by Dee Garcia
A couple of minutes passed us by before he finally stalked to his desk and took a seat at the edge. “Please, sit,” he offered, motioning to one of the chairs before him.
Lifting a hand, I shook my head. “I’ll pass. Get on with it, Vic. What do you want?”
“I was going to discuss shutting down Noir Coast since we obviously don’t need it anymore, but now I’m quite bothered by your shit attitude.” He took a generous sip of his whiskey and set the glass down on a coaster, crossing his arms. “What the hell is your problem?”
The way he said obviously piqued my fucking interest, but I didn’t care enough for him to elaborate. He was probably referring to the fact I’d not done shit lately.
“I’m in a hurry, Vic. Got places to go, people to see.”
“Who, like Lux?” He smirked wittingly.
I nearly went rigid, not expecting him to say that, but managed to remain indifferent in my shock. “You’re joking, right?”
He couldn’t know...
“On the contrary… I haven’t spoken to her personally yet, as I explained earlier, but it’s clear both of you must seem to think I’m an idiot,” he snapped, jerking my head back indignantly.
“You’re cracked, mate. Seriously—what are you going on about?”
Vic sighed irritably and leaned forward slightly, looking me dead in the eye. “I know you’re fucking her.”
Shit.
Him knowing complicated things a hell of a lot more.
“What the fuck?” I barked, trying to play it off still. “I am not—”
“Save it, King. I have you two on tape.”
Everything around me went eerily still as the demon of wrath uncoiled inside me. Fuck it that he knew.
He had us on tape?
“You what?”
Nodding, he started around his desk. “After your little performance at Vybe, I made it a point to hang back in the shadows, to observe from afar hence my frequent absence lately. Evidently, you both forgot Black Widow has cameras installed both inside and outside the building.” He pulled out three cd’s from one of his drawers and held them up for me to see. “Not to mention the ones I installed in both your homes, and the few I scattered on top of the Panorama.”
This motherfucker...
“You went in my fucking house?!” I seethed, barely containing myself from strangling him.
“You left me no choice,” he sneered, leaning onto the desk. “I trusted you to finish her, to see our plan through, promised you everything you wanted and more, only for you to end up screwing me over. It’s fucked up, Rome. Really fucked up.”
Anddd snap.
There was no controlling it anymore.
I went off like bomb, charging toward him with a savage growl as I cleared his desk, clatters and clangs of all sorts erupting around us from all the items clashing to the ground. My fist collided with his face just once before I gripped the front of his dress shirt and lifted him off his feet.
“You wanna talk about fucked up?” I roared malevolently, throwing him into the wall like tattered doll.
His head hit with a monstrous bang, leaving a mass dent in its wake as his body fell weak.
Seeing him down on the ground awoke every demon I’d tried keeping locking away. I was raging inside, positively vehement.
Even the devil himself couldn’t best me right now.
Chest heaving, I stormed over to where he laid, my boots thundering against the tiled floors. In one fluid movement, I fisted the front of his shirt and dug his vile ass back into the wall. “You raped her! You fucking raped her, you sick fuck!”
Vic—now pale as a ghost—shook his head nervously, a trail of blood dripping from his nose. Gallantry gone. “Not true! That’s not true! That’s what she wants you to believe!”
Growling, I slammed my fist in his face a second time. “Why the fuck would she want me to believe such an atrocity?”
“Because that’s what she does, always plays the victim card.” He spat more blood to the floor beside us. “Once she’s got you invested in her bullshit, she’ll ruin you, just like she’s done to me and anyone else standing in her way! It’s not true, I swear!”
I didn’t believe him for a split-second; the terror in Lux’s eyes when she’d recounted me with the sordid tale was all the proof I needed.
“What do you mean like you? She didn’t ruin you! You ruined her!”
He was clearly sick in the head.
“Of course she ruined me, you idiot—why do you think I wanted to take her down?” he countered, maxing out my ire to capacity.
