“I won’t bother you again.”
My voice came out as a whisper. “You aren’t bothering me…”
He averted his gaze. “I just wanted you to have that money. I know that you needed it. And you seem to be on the mend now, so I’ll leave you alone.” He turned around to walk out again.
I hated watching him leave. It was like watching someone special walk out of your life forever. Now I had a strong connection to this man, and every time he left, it hurt so bad. I moved into him, wrapping my arms around his waist, my face pressing into his back.
He stilled when he felt me. He was motionless for a long time, letting me squeeze him and hold him close. He eventually turned around so we could be face-to-face.
My arms moved around his neck, and I placed my forehead against his. Then I closed my eyes, hugging him more intimately than I’d ever hugged anyone else. How could I say goodbye to the man who saved my life? Say goodbye to the only person who knew what happened to me? I held him for a long time because I didn’t want to let him go. It was easy to forget that he’d done unforgivable things to my family. How could a man so good be so bad?
He was the one to pull away first, like he had been the one crossing the line. “I’ll take care of those girls. Consider it done.” He gave me a final goodbye with those blue eyes before he left my apartment for the last time.
Seven
Heath
“This is a fucking mistake.” Steel was still trying to talk sense into me before I kicked the beehive. “You think the Skull Kings are going to agree with this plan? You’re taking one of our biggest businesses and throwing in the garbage.”
I sat beside him at the table, knowing I had no other choice. “We already bring in enough money. It’s not gonna make that much of a difference in the long run.”
“But you aren’t substituting it with something better.”
“Because there is nothing more lucrative than free labor.” Slavery would always be the hottest commodity in the world. Running a business with no overhead and no taxes was the dream. “But we can’t do this shit anymore. It’s wrong.”
“You think those assholes are going to care?”
I was going against the grain, and while I was annoyed with the endeavor, I was determined to make it happen. “We’ll turn it into a brothel. Ash brings in high revenue with his girls. We can still make a ton of money doing this another way.”
“But those girls aren’t going to sign up for this. They’re gonna want to leave.”
“Then we’ll find other girls. I’m sure Ash can help us with that.”
Steel shook his head. “So, you take down this crew? Then what? We have other clients that do the same thing. Don’t you think that’s going to cause problems? The Russians are the only ones being punished for the same crime.”
I’d anticipated that problem. “Then we’ll ban it altogether.”
Now both of his eyebrows rose up at the same time. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“No.” Balto had banned the practice from the Skull Kings when he was in charge, and while some of the men were pissed, they got over it. But this undertaking was far more complex. “They can follow in the same footsteps. They’ll all be on a level playing field, with fewer girls, they can charge more money. It’s basic economics.”
Steel still looked appalled. “This is not gonna be as simple as you think it is.”
“Trust me, I don’t think it’ll be simple.” I knew there would be resistance, anger. I knew some of my men would question their loyalty to me. I had to bring in more money quick. Otherwise, they would never forget it.
“Vox isn’t gonna let this go. Even if you’re successful, which I doubt, he’s still going to come after you.”
I shrugged. “Then let him come.”
I sat on the wooden throne, skulls carved into the black wood. I’d moved it to the main room when I took over. The beer was on the table beside me as I looked down at the room, seeing them all gathered around. They drank their beer in front of the fire, the pretty girls handing out drinks while the men talked loudly.
Steel looked at me from his seat at the bench, wearing a cold expression warning me not to go through with this, that I should let it go because there was still time to change my mind.
But I couldn’t change my mind.
Vox was in the back with his crew, with dark hair, dark eyes, and a muscular size that rivaled mine. He spoke to his men quietly, and the moment I stood up, his attention shifted to me, anxious for whatever announcement I had to make. He was waiting for the perfect moment for me to trip so he could pound on me. He’d been the same way with Balto, and he would always be that way until he got what he wanted.