them.”

Lorcan’s hand sneaks up my back to the base of my neck. His lips stray to my temple, and he sighs. “Doesn’t have to be right now, does it?”

“Kimmy can come too if that’s the problem.”

I run my palm across the small of Lorcan’s back, wishing Finn wasn’t such a persistent asshole. “It’s fine.” Glancing up at Lorcan, I give a half smile. “I’ll come, see what we’ve turned up.”

With a groan, he crosses to his desk and grabs his own shirt from the floor, bringing it down in a series of sharp movements.

“This is usually your favorite part,deartháir beag.” He winks at Lorcan, and then his attention rakes over me. “You don’t strike me as the squeamish type. I hope you’ve got the stomach for what comes next.”

I raise one eyebrow and thread my arms into my coat. Shoving my hands into the pockets, I eye him for another moment. “My stomach is ironclad. Have no fear.”

“Excellent. Maybe you’ll get to play too.” He rotates on his heel and leads the way out of Lorcan’s wing without a backward glance.

I’ve been to the basement before but only on a brief recon visit when Lorcan and Finn were off running errands without me. Most of the rooms are innocuous storage areas, filled with things that had no meaning to me or any investigation. But there’d been a series of rooms that were secured with a small locked window on the outside of them too. Those must be the rooms we’re headed to now.

Our feet thud down the stairs in an uneven chorus. In my chest, my heart booms with a touch of anxiety. So far, other than some shady business deals, I haven’t witnessed a lot of violence from either man.

Finn comes to one of the locked doors and gives three brisk knocks. I take note of the depth and pitch of each rap, wondering whether I could repeat it if needed. The door swings back, and Antonio is on the other side, his knuckles bloody. Behind him are two of Zhang’s men chained to metal chairs. Their chins rest on their chests, blood oozing out of various cuts.

“Jesus, Antonio. I said I’d be right back. I wanted them conscious,” Finn says.

He shakes out one of his hands, and his shoulders rise. “They’re not dead. As soon as you left, they started running their mouths in some language I didn’t understand. I couldn’t take the yammering.”

Inside I wince at his unwavering simplicity.

“Well, guy. They’re no good to me like this,” Finn says.

“Hard to find out if Zhang was the one who sent men after me and Antonio when they’re unconscious,” I say.

Finn chuckles, but when he looks at me, his eyes narrow. “I didn’t realize there was another theory floating around. Do tell.” His gaze bores into Antonio. “You can leave.”