by Ella Miles
He takes a step back.
“Why would you work for a man who trapped me in this life? I knew you couldn’t keep your dick in your pants, but I never thought you were cruel.”
“I’m not.”
“Then, why?”
“I’m not working with Julian.”
I take another step forward, and he takes his last step as the bed prevents him from walking further back.
“Don’t lie. You weren’t injured in a car accident. You faked it with makeup and the help of the nurses. Julian hired you.”
“He thought it would be easier to control you if he controlled me. My choice was to work for him, or he’d actually have me run over by a car or shot. So forgive me for not wanting to get shot.”
I laugh. “Forgive you? That’s a poor choice of words. I’ll never forgive you. And I would have taken the bullet every time rather than stab you in the back.”
“No, you wouldn’t have.”
“I’ve worked for Julian for seven years because of you! I sure as hell would have taken a bullet for you. I loved you once. That’s a mistake I’ll never repeat.”
I hear the door open, and I know we have an audience. I also know who it is. And it isn’t some nurse coming to check on the commotion. I’m sure Julian paid off the nurses to ignore whatever happens in this room.
Julian may think he can manipulate Hugo in order to control me. But today is the last day that works. I will no longer protect Hugo. I’ll no longer save him. From today on, he’s on his own. We are enemies, not friends, not exes—enemies.
“This is for not taking a bullet for me when you should have,” I say.
“Baby, you’re not going to hurt me,” Hugo says.
My eyes light up at his words. Hugo used to know me. He used to know what I’m capable of. But seven years of working for Julian has changed all of that.
Seven years has turned me bitter. Seven years is too long to go without getting revenge.
I grab his arm and slam him into the wall before he has a chance to react. Seven years has changed Hugo too. He’s lived a cushy life with plenty of money since I set him free. Seven years of not having to look over his shoulder. His self-defense skills are weak.
He winces, his head rattling as it hits the wall.
“This is for me,” I say, slamming his wrist into the wall until I hear little bones crack.
“And this is for Zeke,” I say, head butting Hugo, breaking his nose.
I let go of Hugo and step back. He grabs his wrist, and his eyes water, barely containing his tears as he crumples to the floor in front of me.
“You are such a bitch!” He cries out, not bothering hiding his tears now as he cradles his wrist.
“And you’re a cheating, lying cunt who now has the required injuries to warrant a hospital stay.” I grin.
“Julian will hear about this.”
“Good.” I fold my arms across my chest. “He’ll be happy to know my skills are still sharp. That I realized this was all a trick and handled the situation. Because Julian Reed doesn’t give a shit about you, Hugo. He cares about me. I’m his prized possession. His armor. His secret weapon. And you are nothing but a game to him.”
I crack my neck and flip my hair as I turn and look at Zeke, who is leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face. I wasn’t sure how he was going to react. If he was going to be pissed that I’d outed Hugo’s plan or happy.
But from the look of awe on his face, I think it’s the latter.
“He’s all yours,” I say as I walk over to the chair in the corner of the room and take a seat. I know Zeke came here on business of his own, but I’m not going to let him talk to Hugo alone.
Zeke shakes his head. “I’m never going to get over how you can bring a man to his knees.” The way Zeke is looking at me with a wolfish expression makes me wonder what he means—how I brought Hugo to his knees in pain, or Zeke to his knees in lust.
8
Zeke
Siren is the most kick-ass woman I’ve ever met. She doesn’t need a man to take care of her. And she’s been screwed over by enough men that even if she did need a man to protect her, she wouldn’t take a man’s help.
It gives me a little perspective on why she doesn’t trust me and why she was willing to betray me. It doesn’t make me forgive her or envision any future together. But it helps to understand.
To most men, Siren might be intimidating. She just broke her ex’s wrist and nose. Sure, I’m bigger than her and could stop her if I really wanted to if she tried that shit on me. But she has the ability. And if she really wanted to break my wrist, she’d find a way.
Intimidating.
And so fucking sexy.
I’ve always been the romantic type. I enjoy taking care of women. But with Siren, I want to take care of her even more. Because I can see past the armor she wears, I can see that she’s just as desperate to be taken care of as any other woman, even if she is more than capable of taking care of herself.
She just broke her ex’s wrist. But I don’t think she did it for herself. She did it because he tried to mess with me. And that won’t go unnoticed. Why? Why did him possibly hurting me affect her more than when he fucked with her?
I don’t have time to analyze it right now. Siren just changed the plan. When I jumped in my car to come here, I debated continuing to be on his side or breaking his leg. Siren just made that decision easier. And it was the right decision.
I hate him.
I hate him for marrying the most incredible, badass woman and then cheating on her. He’s probably the reason Siren is cold as ice and incapable of feelings. He’s the reason she was willing to hurt me. He’s the reason she’s working for Julian. I hate him for letting her be sold like property to another man. I hate that he hurt her. I hate that by hurting her, he threatened any hope Siren and I have of being together.
I hate it all.
Siren got to take her vengeance out on him; now it’s my turn.
Hugo is still writhing on the floor in pain. He turns his head and spits blood mixed with his own tears.
