Crewe

The plane touched down, and I was escorted into the back of the SUV at the airport. London was drowsy from sleeping on the plane, and she continued to lean on me for support. She’d never been affectionate or clingy before, so I let the closeness slide. When she was scared on the plane, I felt obligated to calm her down. After everything I put her through, it was the least I could do.

But Ariel wasn’t having it.

It was nighttime when we arrived in Italy, so there wasn’t much to see during the car ride. London hooked her arm through mine and rested her head against my shoulder while I continued to handle emails and text messages. Ariel sat against the other window, wearing a permanent sneer on her pretty face.

We arrived at my villa an hour later and passed through the gates. I had an acre of land with nothing but grass and oak trees, but the privacy was nice. It wasn’t as remote as my home in the Shetland Islands, but it was beautiful nonetheless. The two-story house was big enough for me and my crew, giving me the luxury of having most of the top floor to myself. I didn’t have to keep quiet when my ladies came to visit.

London finally woke up when we arrived. She stood in front of the house and examined it despite the darkness. There weren’t streetlights in Tuscany since it was rural countryside. Features were difficult to make out, and the crew had to break out their flashlights to find the entryway. “I can’t see much…but it looks nice.”

“Wait until the sun comes up.” We walked inside, and my crew carried the luggage exactly where it needed to go. Ariel stepped off to the side and made a phone call, probably returning all the calls she missed during the flight.

I hadn’t slept on the plane, so I was tired. I was ready to have a few glasses of scotch in front of the fireplace in my bedroom to wind down. Then I’d fuck London before I went to bed. Business could resume when the sun came up.

But I had to take care of something first.

London lingered in my proximity, not exploring the rest of the house without my permission. She was getting better with obedience, learning to follow my commands without my actually giving them. Like a new puppy, she was slowly being trained.

“Lovely.”

She faced me, her hair messy from sleeping in my lap during the flight. She was a low-maintenance woman who required little upkeep to remain beautiful. It was the only time I’d witnessed such a thing. Josephine spent more time perfecting her appearance than anyone I knew. Since she was royalty, I understood the necessity. But after looking at London every day, I realized appearances meant nothing. She was far more beautiful than most women I knew, without lifting a finger. Not too many women could say that.

And I certainly would never tell her that. “Wait for me upstairs. Third door on the left.”

“Why?”

My eyes narrowed.

She immediately understood this was one of those times when I wanted to be obeyed without question. She didn’t ask any more questions and took the stairs to the second landing. The rest of the men finished unloading the car then took their positions around the perimeter.

Ariel hung up her call.

No one was around, and we finally had the privacy I’d been waiting for. “Ariel, as much as I need you to stick around, I’m not gonna put up with that bullshit again. When I ask you to do something, you do it. Or you can find someone else to sign your checks. You understand me?”

She crossed her arms over her chest, wearing the same irritated look on her face. She had an astute business mind, and she understood all the tiny cogs in the machinery I’d built. There was no one better to have as a business partner. She had a brilliant brain and a fierce attitude. But I refused to be disrespected like that.

“We’ve always had a great business relationship. Suddenly, London comes around, and everything I value about our partnership goes out the window. I don’t know what your problem is, so you need to tell me.” I wondered if she was jealous seeing me with another woman. In all the years we’d been working together, I’d never suspected she saw me as anything more than a business partner and friend. There was never any attraction between us, any sort of chemistry. I’d never made a pass at her because I didn’t mix business with pleasure. She seemed to share my same ideology. But if that wasn’t it, I couldn’t figure it out.

“I’ve seen you with your women. You’re cold, heartless, and right to the point.”

I stared at her blankly, unsure why she was stating the obvious.

“But when this woman comes around, everything changes. You don’t hand her over to Bones like you planned, and she’s sleeping in your bed every night. It’s none of my business who you fuck and I really don’t care about your sex life, but this woman can’t turn into something more. And it seems like it’s going in that direction. We both know there’s a very small pool of women you can spend the rest of your life with. London isn’t on the list.”

Now everything made sense. “That’s what you’ve been worried about?” I had to hold back my laugh because it was ridiculous. “If that’s what the problem is, we don’t have a problem. London is something I keep around for entertainment. That’s it.”

