Taken By The Brothers_Gemini Read online

  Normally I would’ve stood in the hall for a bit to process the fact that I was going to be spied on, but I was tired and it was late so out the door I went.

  I unlocked the door to my apartment and was shockingly greeted by the meddlesome glare of my mother.

  “Mom?! How did you get in here? What are you doing in here?” My bags fell to the floor as I tried to contain my utter disdain to have my privacy so casually disregarded.

  “Well Ada, Fate gave me a call and let me know he was coming in to finish laying down the flooring. He asked me to stop by, so here I am.” Her unceremonious explanation of the details left me fuming.

  There were far too many things to unpack here.

  “Fate called you?”

  “Yeah he did! Oh that boy is so lovely. A real quiet hunk if you know what I mean! Personally, I think he’s too good for you. If I was born a decade or two later, he’d be the kind of sexy man I’d wanna get my hands on.” She filed her nails with her legs crossed on the couch in my living room.

  Bleh. Gross.

  “Yeah well, I don’t care what you think about my potential love life. You didn’t think to call me Mom? Like, seriously?”

  “You were working! Why would I do that? If I make you lose your job, you’ll have to come back to live with me. And lord knows I don’t want that.”

  I rolled my eyes as far back in their sockets as I could manage without permanently damaging them. It was hopeless to believe my horrible relationship with my mother would ever get it better.

  “What did you guys talk about? Actually, never mind…I’m not really sure I want to know.” I grabbed a bottle of juice from the fridge and my mother walked coyly behind me.

  “He was actually asking me a lot about you. Hmm, the boy was so curious to hear about your upbringing. Of course, I had no problem telling him. You do have an amazing mother after all.”

  “Oh lord…you didn’t say anything compromising, did you?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  I slammed the palm of my hand so hard against my forehead.

  If I knew my mother at all, she probably even showed him the embarrassing naked baby photos that I should’ve burned when I got the chance.

  “Okay mom. I’m just gonna pretend that Fate never came here. I think that’s better for the both of us. Anyway, since you two seem so chummy, did you get a chance to ask him about that cabinet behind the refrigerator? The one that I told you wouldn’t open?”

  She walked over to the cabinet, placing her glasses over the bridge of her nose.

  “Ehh, Oh, I forgot.”

  “Mom! Are you serious?!”

  “Ada he’ll be back tomorrow, just relax. It’s just a cabinet. And it’s behind the fridge anyway. Why are you in such a hurry to get it looked at? There’s tons of space in this kitchen.” As if opening and closing the various cabinets in the kitchen would do anything, she walked back and forth demonstrating that the doors on them worked.

  “It’s not that…I just want to make sure there are no tools or anything of value to the Hatton brothers.”

  But seriously. That cabinet was freaking me out.

  The entire kitchen was this beautiful work of modern interior decorating art, and then there was that ominous little cabinet looking like it belonged in some kind of cathedral. It was definitely unsettling to say the least and I was not at all surprised that my mom didn’t even notice.

  “Ada, run it by them tomorrow okay? I’m leaving now.”

  “Alright mom, be careful going back home.” I gave her a hug and saw her out of the apartment.

  I loved my mother despite our relationships hardships.

  She was picky, obtrusive, difficult, nosy, brash and literally everything else.

  But I still tried to find love in her.

  I glanced down at my phone and mulled of the idea of calling one of the Hatton brothers, but quickly dispelled the thought. Getting some rest would be a much better idea.

  When I jumped onto my bed my lids shut with a quickness.

  But the sudden vibration of my phone coupled with its blaring ringtone startled me out of my bed.

  “Is it possible to get some peace and quiet at all?!”

  The brightness of the phone screen stung my eyes and when they readjusted, I read the name to myself aloud in curiosity.

  “Fate Hatton? Why is he calling me so late?” Hesitantly, I brought my phone to my face to answer. I didn’t know why, but my palms were sweating uncontrollably.

  “May I speak with Ada Fiero?” The register of his low voice almost rumbled the phone against my face. I hoped my gulping wasn’t audible on the other side of the line.

  “This is her. Everything going well Fate?”

  “I’m calling to let you know that I’m stopping by tomorrow to put some finishing touches on the apartment. I’ll be there around 10:30 am. Please make sure you’re around. Have a good night.” He hung up his end of the line saying nothing else.

  Too tired to read further into the situation, I shoved my phone under my pillow and went to bed.

  The next morning, I awoke bright and early, anticipating Fate’s knock on the door. I wrapped my curly hair lazily into a bun on top of my head and threw on the most modest set of pajamas I owned.

  Thankfully it was Saturday, and I wouldn’t have to check into the university for my daily dosage of collegiate annoyance.

  I walked to the kitchen, grabbing a skillet out of the cabinet.

  “Hmm, bacon or sausage today? Bacon it is.” I grabbed a pack of bacon out of the fridge and set the thin slices of meat on to the skillet.

  After watching the pan for a few minutes, my hand slid down the handle of the skillet I was cooking bacon on, as my nerves started to take control when the clock hit 10:30.