“Well, I wouldn’t know because you never told me, remember?” I bellowed, shoving him towards the wall again.
Vic stilled for a fleeting moment, stumbling to regain his footing, but his expression quickly recasted from panicked to stout. A poisonous smile turned up the corners of his bloodied mouth as he righted himself, lifting his chin.
“Oh my… I see what’s going on here,” he rasped, wiping the veil on crimson staining his chin. “Did she tell you about how she met me, Rome?”
“Some, yes...” I nodded, fist coiled at the ready.
“What do you know?” he pressed, amusement coloring his tone.
“How you met her, what you did for you and Suki…”
“And did she tell you how she fucking robbed me of it?” he gritted out. “Just when I was close enough to the top, to my rightful reign as King, she snatched it all from right underneath my fucking feet. Worked her charm to relinquish all of my loyalties, all of my connections, for herself. Went behind my back and weaseled her way into the throne. And then, she led me on—to keep the peace and still use me to her advantage, she slept with me. Made me think eventually she’d be my Queen…”
Silence ensued.
Complete silence.
His Queen.
I couldn’t speak—didn’t know what to say. The visual stomping through my mind was more than I could bear to entertain. I’m not an idiot…I’d had in inkling he’d slept with her—at least once—based on how she was always a sore topic for him, but I didn’t think it went this far.
Far enough that she wouldn’t tell me about it.
Then again, the night she laid her soul bare to me, I’d cut her off right as she began explaining how she met Vic.
Had I let her continue, would she have told me?
“What’s wrong, Rome?” The bastard’s grin widened. “Let me guess, she didn’t tell you that? She didn’t tell you that she’d slept with me, right?”
“No,” I admitted, jaw nearly ground together.
“I’m sure you’ve not told her about me either. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have given you that pretty little pussy. It’s so fucking pretty, isn’t it? So tight, and warm. Such a pretty shade of pink…”
A deep-seated, possessive growl seethed within me. “If you value your life, you’ll shut up right about now.”
Vic chuckled darkly. “Look at you so hung up over her, even after I’ve just told you she’s been lying to you. Never thought I’d see the day again after Liza.”
“Shut. Up.” I warned a second time, but his taunting continued.
“You’re like two peas in a pod—two lying, backstabbing, pathetic little peas in a pod. You’ll eventually grow tired of her, though, might even resort to taking her by force to teach her a lesson, just like the rest of us. Don’t I say I didn’t warn when you find yourself snapping in a manic episode and—”
The tip of my handgun met his forehead.
Dead-center.
“Go on,” he laughed sardonically, holding his hands up in mock-surrender. “Do it.”
Growling, I pressed the tip deeper, my lip curled in a snarl.
I could’ve blown his brains to bits and spared the world from his revolting existence, but my finger twitched on the trigger.
Putting a bullet through his head would be too easy. Like Lux’s father, he deserved much worse.
Slow and painful.
So I rushe
d him instead.
Holstering my weapon back at my side, I finished him off with my bare hands, repeatedly throwing my fist in face, each time hard than the last. The most pathetic part of it all was how he didn’t even try to defend himself.
He just took it with a demented smile, until he was nothing but a bloodied, swollen mess.
Once he was down on the ground, I kicked him several times for good measure, relishing the sounds of bones cracking and howls of agony finally renting the air with each one.
He didn’t move when finally retreated, his blood staining my hands, spattered on my clothes. My chest heaved from exertion, demons stated from our feat.
And yet, I found myself pulling my pistol out once more, aiming it at him with a firm hand.
“You ever come near her again, a measly two-fucking-feet, and I’ll finish you off for good, you lying piece of shit. Stay the bloody hell away from her,” I advised, my voice ragged in tempo but deathly low in severity.
Green eyes, now barely visible behind swollen lids, dragged up to where I stood—and that’s when I pulled the trigger.
Bang!