“But you can’t keep her around forever.”

“I realize that.” I had no idea what I was going to do with her eventually. “And I don’t intend to. She’s just like all the others. Don’t worry about that.”

Ariel didn’t seem entirely convinced. “You’re different with her. I’ve seen it.”

“No, I’m not. I comforted her on the plane because she was scared. Doesn’t mean I love the woman.”

“But it doesn’t mean you’re indifferent either. Have you been with other women since she’s come along?”

I refused to answer that question. “You’re approaching a line you shouldn’t cross.”

“I’m not being nosy. I’m just proving my point.”

Ariel knew a lot about me. She probably figured out I hadn’t been chasing tail lately. “It doesn’t matter. London doesn’t mean anything to me. I’m not going to repeat myself.”

She searched my gaze as if she was searching for a lie. Ariel was invested in my personal life because my future marriage affected her. If I’d married Josephine like I originally planned, it would have been easy to expand my scotch business into foreign territories. Ariel would be much richer in that scenario than she was now. Not to mention, it opened a lot of other doors for her as well. If I ended up with a nobody, then she had very little room to advance professionally. We were both ambitious businesspeople, determined to grow our wealth as much as possible. “You give me your word, Crewe?”

She knew my word meant more than anything else in the world. “Yes, I give you my word.”

London had already showered by the time I arrived in the bedroom. She opened the Mediterranean doors to the balcony and stood at the railing. She looked into the darkness surrounding the house, only seeing the stars because everything else was invisible. She stood in one of my t-shirts with just her panties underneath.

“Wait until you see it in the morning.” I undressed and tossed my clothes on the hardwood floor. I’d been wearing the same thing for hours, and I was eager to shower and appreciate a bottle of scotch.

She came back inside and shut the doors behind her. “I can tell it’s beautiful without seeing anything. The air is nice…reminds me of home.”

I was sure she was homesick all the time, but I never felt bad for her. She didn’t have freedom, but she still had the opportunity to see the world on my dime. I scooped the ice cubes into the glass and poured some scotch.

London eyed my action judgmentally. “Crewe, you’ve been drinking all day.”

“I’m aware.”

“Just from friendly advice, step it down a notch.”

“Noted.” I downed half of the glass before I returned it to the counter. “I’m gonna get in the shower. When I get out, I expect to see you naked on the bed with your ass in the air. Got it?” I didn’t want to talk for the rest of the night. I just wanted to fuck her from behind and stare at that beautiful little asshole then go to sleep.

A fire always leapt in her eyes when I told her what to do, but she invariably controlled her mouth. “Yes, sir.”

I knew it was so hard for her to answer that way, and knowing she struggled made me hard. I loved conquering an unconquerable woman. It gave me the kind of power I craved, the kind of undeniable control I needed constantly. I turned to walk into the shower.

“Can I ask something?”

I turned around even though I shouldn’t have. I stared her down and silently gave her permission to speak her mind.

“Is everything okay with Ariel?”

Ariel was focused on business and business alone. That was why I liked her so much, trusted her instincts as well as my own. “We worked it out.”

She slowly nodded, obviously wanting more detail than that. “What’s her problem with me? Maybe there’s something I can do to annoy her less.”

There was nothing London could do to annoy her less. London would have to stop being beautiful, stop stealing my focus, and stop being the ornery spitfire that she was. All the women I encountered were poised and refined, always behaving with class that was borderline boring. London would have to change everything about herself. “No.”

I woke up the next morning with London on her side of the bed. We fucked every night before we slept, but we never cuddled. She always stuck to her side of the bed, and I stuck to mine.

Which was how I preferred it.

I showered then got dressed just when she woke up.

She sat up and stretched her arms over her head, the sheets falling and revealing her perfect rack. Her hair was a mess from the way she rolled around, and the sleep was heavy in her eyes. Her gaze immediately went to the window, which was covered by the curtain.

I read her thoughts and pulled on the string so she could see the view. The Tuscan hillside immediately became apparent, the green grass and the distant vineyards easy to see.

She stared with wide eyes, taking in her first sight of the beautiful country.

I opened the door and found my breakfast tray on the ground where I instructed my crew to leave it. Two coffees and two breakfast plates were prepared for me and my guest. I carried it to the table and sat down.

