Carter poured himself a glass of scotch and made himself comfortable on the sofa in my office. Darkness had settled a long time ago. I had dinner with Muse on the terrace, and then she went to bed. Carter stopped by shortly afterward, and now we were hidden away in my office.

He lit his cigar and let the smoke rise from his mouth toward the ceiling. “Your family loves Muse more than you do.”

My eyes darted to his face, the lethal daggers practically bursting from my irises.

Carter chuckled before he took another puff of his cigar. “Sorry. Sapphire.”

No one called her Muse but me. “Yes, I’m aware.”

“Honestly, I like her more than you, too.”

“Jump on the bandwagon,” I said with indifference. “You’ve always been the type.”

“I make my own way in life. If not, I wouldn’t be a self-made billionaire.” He switched off between enjoying his scotch and his cigar.

My office always smelled like cigars for days afterward, but I didn’t mind because I liked the smell. None of my pieces were in here, so I didn’t have to worry about ruining the fabric with the carcinogen.

“So, is she still your prisoner or what?” he asked. “Because it seems like you actually like the woman.”

I did like her—a little too much. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on, man.”

He set his cigar on the ashtray and stared at me with his arms resting on his thighs. “Meaning?”

“My father asked when I was going to ask her to marry me.”

Carter stopped making jokes when he knew I was being dead serious. He must have sensed the conflict inside my soul. We grew up together, so we understood each other on an innate level other people couldn’t understand. It reminded me of my connection with Muse, but in a different way. “And what did you say?”

“That I wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment. But my father never asks me stuff like that. And then he told me I shouldn’t drag my feet because women like Sapphire are rare. He said she has spunk.”

“She does have spunk,” he said in agreement.

“But she also has class and beauty. She’s got it all.” I drank from my glass, letting the ice cubes hit my lips when the glass turned empty. “Then my mother told me how proud she was… That I’d become a man she was proud of. Made me fucking sick to my stomach.”

“That’s the kind of affection every son wants to hear from his parents.”

“But I don’t deserve it.” I slammed my empty glass on the table, nearly shattering it. “I hate lying to my parents. Makes me feel like shit.”

Carter shifted his gaze down to his glass. “Then what are you going to do?”

“I don’t fucking know. But now I hate myself. I hate the way I collected Sapphire like a piece of property rather than a person. I hate the way I’ve treated her. Hate the things I said to her. My family adores her, and somehow, that makes me feel worse. If they knew what I did, my parents would never forgive me. Vanessa would never look at me the same.”

“Then don’t let them find out.”

I turned my gaze out the window, my fingers resting against my temple. “Secrets always come out…in time.”

“Then what choice do you have?” He picked up his cigar again and breathed in the smoke. “You could let her go. You’d be out a hundred million dollars, but then you wouldn’t be lying anymore. It could clear your conscience.”

That was my best option, but I didn’t like it. “I don’t want to let her go…” I wanted her to stay with me. I wanted her in my bed every night. I needed her to inspire me, to pull the best work out of me. What would I be without her? I needed her. “And she wouldn’t be safe if I did. If Knuckles ever figured it out, he would probably come after her.”

“That’s her problem, not yours.”

My heart thudded harder in my chest. The idea of anyone stripping her naked and using her against her will made me sick. She deserved to be treated with respect, to live her life freely without fear of rape and torture. The only place she would ever be safe was by my side. I was the only one powerful enough to keep the demons away. “If something ever happened to her, I would die.”

Carter watched me as he let the smoke out through his nostrils. He had the same hard features as mine, and I felt like I was looking at a brother instead of a cousin. “You care about this woman.”

I wasn’t going to deny it anymore. “Deeply.”

“Then let it be. She’s safe here with you and seems happy.”

“Doesn’t right my wrongs. Doesn’t clear my head.”

“Then what other option do you have?”

I didn’t have any options. I wanted to make this right, but I didn’t know how. I couldn’t go back in time and erase my mistakes. I couldn’t go back and not demand sex from her. I couldn’t take back all the hurtful things I said, the disrespectful way I treated her. I couldn’t give her back her virginity when I took it so ruthlessly. I couldn’t change the foundation of our relationship. “I don’t know…”

“You could set her free,” Carter said. “And let her decide what she wants.”

But what if she made the wrong decision? What if she left me? I’d be devastated. “And if she leaves?”

He shrugged. “Don’t give her a reason to leave. Give her a reason to stay. Or as many reasons as she needs.”

