Christmas music chimed from the speakers overhead. I was stuck on the sound, unable to understand why they were playing, or what kind of song it was. I ended the call and slipped my phone back into my jacket pocket, still hearing Carven’s words.
Hale knows…if he doesn’t know everything, then he knows enough. We’re fucked here. Let me take them out tonight. We’ll kill as many as we can before they scatter. Hale first, then that cunt…
Then that cunt.
“Mr. St. James?”
I lifted my gaze and found a confused woman staring at me. “Yes?”
“Is there anything I can show you, sir?” she asked, smiling carefully. But there was nothing flirtatious, just professional.
I took in her smoothed back blonde hair and perfect bun, then the pearl cashmere top with the sleek blood red skirt.
“Were you after something similar to the pendant necklace you purchased last week?”
I flinch at the reminder, unable to remember why the hell I was even here. I shook my head. “No, thank you.”
Her smile faltered, confused as was I. I turned for the door, but caught a glint from the corner of my eye and stopped. Not one sparkle…a mess of them, which gleamed even brighter as I stepped toward the display. The saleswoman moved around the other side of the counter. “This is brand new. In fact, I’ve only just set it out for display. It’s stunning, isn’t it?”
I stared, mesmerized, as she reached under the hardened glass and grasped the white velvet cushion it perched on.
“It’s meant to go around the ankle.”
I jerked my gaze upwards and met her stare. “Is it?”
Christ, all I could see was those fucking leather straps against her olive skin, her knees pushed to her chest, and her legs spread wide. I fucking hate you. Her words rang inside my head.
I licked my lips and reached out to finger the band.
“One hundred and seventeen radiant-cut gems, mounted in sleek eighteen-carat gold, with exceptional color and clarity, wouldn’t you agree?”
You use a machine to fuck me because you can’t do it yourself…
My pulse sped as my desire came alive.
Even in her fucking hate, I wanted her more than I’d wanted any other woman in my life. I stared at the anklet, imagining it against her skin. “I’ll take it.”
There was a flare of surprise. “I haven’t even told you the price, Mr. St. James.”
“It doesn’t matter.” I slipped the black Amex from my billfold and slid it across the counter. “Have it ready immediately.”
She nodded and reached for the card. I wanted it to be expensive. I wanted it to fucking sting. She rang up the purchase and handed the card back with a confused smile.
An anklet…
Yes, that’s what I wanted.
I didn’t look at anything else, just stepped to the rear of the store as an older couple came in, and glanced around. The husband met my stare until he looked away. You could see a lot in a man’s stare. The awkwardness wasn’t so much a sign that they had something to hide, more like they instantly knew what kind of man you were and they wanted as far away from you as possible.
I crossed my arms and watched them hem and haw with one of the other assistants at a simple gold necklace until the blonde came back with the sleek black velvet box. My gut clenched instantly as I took it and slipped it into my jacket before I left, and that Christmas music haunted me all the way to the car.
I’d barely slipped in behind the wheel when my phone vibrated. I glanced at the caller ID, then swallowed hard and answered it instantly. “Hale.”
“Are you in the city?”
He knew I was. “Yes.”
“Good, join me for lunch at the club.”
I winced. “I’m not really—”
“It’s not a request.”
A chill swept down my spine and a sinking feeling took hold. “Then I’ll be there in twenty.”
This is really bad, London. Really fucking bad. Carven’s fear filled me as I stabbed the button and started the Mercedes. My breaths were heavy, my mind racing. Shit was falling through my fingers. The ends of all my lies were untethered and flapping in the wind.
They were long enough to choke me.
Long enough to choke us all.
I headed for the club, my mind stuck on the two options: kill those we could and lose the rest, or figure a way out of this. Both opportunities would take the kind of precarious precision that made me nervous. I pulled into the parking lot and killed the engine.
The velvet box dug into my chest. I reached in, pulled it out, and slipped it into the glove compartment. The last thing I wanted was the box ruined by my blood…if it came to that. I grabbed the door handle and climbed out. Christ, I hoped it didn’t. I liked living at the moment, as long as I had the wildcat in my bed.
The CCTV cameras tracked my movement as I headed for the rear door of the club and entered the code. Once inside, there was only darkness. Just how they liked it.
My steps resounded in the hallway, until I stepped out to the closed-off private area and headed for the low drone of voices. Three men sat around the low table, legs crossed in immaculate suits, drinking top-shelf Scotch and smoking cigars.
A trembling, naked form knelt on the floor at the edge of the room, her head down, red welt marks bright against soft, tender flesh. Her hands were braced on her thighs, her quaking elbows locked in tight. I skimmed her and quickly looked away, that savage part of me sinking fast. This was no time to get angry. No time to pull my gun and put a bullet in each piece of fucking shit in this room…
But that was all I wanted to do.
