Beautiful Tyrant (Enemies to Lovers - Dark Romance Book 3)

by C. P. Mandara

  Giving her a few minutes to calm down, I wait until the tears disappear. There's no point trying to have a conversation through them. It will take forever. Besides, I'm locked in the room with her until morning, so what's the rush? I might as well have some fun. When she finally stills underneath my hands, I begin talking once more.

  'There is no baby, is there?' I repeat.

  She doesn't make the mistake of trying to evade the question twice.

  'No,' she whispers, shaking her head. Her breathing is still fast but she's not taking the gulping breaths she was before. Her pulse rate is another matter, however. She's scared of me.

  'And the shoplifting?' I prod. I have a feeling that was staged for my benefit, too.

  She nods. 'It was done to lure you in. Mal thought you'd take pity on me. He wanted us married.'

  'Why?' Things are making more sense now, but I don't have all the pieces of the puzzle to hand. I still have no clue as to why Helena and Mal are working together. What on earth possessed the woman to get involved with a gangster?

  'He wants to destroy Harper. He can do that by taking you out of the picture.'

  My stomach clenches at the ease in which she recites that sentence. I wonder if she'll be the one to kill me? I don't think I want to know, so I don't ask.

  'What hold does he have over you?' I'm curious to know what persuaded her to drop all her morals and take up a life of crime. It must have been something good. Maybe Mal has caught her doing something naughty? Maybe she's one of the biggest drug addicts London has ever known, or maybe I don't have a clue.

  Helena stills beneath me. Her breathing has slowed down, and I can only feel a slight rise and fall of her chest as she manages to get herself under control. Her delay in answering me tells me that her next words will be lies.

  'Brandt, why don't we just stop all this nastiness? Forget Harper. Forget your friend. He's an ex-con, for Christ's sake. We could put all this behind us and start afresh. Mal won't be a problem, and if he is, we'll go live somewhere else. Somewhere no one can touch us.' She tries to get off my lap again, but I press a hand into her neck to hold her down. She is going nowhere for the time being.

  Perhaps she is not as smart as I thought. There is no escape from Mal once you're on his payroll. You do as he says, or you die. Anyone with half a brain could see that, so why can't she? What am I missing?

  'What hold does he have over you? Please tell me you aren't dealing drugs for him. You are not that stupid, surely?' There are no guarantees on that score. The woman has proved she can be exactly that stupid when it suits her.

  When she doesn't answer I decide it's time to remind her why she started talking in the first place. Kneading her raw backside with my hand, I smile when she jumps and yelps.

  'Want me to start again?' I don't want to slam into her ass again because my hand has had enough, but I will if that's what it takes.

  'No. What's my reward if I play nice and answer all your questions?'

  I can't believe she's just asked that. This isn't a game. I don't think she realises what the stakes are, but I guarantee Mal will make them clear in short order.

  'You get to live,' I say darkly.

  'You're not going to kill me,' she fires back. 'If you were you'd have done it by now. Anyway, you're not the type.'

  My lips tighten. Am I that easy to read? I don't think she knows how much I've changed since I've been inside. I'm not the carefree young lad she used to know. I am thousands of miles away from that person now, and there is no going back.

  I decide to meet her halfway. 'Out of curiosity, what do you want?' I suspect I will regret asking, but if it gets me answers it may be worth it.

  Helena pretends to consider my offer, but I know she's already decided exactly what she wants. If I were a mind-reader I'd say it had something to do with sex, judging by the amount of squirming that went on in the initial stages of our spanking session.

  'Hmm, let me think,' she purrs, drawing out the process.

  'I wouldn't think too long if I were you,' I grunt. 'I'm tired. If you haven't decided in the next five seconds I'm going to bed, after I truss you up, of course.' I'm not taking any chances with her. If she's the enemy, she'll be treated accordingly.

  Helena is quick enough to speak after that. 'I want an orgasm,' she pleads. 'That's not too much to ask, is it?' Her voice is a seductive whisper. I don't want to be aroused by it, but I am. Attractive naked bodies do that to me, even though I sometimes wish they wouldn't.

