“Her name was Luna,” Akio says. “The four of us were all we had in the world, so we were close.” He shakes his head, a fond smile touching his lips as if lost in memory. “Luna was always taking care of the three of us, getting us out of binds, patching up our wounds from fights, lying for us to our foster father so we could avoid his beatings when he drank too much.”
I can’t help but smile. “She sounds like a good sister.”
“She was,” Akio agrees somberly. “Anyway, one day she went out on a date and never came back home. We knew she wouldn’t just leave, not without taking us with her or letting us know.”
“What happened to her?”
“We don’t know exactly.” Akio shakes his head. “We’ve spent every day for the last fifteen years trying to find answers, and during our digging we ran across all the shit that’s been happening in Axton Harbor. The drugs, the corruption, the trafficking; we think it connects to what mayhave happened to Luna, but we don’t have any solid evidence for us to be able to track where she went.”
“Luna.” My eyes widen. “Lunar Security. You named your business after her.”
“We did,” Matteo answers. “And while Lunar Security gives us the funds and access to technology we need, it’s when we’re acting as Cerberus that we can honor Luna and victims like her by taking down the corrupt people in our city. Since we weren’t able to find her, it’s the least that we can do.”
The least that they could do? They’ve basically devoted their entire lives to avenging their sister and ensuring the safety of Axton Harbor. That’s a hell of a lot, if you ask me.
Not for the first time, admiration for Cerberus swells inside me.
“So that’s how Cerberus came to fruition,” Matteo says quickly, effectively closing the door on that conversation. “Now,” he aims his intense stare at me, and I know it’s time. “It’s your turn. Why were you looking for Cerberus?”
This moment feels a little surreal. For the past months, hell,years, Quinn and I were scouring Axton Harbor in search of these three so that I could ask for their help. And not only did they find me, but now they’re willing to help me. I take a shaky breath, concern a knot in my stomach as I wonder if they’ll believe me or if they’ll brush my story aside like my father, or run into dead ends like the detectives. But this is Cerberus. This is what they do.
“Three years ago I went to this big charity ball that Helix Enterprises throws every year. All of my dad’s contacts were there, so I was expected to make an appearance. Halfway through the night I started feeling… I don't know… dizzy. But not drunk. So I decided to go home. I remember getting to the back hall and someone having a hand on my arm… but then nothing. There are images in my mind, like I know we somehow ended up back at my apartment, and I know I was… I was attacked.” I swallow hard, meeting each of their merciless gazes. “That’s why I don’t like being pinned. It gives me flashbacks to that night. I may not remember much, but I remember being pinned beneath someone, not able to move or talk. And every time I feel like I’m close to recalling something important, a face or a voice, it all slips away again.”
I take a steadying breath. Talking about that night is never easy. It’s haunted me every day since, and I’m tired, so fucking tired of looking over my shoulder for the culprit and wondering who took that peace away from me. And that’s why I need Cerberus.
The guys are silent, each stewing in their own form of anger. Akio stares back at me across the flames, holding my gaze and telling me with that stare just how sorry he is that I had to go through what I did. Declan is looking off in the other direction, but I notice his white-knuckle grip on the arms of his chair. And Matteo… Shadows dance across the sharp lines of his features, across the white scar on his brow. He’s leaning forward with a haunted look in his eyes, staring into the flames like he may jump straight into them.
“I want your help,” I finally tell them, my voice growing steadier with each word. “Help me track down who attacked me that night. And then help me kill them for what they took from me.”
Chapter 15
Fallon
Screaming sirens make up the violent wake up call that I definitely did not order. Sitting up in the bed with palms against my ears, I glare at the system rigged into the right corner of the room. Flashing lights join in the party.Motherfucker.It’s still pitch black outside.
Hearing the yelling in the hall has me standing and padding to the door on silent feet. Leaning against the doorjamb so that no shadow shows beneath, I strain my ears.
“Shut it off!”
“I’m fucking trying. I can’t figure out what tripped the alarm. None of the perimeters have been breached.”
A door slams nearby. The low growl tells me Declan has joined the festivities. “What the hell?”
The voices move farther down the hall. Damn it. Back against the wall, I slide down to sit with my knees pulled to my chest. I have no idea whose shirt this is, but it's old, worn, and perfect to sleep in. My black boy short panties are much more comfortable than the bullshit pants they got me to sleep in those first few days they held me captive.Who the fuck sleeps in pants?
The screaming alarm stops suddenly, and apparently my anxiety finds this just as shocking to the system. Another door slams and footsteps head back toward me.
“How the fuck did she get through?” I perk up at this, loving the irritation in Matteo’s voice. I hold back a chuckle hoping to hear more.
“I have no idea, but I’m going to find out. Fallon wasn’t kidding about this chick.”
“What does this mean for us?”
“The fuck do you think? It’s only a matter of time before she connects Cerberus to Lunar.”
The alarms wail again, drowning out his reply, only this time it is the chorus ofGreat Escapeby Boys Like Girls that is blasting through the speaker. I burst a laugh.Fucking Quinn. I knew she would find me.The scream of rage that echoes down the hall gets me all kinds of giddy. I rise, dancing and swinging my hair around; I throw in a few victory twerks for good measure.
Scratching on the other side of the door brings another grin to my face. I hear the lock click on the door, so I swing it open and come face-to-face with my favorite and least favorite males in the house, in that order.