Nicole made all the necessary arrangements for me, and by the end of the afternoon, I had successfully wired the funds to the American authorities and paid back all the money that Muse owed. She owed immense property taxes that were never paid, in addition to the loan she defaulted on. She also had student loans for a degree she never finished. Once the money was transferred, Muse was officially cleared.

She didn’t owe anything.

But she had a much bigger debt that had never been repaid. She shouldn’t owe a single penny to that psychopath, and in turn, I shouldn’t have to give him a cent of the money I worked my ass off for.

But I didn’t see any other way.

I could bury this debt once and for all.

Then she might be free.

“Are you sure about this?” Carter asked as he drove through the streets of Milan at three in the morning.

Muse was asleep in the bed I shared with her. I’d snuck out in the middle of the night without her noticing. She was safe on my property, protected by gates, a security system, and a cabinet full of guns. “Yes.”

“This could go badly.” Carter kept one hand on the wheel while his arm rested on the windowsill. “This guy is insane. Who knows what he’ll say.”

“I’m not scared of him.” He should be scared of me.

Carter sighed under his breath. “For the record, I’m against this.”

“Duly noted.”

We pulled up in front of the hotel then made our way inside. My men escorted me into the building, all carrying hand-held guns in the back of their jeans. In the basement, there was an exclusive bar that was used for business purposes only. I’d never been to the Broken Handmaiden, but I’d heard about it from Carter.

Knuckles was there, tattoos all the way up the side of his neck. He sat at a lone table in the center of the room, in a black collared shirt with a drink sitting in front of him. It looked untouched, as if he was waiting until I arrived. Each of his knuckles was marked with a different letter in black ink.

D-E-A-T-H.

The nickname suited him.

Carter and my men stayed back by the stairs as I entered the bar. Knuckles had his men against the opposite wall, their eyes trained on me. One man held an assault rifle with a finger hovering over the trigger.

Like I was meeting with any another distributor, I sat in the chair across from him then looked to the bartender. “Scotch—on the rocks.”

Knuckles stared at me with bloodshot eyes, his thick arms crossed over his chest. The vein in his forehead was bigger than ever. He hated me before I even stepped into the room. If his hands weren’t in plain sight, I would have worried he would pull a gun on me and shoot me between the eyes.

But he wasn’t that stupid.

The silence between us was just as loud as the sound of the bartender. He grabbed a glass and then poured the amber liquid inside. He placed it in front of me seconds later.

I took a drink. “Smooth.”

“Should be. It’s fifty years old.”

“I know wine. And you know scotch.”

He finally took a drink from his glass, downing half of it before setting it down. “I hope you are here for good reason, Conway. I’m a very busy man. I have a bed full of women waiting for me upstairs. Chained to the wall with blindfolds over their eyes, they aren’t going anywhere. But a gentleman should never make a woman wait.”

He was as much of a gentleman as I was. “Then I’ll make it quick.” I snapped my fingers.

One of my men brought the black suitcase and set it on the table before he walked away.

Knuckles didn’t look at it. “Care to explain?”

“It contains a million euros in cash.”

He cocked an eyebrow.

“That’s how much Sapphire owes you. I’m paying her debt.”

His eyes narrowed farther, with displeasure rather than interest. “Yes, that’s how much she owes me. Not you.”

“Now that she’s mine, her debts are my debts.” The second I said the word mine, I became more possessive of her than ever before. I knew Knuckles wanted her chained to the wall, gagged, and covered with bruises. But she was my plaything because my pockets were a little deeper. “And I’m the kind of man who pays my debts.”

The vein in his forehead appeared thicker, and the tint of his face showed his rage. “You think I’m the kind of man who will break the Underground code. So, you want to pay me off to keep me off your back?”

I noticed the way his tone deepened, the way his anger intensified. His accusation wasn’t wrong, so I didn’t correct it. There was nothing more insulting than when someone judged your character. But this man didn’t play by the rules—not like everyone else. He was emotionally driven, which made him unpredictable and intense. “I just want to take care of my woman. I’m her man, and I don’t let my woman owe anything to anyone.” I finished my drink and then stood.

His eyes followed me as I moved, the corded veins in his neck swollen. His tattoos were all marked with black ink. Skulls, chains, and brass knuckles emerged from his collar. His blue eyes were the only human feature about him. The rest resembled the features of a monster.

I knew he wasn’t going to say anything, so I didn’t wait around for a response. I turned my back to him, exposing myself to vulnerability because I knew nothing could take me down. Then I walked out, knowing I was invincible—even to his bullets.