God, he’s such a baby. How could Siren ever fall for a man like him?
Hugo and I are polar opposites. He’s thin and lanky. His hair is light brown. His eyes are bright blue.
While I’m hulk-like, with dark hair, and a scruffy beard.
He’s clean-cut.
I’m a broken ship with more scars than perfect skin.
There is no way one woman could love us both. Even at different times in her life.
She likes a man like Hugo, maybe not one that cheats, but the perfect looking man. And I’m not him.
It makes me even angrier.
“Get up,” I say.
Hugo wipes the blood from his nose on the back of his hand.
“Get the fuck out, and call a nurse,” he demands back.
Tsk, tsk.
He should learn to follow my orders faster. He’s not the one in charge here. I am.
“Get up,” my voice booms with the full force of my anger. Shaking walls and telling every person in this hospital that I’m in charge of everyone and everything.
Hugo immediately scrambles to his feet.
“Sit,” I say, calmer this time, knowing when to use my powerful voice and when to hold back.
Hugo sits.
“Good dog,” I say.
“I’m not a dog.”
“Aren’t you? You do whatever Julian says, just like his obedient dog would. You don’t have brains of your own.”
“Like I told Aria, I didn’t have a choice. It was follow his orders or get shot.”
“Hmm, that sounds like you made the wrong choice. No one hurts Siren and gets away with it.”
“Siren?”
I don’t answer him.
Instead, I lean forward and look him in the eyes. “Now, you are going to answer my questions, and I won’t break your other arm.”
Hugo looks like he wants to hit me, but he won’t. His muscles are
thin compared to my bulk. He wouldn’t have a shot against me. And at the same time, he also looks like he’s about to cry at the thought of having his other arm broken.
“I’ll tell you whatever you want. I really do hate Julian Reed. You didn’t have to send your bitch in to do your dirty work so I was weak before you talked to me,” Hugo says, sending dirty looks to Siren, who is still sitting in the corner of the room watching us like a hawk. I have no doubt if Hugo tried to lay a finger on me, she’d jump in to defend me, just like she did with Julian.
With Julian, she was ordered to do it. With me, though? I’m not sure why she keeps protecting me and hurting me. She’s a conundrum.
“I didn’t send her. We aren’t working together. She handled her business with you; this is about you and me.”
Hugo rolls his eyes. “Get me some pain pills, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
“No, tell me what you want to know, and I won’t break your other arm, that was the deal.”
He huffs. “What do you want to know?”
“What does he want with my boss, Enzo Black?”
“What he always wants, control and money. Mr. Black is the most powerful man in these oceans. He wants to take him down and take over his business.”
“How much does he know about me?”
“Just that you used to work for him. He thinks you know everything about Mr. Black and that when he is finished using you, he’ll be able to use you to trade you to get what he wants from Mr. Black.”
“He thinks he’ll get control and money in exchange for me?” That doesn’t make sense.
“I guess,” Hugo shrugs. “He doesn’t tell me his entire plan or why, but I assume he wants a weapon or something from Mr. Black that can help him become more powerful.”
“Siren, go get us those pain pills. Hugo’s been a good boy.”
Siren eyes me suspiciously, but she leaves. Giving me a minute, two at the most, before she returns.
“How does Julian know about Lucy?”
Hugo’s eyes light up. It might have been a mistake to ask him when he can use the information to hurt Siren. But I need to ask. I have to protect her. And I vowed to stop protecting Siren. This is me keeping that promise.
“Aria.”
My eyes fall. Siren knows about Lucy? She was the one that found out about her and betrayed her to Julian?
That can’t be?
But when I look at Hugo’s happy grin, I know it’s true. And he just destroyed all of the relationship I’ve built with Siren. We are officially over. It’s one thing to hurt me. It’s another to hurt an innocent woman.
9
Siren
I don’t know why Zeke sent me out to get pain pills. I know he isn’t going to give them to Hugo.
I suspect it’s because he wants to ask Hugo something without me there. And I don’t know if it’s because he’s hiding something from me or if he thinks Hugo will answer more honestly without me there.
But loving someone is about trusting them. And the only way I can earn Zeke’s trust in return is by showing him that I trust him.
So I go and get the damn pain pills from the nurse.
And when I open the door, I feel the shift in the air. Zeke’s pissed, and Hugo is happy as a clam.
Hugo’s eyes find mine when I enter the room, as if to say he’s won. I just don’t know what the fuck he won or what he’s talking about. But it doesn’t feel good.
I shouldn’t have left. Now wasn’t the time to prove my loyalty to Zeke. Not when I know what scum Hugo is. Zeke doesn’t know all his tricks yet.
“Thank you for answering my questions, Hugo. You’ve earned your pain pills.” Zeke turns to me and motions for me to toss him the pills.
I do.
He catches them with a coldness in his eyes I wasn’t expecting to be aimed at me.
What did you tell him, Hugo? Before I left, Zeke and I were basically on the same side. And now, I can’t read him at all.
He unscrews the cap and hands two pills to Hugo, who takes them and swallows them dry.
Such a wimp, I barely injured his nose. And his wrist—well, I guess I did some damage there.
