by Penelope Sky
His look was as cold as ever.
“Cane.”
He refused to look at me, keeping his thoughts hidden.
“Do we have an understanding or not?”
His resentful increased by the second. His cold nature filled the room, making it fill like winter rather than summer. He was childish by nature and immature by stature, hating the fact he always lived in my shadow. Our father picked on me more than Cane, but that was because I was the first son. Cane never appreciated that. “I guess.”
“That’s not a sufficient answer.”
“What the hell do you want me to say?” he snapped. “Do you want me to bow? Do you want me to get on my knees and kiss your feet?”
“I just want you to have my back—like I have yours.”
He gave me a sneer. “You stopped having my back the second that cunt came into the picture.”
“No. You stopped having mine.”
“Fine. Whatever.” He uncrossed his arms and stopped leaning against the couch. “But I want Bones to buried six feet under. I want him to have a death so painful he’ll suffer in the next life. Got it?”
That was something we could finally agree on. “Got it.”
“Alright. Now let’s take him down.”
I pulled my gun out of my jeans and set it on the counter.
Cane watched my movements. “What are you doing?”
I cracked my knuckles and stretched my arms. “Our deal still stands. But I have to get retribution for what you did to me. You broke into my house and beat her to an inch from life. I’ll never forgive you for that. I’ll never forget how much you hurt her.”
Cane’s surprise vanished. He even seemed a little bored. “I suspected this was coming...”
“An eye for an eye.” This wouldn’t make Button feel better but she deserved justice. She was just an innocent woman caught in a firestorm of testosterone. But she would be represented just like everyone else. “I’m going to take pictures of my handiwork and show them to her.” Just as he did with Bones.
“She asked you to do this?” he asked incredulously.
“No.” I pulled my arm back and slugged him hard across the face, making blood fly from his nose and mouth. “I’m doing this just for me.”
***
When I entered the bedroom I was disappointed to see that she was sitting up in bed with her knees pulled to her chest. The fire had dimmed to hot coals and the room was hardly lit by the flames. But there was enough light to see the expression on her face. She was worried, having no idea where I went or when I would return.
I walked inside and set my gun on the table near the door. The safety was gone and it wasn’t even loaded.
She turned her eyes on me and the relief spread across her face. “You’re back...thank goodness.”
“I would never leave you unprotected. There are guards outside.”
“I don’t care about that. I was worried about you.”
I kept my hands from her sight so she wouldn’t see the dried blood caked into the skin. “You never have to worry about me.”
She grabbed my arm and pulled me to the bed the second I was close enough. She wasn’t strong enough to force me to do anything, but once she touched me I complied. “Where were you?”
I didn’t like being questioned. It went against my authority. “I’m not a fan of interrogation.”
“Answer me. You snuck out in the middle of the night for a reason.”
“No. Sometimes business must be done during the night.”
“Or you didn’t want me to know what you were doing.”
“Maybe.” I held my tongue and stared at the fire.
“Crow.” She commanded me with just her voice. She was broken and weak, but she still retained the authority of a general. “Tell me.” Her hair was a mess from tossing and turning, and the t-shirt was a several sizes too big. If her lips were red and puckered it would look like she’d just been fucked hard.
I had to focus. “I went to see Cane.”
“Oh...” Hatred filled her eyes but she didn’t speak of it. It was a fine line she didn’t cross. She wanted to insult him but she held her tongue because he was my brother. She had too much respect for me.
And I didn’t deserve it. “I straightened things out with him. He won’t bother you.”
Her eyes glowed from the flames in the fire.
“And then I gave him what he deserved.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and opened the pictures.
She didn’t look at them. “What happened to your hands?”
I held the phone out to her. “You’ll see.”
She stared at the phone and navigated through the different pictures, seeing Cane just as messed up as she was. Blood was everywhere and he was beaten until he passed out. “You didn’t have to do that...”
“Yes, I did.” I didn’t have any regrets. “He trespassed on my property and violated my guest. I don’t care if he’s family. I couldn’t let him get away with that. I couldn’t let him hurt you and do nothing about it. He’s lucky I didn’t kill him.”
“I wouldn’t have wanted you to kill him.”
I couldn’t hold back my surprise. I turned to her, unable to believe what I just heard. “You shouldn’t feel pity for him.”
“He’s your brother. I wouldn’t want you to lose your last family member.”
How could she say that after he tried to rape her twice and then beat her senseless? “He doesn’t deserve your compassion.”
“No. But you do.”
I turned away because I couldn’t hold her look anymore.
“I just wish I understood why. Why is he so intent on hurting me? He ripped me apart like I’d wronged him in some way. That kind of brutality doesn’t come from nowhere. It comes with a reason.”
I didn’t want to tell her the truth. Not because I had something to hide or wanted to keep it a secret. It was just painful to talk about. I’d avoided my emotions since the night it happened. I refused to grieve or even think about it because it was enough to kill me.
