The Skull Crusher

by Penelope Sky

  Lucian was quiet for a long time, probably because I’d just slapped him with my words.

  “Give me what I want, and I might give her back to you.”

  “I’m not giving you a damn thing. But I will get her back anyway.”

  “Good luck with that.” I’d like to see him try. It would be impossible to break through my power and defenses, but it would be comical to see him make the attempt. “The longer you draw this out, the more fun it is for me.”

  “The fun is about to stop.”

  “I don’t know about that. Every night I’m having the time of my life—deep inside your wife. By the way, she’s got the tightest pussy. You must really miss her.” I wanted to taunt him as much as possible, to torture him in every way I could.

  There was no rebuttal he could make to a crass comment like that, so he did the only thing he could.

  He hung up.

  WHEN WE WERE A MILE AWAY, I made the call.

  It rang a few times before Hunter answered. Judging by his bubbly tone, he had no idea I was about to arrive at his property with a dozen Hummers and sixty armed men. “Balto, what a nice surprise.”

  “Yes, I hope it is a nice surprise. I’ve decided to stop by for a visit. I’ll arrive at your gates in less than a minute. The doors better be open by the time I arrive. Understood?” I wasn’t stopping by for a chat over a glass of scotch. I had strong reason to believe this man crossed me, betrayed the Skull Kings so he could stuff more cash into his pockets. That was something I couldn’t allow.

  Hunter’s enthusiasm dialed way down. “And the purpose of this surprise visit?”

  “Irrelevant.” We arrived at the driveway, and I was pleased to see the gates had just been opened. I hung up and stared out the window as we drove farther up the long driveway. Men were posted everywhere, working to load a gray van near the fountain.

  I spotted Hunter in front of his house, clearly unnerved by my formidable arrival. Hummer after Hummer pulled into the roundabout, full of armed men with enough ammunition to tear this entire place apart.

  If Hunter were smart, he would assume I knew about his little ploy.

  My Hummer stopped and I hopped out, my men doing the same. They held their rifles with bulletproof vests strapped across their chests. All I had was the pistol tucked into the back of my jeans.

  Hunter stared at me, his blue eyes focused and defensive. His arms hung by his sides, and his pistol was visible on his hip. He surveyed the scene in front of him with a powerful face, but there was no denying the tightness of his facial features. The lights posted around the property made everything easily visible. We got lucky we’d arrived just when they put the product into the van for distribution.

  My shoes crunched against the gravel as I made my way toward him. The sound of each step filled the tense silence. When I reached him, I could see just how annoyed he was. Minutes ago, he was carefree and happy. But now he knew he was in serious shit. “Hunter.”

  “Balto.” He stepped closer to me and placed his hands on his hips. “This is quite an entrance.”

  “Skull Kings are a bit dramatic. But effective.” I glanced at the van then looked back at him. There were over a hundred men on the property, all armed and waiting for whatever would happen next. We outnumbered them three to one, so it wasn’t in their best interest to pull the trigger first. “The month’s stash is in there?”

  Hunter kept his gaze on me. “Yes. You’ll get your money like you always do.”

  “But will I get all of it?”

  Hunter’s jaw tightened.

  “You’re a good guy, Hunter. You make an excellent product and don’t cause any trouble. I don’t like people much, but I think I like you. I want to keep liking you…but that depends on what happens next.”

  Hunter took the high road by staying silent. If he said the wrong thing now, it could be the last words he ever spoke.

  “How much is in there?” I nodded to the van.

  “At least twenty million.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Since we’ve been working together for so long, I’ll give you a chance. One of my men informed me that you’re misreporting your earnings, cutting my share significantly. Is there any truth to that statement?”

  Hunter didn’t blurt out the answer I wanted to hear. He stayed silent for a while, trying to figure out what to do.

  “A man who owns up to his mistakes is redeemable. But a man who lies…” I shook my head. “He’s worthless. I suggest you think about your answer carefully and be prepared to live with it…or die for it.” Criminal men got greedy all the time. I didn’t like to kill the ones who were productive, so if he told me the truth, I’d knock his teeth out but allow him to live. If he lied to me…there was no going back. For his sake and mine, I hoped he went for the truth.

  “No.”

  My eyes narrowed slightly, disappointed with the answer.

  “I don’t know who told you that, but they’re full of shit. We’ve been working together for—”

  “Open the van.”

  “Why?”

  “Open the fucking van.” I marched to the gray van with no windows and snapped my fingers. My men appeared with a large crowbar and popped the back door open. Both doors were pulled open and revealed the stash of drugs perfectly wrapped in their plastic containers. Piled from the floor to the ceiling, there was much more than twenty million worth. It had to be at least five times that amount. I walked back to Hunter.

  “I’m not exactly sure how much is in there,” Hunter blurted. “It’s just a guess—”

  “You expect me to believe that a man such as yourself is so careless that he doesn’t know if he as a hundred million worth of drugs or twenty? Now you’re just insulting me.” I released a loud whistle.

  Two of my men grabbed Hunter by both arms and pinned him to the ground, forcing his head against the concrete.

