King of the Underworld by RJ Kane

Chapter Two Hundred Seventy-Two

Stephen

We were in the penthouse going over the plan one last time before we left the building. Our nerves were on edge, but Sephie’s more so than the rest of us. We were trying to reassure her as much as we could, but I knew that adrenaline was going to prove useful once the chaos started. She could sho ot better than a majority of the guards we had on staff. She was he ll in the ring. She also had six attack dogs ready to rip anyone apart that dared to look at her the wrong way.

I found myself thinking about just how much she’d come to mean to me lately. I’d never been close to anyone my entire life. I didn’t have many friends growing up. I was always the quiet kid. That carried over into my adult life. When I figured out I was g ay, I retreated even further into my shell. It took me years to tell my parents. There were members of my family that still didn’t know. It was much more accepted now, but my family was very traditional. It was just easier to come up with reasons. why I wasn’t married with kids yet than it was to have the conversation with them about the truth.

I had resigned myself to keeping that secret from the other guys forever. They were all alpha males. I expected them to have a huge problem with it. I was worried they would see me as weak. My perspective changed when Sephie came along. She was always unapologetically herself and the other guys loved her more because of it. It took me a long time to warm up to her, simply because I was worried she would figure out my secret and tell the others. But the more I tried to put distance between me and Sephie, the more she found ways to show me that being myself was the best way to be. In her own special way, she coaxed me out of my own darkness that I’d put myself in..

As it turns out, she did figure out my secret before the other guys, but she didn’t tell anyone. She even swore Adrik to secrecy when she told him. She let me tell them in my own time. And they accepted me even more than they already did once I told them. Secrets kept in the dark can destroy you, but secrets brought to the light have no power over you anymore.

the time. But he didn’t like the idea of leaving her behind, either. I was sure

our individual roles. Sephie was to stick with Ivan or Adrik if something was to happen to Ivan. The rest of us would step in, when and if needed. Misha was certain that it was going to work out for the best. Our plan was solid. Oscar had provided valuable information on how to make the original

be more difficult to separate us if we had more vehicles. The dealers that were helping us were going to meet us at Sephie’s old apartment.

ready to have New Year’s celebrations early?” he asked as we got closer to him. He had a good sense of humor, and like Sephie, tended to make jokes when he was nervous. We were all in mission mode, however. His

we

scouted the warehouse at the docks and found a suitable nest where I could even the playing field as much as possible.

smaller warehouses to get eyes

was to get the explosives attached to the building in strategic spots and get out without being seen. Because this one was an easier job, only a few guys were needed to

hug Andrei. She was trying to be tough, but she couldn’t help herself. If anything, it was motivation for him to make it back. While the rest of us didn’t have a romantic relationship with her like Adrik, there was still a special relationship between her and the five of us. If ever there was unconditional love, Sephie was it. She was something. special in our lives

toward the warehouse. It was approaching midnight, so we had the cover of darkness to help conceal our movements. We could hear everything through the earpieces, but there wasn’t much to

exhaled loudly as soon as she saw Andrei come into view. Ivan put his arm around her shoulders, smiling down at her. It was nice to have someone worried for your safety.