“Crow...tell me.”
When she lowered her words to a beautiful whisper I couldn’t refuse her. “Cane does have a reason for wanting to cause you insufferable pain. And if I didn’t care about you, I’d say he was justified. My brother and I aren’t good men. We have very closed minds and will eliminate anyone who gets in our way—even if they are innocent. Unfortunately, you’re the innocent bystander in this case.”
She remained silent and waited for more of the story.
“I told you about my sister...” I didn’t want to say her name. I could say it to Cane but it was difficult to speak it to her. “That she passed away recently.”
She nodded. “Of course, I remember.”
“Bones kidnapped her three months before you got off that ship. He kept her as his prisoner and raped her, mutilated her, and destroyed her. He did it to make Cane and I suffer. We did everything we could to find her. Bones kept moving, staying at different safe houses so we could never track him down. But he would always send us images...things he did to her.” I swallowed the lump in my throat because the pain was about to drag me under. Knowing she was suffering while I lived in my mansion was the worst feeling in the world. I slept in a safe place while she fought to live another day. “Cane and I finally made contact. We offered a great deal of money in exchange. To our surprise, he agreed.”
Button hung onto every word I said. She didn’t even breathe.
“We made the swap in an alleyway. My sister left his arms and walked toward me. She could barely move because she was so beaten. The last time I saw her she was strong and full of life. She could hold her own in a fight and she had the kind of spirit that couldn’t be crushed. But when I saw that night I knew she was dead. She wasn’t the same person at all. Bones broke her—crushed her spirit.”
Tears formed in her eyes and slowly fell down her cheeks.
“Just when she was about to fall into my arms Bones shot her in the h
ead. Her eyes made contact with mine and she gave me a silent goodbye. She was dead before she hit the pavement. And that was it.”
She couldn’t hold back the sob that came from deep in her chest. She covered her mouth to muffle the sound but it escaped anyway. The tears cascaded down her cheeks like a waterfall.
“Cane and I have always been at war with Bones. He killed my father then my mother. And then he took Vanessa. His purpose is to eradicate us altogether. He won’t stop until the Barsetti’s are no more. And that’s why Cane is obsessed with you. You’re his only way of causing the same kind of pain Bones has called us. Because up until this point, you’re the only thing that Bones has ever cared about.”
She kept her hand over her mouth as she silently cried. The sound was excruciating on the ears, painful. She cried for someone she never knew. She cried for the pain heavy in my chest. She felt the exact agony I carried every single day. “Crow...” She moved into my chest and wrapped her arms around my neck. “I’m so sorry.” Her face was buried into my chest, soaking the fabric of my shirt with her tears.
I wrapped my arms around her. “I know.”
“He’s a monster. He came from hell.”
I knew that too.
“You deserve justice for what he did. He deserves to die.”
“Cane and I will get him—eventually.” If I didn’t take him out soon he would track Button down and try to steal her. I wasn’t just fighting for my sister anymore. I was fighting for this woman who got under my skin. “When I saw you fight off my men and do anything necessary to survive...I felt a connection. You reminded me of my sister. But I also resented you because I wished she were as strong as you are. You were both captured for the same amount of time but you didn’t break. You didn’t crack. But she did.”
“That doesn’t mean she was weak.”
“I know...but she still wasn’t strong enough.”
She cupped my face and rested her forehead against mine. The tears still fell and dripped off her chin.
It was the exact same position as before, the one that made me shut her out for weeks. The intimacy and vulnerability was too difficult. My body couldn’t handle the hole in my chest. It made everything hurt. I was letting her in when I shouldn’t. Every time I cared for someone they wound up dead. If I fell too much further I would never recover.
I had to pull back.
“I hope you understand now.”
She nodded. “I do.”
“It doesn’t justify what Cane did. But I hope it makes sense now.”
“It does.”
“We’ve butted heads over you since you arrived. He wants to return you to Bones with a transmitter that will kill you the moment you’re in his possession. But I refused to let that happen.”
She took a deep breath like just the thought was too much for her.
“We’ll kill him. And then you’ll be safe for good.”
“Does he still want me? I’ve been gone for six months.”
I didn’t want to scare her but I didn’t want her to be unprepared. “He does. I met him a few nights ago and tried to buy him off. But he wouldn’t take the money.”
“What?” She pulled away and looked into my face, stunned.
“You were asleep.” I answered her unspoken question.
“You offered him money?”
“He offered Cane and I forty million to return you. When I said no Cane became upset. So I thought if I offered the same amount to him he would forget about you and move on. But it didn’t change anything.”
“Forty million dollars?” Her mouth dropped and her tears still stuck to her cheeks.
I nodded.
“You were willing to pay that much just to save me?”
I didn’t realize how crazy it sounded until she put it into words. “I’d do anything to protect you.”
Her eyes softened in a way they never had before. She cupped my face and pressed her forehead against mine. She cried quietly against me, forcing me to feel the profound moment with her. Our hearts were in sync and our minds worked as one.
