Buttons and Pain (Buttons 3)

Before Cane could respond the phone rang.

I purposely didn’t answer it on the first ring just to be a dick. There was nothing more disrespectful than wasting someone’s time. When I was finally done letting the seconds trickle by I answered. “Crow.”

He paused on the line, wasting my time just as I wasted his. “I’m impressed with the way you handled Pearl’s extraction. If I weren’t so irritated I might actually applaud.”

I stared at Cane as I stayed on the line. He stood with his arms across his chest and the headset over his ears so he could listen to the conversation.

“I’m not impressed that you fail to do your dirty work with your own hands.”

“Oh, I do, Crow. Just ask Pearl.”

My hand balled into a fist again, this time nearly cutting my skin.

“I don’t need to tell you that I want her and I’m going to get her. Hand her over and the feud between us ends once and for all.”

“Never.” I was never going to give up Button. I would die until my last breath to make sure she was safe. If he wanted her, he had to come through me. And he would never succeed. “I’m sure there’s something else we can compromise on. As I said in the past, I’m willing to compensate you.”

“There’s not enough money that can replace her.”

It was the first time we agreed on something.

“Then no deal.”

“Crow, I’m going to come at you hard until I get her. I will find you, and when I do I’ll fuck her in the ass right in front of you. I suggest you take the easy way out while it’s still available. Because if you keep trying my patience I’ll treat her far worse than I ever treated your precious little sister.”

I restrained myself from slamming my hand on the table. The mention of Vanessa took the conversation to a new level. My blood was boiling and I couldn’t stop shaking. “She’s just a woman. You can always find another to entertain yourself.”

“But I want her. And I’m pretty sure you understand why.”

I didn’t deny the implication because my intentions toward Button was more obvious than the shining sun. “You can’t have her, Bones. That’s not up for debate. I suggest you settle for something else so we can call off this war. As a gesture of peace, Cane and I won’t make you pay for Vanessa’s death.” That was the most generous offer I could possibly make, and Bones knew it. It was difficult for us to let Vanessa’s murder go unpunished but she was already gone. Button was still alive and we had to keep it that way. “That’s my best offer.”

Bones was silent for nearly a minute. If he was seriously considering the offer, we were making progress. Or he was just drawing it out to make me squirm. “I’m going to get her, Crow. And when I do I’m not going to kill you. I’m gonna make you watch me fuck her until I kill her. And after you see me slit her throat, I’ll do the same to you.”

***

When I came home, Button was sitting on the balcony looking over the vineyards. She was sipping a glass of red wine wearing a dress Lars had picked up for her at one of the shops in Florence. Aqua colored gems hung from her lobes and her hair was pulled back in some kind of bun. In her lap was a book. Like she’d never left in the first place, she fell right back into her routine of entertaining herself until I came home.

Instead of telling her I was there I stood in the doorway and watched her. With my hands in my pockets I admired every feature I’d come to adore. She had long thin legs that gripped my hips tightly when we made love. Her toes were always manicured even though she never painted them. Sometimes she wore make up but most of the time she didn’t, which was fine by me. She looked stunning just the way she was. I studied her slender neck and remembered all the kisses I had placed there. I couldn’t recall the exact moment my heart softened and let her in. it could have happened the very first time I laid eyes on her when she was fighting to survive. Or it could have been the moment she told me she loved me. I didn’t say it back because the feeling wasn’t mutual. I just didn’t say it because of the heartbreak it might lead to down the road.

But now I couldn’t deny and I certainly didn’t want to.

Button must have picked up on my presence because she turned around and looked at me. “I didn’t know you were home.” She set her book and wineglass on the table and stood, the dress hugging her curves perfectly. “How long have you been standing there?”