by Penelope Sky
I opened my eyes and stared into the darkness, seeing his muscular silhouette. He stripped down until he was naked then got into bed beside me. “You alright?” I mumbled, still half asleep.
He grabbed my arm and rolled me to my back so he could get on top of me. “I appreciate your concern, but you don’t need to worry about me.” He lifted up my pajama shirt and pulled my panties down my legs so he could get inside me. He separated my legs then pushed into my entrance, slowly sinking until he was completely sheathed. “You’re always wet, aren’t you?”
My hands dug into his hair as I pulled his face close to mine. “For you.”
I stepped out of my office with a folder of papers that needed to be scanned and stored on our server. I’d made the mistake of wearing the shoes that killed my feet, and since the day wasn’t even halfway over, it had been a really stupid idea to choose them.
I’d been staring at my feet, so I didn’t notice the man I practically ran into. “Oh, sorry.” I dropped the folder on the ground, the papers scattering everywhere. “I was looking at my stupid shoes and didn’t notice.” I bent down to gather everything.
The guy helped me. “Why are your shoes stupid?”
I recognized him right away—Maddox Stine. It was spooky because my mother and I had been discussing him just days ago. Now he was in front of my office again, even after our last tense conversation. “Because they’re beautiful…but painful.”
“That seems to be how everything is.” He rose to his feet and handed me the papers he’d grabbed.
I returned them to my folder. “Nice to see you again, Maddox. Anything I can help you with?” Letting on about my discomfort was weak. If I wanted to be respected, I needed to seem fearless. If Hades was ever concerned about a situation, he hid it deep down inside, maintaining his rigid poker face. I did the same.
That was when Maddox gave me that eerie stare, that coldness that went all the way down to my bones. It was an unblinking stare, but it lacked hostility. He almost seemed mesmerized by my face, as if he were searching for my soul and all of my secrets.
I looked past his shoulder and saw Hades round the corner at the end of the hallway. He spoke to one of the girls in HR, but in seconds, he would realize I had been cornered by this creepy guy and handle it.
He would come to my rescue any minute…thankfully.
Maddox was unaffected by the lingering silence. He continued to stare at me, so confident in the situation that it made him seem more sinister by the second. “Two things.” His deep voice was low, but the delicate volume didn’t make him more welcoming. “I’d like to host an exclusive dinner at your hotel.”
“Of course. I can arrange that.” Maybe he wasn’t that creepy at all. Maybe his external package didn’t match the innocent person underneath. “How many guests?”
He ignored the question. “And secondly, what’s a woman like you doing with a man like him?”
It wasn’t a threat, but I certainly took it that way. All the air left my lungs, and my body tensed, like I had been cornered by Lance once more, prepared to fight for my life. Maddox didn’t say it in a flirtatious way, like a man trying to get me into bed even though I was a married woman. This seemed personal…even though he didn’t know me.
My eyes glanced past his shoulder once more.
Hades finished his conversation and turned toward us. He was dressed in one of his luxurious suits, looking like a powerhouse who could kill any man with just a look. He oozed threat. I’d never been so relieved to see him, so relieved that this man was my husband.
His eyes met mine, immediately affectionate. Then he glanced at the man beside me, and that warm look instantly faded away, becoming an iceberg in the arctic. He even stopped in his tracks, staring at the man’s backside like he knew exactly who it was. Less than two seconds passed before he moved forward again, this time ignoring me altogether because I wasn’t important in the situation.
All he cared about was Maddox.
He moved toward us swiftly, and like a protective bear, he positioned himself in front of me, his large size obscuring me from view. He was the same height as Maddox, so the two men locked eyes, staring each other down with silent threat.
Once Hades was in front of me, I felt safe. I released the breath I’d been holding in my lungs as the relief washed over my body. Now that he was here, nothing would happen to me. Maddox would be disposed of, and he would be too terrified to ever return. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, clutching the folders to my chest.
The men continued to let the silence stretch, as if whoever spoke first lost all their power.
I stepped sideways slightly, so I could see the two men face off.
Hades finally spoke. “Leave.”
Maddox’s eyes shifted back and forth a little.
“I said, leave.” Hades took a step forward, but Maddox didn’t take a step back. “Don’t come back.”
Maddox showed a slight grin. “That’s pretty hard to do…considering how beautiful your wife is.”
Hades moved in closer. “You think I won’t kill you right on the spot?” Hades discreetly pulled a blade from the inside of his jacket, pointing it right at Maddox’s chest.
Maddox didn’t glance at the weapon. “No.”
Hades cocked his head slightly.
“Because if you do, you’ll never see Damien again.” A slow grin stretched across his lips, eventually taking up the entire bottom half of his face. Every tooth was on display, a grin so eerie he looked like a maniacal clown. His eyes widened, his blue eyes twice the size they’d been before.
Hades was silent, probably unable to process the terrible words he’d just heard.
Maddox gave me a final look and a subtle nod before he turned around and walked down the hallway. His hands slid into his pockets, and he walked with a powerful gait. Underneath those clothes was a fit man with endless tricks up his sleeve.