♫ Love The Way You Lie - Eminem & Rihanna ♫
Dripping wet, he carries me through the house and up the stairs, his lips working against mine, tongue lashing viciously in and out of my mouth. It’s like he can’t get enough of me, desperate for another fix, another high. I can’t lie and say it’s not the same for me, ‘cause it is. God, it is. His mouth can do some deliciously wicked things and I want it all over me. Correction—I want him all over me; on me, in me, everywhere. I want him to consume me, to suffocate me in his darkness and embed me into the fabric of his being.
“That pretty little cunt better be ready for me, Lux,” he warns as we burst into his chamber, the doors slamming harshly against the walls. “Because the second I drop you on this bed, I plan on sliding my cock home and stretching you out all night long.”
“Sounds like torture,” I breathe, all but shivering in anticipation from the overwhelming sense of lust ripping through me.
“Oh, it will be.” He laughs darkly. “And you’re going to love every bloody second of it.”
No sooner do the words leave his mouth before he flings me onto his bed. His hands make quick work of yanking my drenched bikini bottom down my legs and shoving them apart, exposing me to his hungered stare.
The growl that rips free from his chest is so deep and predatory, I feel myself slickening in anticipation.
I want to taunt him, to show him what he does to me, but I don’t move, I don’t speak.
I can’t.
His reaction to my body leaves me completely hypnotized.
How his brow furrows, the way he licks his bottom lip, the way his chest heaves, how with every second he gazes a little longer his dick twitches and rises at attention.
The tiniest moan bubbles in my throat, snapping his attention up to my face. He must like what he sees because that devilish smirk plays on all his features as he sinks to his feet between my legs. With exquisite slowness, he grips my ankles and stamps featherlight kisses up my legs, first the right, then the left. They’re so soft, I barely feel them, and yet I’m trembling, pooling at the gentleness of his touch.
His eyes glow demonically in the dim lighting, literally glow, racking another pussy-clenching shiver down my spine. Like a beast stalking his prey, he comes for me, slithering his way up my body until I’m trapped beneath him with nowhere to go.
“I love you,” he vows, sliding into me in one fluid stroke. “I fucking love you.”
Balls deep in my own fantasy, I was sheer seconds away from falling over the edge within the confines of my shower, when my bloody phone started ringing.
Blaring.
The vibe harsh on the marble countertop.
Fingers freezing over my clit, I groaned frustratedly and shut off the water, rushing out to check the caller ID.
A quick scan revealed the last name I expected to see; Vic.
My stomach churned violently.
No doubt this had to do with Roscoe firing him.
Wrapping my towel around myself, I swiped the screen and connected the call, throwing it on speaker.
“You’re wasting your time if you’re trying to get your job back,” I answered, deciding my usual bitchy demeanor would probably be best.
Vic laughed weakly, but it was far from one of amusement. “Trust me, Lux—the last thing I want is my fucking job back.”
“Then what the bloody hell do you want?” I snapped, sauntering into my bedroom to get dressed.
I was supposed to meet Rome soon.
“To ruin you.” That’s all he offered, and he sounded deathly serious.
Goose pimples prickled my skin at the vengeful edge of his voice, an uneasy chill rapidly working its way through my being.
Rather than revealing my cards, than revealing the depth of my trepidation, I laughed out loud, pulling a tank top free from my dresser. “Is that so? Go on, Vic. Humor me.”
“He’s lying to you,” he deadpanned, stilling me in place.
“Who?”
“Your boy toy.”
His faint snicker widened my eyes.
There’s no way he knew about Rome and I. We’d been so careful…
“You must have me confused with someone else.” I tried playing it off, pulling the top over my head. “I don’t have a—”
“Cut the crap, Lux. I know all about you and Rome. I have for a while now,” he sneered. “Your little performance at Vybe was quite entertaining. Not exactly a convincing one, but very entertaining.”