  'Agreed. Where are my answers?' I give her ass another squeeze to hurry the process along.

  She twists her head to frown at me, pushing straggly wisps of long blonde hair out of her eyes. 'You don't play fair, Brandt. You were always such a nice boy. What's changed?'

  I twist her head back to where it should be - looking down at the floor. 'Life has changed. Now are you talking or am I going to find more inventive ways to cause you pain?' To be honest, I haven't got the energy to do much else, but she doesn't know that.

  'Money.' The word is short and to the point, but I need more details than that.

  'As in you owe him?' If she's borrowed money from that thug she'll be in it up to her neck, but I don't understand how that could happen. Her family is rich. Why didn't she go to a bloody bank?

  'Yes, but now I'm making money. Lots of it.'

  'Please tell me you're not dealing drugs for him?' I want to smack my hand against my forehead. How thick is the woman?

  'Yes, among other things.'

  'You don't need money. Your family is filthy rich. Whatever possessed you to do something so stupid? If they catch you they'll throw you inside for even longer than I was.'

  'I'm well aware of that, but they're not going to catch me. I'd be the last person on their suspect list. Everyone thinks like you do. I've got loads of money, so I have no need to do something that ridiculous.' She shrugs.

  'That might have changed after the shoplifting incident,' I comment dryly.

  'Nah,' she replies. 'They think that was just a stunt - a way to attract Mummy and Daddy's attention.' She then visibly deflates.

  'Why do you need money, Helena?' I can't think of one good reason she would pair up with a shark like Mal. Whatever she's got herself into she's now desperate, that's for certain.

  'I made a few silly mistakes,' she says reluctantly.

  That sounds like the understatement of the century, so I immediately press for more details.

  'What did you do?' I might as well know what we're dealing with. I'm in shit up to my neck, so what's a little more between enemies?

  'I made an error of judgement,' she says sullenly. That could mean anything. I need specifics.

  'What kind of error?'

  'A gambling error.'

  Oh, fucking hell. 'What kind of money are we talking about here? Fifty thousand? One hundred?' If I know her, it will be a lot.

  'Five million.'

  I can't say anything for a minute. Helena's family may have plenty of money, but they couldn't bail her out of that one. That's an incredible sum. What the hell was she doing? Scrap that. I don't even want to know.

  'So you decided it would be sensible to source a loan from one of London's biggest crime lords? Smart move. All those years of private schooling went to good use.' I shake my head in horror.

  'Come on, Brandt. No one else would have lent me the money. You know that.' I do know that, but I also know you don't bet that kind of money if you don't have it. She'll never walk away from this. She'll either end up inside or dead. There is no middle ground.

  'You're an idiot.' I want to say a lot more, but my tongue is still in shock.

  'I'll find a way out.' Helena's voice is firm and confident. She might believe what she's saying, but I don't.

  'You won't. Take it from me. The best thing you can do is pack your bags and run. If you don't you'll be his lackey for the rest of your life.'

  'Then I'll find someone to kill him.'

  I snort. I can't help it.
'Like that'll save you. The next person who takes his place will come for you instead. There's a certain honour code among thieves. If his men are loyal, they'll finish his dirty work.'

  'I'll find a way.'

  I'm pretty sure she won't, but I don't see any point in hashing this mess out further. That reminds me.

  'Do you know Mal wants me to kill someone?' My fingers find her cunt, mostly because she'll be a little more pliable when she's aroused. I, unlike most of the people I meet, keep my word. Even when I find it extremely distasteful to do so.

  Helena almost purrs beneath my fingertips, squirming excitedly. I'd have thought the spanking would have put her off me for life, but that doesn't appear to be the case. I know she doesn't enjoy the pain - not like Harper does. Her cries were those of torment, not desire. Maybe she just hasn't had any attention in a while.

  'No,' she moans eventually, 'but it wouldn't surprise me. He always wants someone or other dead.' Helena is trying her hardest to grind her cunt into my hand, but I don't want her to come just yet; not until I'm finished with her.

  'I have a feeling it's going to be someone at our wedding party.' I need to get that out there. If Helena has any objections she'd better voice them now.