London’s eyes followed me. “Can I join you?”

I nodded and sipped my coffee.

She pulled on one of my shirts that was left on the ground then sat across from me. Her brown hair was wavy but still soft. Her green eyes were a lot more vibrant now that she had a full night of sleep. She cupped her mug with both hands before she smelled the steam.

I watched every move. “What are you doing?”

“What?”

“Are you smelling the coffee?”

She took a drink before she set it down. “So? I like the smell of coffee.”

She looked so cute when she did it, but I refused to tell her that.

“People smell wine before they drink it.”

True. I wasn’t a big wine drinker, so I’d never personally done it.

“What’s on the agenda today?”

I cut into my egg whites and greens. “I’m meeting with my suppliers this afternoon. Need a few things.”

“Am I joining you?”

I never mixed business with pleasure. “No.”

“So what am I going to do? Stay here all afternoon?”

“Yep.”

Her face contorted into one of annoyance. “I’m in a beautiful place. I’d like to see more of it.”

“Meeting my suppliers isn’t going to facilitate that.”

“It’s better than being stuck in here. You know I’m not going to walk around when Dunbar is hanging around.”

I drank my coffee. “I know he’s a bit ominous, but he would never seriously hurt you—unless you deserved it.”

“His standards for punishment are much lower than yours.” She drank her coffee then stared bleakly at her breakfast. “Seriously, this looks like shit.”

“It’s good for you.”

“There’s no fat.”

“Fat isn’t good for you.”

“Actually, that’s incorrect. We need good fat to help us burn bad fat. We all need protein, carbs, and fat. Without one, you’d be missing a corner of the pyramid, and it would come toppling down.”

Sometimes I forgot she was training to be a doctor before I stole her. “What kind of doctor were you training to be?”

“I was in medical school before you took me, not residency. So I hadn’t made a decision yet.”

I didn’t have any idea what she was talking about, but I didn’t let her know that. “And what would you like your decision to be?”

She pushed her eggs around without taking a bite. “Emergency room medicine.”

“Why?” My universe focused on diplomacy, royalty, and business. I never took an interest in any other discipline, whether it was law or medicine. I lived in my own little world, and I liked it that way.

She shrugged. “Personal reasons.” She pushed the food around again. “Man, I miss Finley.”

I ignored the last thing she said. “What personal reasons?”

She kept her eyes down. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Then why did you bring it up?”

“I didn’t.” She looked up, her mood souring. “You’re the one asking all these questions.”

“And you’ve been answering them until now.”

“I just don’t want to, okay? It’s not like you tell me everything.”

“You’re my slave. I don’t have to tell you anything.”

“I’m not a slave,” she hissed. “Don’t call me that.”

“I can call you whatever I want. Now answer me.”

It looked like her eyes were about to explode with rage. “Why do you care? You’ve never taken an interest in my personal life. Why are you so curious?”

Good question. “Just answer the damn question.”

She knew she couldn’t push me any further. If she did, her brother’s life would be on the line. Coercion was the best way to keep her in line, even if I was just bluffing. “My parents were killed by a drunk driver when I was eight. They were pinned to a tree and died on impact. It wouldn’t have mattered if the ambulance had gotten there sooner or if a better doctor were on staff that night. But maybe I could make a difference to someone someday.”

My fingers were still wrapped around the handle to my mug, but I didn’t take a drink. My food remained untouched, and I stopped breathing. Inexplicable pain washed over me when I heard her confession. I pictured her as an eight-year-old getting the news that her parents had been killed by someone who drank too much. Joseph was just a few years older than her, so he didn’t understand what was going on either. Unsuspecting pain throbbed in my chest, and I actually pitied the woman sitting across from me.

I lost my parents. So did she.

I didn’t know what to say. I had the urge to hug her, to say something to console her for her loss. But I sat rigid and still, unable to think of an appropriate action. I didn’t want her to assume I cared, so I did everything I could to make it seem like I didn’t give a damn at all.

She looked away when nothing was forthcoming.

She showed me sympathy when I told her about my parents. It wouldn’t be inappropriate if I expressed the same understanding. It didn’t mean I cared about her as a person. It just meant I wasn’t a complete asshole. “I’m sorry, Lovely.”