Hades didn’t turn around until Maddox was gone from the hallway.
“Why aren’t you going after him?” I blurted once we were alone. “He has Damien.”
He slipped the blade back into his suit as he turned around to look at me. His face was pale, ghostly white like his strained knuckles. “Because I have to protect you first.”
10
Hades
Damien was more than just a friend.
He was family.
He was everything.
So when I heard Maddox say those horrifying words, I was actually scared.
It was the first time in my life I’d been truly afraid.
So fucking afraid.
“Hades?” Sofia grabbed my biceps and gave me a gentle squeeze. Her fingers showed her concern, her eyes showed her devastation. She watched me fall apart, watched me panic. “Are you okay?”
My greatest enemy had my greatest friend. “No.” I pushed down her hands. “I need to get you home.”
She didn’t try to touch me again.
What if I hadn’t walked into the Tuscan Rose at that moment? I was supposed to have a meeting at the bank, but it had been canceled at the last minute. Maybe Maddox knew that, which was why he decided to make his move then. What if he’d gotten Sofia too?
What would I have done?
I grabbed her hand and pulled her with me to the outside of the hotel. I got her into my car and sped through the streets like a madman, trying to get her to the safest place she could be while I figured this out.
I should be hunting down Damien instead…but I had to keep her safe.
He would understand.
“What are you going to do?” she asked from her side of the car.
I ignored her.
“Hades?”
“Not now, Sofia.” I’d warned Damien to back off, but he fucking did it anyway. Now he was hidden away somewhere, a prisoner about to be tortured until Maddox got what he wanted from me. I’d already killed his brother…would he do the same to me?
Sofia turned quiet, but she was still restless.
I got her to the house and made some calls. I moved more security detail to the property, making sure no one got in or out of the place. It was on lockdown. Snipers couldn’t pierce the windows with their bullets because they were all bulletproof. Maddox would know I’d brought her here, but that didn’t mean he could reach her.
When we were in our bedroom, I made sure the patio doors were shut before I made more calls.
Sofia sat in one of the armchairs, watching me pace the room as I interrogated my men to figure out the last place Damien had been seen. I gathered that he’d been in Florence, tailing Maddox, before he was dragged out of his car and taken away. No one had any idea where he went.
I hung up and slammed my closed fist into my chest. “Fuck.”
Sofia’s eyes moved back and forth as she watched me.
I didn’t want to call Maddox because that was exactly what he was hoping for. He wanted to make a deal, making me trade Damien for whatever he wanted. But since I had no idea where Maddox took Damien, I couldn’t save my best friend first. And if I waited too long, I knew Maddox would kill Damien.
What if he wanted Sofia?
What if that was the trade? What would I do? I couldn’t live without him…but I couldn’t live without her.
I finally looked at my wife, who was sitting in her dress, clearly afraid from everything that had just happened. She watched me with emotion in her eyes, like she was just as concerned about Damien’s life as I was. “What did Maddox say to you?” I stood with my arms by my sides, wishing my phone would ring in my palm with news.
“I should have told you this before…” Her voice escaped as a whisper, broken with emotion.
I took a step toward her. “Told me what?”
She looked at the rug underneath her feet before she lifted her chin to meet my look. “A few months ago, he came to my office…”
Jesus.
“Gustavo had mentioned to him that I needed a husband, and he wanted to throw his hat in the ring. I told him I was already marrying you…”
I closed my eyes as the terror gripped me by the throat. My enemy had sights on my wife long before I even knew about it.
“He seemed angry, but I didn’t realize he knew you. Then he left.”
“Did you see him any other time?”
“No. Today was the first time. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before… I didn’t think it was relevant.”
I should keep my anger under control because it wasn’t her fault, but I couldn’t. “I’m your husband. You tell me everything, every minute detail that you think is insignificant. Maybe it’s nothing to you, but it could be something to me. Don’t you ever pull that shit again. You see anything even remotely suspicious, you tell me.” I shoved my thumb into my chest. “You understand me?”
Her attitude didn’t flare. “Yes.”
I was so livid that nothing could keep me calm. Damien was probably going to die, and there was nothing I could do about it. “What did he say to you?”
“First, he said he was interested in hosting a dinner at the hotel…then he told me I shouldn’t be married to you.”
I wished I’d killed him a long time ago. None of this would be happening. Maddox was ready to wipe me out, probably waiting years to gather as much information about me as possible. “Anything else?”
“No…you walked over.”
I started to pace the room again, my hand dragging down my face as I tried to figure out my next move. If I didn’t know where Damien was, that I meant I had to play Maddox’s game, regardless of what he was about to ask me.
I just hoped he didn’t ask for the one thing I couldn’t give.
Sofia rose to her feet. “What are you going to do?”
“I have no idea where Maddox is. My men don’t have a location on Damien. That means I have to call him…which is exactly what he wants.”
“He’ll want something from you?” she whispered.
I walked to the window, my hands on my hips as I examined the city below. “Yes.”
“What do you think that will be?”