  'It had better not be my parents,' she remarks, which makes me wonder if there is something still human inside of her. 'I'm not all that fond of most of my relatives, but even so, if Mal starts putting holes in my family I am not going to be impressed.'

  'With all due respect to your parents, I'm not sure they're important enough to kill.' I'm not joking. While her parents aren't short of a bob or two, they aren't the kind of people you'd bother to get rid of. Father is a scientist who studies molecular biology, and mother does sweet FA, bar chair a few charities in order to make her husband look good.

  'Probably not. Well, as long as it's not a family member I don't mind who you kill, so long as you don't get caught.'

  'Oh, Mal won't let me get caught, so you can rest easy on that score.' My fingers begin moving more quickly over her clit, and I smile as I hear her breath hitch. It is quite possible she will be the last woman I ever bring to orgasm. Maybe I should savour this moment, but I'm not that desperate yet. I may be in a day or two, but not yet.

  'What's that supposed to mean?' she squeaks, and they're the last words she utters for some time. My fingers are slipping inside her, rubbing that sweet spot that drives all women wild. That's one of the few things Gabriel taught me. That, and never let your enemy think they're your enemy. Always keep them unbalanced. Sex is a weapon. I didn't learn it until I was on the wrong side of a set of iron bars, but I learnt the lesson well.

  'It means I'll be dead,' I say softly. 'On the plus side, you'll be able to have the marriage annulled. It will be a short but sweet affair, mon petite.'

  Dragging out her orgasm for the better part of half an hour, I finally let her come, but only after she has begged me incessantly to do so, using every fucking swear word under the sun.

  It feels good to reduce Helena to her base desires, much like an animal. Now she knows what I feel like. Now she knows how much it hurts.

  Chapter Twelve - Harper

  I can hear the screams through the thin wall, which is all that separates me from Gabriel, Mal and some poor sod who will never live to see the light of day again. The victim's screams won't haunt me, though. Once upon a time they would keep me awake for hours on end, but I've become anaesthetised to them over the years. Now all they produce is a wince and a shudder, mostly because I'm more concerned about what's going to happen to me once the noises stop. They always stop eventually. Mal never lets one live. No one tied to his chair walks out alive.

  I know Gabriel is out there being manipulated by Mal, and that he'll do everything he's told. I know this because I would, too. You obey, or you die. I'm getting tired of obeying, though. I know dying will be messy and painful, but life under Mal won't be much different, and at least dying will eventually put an end to the pain. How long could Mal drag my death out for? A week, maybe two at most? I shudder. I don't want to think about it. I'm fairly certain it will be far worse than I could ever imagine, and I can imagine a lot.

  The sound of a gunshot from outside makes me jump, as it always does, and straight after my heartrate rockets. It will only be a matter of minutes before Mal and Gabriel are back here, and then it will be my turn to suffer. Except I won't get the release of knowing a bullet in the brain will be waiting for me when it's all over. My death won't be that easy.

  Tipping my head up, so that my eyes rest on the yellowed, smoked-stained ceiling, I wonder if Gabriel would kill me if I asked him nicely? The idea has merit. He doesn't want me around because he's worried I'll take Brandt away from him, and with me out of the picture who will stand in his way?

  I don't get to examine the thought further because Gabriel bursts in, and I want to retch just looking at the blood-soaked state he's in.

  He doesn't say a word, just flings a pair of pliers and something else that looks dangerously electrical on the bed, before heading straight for the bathroom. He doesn't look at me as he stalks off, which tells me all I need to know. Things are about to get messy, and I'm really not going to like it. Now I have two men who can't stand me, and they're both ganging up to see who can cause me the most damage.

  When Mal saunters in he has a smug smile on his face. It's a look I know all too well.

  'Looking forward to this evening?' he comments, carefully looking me up and down. I suspect he's planning what he's about to do next in glorious detail.

  'Can't wait,' I reply. I might be about to die sometime in the next couple of weeks, but I don't see why I have to go quietly.

  'Why can't you just do as you're told?' Mal stops walking when his face is about two inches from mine. It's far too close for comfort, but I don't shrink away from him. We've been doing this dance for years.

