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.

us, all the time. But he didn’t like the idea of leaving her behind, either. I was sure she was going to be an

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

toward the vehicles. We were taking a combination of SUVs and bikes, just in case we needed options. It would also 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. Chen had come to the building, with instructions on how to get to the parking garage underneath the building without anyone seeing him. He was

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 face

knew how to handle themselves and we could trust them. We knew that the two smaller warehouses should be easy to get to, but the warehouse at the docks was covered with armed guards. Even with all the extra people, we were going to

and found a suitable nest where I could even the playing field as much as possible. They wouldn’t see

to the two smaller warehouses to get eyes on them. We

first warehouse. This was the smallest of the warehouses. They were running the operation 24/7, but there weren’t that many people in the warehouse. Only enough to make the brawn along with a handful of guards and that was it. Our plan 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 get everything in place.

Sephie had 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

the other two guys jogged 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

jogging back to us. We all chuckled when Sephie exhaled loudly as soon as she saw Andrei come into view. Ivan put his arm around her