  Right on cue, there was a patient knock on the front door.

  The microwave above the stovetop provided a good makeshift mirror while I adjusted my hair one last time. I resigned to the fact that I probably looked like a heaping pile of shit.

  I opened the front door and was promptly blown back by his effortless sexiness. The man was come to my apartment to door contracting work, but you would think he was ready for some high-profile modeling appearance at some fancy studio in Hollywood.

  He was that attractive.

  The white t-shirt he was wearing did nothing to hide the firm muscles that were underneath the thin fabric. And the acid washed blue jeans he donned hugged his toned legs just right. I was thankful for the itty-bitty rips along the front of them; they gave me an unobstructed view of the smooth olive colored skin beneath.

  It was evident that he noticed my staring, and I zipped my gaze up to his eyes to deflect my embarrassment.

  “Hey there Fate, come on in.” Congratulating myself mentally for not completely losing my shit, I guided him into the apartment and closed the door behind him.

  “I’m just going to finish up some last-minute things in the bathroom, and our renovations on your apartment will be done. Bear with me for a few hours today.”

  He was cold, but it was sexy.

  For some reason, I didn’t quite want him to dote over me. No, I didn’t even want him to look at me! I wanted to be able to admire his stature from afar, and undetected.

  I watched him as he made his way to the bathroom, the waistband holding his tools moving with his walking rhythm. Suddenly I thought of any little excuse I could use to make him stay in the apartment longer. Fate was the Hatton twin that seemed to seclude his feelings. I wanted to make it a habit of getting to the bottom of them.

  Following his steps to the bathroom, I stood outside as he finished laying the marble in the shower.

  “Valor didn’t join you today?”

  He answered without turning to face me, “We have a long list of clients and Valor is out of town. I’m handling the workload this weekend.” I could still hear his deep voice under the clinking sound of the marble hitting the adhesive.

  “I see…You said the bathroom is
the last place that work needs to be done? Actually, I’ve been having some trouble with the lock on the window in my bedroom. Do you think you take a look at that when you’re finished in here?” My teeth clenched down on my upper lip as I tried to suppress a comical smile. There was nothing wrong with the window in my bathroom, but I needed to use any reason to get him to stay.

  “Your window? I’ll take a look.”

  Ever a man of few words. Boy, this was gonna be interesting.

  “Is something…burning?” Fate turned around pointing in the direction of the kitchen.

  “The bacon!!” I ran outside of the bathroom and to the kitchen where I was greeted by three pieces of some charred unidentifiable substance on the frying pan. Throwing the tainted food in the trash, I quickly walked back to the bathroom.

  Clearly, I was distracted. And I was much more interested in talking to fate than eating breakfast at this point.

  “So Fate, I hope you don’t find this too much of an intrusive question but how did you and Valor get your start in contracting? I only ask because I think you two have done a phenomenal job with this apartment.” Small talk. I wondered what the likelihood was that it would work.

  He took a slight pause before he answered, finishing a final touch on the piece of marble in his hand.

  “Apex Contracting has been in our family for generations. It’s not exactly something we wanted to do. We were obviously next in line to continue it.”

  “If you had to choose, what would you have done?” Come on Ada… think of something a little bit more ‘adult’ to ask…

  “That’s a fucking dumb question.”

  “Huh? Why do you think that?”

  He dusted his hands off and turned to face me. “I can’t choose anything else so why would I waste any time thinking about it? Fantasies are for people that don’t like action.”

  His harsh words should’ve stung me a little bit harder than they did. But I could see his point. I decided to play along.

  “You say contracting wasn’t something you and Valor ever wanted to do. Well, have you taken any action to get towards something you actually desire?”

  That was the first time I’d seen him smile.

  It wasn’t wholesome, not filled with warm content on the subject of my words. Rather, it seemed like he enjoyed being challenged. I guess I should’ve expected that from a man as cold and short with words as Fate Hatton. Even still, the sudden change in his expression as the fine bits of hair across his face curled upward with his grin took me aback.

  “Listen closely Ada, because I’ll only say this once.” He took a slight pause to wash the white coat of adhesive off of his hands. “The Hatton brothers aren’t the kind that you should be asking mundane questions.” He walked closer to me and pinned me against the cold tile of the bathroom walls.

  My heart began to race, fight or flight kicking in.

  The expression on his face was one of pure entertainment. Like a lion that had cornered its meager prey, he relished in the smell of fear as it escaped the surface of my skin.

  “All you need to know is that we’re almost done renovating your apartment. Got it?”

  “Y-Yeah. I got it.” I nearly yanked the words out of my mouth, trying to conceal my panic.

  And then he kissed me. Forcefully. It was a display of his power over me in that moment. The force from the impact of our lips crashing against each other would’ve sent me colliding to the ground if my back was pinned to the wall.

  When he released his hold, I stood in the bathroom dumbfounded.

  He casually went to check the window in my bedroom and called out from the other room.

  “Nothing wrong with the window in here!”

