by Penelope Sky
I didn’t bother with the money dance even though I didn’t want him to pay for my shit. “Thank you, but I’m okay.” I excused myself from the table and walked out of the bar, not looking back as I craved the cool air outside the double doors.
When I reached the sidewalk, I realized he was right behind me.
“Anna.” He moved around me and blocked my path. “Come on.”
“I don’t need a ride, Liam—”
“Then I’ll walk with you. But I’d rather drive.”
I knew this confrontation would only end in one way—his way. “Fine.”
He drove me to my apartment, and of course, he insisted on walking me to the front door. He didn’t accept my arguments and just did whatever he wanted.
I got the key in the door and opened it.
He didn’t try to come inside. With his hands in his pockets, he leaned against the doorframe, halfway inside my apartment and halfway out. “Moving anytime soon?”
“Yes, my place is a dump. You’ve made that clear, Liam.”
“That’s not what I said.”
I set my clutch and keys on the table and turned back to him. “I got a new job a couple weeks ago.”
“Yeah?” He smiled slightly. “Good. I hated knowing you were waitressing.”
“What’s wrong with waitressing?”
“Nothing. I just don’t want you to do it.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Where’s your new gig?”
“I work in the office at Tuscan Rose.”
He nodded in approval. “That sounds nice.”
“I like it. I’ll be able to afford a new place soon.”
“You know…you could afford a new place now.” The intent in his eyes was obvious.
“Liam.”
His expression hardened.
“Why do you keep trying? And don’t say it’s because you love me or miss me.” I’d rejected him plenty of times, and it gave me no pleasure to do it. But just when I thought he was really gone, he turned up again. He refused to go away.
His gaze moved down the hallway for a minute as he pondered the question. When he had a good response, he turned back to me. “You don’t realize what you have until it’s gone, you know? I’ve lived in that big house alone, your ghost haunting every room, every lonely night. Sometimes I would spray your perfume just so it felt like you were in the house. And when you refused my money…it hit me hard. The women I meet want my money. They want me to go back to death fighting because they think it’s sexy. The fact that you don’t want anything from me just makes me realize…you loved me for me. I’m never going to find that again.”
I’d loved him before he was rich. I’d loved him when he was just like everyone else. When the money poured in, it didn’t change the way I thought about him. I loved him exactly the same, wanted to have his kids because of love, not because he could provide for them or give them a good life.
He looked at the ground for a while, his fingers moving over the back of his hair. “I shouldn’t have had to lose you to really understand that, but that’s how we learn the hardest lessons…with the most pain.” He raised his head and looked at me again. “And I think you’ve learned the same thing. That there’s no man out there who’s gonna love you as much as I do, because I’m still here, still fighting for you, and that other guy has already forgotten you.”
His last statement hit me the hardest because I was terrified it was true. Every night together…did that mean more to me than it ever did to Damien? He hadn’t contacted me since the night he’d dumped me, so it did seem like he’d forgotten about me. “Good night, Liam.” I should brush off Damien and stop caring about someone who didn’t care about me, but it was hard…really hard.
Liam straightened at my dismissal, the disappointment obvious in his eyes. “Good night, Anna.” He stepped back from the doorframe and walked down the hallway.
I shut and locked the door and immediately moved to the couch, the red wine still potent in my blood. I was upset that I’d lost my husband, that he cheated on me in the first place, but I was really miserable over that beautiful man.
I missed Damien’s intense gaze, the way his fingers brushed through my hair. I missed those good kisses, the way he made me feel loved without even trying. I still reached for him in my bed even though I knew he wasn’t there.
I still hoped.
I pulled out my phone and stared at his message box. Texting your ex late at night after a couple drinks was stupid. It never ended well. But I was sad…really sad. I miss you. My thumb hit the button and sent it right away.
Damage was done.
I stared at the phone and waited for those three little dots to pop up.
They never did.
And he never texted me back.
25
Damien
“I can do half a billion by noon tomorrow.” I rested against the leather seat of the booth, a new client sitting slightly across from me.
Hades was there too, positioned on the other side of the round booth.
“Really?” Victor asked. “By tomorrow?”
I nodded.
“If that’s the truth,” Victor said, “you boys got yourselves a deal.”
My phone vibrated on the table, and I quickly glanced at it in case it was something important.
It was Annabella. I miss you.
I stared at it for a long time, blood draining from my face.
“Can you do more?” Victor asked.
I didn’t even notice he’d spoken.
Hades interceded on my behalf. “Let’s start small and work our way up. Meet us in the office tomorrow.”
“You know I don’t like to show my face in public,” Victor said.
“We’ll work something out over the phone, then.” Hades shook his hand before he nudged me in the side.
I snapped out of it and shook Victor’s hand before he slipped out of the booth. I let my phone go dark and didn’t look at the message again because I didn’t need to. Those three little words were ingrained in my mind now. It didn’t fill me with any kind of elation, just made me feel like shit.