  “I’m sorry, alright?” Hunter tried to fight their hold, but he was outnumbered.

  All my men had their weapons focused on his army. None of his men wanted to die, so they didn’t retaliate. They didn’t defend their leader on the ground because it was a battle they couldn’t possibly win.

  “I admit it,” Hunter said. “I lied. But I won’t do it again. I’m sorry. I’m fucking sorry.” Panic caused his voice to turn high-pitched. Full of terror and fear, he started to sound like a little girl who didn’t want a spanking.

  “I gave you a chance, Hunter. You blew it.”

  “You put me on the spot—”

  I slammed my foot hard onto his skull.

  He screamed at the contact, his head thudding against the concrete from the impact.

  I slammed my foot again and again until the screaming stopped. Then it was just the sound of his skull cracking under my boot. It took a few stomps, but soon his brains were smeared across the concrete and blood dripped into the grass.

  When he was dead, I wiped my shoes on the grass then walked up to the first man I saw. “You’re in charge now. Take care of the shipment and keep the operation going. Cross me—and the same thing will happen to your skull.”

  14

  CASSINI

  Four days came and went, and Balto didn’t come home.

  It was a cruel punishment.

  At first, I was relieved that he wouldn’t hurt me, but then I realized there were things worse than physical pain.

  Like being locked in a tower.

  I spent my time reading, watching TV, and eating everything he left for me in the fridge. Time passed so slowly, but I refused to call him because I was too proud. I’d tried to get some leverage over him, but he continued to hang up on me.

  Fucking bastard.

  A mischievous idea came to mind, so I pulled on a new piece of lingerie and stood in front of the full-length mirror. I snapped a few pictures before I texted them to Balto. Look at what you’re missing.

  The three dots never appeared.

  He never texted me back.

  Jackas
s.

  I sat in the living room and waited for the time to pass. He had to come back eventually, as much as he enjoyed torturing me. I didn’t just feel vulnerable, but I felt neglected, like a dog that had been abandoned.

  Next time, I would think twice before pissing him off. He definitely served me a cold dish of revenge.

  The elevator beeped, and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. It’d been four painfully long days, and now he was finally back. I should be too pissed to be excited, but I was relieved I wouldn’t be alone in this building any longer. The strongest man I’d ever laid eyes on had just returned to the fortress. Now I didn’t have to worry about all the evil men who wanted to do terrible things to me. Balto was like a scarecrow—he could chase all the birds away.

  I rose to my feet to greet him, wearing his boxers that were rolled a dozen times to stay on my hips. I wore one of my camisoles without a bra, lounging around the house because I had nothing else to do.

  The elevator doors opened and revealed the man I’d missed every moment since he left. With the same blue eyes, sharp cheekbones, and powerful shoulders, he was a beautiful man. He stepped inside, looked me up and down, and then whistled. “Damn. Look at those legs.” He was in a blue t-shirt and black jeans, and his muscular arms stretched the cotton. He approached me, his eyes devouring me like he’d never seen me before. “I would love to feel them wrapped around my head.”

  The excitement slowly drained from my veins when I detected something different about him. It looked just like him, everything identical. But that smile was different. The choice of words was different. Balto was a man of few words and rarely complimented me like that. If he really wanted me, he just grabbed me by the hair and took me. His eyes didn’t roam with desire. There was never any time for that.

  He stopped right in front of me and dragged the backs of his fingers down my arm, starting from the shoulder and moving to my wrist. He watched his hand glide over my body, as if he’d never touched me before.

  Balto had not had a change in personality since I met him. He was always exactly the same, even when he was angry. With little emotion, he was a simple man. But this man was so identical, he had to be the man I’d been waiting for.

  “You are beautiful, sweetheart.” His fingers moved to my hair, and he gently felt the strands.

  My eyes widened in alarm because Balto had never called me that. He used a very different nickname and never deviated from his choice. I glanced at his left hand and noticed the iconic ring was missing, the skull diamond he never took off. He wore it to bed and in the shower. He told me he never removed it. If he didn’t have it on him now, then it was missing. And if it was missing, he’d be angrier than a hurricane.

  So this couldn’t be him.

  I stepped back. “Don’t touch me.”

  His hand remained in the air where he’d been touching my strands. His eyebrow rose, but his smile didn’t falter. “I don’t bite.”

  “Well, I do. Get out.”

  “Wow, you really do have an attitude.” He stepped forward even when I stepped back.

  “Yes, especially when I have a weapon.” I snatched the lamp sitting on the end table and yanked the cord out of the socket. The base was heavy, so it should do some real damage.

  He watched me, amused by my rage. “I hope you have something better than a lamp.”

  “My nails dig in pretty deep.”

  “Ooh.” He waggled his eyebrows. “That’s more my style.”

  I held the lamp at the ready, prepared to smack him upside the head if he came too close. “Who are you?”

  “You don’t recognize me, sweetheart?”

