by Sam Crescent
The red strappy stiletto heels were so beautiful. She expected them to hurt as she put them on, but they were a dream on her feet.
“Let’s see how we get on in a couple of hours.” She ran a brush through her hair, leaving it down, and, seeing as she had no makeup, she joined Logan.
Hunter had arrived during the time it had taken her to get ready.
“I’m in shock,” Hunter said, seeing her.
“What? You think I clean up nicely?”
“That you do, but I’m thinking about how fast it took you to get dressed. I’ve never known a woman to be able to do it with such speed.” He winked at her.
“Shall we?” Logan said. “Keep your eyes to yourself.” His growl was at Hunter.
She watched the exchange, not really understanding it.
“You do know you had me walking around your place back in Crow Valley completely naked, right? I didn’t imagine that?”
“I know exactly what it is I got you to do. We’re not back in town, and you’re not walking around naked. I could have it that way if you pushed.”
“No, no, it’s fine.”
“Good. I for one am growing tired of these little chats, Ava. If I want my men to see you, they’ll see you. While you’re here, you belong to me. I don’t share.”
“So does that mean if your friends decided to join you, I’m still yours?” she asked.
Don’t think of Luke. Don’t think of Luke.
She kept repeating the mantra in her head, hoping he’d answer.
“We’ll have to see, won’t we?”
He took her arm, leading her out of his penthouse suite. He locked the door, and Hunter was waiting by the elevator.
“I don’t have a key.”
“You don’t need one.”
“I’m trapped here?” she asked.
Logan sighed. “For your own safety. If you ever need to go out, there will be someone to take you.”
“For my own safety?” She didn’t like the sound of that. “Do you have a hit planned for me or something?”
She looked at Logan in the reflection of the elevator doors.
He chuckled. “No.”
“Then why wouldn’t it be safe?”
“My line of work, Ava, it’s not always going to be … nice.”
Hunter snorted.
“What does that even mean?” she asked.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Logan grabbed her arm and walked her out of the elevator. She took notice of people stopping and staring at him. There was a mixture of arousal, lust, fear, and envy. It was like walking into the zone of several deadly sins. Didn’t they know to keep themselves in check? Also, how did they know Logan. If he was so rich and his company so well known, why hadn’t she heard about him?
A limo was waiting for them. Hunter opened the door, and Logan urged her inside before he followed her.
No one was waiting for them inside, and she breathed a sigh of relief. It was hard for her to relax, knowing at any moment his little friend could arrive.
What would he do when he learned the truth?
Would he still be friends with Luke?
Don’t think about it.
It was always easier for her to not think about what was coming or what could happen. There was never any point in dwelling. Not long after Luke was taken out of town, which she had thought meant his arrest, her parents had told her the best way for her deal with her pain was to push it away. To stop thinking about him. He was gone, and he was never coming back. They couldn’t afford therapy, so they had tried to help her in their own way. It was why she still lived with them, even when they died. The house had immediately gone to her.
Running fingers through her hair, she blew out a breath and tried to calm her nerves, but nothing was happening. She was in a state of panic, which she kept on trying to hide.
The limo started to move through the city, taking her deeper into the thick of it. She’d never been a city girl. She loved her small town, but there was certainly an appeal to getting lost within an ocean of people.
Logan was typing away on his cell phone.
The first stop was a bar.
Hunter parked the limo, and Logan stepped out, taking her hand.
“Do you own this?”
“Not yet, but I have a feeling if I don’t get paid, by the end of the week the deeds will be mine.”
He walked her into the bar, and it looked closed. The door had been open, and one look up and the guy behind the bar went pale.
“Where’s Andrew?” Logan asked.
“He’s in the office, sir. He wasn’t expecting you back.”
“I have given him a week.” Logan helped Ava into a chair. “I think that is more than adequate time for my money. Do me a favor, Daniel. My woman will have a drink. Nothing alcoholic, and keep her entertained.”
She watched as Logan and Hunter left, heading into the back.
Forcing a smile to her lips, she turned to look at Daniel.
“What would you like to drink?” he asked.
She noticed Daniel was shaking. He put the glass down gently.
“Erm, I’ll just have a soda or something.” She gasped as she heard a masculine scream. It was so high pitched, but it came from the direction Logan and Hunter had gone to.
She got off the stool, and Daniel reached out, grabbing her.
“You can’t go back there.”
“You did hear that?”
“Yes.”
“Then why aren’t you doing something?” she asked.
“I am. I’m getting you a drink.”
He opened up a can of soda, placing it in front of her.
She looked back at the room.
“Please, don’t go back there.”
She turned to Daniel. “You’re afraid.”
“Wouldn’t you be if the guy known as ‘death’ shows up at your workplace?”
“Death?”
The man smiled. He was perspiring. “You don’t have a clue who you’re with, do you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“That’s all, Daniel,” Logan said.