I nearly swallowed my tongue.
Realization rushed me with such speed, my head almost spun.
He’d been at Vybe…and he matched the stalker description to a T…
“Apparently, the two of you thought I was a fool,” he continued as I stood there processing. “Turns out, the only fool here is you.”
My head reared back in ire. “How am I a fool?”
“I told you, he’s lying to you.”
“And what exactly is he lying about?” I pressed, sliding into my knickers and a pair of denim shorts.
“About me.”
“What do you mean about you?”
“Roman didn’t just magically decide to start a war with you, sweetheart. He came into your life because of me. Might be a newsflash for you, but I’d been planning to take you down for quite some time. Knowing how difficult of a task that would be, I enlisted Rome to lend a helping hand—you know, since we worked so well together on the streets of London as young lads.”
Forget his mention of taking me down—that didn’t concern me. Plenty of imbeciles had tried to overrule me before. All I heard, all my brain could focus on was the last bit.
“Young lads?” I hedged, shuffling over to my bed.
Something told me I needed to sit—stat.
“Indeed. Rome and I have known each other well over a decade.”
Well over a decade…
I let that sink in, let what it possibly meant sink in.
If this was true then…
No, it can’t be.
“So you mean to tell me, this whole time, you knew who Phantom was?”
“Knew who he was, what his next move would be, where to find him,” he chuckled darkly. “Watching you run around like a chicken without a head was quite comical.”
“How do I know you’re not lying?” I pressed, praying like I’d never prayed before that it was all a lie.
Not for his sake, but for Rome’s.
“Why would I lie about knowing the wanker?”
“To fuck with my head.”
“Meh. I’m over that,” he chortled. “I’m just looking to even the score after he beat me to fucking a pulp over you.”
“I don’t believe you,” I gritted out, but deep down, knowing what Rome was capable of, a part of me did. “When did this supposedly happen?”
“An hour ago, maybe a little more. Motherfucker
left me nearly unconscious with a few broken bones and a bullet graze to my side. I’m sitting in the emergency room as we speak.”
I cringed at the visual that unloaded in my mind’s eye. “I want proof,” I demanded, praying harder still.
The timelines added up perfectly.
Our dinner—the one cancelled last minute—was supposed to be at 7…it was now 8:23 and I’d still not heard a word from him.
A minute later, my phone pinged. “Check your texts,” Vic claimed.
Exiting the call screen, I tapped my way into my text messages and clicked on Vic’s name now bolded at the very top.
“Oh my god.” The image he sent was absolutely horrifying.
He was black and blue, dried smatterings of blood clinging to his skin. His entire face was mostly swollen, too, but the worst of it all was around his eyes. It looked like he’d been stung by a swarm of wasps. And the images of his body—I couldn’t even stomach them. They were gnarly.
“Mhmm.” Vic piped up again. “He did the same when he caught Leo and I with Liza.”
At the mention of their names, any hope I had just about shriveled away.
“You and Leo?” I asked, my voice suddenly clogged with emotion.
“Indeed—in the Milani’s office. Wasn’t the first time we’d fucked her, together or otherwise. That little bitch was a twisted, cock-loving whore. Not that Rome knew, of course. He was too busy playing King of the streets with her.”
Vic chuckled at the memory, meanwhile I sat there withholding an ocean of tears in disbelief.
It was true.
As deceitful, backstabbing, and despicable as Vic was, it was all true. There’s no way he’d know about Liza or Leo, or any of that otherwise.
Which meant Roman had been lying to me since day one.
The knot in my stomach tightened all the more, shooting bile up my throat like a bullet. I wanted to wretch all over the place.
How could he do this to me?
“I need to go, Vic,” I croaked.
“Mmm, I’m sure you do.” The bastard sounded so damned pleased. “Off to call to your King, I’m sure?”
Just the sound of that name wounded me all the more, the ache in my chest so piercing, I almost couldn’t breathe.