Because I missed her too.
But I would never tell her that. I wanted her to move on, to forget about me.
“What is it?” When Victor was out of earshot, Hades addressed my aloofness.
I opened the phone again and slid it to him, unafraid to share the intimate details of my life.
He picked it up and looked at her message. His expression didn’t change before he slid it back to me. “She has it for you bad.”
“Yeah.” I slid my phone into my pocket.
“What are you going to say?”
“Nothing.”
“Just leave her hanging?”
I swirled my drink before I downed some of it. “I don’t want to lead her on.”
“It’s not too late…if you want to change your mind.”
I wasn’t going to sacrifice my lifestyle for a woman I hardly knew. That was how Hades’s story ended, but it wouldn’t be the same with mine. He had a soul mate, and I didn’t. I wasn’t looking for one either. Now that I had him back, I didn’t need a woman to fill the void anymore. “No.”
He stared at me for a while but didn’t press it. “Have you decided what you’re going to do about the Skull King?”
“I’m gonna pay him.”
“Good. Diplomatic choice.”
“But I’m still gonna kill him.”
Hades was about to drink from his glass, but when he heard what I said, he set it down again. “Not the diplomatic choice…”
“He was going to execute my father, Hades. How can I ever let that go?”
“It wasn’t personal.”
“Bullshit, it wasn’t personal,” I snapped. “It was entirely personal. That was why it worked.”
He drank from his glass, his eyes on me.
“What if it was Ash? Sofia?”
“Sofia doesn’t apply, but I get what you’re saying.” Because
Sofia meant far more to him than his brother ever would.
“And I just sweep it under the rug?”
“Your father seems to have.”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s too old to really understand what happened.”
He swished his drink before he set it down. “Don’t expect me to participate in your vendetta. I saved your father because that was a special circumstance, but my attitude about my distance hasn’t changed. I have a family to prioritize. You’re alone in this.”
I hadn’t expected anything from him. “I understand.”
“Then think this through. Because Heath is a serious opponent, and if you make a wrong move…you could end up dead.”
I descended into the lair.
The Skull Kings operated in plain sight. Pedestrians walked past the building, assuming it was an old factory that may or may not be in operation. The police knew where it was and always avoided the streets surrounding it.
With a few men, I got past security and descended to the bottom floor, where the Skull Kings preferred to linger with their booze and women. All the men at the tables glanced at me when I entered, their laughter dying away when they recognized who I was. Women sat on the laps of the generous tippers, their tits hanging out in their barely there clothing.
Heath sat on the wooden throne, skulls carved into the black wood, his knees far apart and his slouched frame sunk into the large chair. His elbow was on one armrest, and he stared at me with a sense of boredom.
I dropped my bag of money on the ground. My men did the same.
It was dead silent as Heath stared at me, all the men holding their breaths to see what their leader would do. He was still as a statue, frozen in that seat. His fingers rested across his lips as he stared at me with those crystal-blue eyes, like a predator deciding what to do with his prey.
He finally dropped his fingers from his lips. “I’m glad you changed your attitude.”
Oh, my attitude was exactly the same.
His hands pushed against the armrests, and he rose to his feet. “I’m sorry it had to be this way, but you know how it is. Just business.” He stepped toward me, his tattoos running down both forearms.
“It’s all there—past and present royalties.” I had more money than I knew what to do with, but handing over this much cash made bile flood into my mouth. I’d violated my principles, caved to an opponent when I’d never done it before. I bent the knee when I shouldn’t have to, and that wounded my pride.
“I’m sure it is.” When he stopped in front of me, a vicious smile entered his expression, as if he was enjoying every single moment of this. “I look forward to our new partnership.” He extended his hand to mine.
I saw the skull diamond sitting on his ring finger, the same one Balto wore. It was enormous, rumored to be the most expensive diamond in the world. It was pristine, flawless, and uniquely carved into the special ring. The twins wore the same ring but on different hands. It was the only way to tell them apart—because Balto used it as his wedding ring.
Heath waited for me to take his hand. “I like you, Damien. So, I hope this is real, that you take my mercy with gratitude. Because if it’s not…I know Balto won’t help you. And your father isn’t the only person in your heart.”
He’d just threatened me—again. How could I take his hand after that?
His eyes drilled into my face as he waited. “I’m not a patient man.”
I finally sealed the deal and made the gesture.
He squeezed my hand hard, threatening my wrist bone.
I gripped him just as tightly.
He smiled before he dropped his hand. “I’ll see you next month. And don’t lie about your numbers. I’ll know.” He moved back to his throne and sagged into the chair, his hands returning to the armrests.
I wanted to kill this smug son of a bitch.
I motioned for my men to leave. We turned around and headed to the stairs, showing all the men that their leader prevailed—again.
Like I had a target in my back, Heath fired off a last shot. “Give my best to your father, would you?” Humor was in his voice, getting his revenge after I’d humiliated him with Balto. Maybe he wouldn’t hurt me, but he would make this relationship as difficult as possible.