When she looked up, she couldn’t hide her surprise. Maybe she expected me to be rude like I usually was.

“Looks like we have more in common than I realized.”

“Yeah…seems like it.” She ran her hand through her hair, pulling it from her face and fluffing it up in the back. She finally took a bite of her food and didn’t hide the cringe that emerged across her face. “Seriously, how do you eat this crap?”

“I have a waistline to maintain. Don’t act like you don’t enjoy it.”

She rolled her eyes and took another bite. She was probably hungry from not eating much the day before and fasting the entire night. She could either eat now or not eat until I returned from my meeting. “You aren’t that hot.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

I didn’t buy that at all. “Sure seems like you think I’m hot.”

“You aren’t bad to look at it. But hot? No.”

I could see the lie in her eyes. “Whatever you say, Lovely. I make you come every time we fuck, so I must be doing something right.”

She took another bite and dodged the statement altogether.

“I think you’re gorgeous.” I wasn’t ashamed to say that. When we first met, I didn’t care for her. But the longer she talked back to me, the more attitude she showed, the more my attraction grew. I loved that fire in her eyes. I loved that sassiness she showed when anyone was crossed. I adored her fearlessness.

Her guard slowly dropped once my confession had been made. Daggers weren’t in her eyes, and she actually seemed to like me—for an instant. “Okay…I do think you’re hot.”

I grinned from ear-to-ear at my victory. “You didn’t need to tell me that because I already knew. But thanks anyway.” I grabbed the newspaper that was sitting on the tray and opened it.

“I want to ask you something.”

“Yes?”

“Everywhere you go, you have a million people with you.”

“More like a dozen, but what’s your point?”

“Are you ever alone? Like, truly alone?”

I couldn’t remember the last time I went anywhere without a guard flanking me. Once my parents were killed, I was under special custody with Finley and other guards. I grew into a man with an army surrounding me at all times. The only privacy I had was when I met women for dates and good sex. “I guess not.”

“Does that bother you?”

Yes. No. I went back and forth. “It’s a small price to pay for protection.”

“I don’t think I could live like that…”

“You’re a solitary person?”

“No. But I value my independence. Sometimes I need to be alone to clear my mind. If I had people around me all the time, I’d go crazy.”

“You’ve been doing pretty well for the past three months.” When she wasn’t under my supervision, my guards were watching her. She didn’t have much alone time even in my bedroom.

Her eyes gleamed with irritation. “It’s a daily struggle…”

I glanced at the clock on the wall and knew I needed to get going. I took another bite of my breakfast and set my paper side even though I didn’t get the chance to read it. “I’ll see you when I get back.”

“No, I’m coming with you.” She stood up, like that would make a difference.

“No.” I grabbed my jacket off the hanger in the closet and threw it on, completing my three-piece suit.

“I don’t want to stay here with your men. I told you they make me uncomfortable.”

“Too bad.”

She walked up to me with her hands on her hips, making up for her lack of height with her attitude. “Are you planning on keeping me forever?”

I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do with her. The impulse to keep her instead of handing her over to Bones was inexplicable. I didn’t know exactly what changed my mind. Now that I’d changed my plans, I didn’t know how to proceed with her. I could fuck her all I wanted, but eventually, I would grow tired of her and move on with my life. But I couldn’t just let her go. I couldn’t let the world know I turned soft. “Maybe.”

“Then you can’t treat me like a dog. Put me to good use. You know I’m smart. I can handle my own even when I’m outnumbered. I’ve got an ass that won’t quit. You can get more use out of me by including me than leaving me here alone.”

“I think most women would love to stay behind and drink wine and eat chocolate all day.” If she played her cards right, she could be well taken care of for the rest of her life. All she had to do was not piss me off.

“I don’t want to sit on my ass all day and get fat. I need more than that.”

“You aren’t of any use to me.”

“I like scotch. Maybe I can help you with your business.”

“This meeting has nothing to do with my distillery.” It was about the underworld. It was about revenge for all the people who had the audacity to fuck with me.

“Crewe, come on.”

