Morozov

Chapter 26

I was so relieved to be back home. My shower was my shower and not one a hundred people used before me. My bedsheets were clean and I had a variety of clothes again - especially warm clothes now that it was getting colder already.

We were all - and with 'all' I mean the whole inner circle, Lucía and my brothers - gathered in Ace and Mallory's dining room, waiting for the hosts of that day's meeting to come.

The room was packed and the air was starting to get thick after about twenty minutes of waiting.

"Are we gonna talk about what happened before Ace comes?" A girl Mal told me was called Nikita asked.
She had one side of her dark hair braided back and the other was hanging loosely down one of her broad shoulders.

"No," Jack growled when I opened my mouth. "She's not going to explain two times."

"Since when are you talking on my behalf?" I snapped, shifting my gaze to where he sat - which was at the other end of the table again.

"Since you can't do shit about it because my deal with Ace expired," he challenged, his dark eyes glistening with anticipation and something else. We were definitely back to where we started before our little trip.

Lucía frowned next to him. "You guys are so annoying," she whined, pulling her legs to her chest and burying her face in her hands. "How am I supposed to endure that for the next few months?"

"I'll cancel the purchase contract of your house and make it years if you complain again," her big brother warned and that was apparently all it needed for her to shut up.

The door opened, revealing Mallory followed by Ace like a big scary dog, always on alert to protect his treasure.
His eyes scanned the room, narrowing on everyone sat at the table for a second.

A dog protecting his treasure.

He pulled the chair for her so she could sit before taking his seat at the end of the table himself. He reminded me so much of his father it was terrifying.

"Sorry for the delay," Mallory spoke with an apologetic smile. "Eleanor had trouble falling asleep."

"How is she anyways?" Nikita asked. "I haven't seen her in a while."

Mallory smiled, appreciating the question before she answered. "She's doing great. She just learned how to spell my name."

Nikita smiled and got ready to answer when she was forestalled by Brendan.
"I'm really happy for you guys but can we start now? There's seriously more important stuff going on right now."

Ace's hand slammed onto the table, making me flinch. Jack's gaze snapped to mine but I quickly looked away.
"I'm already on my last straw with you Brendan," he warned through gritted teeth, pointing his finger at him with a glare I'd never want targeted at myself. "Don't push it."

Brendan kept his comments to himself after that. I think the only reason Brendan was still in the inner circle was because they lost so many members in the past years.

I knew someone called Tris died in the battle when Nadia and Stanislav were killed and there was another girl Ace kicked out because she assaulted Mallory — I don't know, I just know it was dramatic.

We don't even have to get started on why Ace wasn't friends with Archie anymore and other than that there were really just Cullen, Nikita, Mal and Brendan left.
And Jack of course but that was a really complex relationship.

Lucía was too young to participate - which I found rather overreacting from Jack and Ace because I was sixteen when I started and she's twenty now - but it was none of my business.