She quickly looked behind her, and sure enough, Logan was on his way back toward her. She noticed he was wiping his hands.
“Let’s go.”
“I’ve got a soda to drink.”
“And I’ve got business to attend to,” Logan said.
Without waiting for her, he grabbed her arm, leading her out of the bar.
“What is going on? Why does he think your name is death? Or is that Hunter?”
Hunter joined them back in the limo.
“Logan, you can’t keep me in the dark forever.”
“I can keep you exactly where I want you.”
****
The deeds were going to change hands. It wasn’t like Logan needed another bar, but he had to make sure people didn’t think he was going soft. The moment he started to show weakness, it was where people would take advantage.
Andrew had screamed so loud when he’d snapped his arm in two, Logan was surprised to still be able to hear. It was so high-pitched.
The bar had been struggling for nearly a year, and no matter how much money Andrew sank into the place, it was dying, and there wasn’t a single chance of him bringing in the people it needed.
Also, Andrew had a little drug problem, and Logan was tired of feeding it. The bar was in a prime location. With some modifications, it would soon be a restaurant and bar to rival those already in the city.
He’d already had the plans drawn up when Andrew’s drug habit had been brought to his attention. Whenever an addiction was involved, Logan rarely saw a way out for the people, and often took over.
“Logan, what aren’t you telling me?”
His other little problem didn’t like staying silent. After hurting someone, he liked complete silence to go over every element of his meeting. He didn’t take long to dwell, just to see he’d made the right decis
ion. He never felt sorry for any of the people he hurt. It was part of his business.
What he needed to do was to make sure he handled all of his businesses swiftly.
“Are you death? Is Hunter?”
“You need to be quiet before I put your mouth to better use.” He turned to look at her, brow raised, waiting for that smart mouth of hers to get her in trouble.
She looked out of the window, remaining quiet.
Andrew wasn’t the first bar he’d acquired, and it wouldn’t be the last.
The next stop was one to the bank. This time, he kept Ava in the car with Hunter as he went to the meeting with John, his financial officer, who also had an addiction to being tied up and spanked. He was the owner of the bank, and like all men with power, they often needed special services from him.
Sitting in John’s office, he waited for the excuses that would come.
“I will have your money back soon. I promise,” John said. “You know how weak the markets are. Investment is not stable. It never has been.”
“John, this bank is on its last legs. How do you think your customers would feel if news got out how every single Friday night you like to go to one of my whores and get fucked in the ass while someone else sucks your dick?” He pulled out his cell phone and allowed the previous visit John had made to play into the room.
“Logan, please. This is blackmail. I have done wonders for you in the past. I made a few bad choices—”
“And if I was to make a few bad choices, how do you think I’d fare with you? A click of a button and this makes headline news.”
“Logan, please.”
“You can keep begging. I don’t care what it is you do. Tomorrow night, I want my money back or your board and all of your clients and customers will get this.”
“Wait,” John said.
“Is this where you attempt to beg me to stop releasing the tape?” Logan asked. “You know how I get bored with the same old shit.”
“No. it’s not that.” John licked his lips.
“Then what is it?”
“Luke came by here yesterday.”
“Luke, I didn’t realize he banked with you?”
“He doesn’t. His parents did.”
“Is that how they lost their money? They trusted in you, and as payback, they lost their fortune?”
Logan recalled the day Luke lost everything. His parents had died, taking their own lives after losing their family fortune. By then, Logan had already become one of the wealthiest men in the city, and his friends, well, they didn’t stand a chance against him.
He’d helped Luke, seeing as one of his best friends had helped him.
“It’s not how it happened. Luke … he’s…” John looked around the room.
“Is someone watching us?” Logan asked.
“No, no one is watching us. Luke’s parents, they had to spend a great deal to keep him out of trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Logan asked.
“The kind that would put him in jail. Something went down when the kid was still in high school. In order to keep him from being hurt or something, they had to transfer a load of money into an offshore account.”
Logan sat down in the chair. “What is it Luke wanted?”
“He wanted to know what we did with the records of what happened.”
“With his parents deceased and broke, after so long, those accounts are removed as they’re no longer required, correct?”
“Yes, but with his parents, days before they died, they closed the account. They wanted all traces removed.”
Logan sat back. “Do you have the offshore account’s name?” he asked.
“Yes.”
John handed him over a slip of paper. “Luke doesn’t want you to find that account.”
He stared at John.
“Why didn’t you call me?” Logan asked. “The moment you had this.”
“I knew you were coming here today.”
“Did Luke know?”
“I don’t think so. You always said if something felt suspicious to me, I was to contact you. I know our business of a late hasn’t been pleasant, but … I know how hard you worked to get to the top, Logan.”
“We’re not going to have a touching reunion. You bet on me just like everyone else. The only difference between you and them, you were far more useful to me. Get me my money. You’ve been granted an extra week.” He got up from the chair and left the building.