Instead, I sank down behind that stony exterior and met each beady fucking stare as I neared the table. “Gentlemen.”
It wasn’t lost on me that Hale rarely went without a tight squad of ass-licking vile scumbags.
“St. James,” Lions murmured as he eye-fucked me.
I ignored the stare and instead focused on Hale, who sat at the head of the table, legs crossed, belt undone. I smothered a wince, now knowing the reason for the broken female too scared to fucking move. “Nice day for business.”
“Isn’t it?” He watched me, then motioned to the empty seat to his right. “Please.”
Fuck no. That was the last thing I wanted, yet I found myself nodding as I pulled the seat out a little further than necessary and sat. Anything to be away from him. The conversation died away and it became awkward. But I knew awkward was exactly what Hale liked. He spent the lull watching every shift of your body and catching every look of fear. So I turned my head and met that empty stare. “You said something about information?”
He waited for a heartbeat, then slid his phone across the table. “Apparently there’s been a recording from The Order that’s been leaked, an important recording. Let me play it for you.”
I steeled myself, but it was useless as he pressed the button and Ryth Castlemaine’s screams echoed in the room around me. I knew the recording, had heard it hundreds of times. I forced myself to wince when she called for her stepbrothers to save her, and when the recording had finished, the silence was heavy.
“Ryth Castlemaine,” I murmured. “I can’t place the male voice, though.”
There was a curl of Hale’s lips. “It’s Killion.”
I nodded. “That makes sense.”
“But what doesn’t make sense is why a recording like that would be taken from The Order and sent to a private IP address. One we now have.”
Thanks to Daniels.
“That’s not all. There has been a private investigation being conducted and during that investigation, we were able to locate CCTV footage of a street camera not far from Killion’s house. I’d like you to take a look.” He swiped the screen to open up the black and white video footage of a car pulled over to the side of the road.
As he pressed play, I watched Ryth Castlemaine as she retched and heaved next to the car as her brothers stood around her.
Fuck!
“I take it you know who that is.”
I gave a slow nod.
“Information has come to light that Killion was being blackmailed and that night he was meant to meet with the man who was extorting money to keep this from getting out.”
Lions rose from the table, adjusted his belt, and moved toward the kneeling woman. She let out a whimper and jerked backwards as he neared, gripped a fistful of her hair, and forced her to her feet. The movement drew Hale’s gaze, hunger burned in his stare as Lions dragged the woman over.
But she didn’t fight, just stumbled under the heavy grip until she stood near us, weeping.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Hale murmured.
I clenched my jaw, but didn’t turn from his gaze. “Yes.”
“She reminds me of your bitch, what’s her name again?”
My blood ran cold. “Vivienne.”
Hale nodded slowly. “That’s right, Vivienne. I heard she was a bit of a…” He glanced at the others. “What was the term that was used? Ah, yes…wildcat.” He met my gaze. “This one was a ‘wildcat’ too. But I’ve tamed the wildness out of her. Maybe I could help with yours?”
My gut clenched, my heart boomed.
The others at the table had no idea what was happening here. But I did…I knew exactly the game Hale played. I kept my tone careful, controlled as I held the bastard’s stare. “It’s been a while since you were involved in a daughter’s education, considering how well the last one played out. Where did we hide the body on that one again? I’m sure Riven and his brothers are still reeling from the aftereffects.”
His eyes glinted. “Well, you know what they say, old friend. If you want something done right…”
Hard breaths filled the space before he shifted his gaze back to the woman. “You can fuck this one, if you want? Since I seem to have forgotten the signed contract that’s sitting on my desk. I do know you weren’t able to finish your time with Ophelia and I’m sure by now you’re…hungry.”
My stomach rolled as I forced the words. “No…thank you.”
In a blur of movement, Hale lunged forward to slam his palm on the table in front of me. He leaned a bit closer, his tone full of menace. “You’d better not be playing me, London. You and I both know how that will end.”
I forced myself to meet that stare, to keep the thunder in my chest constrained. “I’ll get you the information you need, Hale.”
Those pitiless eyes bored into mine before Hale gave a slow nod and pulled back. Instead, he turned his attention to Lions…and the low, terrified moans from the woman under his hand. “I’ll be waiting.”
I met each stare as I rose…except for hers.
Because to look into those terrified eyes would bring me undone.
Think of the big picture.
Think of King.
I left that place, careful to make sure each step was slow and precise under the weight of Hale’s stare. It wasn’t until I’d pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward home that I jerked the car to the side of the road. Acid rose in the back of my throat as I threw the door open. I barely managed to lunge out of the car before I was sick.
And the entire time my stomach heaved and rolled, all I thought about was Vivienne…and getting her out of The Order. Because the wolves weren’t circling anymore. No, this was the hunt…and we were in the thick of it.