And I was terrified.
Chapter Eleven
Pearl
I was gently stirred from my dreamless sleep. A large hand gripped me by the shoulder and softly rocked me, pulling me from the warm bed and the soft sheets. A masculine voice came into my ear, dragging me further into the light. “Button, wake up.”
My eyes opened and I saw Crow’s five o’ clock shadow. His green eyes were amused by my sleepiness, and the smile on his lips was irresistible because it was so rare. “Hmm?”
“I’ve been trying to wake you up for five minutes now.”
“Muh.”
He chuckled. “Didn’t catch that.”
“Why are you waking me up at all?” If it were anyone else I’d throw a tantrum.
“I have to work today. And I’m taking you with me.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want you anywhere without me.” His fingers dug into my hair until they rested behind my ear. “So get up.”
“Ugh.”
He pressed his lips to mine and gave me a soft kiss. “Don’t ugh me. Now get your ass up.”
I smiled because I couldn’t contain the words behind my lips. They slipped out from defiance. “Ugh.”
He lifted me from the bed and cradled me into his chest. “Fine. I’ll just take you like this.”
“Whoa, hold on.”
“Nope.” He walked to the door.
“Okay, okay. Let me shower and try not to look like a train wreck.”
“That’s better.” He set me at the edge of the bed. “I’ll get the water running.”
I definitely needed a shower if I had any hope of waking up that day.
***
“Stop carrying me everywhere.” I fought in his arms and tried to get my feet on the ground.
“It’s fine.”
“No, it’s embarrassing.”
“Who cares what they think. I’m the boss. They’ll get over it.” He carried me onto the gorgeous vineyard where a cultured Italian house sat along with a few buildings for the kegs, the equipment, and the delivery trucks. It was a small compound but the winery itself was immense.
We entered the building and he carried me into his office. People eyed us as we passed but no one commented. “They’re all staring at me.”
“Because you’re a beautiful woman.”
I was anything but beautiful right now. “I look like I jumped on a grenade.”
“No, you don’t.”
I’d seen my face. It was still discolored and ruined. My lips were plump and swollen, and my eyes still looked black and blue. “Whatever...”
He carried me into a large office. A window overlooked the expansive vineyards, showing the hills and the valleys. It look similar the house he slept in every single night. His furniture was pristine and sterile, as if someone came in and leaned it every single night after he left. Bookshelves lined the walls with hardback novels.
“Wow. This play is fancy.”
He sat me on the couch in the corner and grabbed a stack of books for me. “Thank you.”
“I wasn’t giving you a compliment. Just saying.”
That ghostly smile was back on his lips again. “It sounded like one.”
“Nope.”
He kneeled down in front of me, that old look of intensity on his gaze. “You’ll be okay right here.”
“Well, I wish I were in your lap...”
His eyes darkened just the way they did when I first came into his possession. Instead of making a move like he normally would he kept his hands to himself, probably because I was injured. “Can I get you anything?”
“I’m okay.”
“Don’t be distracting.” He gave me a quick kiss on the lips, one that was rushed. He probably didn’t want to get caught up in our chemistry and let the flames turn into a forest fire.
“When am I every distracting?”
He pressed his forehead to m
ine. “Always.” He rose to his feet and walked to the desk, his powerful shoulders tense with strength. He lowered himself into the chair, holding himself upright like a king. He looked good in anything, but he particularly looked divine in a colored suit—divine.
When he felt my gaze burn into his face he looked up. “What did I just say?”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“Distracting.” He gently nodded toward the book on the table. “Now get to it.”
I rolled my eyes and stuck out my tongue.
That just made him stare harder. “Don’t test me today.”
With a heavy sigh, I picked up the book and started reading. But minutes passed and I felt his stare still stick to me. It was like a branding iron pressed right against the skin. I turned back to him. “Now what?”
He finally looked away. “Nothing.”
***
After lunch a knock sounded on his door.
“Come in.” He looked like up from iPad, his eyes concentrating on whatever he was reading.
The door flew open and a brunette walked inside. She didn’t notice me because the couch was placed right against the wall and slightly behind the door. When I looked at her long brown hair and fair skin, I immediately recognized her.
It was the woman from the vineyards.
That. Kissed. Crow.
Crow looked up from his iPad but didn’t react. He seemed indifferent. “Yes?”
“I just talk to the shipping department. They said they’re a little short-handed down there and have to postpone the next delivery.” She placed her hands on the edge of his desk, her tight dress showing every curve she possessed.
If I could walk, I’d knock that bitch out.
“How many people do we need?” He turned back to his iPad.
“At least three.”
“Alright. Take care of it.”
Even though the conversation was over she continued to linger.
“Yes?”
“Have you had lunch?”
Hell no.
“Yes,” he answered. “I suggest you take your lunch break soon. They’re there for a reason.”