I didn’t know what her angle was. “You think if you learn about all my criminal activities, you’ll be able to turn me in one day? I could tell you every little thing about me, let you go, and the police still wouldn’t do a damn thing about it.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because I own the police.” I owned most of the world. Now I just needed to own my enemies.

Her eyes shifted back and forth as she looked at me. “Turning you in isn’t on my itinerary anyway.”

“Really?” I asked sarcastically. “After everything I’ve done to you?”

“I’m not saying kidnapping me is okay. But I think you’ve got a soul underneath this façade. If you didn’t have a heart, you would have handed me over to Bones.”

I couldn’t let her think I ever gave a damn about her. I couldn’t let her believe I showed an ounce of compassion. If I did, all the rules would go out the window. She would try to backstab me in the middle of the night because she knew I would never retaliate. She could push me in directions I never wanted to go. “I didn’t give you away because I wanted to make Joseph suffer even more. I wanted him to know his little sister is being fucked every night—by his greatest enemy. My heart died a long time ago, Lovely. All you see now is flesh and bones.”

“Your car is ready, sir,” Dunbar said in the entryway.

I adjusted my cuff links. “Thank you.”

“How many men would you like to accompany you?”

I adjusted my sleeves then buttoned the front of my suit. “None.” London’s words didn’t get to me. The Barsetti brothers were harmless when unprovoked. They probably wouldn’t even be armed.

Dunbar raised an eyebrow but didn’t question me, knowing that was suicide. “You know where to reach me.”

I nodded then walked to the door.

“Hold up.” London’s voice sounded from behind me. “I’m coming too.”

I wanted to snap her neck. I turned around and gave her a merciless glare, annoyed she defied me right in front of my men.

She read my look without an ounce of fear. “I’m not staying cooped up like a chicken.”

“You think these guys are gonna save you or something?” I didn’t understand why she wanted to accompany me so much. When we were in Scotland, she didn’t try to follow me around everywhere. She stayed in her bedroom in the castle until I finished my day and returned to her.

“No.” She stepped closer to me and lowered her voice so only I could hear her. “I don’t want to be stuck with Dunbar and Ariel…who hate me with every fiber of their being. The only person I feel remotely safe around is you.”

The hair on the back of my neck prickled in a way it never had before. Her confession soothed my ego, stoked my confidence. I should be annoyed that she thought of me as protection rather than fear, but I wasn’t. Perhaps it was the fact that she was wearing skin-tight jeans and a black top that made her tits look incredible, but something about her was getting to me. “You shouldn’t feel safe with me.”

“But at least I know what I’m getting with you. There’s no surprises. No sudden turns. If I follow the rules, everything will stay the same. You won’t hurt me or Joseph. Dunbar is unpredictable. He wants to hurt me just for the sake of it. And Ariel…if I were in trouble, she wouldn’t do anything to stop it. She would just look the other way.”

Her characterization of my two employees was dead-on, but they were far too loyal to betray me. If London annoyed them, they might push her to the side or ignore her. But they would never take it further than that.

London stood on her tiptoes then pressed her lips to mine. It might have been her last plan to persuade me, to kiss me and soften my calloused heart. Her soft lips moved with mine, and she gave me some of her tongue, giving me a playful lick that made the rest of my skin tingle. Her arm moved around my neck, and she kissed me in front of my men, making me hard in my slacks.

My arm circled her petite waist, and her sinister plan worked. I didn’t hold my ground because I no longer cared. When those perky tits were pressed against me and her tongue tangled with mine, I became a different man. Her kiss was different from the kind I shared with most women. Perhaps she was just a good kisser, or maybe it was because she was so unattainable. Whenever I fought her, she fought harder. She had a smartass comment to make in retaliation to everything I said. But I finally earned her cooperation. That made her more valuable than all my other women combined.

Because I was a sick bastard.

She finished the kiss then breathed gently into my mouth, the smell of her hair complimenting her naturally addictive fragrance.

Now that I was hard, I didn’t want her to leave my side. My men saw that little performance, and I didn’t want to leave my toy behind and give them the wrong idea. I wanted to pull over on the drive, have her suck my dick, and then continue on with my life. “Let’s go.”

Victory shone in her eyes now that she was getting her way.

“But don’t try anything.” I didn’t need to finish the threat.

“I won’t.”