  'You'd have got bored with me almost instantly, if I had,' I reply. It's the truth. Mal's had a lot of women in his life, and out of all of them I've lasted the longest. Mainly because I wasn't his to begin with. I proved a bit of a challenge, and he likes that. He likes crushing things, breaking their spirit and walking all over them. He wants to feel powerful and unstoppable. He's just a controlling asshole.

  'Maybe. Maybe not. We'll never know now, will we?' He slides his head forward until I can feel his breath on my lips. I want to recoil, but I don't. There's no point angering him. I'll hurt enough if we're on good terms, I don't want to think about what will happen if I get him mad.

  'Why don't you just finish this now? Get rid of me and start afresh. Find someone who'll enjoy working for you as well as crawling all over your cock and obeying your every sordid little command.' My lips reach out to brush against his as I say it, and taunt him with a soft puff of breath.

  'I've already told you that would be too easy, pet. I like to watch things suffer. You haven't; not nearly enough. Soon, though. Don't worry, you've got yours coming. I've put a lot of effort into making sure your last few days are going to be spectacular. I'm fairly certain you're going to enjoy every second of it.' He takes my top lip between his teeth and bites. I don't give him the satisfaction of hearing me whimper. I'll be screaming later whether I want to or not, but for now he can deal with my utter contempt. My eyes relay the loathing and hatred I feel as I stare at him with ill-concealed disdain. He can go fuck himself. I'll get a slap for my troubles, but I don't care. At least it will be a warm-up for the slaughterhouse act to follow.

  It never comes, though. Gabriel breaks up the tension as he slams the bathroom door behind him and Mal releases my lip as his head snaps around to make sure no one's coming for his throat.

  Gabriel isn't that stupid. He's dressed in nothing more than a white bathrobe, and while it shouldn't look sexy, it does. That's mostly because I know he's completely naked underneath it. Tonight's bloodbath will be easier than normal. I only have to look at that man before my panties melt right off my body, and any pain I take for him
will be all the sweeter for it. I decide not to mention this to Mal, though. I don't want him to kill Gabriel as well. Brandt will need a friend when this is all over. At least, I hope he will.

  'What do you want me to do, Boss?' Gabriel stands there, his arms crossed, looking expectantly at Mal. He stays a safe distance away for the moment, almost as if he knows he makes Mal nervous. Interesting.

  'Good question.' Mal turns to me. 'What would you like him to do to you, darlin'? Any requests?'

  'I'd like him to do whatever pleases you, darling.' This is an old game. If I stick to the script there's a chance I'll leave the room with all my bones intact. If not, it will be the worse for me. The good news is that I'm used to playing by the rules.

  Mal's chest puffs out in pride when he hears me speak. He looks like a proud little peacock. Oh, if only he could see Gabriel's face right now. The rage that sits below his furrowed brow is quite a sight to behold.

  'See how well I've trained her, Gabriel? It takes years, that does. You have to get them young and beat it into them, bit by bit. Most of them don't put up much of a struggle for long. Not if you do it right, anyway.' Gabriel's face darkens, but he doesn't say anything. He's a man who knows when to speak and when to stay silent. I don't think we'll get much out of him while Mal's around, and that's a fairly sensible move. Brandt was lucky to have found Gabriel while he was inside. Without him, I suspect there was a good chance he would have died.

  Mal gets impatient as the silence stretches. 'Well, that's quite an invitation, isn't it? What would you like to do to her?' Mal turns around to examine Gabriel's face, but his expressionless mask is now firmly back in place. He can change moods faster than I can click my fingers. One might almost wonder whose side he's on. It wouldn't do to trust him in a hurry, but he's Brandt's friend, so that must mean something. At least, I hope it does.

  'Hmm.' Gabriel appears to be thinking Mal's request over. Approaching us slowly, he then says, 'May I?' He's looking at me as he says it, and I feel every limb in my body tighten. A burst of energy surges through me, but there's no chance of running. Mal has me trussed up tighter than a pig at a luau. Escape has never been an option for me. I generally settle for survival, and even that's been a stretch lately.