  I stood paralyzed in the bathroom, ignoring his statement. The sound of his boots hitting the wooden floor throughout the apartment matched my heartbeat. I was truly afraid.

  and chuckled condescendingly when he’d gotten a look at me. He shook his head and sighed.

  “My work here is done for the day. You need anything, you have my number.”

  He left the apartment without sparing another word.

  What the hell just happened?

  Suddenly, a strange feeling came over me that the Hatton brothers were not exactly who they said they were. Fate just threatened me, then kissed me. What was that all about?

  As if some bizarre instinct kicked in, I ran to the ominous cabinet in the kitchen behind the refrigerator. What I could potentially find inside rattled me to my core. I had it in my mind that perhaps the Hatton brothers were some kind of serial killers, and their victims were stashed away in this very cabinet space. Was it an extreme idea? Sure. But based on the interaction that I’d just experienced with Fate, I wasn’t putting anything behind them.

  Grabbing a spatula from a draw inside the kitchen, I placed it between the handle on the cabinet door. I planted my feet horizontally against the small door and pulled as hard as I could to try and pry the door open.

  Something managed to give way…the fucking door handle.

  “Great! How am I gonna get in here now?!”

  My brain was telling me to stop. There was no telling what I would discover and breaking into this cabinet could ruin my life forever. But I was drawn to danger somehow. So I wouldn’t stop.

  A hammer would be handy about now and there was a pile of tools lying in the corner of the living room. The Hatton brothers had left them and considering the circumstance, I didn’t really care if I shouldn’t use them.

  I jogged over to the neat pile and yanked a hammer from underneath some plywood. When I got back to the kitchen I swung the hammer as hard as I could into the Cherrywood cabinet. With each hit, a small dent became a large hole and I used the claw portion of the hammer to chip away at any remaining residue.

  Behind the badly damaged door was a box with a numerical keypad attached to a steel plate.

  “What in the hell is this?” The keypad was filled with dust and looked like it hadn’t been touched in ages.

  Suddenly I found myself in a major quandary.

  Something within me was yet again, telling me to back away from this. It was menacing and obviously I had no business messing around with whatever was behind the door. But I was curious. Especially considering how Fate had behaved earlier.

  With that, I grabbed my phone and shined the flashlight on the keypad. Four of the numbers were a bit more worn than the rest.

  “Okay…so all I need to do is come up with a combination here.” I felt a gapping pressure in the pit of my stomach. This was wrong and potentially very dangerous.

  I was in too deep already.

  Hours flew by as I sat on the cold kitchen floor trying to come up with a combination to the keypad. Papers surrounded me with scribbled notes of potential combinations. And I still hadn’t successfully cracked the code.

  “Maybe I should just stop…”

  Looking at the destroyed cabinet door made me laugh. It was now blatantly obvious that I pried my way inside. What exactly did I have to lose at this point?

  There was one more combination that I hadn’t tried. “6728…the last four digits of Fate’s phone number.” It was a wild guess as none of the four numbers seemed to be correct in tandem with each other.

  Slowly, I pressed each number on the keypad.

  Three beeps in succession. I was in.

  Some mechanical contraption lifted the steel plate and exposed what looked like a crawl space. Crouching on my hands and knees, I clenched my eyes tight and crawled inside.

  It was dark. Like pitch black.

  I kept my arm extended out in front of me as best as I could and felt a small ladder pressed against a wall in the crawl space. Light protruded at the top of the ladder, and I proceeded to climb it. The further I went down the rabbit hole, the less afraid I became.

  There was nothing at all that would’ve prepared me for what I saw when got to the top of the crawl space.

  Gold, Ruby, and Sapphire gems, all reflecting
against the walls in the small well-lit room.

  “Oh my god.”

  Things definitely just got real.

  There was porcelain china, small ornate statues, and piles upon piles of jewelry. Paintings in gold frames were leaning against the wall. The large boxes that were stacked against each other in the room surely contained more expensive items.

  “Does all of this belong to the Hatton brothers? Something doesn’t feel right about this at all.”

  Finally, I took that sense as my cue and fumbled back down the small path and out to my kitchen. I pulled the small handle on the steel door and vowed to never go back inside the room.

  Little did I know, it was already too late.

  Chapter 2

  Fate

  Like a lamb to the slaughter.

  I watched the footage from the surveillance camera hidden on the steel door inside Ada’s apartment and couldn’t help but laugh.

  The nosy woman figured out how to get past the keypad and I wasn’t the least bit surprised.

  Annoyed?

  Fuck yes.

  Surprised? Not at all.

  I dialed Valor to update him on our current nuisance.

  “Fate, there something wrong? I’m in the middle of a deal here. You’re going to have to make this quick.”

  “Fiero got into the haul room. We were too slow getting that shit out of there.”

  “She what?!! You need to get back there Fate. She’s complicit now. We can’t have her going to the feds or stealing our product.”

  I didn’t prefer to be the cleanup boy, but we had no other option at the moment.

  “Alright. I’ll make sure she’s in. Get your ass back over here as soon as you can.”