  “Don’t make me ask you again.” He had the same baritone voice, dripping with masculinity, and he had the exact same features. His size was similar, his frame packed with muscle. But I knew this wasn’t the man I was sleeping with. Balto mentioned he had a brother—but not a twin. “I know you aren’t Balto, so stop pretending.”

  He dropped his smile then raised both hands in surrender. “Sweetheart, calm down. I’m not gonna hurt you.”

  “No, it seems like you want to do something else to me.” Even when he lowered his hands, I kept the lamp at the ready.

  He rolled his eyes. “I didn’t expect you to be dressed like that when I walked in. Caught me off guard, alright? I’ve got a weak spot for a woman in a thin camisole with no bra. Sexy as hell. Can’t blame me for that.”

  “You shouldn’t have barged in.”

  “It’s not like there’s a doorbell. So calm down. That lamp is worthless, so put it down.”

  “I’ll put it down when you leave.”

  He rolled his eyes then pulled a gun from the back of his jeans. “Look, if I wanted to hurt you—”

  Instinctively, I struck the gun with the lamp and sent it flying across the room.

  His head snapped in the direction of the flying gun, shocked that I’d smacked it out of his hands so quickly.

  Before he could run and snatch it, I hit him upside the head with the lamp, shattering the glass on impact.

  “Jesus!” He fell to the floor, the shards surrounding him.

  I picked up the gun from the ground and clicked off the safety button. With both hands, I pointed the barrel right at the intruder, prepared to kill him if I had to. “Now who the hell are you?”

  He wiped the blood from his forehead with his hand and admired the red substance. “Shit, you got me good.”

  “And I can get you good again.” I cocked the gun.

  He rose to his feet but didn’t seem the least bit scared of the weapon in my hand. “Who do you think I am, sweetheart? I’m Balto’s brother.”

  “Stop calling me sweetheart.”

  “Why? It’s cute—as are you.”

  I stepped forward. “I will shoot you.”

  “Fine. Just not the face. I need that to get laid.”

  I lowered the gun and pointed it between his legs. “Then maybe I should shoot here.”

  “Balto wasn’t kidding. You’re definitely a handful.”

  I nodded to the elevator. “Get out. I don’t know how you got in here in the first place, but I’ll make sure you don’t come back.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t know how I got in here? Seriously, Balto didn’t tell you?”

  “Balto didn’t tell me what?”

  “Man, he really is ashamed of me, huh?” He shook his head. “That asshole.”

  I held the gun steady and tried not to be distracted by his words. It could all be a ploy for me to lose my concentration.

  “I only came up here to introduce myself. You’ve been alone for like four days, so I thought you could use the company.”

  My finger remained on the trigger. “You call that an introduction? You complimented my legs then dragged your fingers down my arm.”

  “Again, you’re a beautiful woman. I had a momentarily lapse in judgment. You should take it as a compliment. Besides, I’ve been in prison for the last six months. All I can think about is women.”

  Good thing I had the gun. “I wonder why Balto didn’t mention you…when you’re so delightful.”

  “I am delightful. We just got off on the wrong foot.”

  “I’m about to shoot you in the foot.” I changed my aim to his shoe.

  “Sweetheart, I can tell you’ve never fired a gun in your life. So just put it down—”

  “Just because I’ve never fired one of these things doesn’t mean I won’t do it now. So get the hell out and—”

  The elevator beeped, and the doors began to open.

  The man sighed. “Great…just great.”

  That could only be one person, so I was relieved.

  The doors opened fully, and Balto stepped inside. Dressed in all black, he looked like he’d spent the evening executing people. A bag was over his shoulder as he stopped in the entryway and stared at the scene in front of him.

  I still had the gun pointed at his twin, and the broken lamp was still in pieces
on the floor.

  His brother tried to brush off the situation. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

  “It’s exactly as bad as it looks,” I snapped. “He just barged in here and ran his fingers down my arm. He told me I had beautiful legs then touched my hair.”

  Balto turned his expression on his brother, his features not changing, but his mood darkening. Without blinking, he stared him down, his body so still he seemed to be made of stone.

  I lowered the gun because it felt unnecessary to keep my aim.

  Balto slowly walked toward his brother. “Is that true?”

  I clicked the safety on then set the gun on the table. It didn’t seem like I needed it anymore.

  The man held Balto’s gaze, his nostrils flaring as he sighed. “Yes, but—”

  Balto punched him so hard that he collapsed to the ground. Even with his large size, Balto moved with impressive speed. Like a snake that launched at its prey, the attack was so fast that I didn’t even see it.

  He stayed on the ground for a few seconds, his eyes blinking as he recovered from the hit. “I came to introduce myself…but got sidetracked by her outfit. It was a dick thing to do, but also harmless.”

  “Stand up so I can hit you again.”

  “This wouldn’t have happened if you’d just introduced us like I asked.”

  “And this shit is exactly why I didn’t introduce you. Now stand up like a man or be kicked like a dog. Which do you prefer?”

  He rolled his eyes before he rose to his full height again.

  Balto hit him again, sending him back to the floor.

  I actually felt bad for his brother. That looked painful.

  “We done yet?” his brother asked as he got to his feet.