Hunter stood outside of the limo, smoking a cigarette. The windows were blacked out and he couldn’t see Ava, but he felt her gaze on him.
She could see him.
“You’re not covered in blood, so that’s a plus. I also didn’t get an alert you exposed the video. I figured you were on one of your trigger-happy missions. You have days where you like to ruin people’s lives.”
“Get this to our tech guy. I want to know who owns the account and why Luke wanted it to be lost so badly.”
“Luke was in there?”
“Yesterday.”
Hunter glanced toward the car. “You think she’s telling the truth?”
“I think Luke is up to something. He always has been. He has his own agenda, but I want to know what is so important he’s willing to risk me finding out.”
Hunter took the piece of paper. “I’ll get on this as soon as we finish for the day.”
When he climbed into the back of the limo, Ava continued to ignore him, staring out across the people.
Some of them were living their lives. Going to work every single day, paying bills, trying to make a life. Some had family. Others were looking for love. He’d watched the city for so many hours. He’d been king of it for a long time.
He’d stopped looking as no one impressed him.
The darkness within the city swirled like a disease, spreading out. People thought they were living a good life, but if you looked closely enough, you started to see the cracks filtering through.
He saw the men and women on street corners. Their clothes with holes, the way they twitched.
Random men and women approaching, wanting a good time. Willing to pay a cheap sum.
The next stop may upset Ava, but he really didn’t give a fuck. This was his business, and she would do as she was told.
Hunter took them down a back alley, heading toward an abandoned parking lot.
Climbing out of the car, Logan held the door open. Ava took his hand without another word, glancing around the street as she did.
“Where are we?”
He didn’t answer her, taking her arm, and leading her into the main building. During his time fighting, he learned what everyone wanted. Some wanted blood, the violence. Others wanted the power, money. Each person, regardless of their sex, had a weakness, a need, and it spiraled within them like a virus. No matter how much they tried to have control, to keep themselves in check, nothing would ever satisfy them for long.
Sex was one of the biggest tricks on the market.
The cravings would consume eventually, and this whorehouse he had, catered to the wealthy. The crime lord before him had had his hands in some very deep pockets and even darker network of human trafficking, but Logan had not been interested in that line of work. The women he had on his books, wanted to be here. They had no skill other than spreading their legs, and some of them, they loved the rush of earning money this way.
Again, so long as his women and men—this wasn’t just for women, as he had many guys on his books—behaved, all was well. All he required was a good work ethic and loyalty. Those who disrespected him and decided to take the easy route often found themselves dead.
As they entered the building, the heavy beat of music flooded through the walls. Sex never slept. There was always someone who wanted their dick wet. Day or night, any time they wanted, they could have it.
“What is this place?” Ava asked.
Passing down a corridor, Logan didn’t need to turn left or right to see what awaited them: men and women, sc
antily clad or completely naked, sex a promise within the air.
Louisa stood at the desk, and the moment she saw him, a smile filled her face.
“Logan, I’m so pleased you came.”
For many years now she’d been trying to get him to commit to her. To give her a chance at belonging to him, but he’d never been attracted to her. She’d been one of the fighters opposite him.
She’d been young and manipulated into the fight. At the time, she had thought it was easy money, but as he stepped into the ring, she’d been bloody, in pain, with several broken ribs.
One look at him, and she’d fallen apart. Boos had rung out. People had begged for him to hurt her, to kick her. Instead, he’d picked her up, carried her back to the locker rooms, and taken care of her. He’d never fucked her, even though she’d offered herself to him time and time again.
He had his arm around Ava, and Louisa noticed it, stopping before she embraced him.
“Who is this? Is she another girl you’re going to have working here?” Louisa asked.
“No. She’s my woman. Hunter, take Ava to the bar. Keep an eye on her. Make sure no one approaches her.”
He put Ava’s arm in Hunter’s and watched her walk away.
“She has no idea who you are, does she?” Louisa asked, a hint of jealousy in her voice.
The glare she sent Ava’s back had him smiling.
“Put those claws away.”
“I didn’t think you were for the innocent,” she said. “She looks like a little lamb, Logan. You want to hurt her?”
“Be careful, Louisa. If anyone was to harm Ava, I will hold you responsible.” He walked around her, heading toward the office in the back. “We have a full house?”
“Always, you know how people get. They try to avoid coming here, pretending they’re better than us, but they always come back. There was one incident while you were away,” Louisa said.
Entering the office, Logan stopped and turned toward Louisa.
“What was it?” he asked.
“Luke.”
He frowned. “Luke seems to be a problem nowadays. What is it?”
Louisa looked worried.
“Tell me, Louisa. I don’t want to spend all day here.”
“No, you want to go and pretend with your little precious.”
He stepped up and slammed her hard against the wall. “You want to act tough with me, learn how to fight. Remember I was the one to save you when all the room wanted your pathetic ass dead. You came to me, remember? Not the other way around.”