Beast's Demands (Crude Hill High 3)

“Why don’t you cut the crap and get to the part where we don’t want to kill you? Right now, I’m feeling mighty ready to kill you,” Gael said.

“Patience. Your fathers are not going to take a hit out tonight. They’ve lost one of their own. Congratulations for taking care of him. Ace had been more for me killing Emily.”

“You weren’t down in that basement,” River said. “You don’t know what went on.”

“I do know what they intended, and I was the one who played out what would happen if you guys ever found out what they did. With their own personal sense of loss, they saw my reasoning was sound. They weren’t exactly the sanest people around now, were they?” I finished my shot. “So, I got them to make a deal. If you arrived, I would do as was negotiated. I’d put a hit out on Emily in the case of you following her. I was the one who set it up. Your fathers funded it. If you didn’t arrive, they were going to handle Emily their own way.”

“You think this is your helping your cause right now?” Caleb asked.

“Yes.”

Vadik charged toward me, and I heard my guard draw his gun. Gael pulled out a gun. Caleb and River did the same.

I chuckled. I would be a rich man now. I made a little gamble in my head just how long it would be before they started shooting, and I wasn’t wrong. Assholes.

“Seven years. We’ve been in control for a lot longer than a couple of months. You had the power to bring us what we wanted. Why didn’t you?” Vadik asked.

They really thought I would willingly give them what they want? Did they not live in the same world as me? Nothing was granted without a reason. “You think I’m just going to hand you what you want? I knew you were all time bombs waiting to go off. Your fathers believed with Emily out of the way, they could control you. Week after week, month after month, I heard the damage you all were responsible for. At first, I had to make sure you had taken real power. Your fathers have a lot of friends, which I’m sure you’re more than aware of. Then, I had to go see Emily for myself, to see that she was still alive, and that she’d even work to fit into my plans.”

“Where does Ashley fit into all of this?” River asked.

“She’s my reward.”

“Do you hurt her?” Caleb asked.

“You’ve seen her for yourself. Does she look hurt?” They haven’t checked out her ass, which was a good thing.

“I know there are a great deal of bruises that don’t show up.”

“I don’t hit my women.” Lies were so easy. I didn’t hit, I spanked.

“Don’t treat us like fools. We know what you’re capable of. The bodies that mount up from women you can’t control,” Gael said.

“Actually, that is business, and I have nothing to do with their deaths. To put your minds at rest, I can order Ashley in here to strip and you can see every single inch of her if you’d like, and while you’re checking over my woman, I’ll go to a room, and let’s see what would happen if I was left alone with your woman for as long as you check mine.”

Vadik charged forward, and I was done playing passive. I grabbed my blade and held it ready to strike. These boys didn’t scare me.

“I take my protection seriously. You think I won’t protect what is mine? Ashley is mine. Try to take her from me, and I will make you all suffer in ways you’ve only ever imagined.”

They all stilled.

I waited to see who would test me first. I was almost desperate for it.

Finally, Caleb cleared his throat. “I think it’s time we get down to business and allow our women to catch up.”

It was a damn good choice because it meant we’d all get to live at the end of the day.

Chapter Five

Ashley

I was shown to another wing of the Monsters’ house while I had to wait for Earl to arrive. Dinner had been awful. There was no other word to describe it. Tensions were running high. The men looked ready to kill one another. The fact Emily wanted to speak to him only made my nerves increase.

Earl’s men stood outside of the room. I’d been surprised we weren’t going back to the boat or to a different house. This wasn’t like Earl to want to be in the same house as them. My nerves were now at an all-time high.

The moment the door opened, I stopped pacing and turned to see Earl standing in the doorway.

“You haven’t had a bath?” he asked.

I glanced around the room then at him. “Are you okay?”

“Emily is not a problem, if that’s what you were worried about.” He closed the door and flicked the lock into place.