I didn’t want to tell her my theory…because it would only scare her. “Don’t know. But I’m sure I won’t like it.” I typed in the number then pushed the phone to my ear, letting it ring as I waited for that creepy voice to erupt through the speaker.
“You’ve gotten your wife to a safe location, and you’ve had time to realize you have no idea where your dear friend is. You have no idea where I am. Now you’re playing your one and only card…to listen to my demands.”
My jaw clenched as the rage coursed through my veins. I felt like his little bitch, and that made my teeth grind together so hard that it hurt my roots. If this weren’t about Damien, I would just hang up and leave him to his fate. But that was the difference between Maddox and me. To him, everything was disposable. To me, there were things I could never let go. That gave him the power…and that gave me nothing.
“Ready?” There was so much arrogance in his voice. He was already pissing on my grave even though he had yet to claim my life. I was in the palm of his hand, and he enjoyed squeezing the air out of my lungs.
I didn’t want to answer, didn’t want to play his sick and twisted game, but I couldn’t abandon Damien. I couldn’t let him be tortured until he begged for death. He would never let it happen to me. “Yes.” I hated myself for caving, hated myself for submitting to this fucking tyrant.
“Good. Damien will appreciate it since he’s a bit uncomfortable right now.”
I closed my eyes, pain everywhere.
“Hear. Listen.”
“No—”
“Agh!” Damien screamed when someone struck him.
My hand covered my face because it was torture, picturing him covered in blood and writhing in pain.
Maddox came back to the phone. “I’ve been torturing him all day. I knew it would take a while to crack him. Once he was ready to sing, I paid your wife a visit.”
I’d been going about my day like everything was normal…oblivious to Damien’s demise. “What do you want, Maddox?” I kept my voice steady, refusing to let the emotion in my chest escape into my throat.
“Can I give you some advice?” he asked, smug as ever.
I closed my eyes again.
“Just let me kill him. My demands aren’t worth his life. In a twisted way, I actually respect you, Hades. You didn’t want to kill my brother, but you did because you had to. You didn’t cave… Admirable.”
Disgusting. “You’re an asshole.” How could he say that about his own flesh and blood? His sister-in-law was a widow now, a single mother to two young children. She was abandoned…and all of that could have been avoided.
“Thank you,” he said, a smile in his voice. “You should be an asshole as well. I know you’ve got a soft spot for this man, but he’s not worth it. He shouldn’t have been tailing me, especially when you told him not to. His ambitions are too big for his capabilities. Let him pay his punishment. He deserves it.”
“Don’t you want me to give you what you want?”
“Not necessarily. I’ll get it no matter what, whether it’s now or later.”
I took a deep breath, making sure the air didn’t hit the speaker on the phone.
Maddox sighed in disappointment. “Alright. I’ll return Damien…if you retire.”
It was far too much to ask, but I was actually relieved by the request. I feared he’d want something far more valuable…like my wife.
“I really hope you don’t cave so easily,” Maddox said. “I would much rather have a war than a simple conversation. Far too boring for men like us.”
I’d have to give up my entire business, my billion-dollar empire, to save Damien’s life. It was my life’s work, something I was proud of. I’d built it from the ground up, made a respectable name for myself on the street. It had led to other opportunities. It made men afraid of me. It gave me everything I wanted…including Sofia.
“You’re going to say yes, aren�
��t you?” he asked. “You’re really going to close up shop for one man.” He sighed into the phone. “That’s so disappointing, Hades. You’re the only opponent who can challenge me, who actually gives me something to strive for. With you gone, I’ll be bored. So, are you sure you want to do that? Come on. Friendship is just as stupid as love. Men like us need power, loyalty, and sex. That other shit is for pussies.”
If it were anyone else, I would never cave. That made me realize how much of a liability Damien was, that I had someone I would do anything for. But it didn’t change anything. My business wasn’t worth his life. “I agree. Loyalty is everything…and I’m loyal to Damien. You should have been loyal to your own fucking brother.”
The psychopath had the audacity to laugh. “He would have done the same to me.”
“I doubt it.” I remembered the relief on his face when I got Maddox on the phone. He thought he was free.
“Then I would have been disappointed in him.”
This man really was the devil.
“That’s your final decision?” he asked, talking like he didn’t just shit all over his brother’s memory.
I’d be lying if I said I weren’t upset I had to give everything up. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t annoyed with Damien for getting mixed up in this. Nothing about it was fair. But nonetheless, I knew my answer. “Yes.”
Tuscany was a large place. For hundreds of miles, there were small villages, wine estates, and countryside. It extended all the way to the west until you reached the sea. It was easy to hide in the beauty, to disappear off the face of the earth.
Maddox sent me the coordinates, and we drove our vehicles off-road until we were deep in the lush landscape, so far away from the nearest person that gunshots couldn’t be heard by anyone within miles.
I sat in the back seat and saw Maddox leaning against the front of his truck, his arms crossed over his chest, his annoying grin on his face.
It was evening, pitch black with the exception of the headlights from the cars. The stars were bright overhead because the country was asleep, its lights dim. I sighed as I stared at him, wishing I could just blow him into a million pieces.