I halted on the spot but didn’t turn around. I had to close my eyes and let the rage circulate through my body then escape as breath. If I responded to the taunt, I’d end up dead. I had no chance here.
Keep walking, Damien. Hades’s voice came into my head.
I sighed and kept going.
My time would come…soon enough.
26
Annabella
A week had passed since I’d stupidly texted him.
God, I seemed desperate.
But I was desperate…for one man. I could go back to my ex-husband or find someone else, but that wasn’t what I wanted.
I wanted Damien.
Like always, I sat at my desk and let my thoughts drift into the past, when we’d made love on the couch while the fire burned in the hearth. I was on his lap, slowly riding his bare length as I looked into those intense eyes.
I wanted to do that every night.
“Anna?” Sofia stood on the other side of my desk, slowly waving her hand in front of my face.
“Oh, sorry.” I snapped out of it, missing the heat of the flames the second I was pulled from the memory.
“Where were you?”
“You know…thinking about my grocery list.”
Sofia didn’t seem to believe me, but she didn’t call me out on it. “How have you been?”
“Good…good.”
Sofia lowered herself into the chair. “Honestly, you look just as pale as you did three weeks ago.”
It’d been three weeks? It felt like a day. It felt like he’d just let me go. “Yeah…it’s been rough.”
“Have you talked to him?”
I wanted to keep my secret because I was embarrassed, but he could tell her at any time. “I did something stupid. I went out, had a couple of drinks, and then texted him…”
“What did you say?”
“That I missed him.” Oh god, the shame. Chasing a man who didn’t want me wasn’t me. I had too much pride for that shit. But this man…was the man.
“Did he say anything back?”
I shook my head.
Her eyes flashed with sympathy. “Damien is a good friend and I love him dearly, but don’t waste your time on him. If a man drops you like that, walk away. I know it’s hard but…you deserve better. You’re gorgeous, Anna. You’re smart, outgoing, everything a man would want.”
“Has he said anything about me?” I hated myself for asking.
She shook her head. “I mentioned that you’d told me you stopped seeing each other, and he didn’t say much…just that it didn’t work out. That was the end of it.”
Just like that? And he moved on?
“Damien has never been a one-woman kind of guy. He saw you for so long, I thought this time it was different. But I guess not. I’m not trying to make you feel worse. I’m trying to help you.”
“I know.”
“And I care about you, so I don’t want to see you suffer. You’re too good of a catch.”
I gave a weak smile. “Thanks… I appreciate that.”
I was sitting on the couch when a knock sounded on the door.
I was enjoying a bottle of wine by myself, along with cheese and crackers. The spread made it seem like I was entertaining, but nope…it was all just for me.
After I got to my feet, my heart started to race because I hoped it was Damien, that something had snapped in his head and he realized he wanted to see me again. It was what I wanted more than anything…and I couldn’t control the impulse.
When I looked through the peephole, I was disappointed.
It was Liam.
Now that he knew I was depressed and alone, he’d started to come around again.
I opened the door but stayed in the doorway so he w
ouldn’t come inside.
He read the irritated look on my face. “I come in peace.”
“And what peaceful offering do you bring?”
“Dinner?” He was in a long-sleeved black t-shirt, the color a stark contrast against his fair skin. His blue eyes seemed harmless, soft like they used to be.
“I had dinner.”
He glanced over my shoulder and saw the wine and cheese. “That doesn’t constitute dinner.”
“You know I’m not a big eater.”
“Come on.” He stepped back. “You should get out of the house.”
I eyed him suspiciously.
“It’s just dinner, Anna.”
I didn’t know why I agreed. Maybe it was loneliness. Maybe it was because I’d stopped caring. “Alright…”
I got to pick the restaurant, so we went somewhere casual, a little bistro close to my apartment. We sat across from each other at the small table near the window, sharing my favorite bottle of wine while we both ordered salads.
Liam kept the conversation light, asking about work and what I’d seen on TV lately.
But I knew it was coming.
“Did he text you back?”
There it was. “No.”
He didn’t hide his relief. His response was subtle, but I knew him well enough to detect all the little expressions he made. “Seeing anyone else?”
I didn’t want to meet someone else and start over. He would probably be bad in bed like most of the others. That was way too much work, and I was exhausted. I wasn’t looking for my next husband, but I wasn’t looking to waste my time either. And every man I met was a waste of time—except Damien. “No.”
“I’m not seeing anyone either.”
I pushed the kale around on my plate because I was full. Now I just played with my food so I had something to do. “I didn’t ask.”
“But I wanted you to know…if you ever want to stop by.”
Did he just invite me over to screw? My eyes lifted at his absurdity.
“It seemed like that was what you were interested in, something casual and easy, and I can provide that. And you know exactly what to expect…” He sat with his arms on the table, holding my gaze without a hint of shame. “It’s better than being disappointed over and over, right?”