Cane

I couldn’t avoid my brother forever. He was going to track me down and demand an explanation about the agreement with Tristan. He wouldn’t be happy that I bent the rules when we operated by a strict policy.

And he would be pissed when he found out I accepted a woman as currency.

Not to mention Pearl… She’d be even more ticked.

I wished there were a way I could keep my guest a secret, but I didn’t see how that was possible. And when Crow asked for a straight answer, I couldn’t dodge or lie. My brother and I were always honest with each other—sometimes too honest.

I woke up early that morning and hit the weights in the gym downstairs. Now that I’d had my cock in her mouth, I was eager to explore the rest of her body. Her pussy would be even better. I couldn’t imagine how tight her ass would be around my cock.

She stayed in her room, and I stayed in mine. She didn’t try to sleep with me, which was something neither one of us wanted. I needed that king bed all to myself. Cuddling wasn’t my thing. The only time I had a woman sleep over was when there were two of them.

Because I got to fuck both of them again in the morning.

But in this case, she was going to be around for a long time, so it was unnecessary. Besides, I couldn’t expect her to put on a brave face every hour around the clock. Like everyone else, she needed a break.

My phone rang, and Tristan’s name appeared on the screen. I walked into my office to take the call, aware I had someone who could eavesdrop on my conversations—for better or worse. “Hello, Tristan.” I put my feet on the desk and crossed my ankles. My t-shirt was warm from my sweat and stuck to my skin.

“Cane, it’s been too long,” he said with a sarcastic chuckle. “How’s my little slave working out for you?”

I didn’t like to discuss my personal life so openly. It was strange. Crow didn’t even know half the things I did. “I think you overpaid.”

When he chuckled into the phone, it was a real laugh. “You have no idea how much I miss her. The whores…they’re all the same. They’re desensitized to everything. Don’t even flinch when they’re spanked.”

I looked out the window to the garden outside. The pink roses were in full bloom. They shifted in the gentle breeze, and one petal came loose and drifted to the earth.

“I miss her tears. I miss listening to her cry. You’re a lucky man, Cane. Come to think of it…it really wasn’t a fair trade.”

I thought he was a psychopath for being obsessed with her tears, but when I remembered how hard I was when tears streaked down her cheeks when she was sucking me off, I knew we weren’t that different.

We were both monsters. “I put a tracker in her. Hope you don’t mind. I moved into the country, so I didn’t want her to take off.”

“That bitch won’t run,” he said with certainty. “Not unless she wants blood on her hands.”

This woman didn’t mean anything to me. I hadn’t even bothered to ask for her name. But when he referred to her as a bitch, I didn’t care for it. She was just a woman who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She was demoralized on a daily basis. Even when he wasn’t with her, he insulted her.

It annoyed me.

“Why are you sure?” So far, it didn’t seem like escape was on her mind at all. But that didn’t make any sense because she had some serious spunk.

“She was taken with a friend of hers. I threatened to kill her friend, or worse, if she tried anything. It’s worked pretty well.”

“Where is her friend?”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” he said coldly. “She’s not nearly as attractive, so no one wants her. I’ve kept her around just to get Adelina to cooperate. She’ll do anything for that ugly friend of hers.”

Adelina.

That’s her name.

I liked it.

“Good to know, I suppose.” Her hands were tied, and there was nothing she could do. She had to submit to daily torture. Otherwise, her friend would be beheaded.

I actually felt bad for her.

“Did you call for any other reason?”

“Where’s my shipment?”

“It’s on the way.” It was ignorant of him to assume transportation of this magnitude would happen instantly. Moving weapons through different channels and avoiding government involvement was no easy task. “Don’t worry about it. Barsettis always deliver.”

“I have no doubt of that. But can I get an ETA?”

I eyed my calendar on my phone. “Probably tomorrow afternoon.”

“Good.” He gave me a cold dismissal. “Enjoy her while you can. That bitch will be mine soon enough.”

It annoyed me again. “Make sure you have the money.”

“Don’t you worry about that.” He hung up.

I tossed my phone on the table and looked outside again. The rose petal that fell had disappeared, swept off with the breeze like it’d never fallen in the first place.