We arrived at the Barsetti estate, a three-story mansion with vineyards on either side of it. The black gates opened as I approached, and I circled the fountain in the center and the valet parked my car.

London stood beside me and looked up at the magnificent house with green ivy growing over the walls. The Mediterranean style windows were open, letting the fresh air enter the multiple bedrooms upstairs.

When I reached the door, it opened before I could knock.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Donoghue. I’m Lars.” An older man in a gray suit gave me a quick bow. He looked like the butler of the house, reminding me of Finley but with fancier clothes. “Mr. Barsetti and Mr. Barsetti are expecting you in the drawing room.” He turned to London, clearly not expecting her to accompany me.

“I’m sorry, Lars. This is Lady London. I should have mentioned I was bringing her today.” Even though there only would have been a thirty-minute warning.

“Lady London, it’s a pleasure to have you.” Lars ushered us inside. “I know the men prefer scotch. Can I get you the same, or would you rather have something else?”

“Scotch is fine,” she said with a smile. “Thank you, Lars.”

I stared at her in surprise.

“Let me show you the way.” Lars walked in front and led us to the drawing room on the second floor.

I eyed London, watching her every move.

She turned to me when she noticed my stare. “What?”

“You’re beautiful like a flower, but you drink like a man.”

“Your point?”

I grabbed her hand. “No point at all.” I may have to pour a bottle of scotch all over her body and lick it away when we were home. I’d lick it out of every opening on her body. Her nipples would taste even better coated in the amber liquid.

We entered the drawing room, and I walked inside first when I would normally show my manners by letting London step inside before me. The two brothers sat on different couches in front of the fire. A bottle of iced scotch sat on the table along with three glasses. The men were already drinking. I would have been disappointed if they weren’t.

“I’ll return with hors d’oeuvres.” Lars bowed before he returned to the door.

“We don’t need any food, Lars,” Crow said. “Men just want to drink.”

London cleared her throat. “I’m not gonna turn down some homemade Italian cooking.”

Lars smiled like that made him happier than he’d been in a long time. “On the way.” He walked out.

Crow and Cane both stared at her, obviously not noticing her until then.

“My apologies,” Crow said. “Didn’t realize a lady was joining us. What can I get you, sweetheart?”

I didn’t hide my glare, offended he called my woman by such an endearment. “She’ll have scotch—like the rest of us.” I took a seat and tapped the cushion next to me, telling her exactly where I wanted her.

The second her ass was on the cushion, my hand moved to her thigh and I crossed her legs. I shouldn’t care if Crow and Cane found her attractive. She didn’t mean anything to me anyway.

But I did care.

Crow smiled before he opened the bottle. “My apologies.” He poured two glasses and handed them over.

I handed London hers even though she could have reached it herself. It was an unnecessary act of possession, but Crow and Cane weren’t typical criminals. They were both handsome and wealthy. “This is London. London, this is Crow.” I held up my glass and aimed in his direction. “And that’s Cane.”

Crow nodded in acknowledgment. He was the older brother with the winery, while Cane was in charge of their arms business. They laundered their money through their clean business, just the way I did with my scotch.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Cane’s eyes settled on her a little longer than I preferred.

I shouldn’t have brought her.

“Where’s Ariel?” Crow asked.

“Working.” I didn’t have to explain where my business partner was. I handled all the deals while she worked in the dark. That was how the arrangement went. Sometimes I brought her along. Sometimes I didn’t.

“I was hoping London was her replacement,” Cane said.

Cane wasn’t a fan of Ariel. Probably because she didn’t put up with his sleazy lines and sexist comments. “London is my personal property.” I wouldn’t call her my woman because that would imply she meant a great deal to me. But I wouldn’t use the word slave because London would have an outburst.

“Oh…even better.” Cane winked.

Crow glared at his brother before he turned to me. “Let’s talk business. That’s what we’re here for, right?”

I always preferred Crow. He got right to the point and didn’t ask too many questions. “Let’s.”

Cane left the room to take a call, and London walked to the large windows on the other side of the room to admire the view of the vineyards and the pool. It was just Crow and me for a brief time.

“How’s business?” I knew he would give me a rehearsed answer since we never revealed our secrets to one another.

“No complaints. You?”