“I won’t break your other arm,” Zeke says.
I hold my breath because I already know what Zeke is going to do. And it’s going to be exhilarating to watch.
Hugo grins smugly. Oh, you idiot.
Zeke grabs the IV pole and slings it as hard as he can against Hugo’s kneecap.
The scream Hugo makes is the most magnificent melody I’ve ever heard. I’ll never forget the sound. It’s high-pitched, and agonizing, and everything Hugo deserves. The pain hits him everywhere. His voice, his eyes, his entire body rings with the pain as his kneecap shatters.
“That’s for hurting Siren,” Zeke says, and I get flutters in my stomach. He hurt Hugo to defend my honor. Just like I hurt Hugo to defend his.
“You said you wouldn’t hurt me if I told you the truth, you fucking bastard.”
“No, I said I wouldn’t break your arm, and I didn’t. I keep my word, unlike you.” Zeke stands taller. “And I gave you the pain pills even though it wasn’t part of our arrangement. Too bad it will take at least half an hour for them to start taking effect. And Tylenol will do nothing to stop the sharp pain in your knee.”
Zeke starts walking toward me, but I’m not sure if he’s walking toward me or the door.
“Dammit, I should have gone for the kneecap, so much more effective than the wrist,” I say, hoping that the joke will lighten the mood.
But Zeke isn’t in a playing mood. He’s all seriousness. As he passes me, he snaps his fingers, indicating for me to follow.
I want to, but I don’t like being treated like his pet. Not by him.
I follow, but I bring my anger with me. Zeke searches the hallway before spotting what he’s looking for. He walks to a door that has a janitor’s sign on it. He pops the lock with a quick thrust up of the door handle, and then he opens the door, holding it open for me to step inside.
I study him carefully, trying to figure out what happened in the two minutes I was gone to get the pain pills.
“You first,” I say, needing to take back a sliver of control.
He growls, but I don’t back down. Not until he tells me what’s going on.
After a quick staring contest, where neither of us back down, Zeke steps into the dark closet. Only then do I follow.
The door shuts behind me, leaving all light outside the dark closet. I’m sure there is a light switch, but neither of us moves to find it.
The closet is small, so small that we are face to face, and I can feel his breath on my cheek.
I try holding my breath, not willing to give him any pleasure until he talks to me. But he doesn’t hold back. He’s angry. With me.
Well, good, I’m angry with him. For shutting me out. For not letting me talk. For not letting me spend every second kissing his face and riding his cock.
He can be pissed at me and still fuck me. We are too good together not to.
“How many secrets are you hiding from me?” His voice comes out strained and wanting.
I exhale a shaky breath, doing everything I can to not kiss him again. I was the one who initiated our last kiss and that got me nowhere. If he wants to kiss me, he’s going to be the one to do it.
“Too many,” I answer honestly. “How many are you keeping from me?”
“Not enough.”
And then his lips claim mine.
The kiss slams me back against the door. It’s hard, taking my breath away, but also demanding so much more. It takes my control, my power, my heart. It demands I spill my secrets in order to get more.
But both of us have our secrets, and neither of us will ever tell the whole truth. Because we need to keep our secrets in order to protect ourselves, and more importantly, each other.
Our secrets can wait, though.
This kiss cannot.
My hands wrap around his neck,
as his hand grabs my shirt, flinging it off me before I realize that he’s trying to angrily fuck me in the janitor’s closet.
I don’t care; I want this man too much. And I’ll take him any way I can get him. Rough, dirty, in the fucking janitor’s closet.
My bra goes next, and then his head dips, nibbling roughly on my nipple, making me gasp and squirm against his lips.
“Zeke, fuck.”
He smirks against my nipple.
And then his hand is dipping down to my pants. Undoing the buttons and zippers before shimming them down my hips. Then his fingers plunge into my panties, ripping them from my body before finding the wetness between my legs.
Yes!
More.
His fingers tease between my folds but never find my clit. The longer Zeke goes without touching my most sensitive spot, the faster I realize that he is never going to. He’s going to take out his frustrations on my body by denying me the one thing that could bring me the most pleasure.
Two can play at this game.
I lunge forward, grabbing at the waistband of his jeans, but Zeke grabs both of my wrists and has them pinned above my head with one hand, while his other hand continues to torture me by rubbing everywhere except the one spot I want him to.
I could fight him. I’ve done it before. Sure, Zeke is strong and has muscles for days, but I’m smart. I could get out of his hold.
But the striking gaze of Zeke’s eyes, even in the dark, tells me that I’d be smart not to fight.
“What did Hugo say?” I ask.
“Really? You’re going to bring up the topic of your ex-husband when I’m currently trying to fuck you?” he hisses against my cheek. His breath like fire and temptation and so damn hot.
“But you’re not trying to fuck me; you’re trying to torture me.”
He grips my wrists harder, the weight of his body pressing against mine. Him clothed, me basically naked.
It’s hot.
But it’s also the angriest I’ve ever seen Zeke. Something happened. Something I’m missing the pieces to. Something he thinks I did—the worst thing.
But what?
Worst than betraying him to Julian? Worst than not telling him about my husband?