I smiled. “No complaints.” I knew he had a blood feud with one of my clients, so I never mentioned his name while we were together. I considered myself to be a mutual businessman who didn’t have any emotional investment in my clients. They bought what I was selling, or they didn’t. End of story.

Crow nodded to London on the other side of the room. “Josephine is long gone, huh?”

I didn’t like to speak of that woman, but all of Western Europe knew of my engagement. I’d never been so humiliated in my life. She left me for a man with a better chance at the throne, spitting on my legacy and everything I had to offer. It probably wouldn’t have hurt so much if I’d never loved the bitch.

But I did.

The Russians destroyed my family, and that British cunt destroyed my name. Now I needed revenge on two fronts, and I would get it one way or another. I wouldn’t let anyone step on me ever again. I wouldn’t let anyone get close to my heart again. Whoever I married would only be a match of convenience, someone who could give me children to carry on my legacy.

But that was it.

“Yeah.” I masked my discomfort by taking a drink of my scotch. I’d been working with Crow for years, but I wouldn’t consider us to be friends. Good acquaintances, perhaps. People like us didn’t really have friends. “She came by a few weeks ago and said she made a mistake. Wanted another chance.”

“That’s some nerve…”

I wouldn’t take her back. I was over her the moment she turned her back on me. Every feeling I had disappeared instantly. My heart became calloused and black, and I lost any ability to feel any form of happiness.

Now I just wanted to blood.

“I’m glad she’s miserable.” It was a cold thing to say, but I really didn’t care.

“That makes two of us.” He clinked his glass against mine. “Your new plaything seems nice. I heard one of your clients crossed you…”

Good news traveled fast. “Yeah. I took his sister as payment.”

He grinned. “You’ve gotta teach them a lesson. But I have to say…” He looked over his shoulder and glanced at her. “She doesn’t seem like much of a prisoner.”

“Meaning?” Because she was beautiful? Because she was one of the sexiest women I’d ever been with?

“If I were a prisoner, I wouldn’t smile. I wouldn’t drink scotch with a room full of men and enjoy it. She doesn’t seem like she’s being held against her will. It’s almost like she likes you.” He crossed his legs and leaned back against the couch.

I watched her figure in the corner, treasuring the sight of her beautiful curves. She had an hourglass figure, something I’d always been a sucker for. I turned back to Crow. “I threatened to kill her brother if she doesn’t obey me. I have a transmitter in his skull. The second she displeases me, I’ll hit the button and give him a stroke.”

Crow nodded like he was impressed. “You’ve got this all figured out.”

“Let this be a lesson to you. Don’t fuck with me.”

He chuckled. “Wasn’t planning on it.” He glanced at London again. “If she up for grabs?”

It wasn’t uncommon for business partners to share women. I’d done it before myself. Since I made it clear she meant nothing to me, his question wasn’t out of line. But I didn’t want to loan her out. She was my pet, my prisoner. I didn’t want to share her with any other man. “No.”

Crow accepted my decision without argument. “Don’t be offended if Cane asks you the same question.”

“I won’t. I’m surprised he hasn’t asked already.”

He chuckled. “You know my brother as well as I do. So why did you bring her, then?”

“She wanted to come along.”

“Looking for an escape route, possibly?”

The more I thought about it, the more unlikely that seemed. “No. She knows I’m not bluffing about her brother.”

“Maybe she just wanted to get out of the house, then.”

“She doesn’t like my men. Says she doesn’t trust them.”

“And she trusts you?” he asked with interest.

I shrugged, unsure how she felt. She wanted me to protect her from my crew, and that made me feel hard in a way I couldn’t explain. Then she stuck her tongue in my mouth and chased all my logical thoughts away.

She had a magic touch.

“I think she trusts me in some aspects.”

“Well, being by your side really is the safest place she could be, relatively speaking. She’ll never be hungry, poor, or in any danger. But you aren’t going to keep her forever, right?”

“Not sure yet.”

“Well, are you gonna kill her when you’re finished?”

That’s what I should do. She would become useless to me eventually. I would meet another woman, or perhaps the woman I should marry, and then she would just be a burden. Obviously, I couldn’t just let her go because she knew too much.

So he was right. I would have to kill her. “I guess so.”