The Skull King (Skull 1)

Heath didn’t tug on his chains this time. “Yes. Asshole.”

“Doesn’t sound like it to me.”

“I’ll behave—but I’ll never be your little bitch.”

“Everyone is my little bitch, so that’ll be difficult.”

Heath clenched his jaw, annoyed by my taunts.

“You’ll work for the Skull Kings and stay out of trouble. You understand?”

His blue eyes bored into mine.

“You can have as much booze and pussy as you want. Just don’t cause problems with anyone. And don’t question me in front of anyone either. If you cross me, I will have to punish you the same way I would punish anyone else—by death.”

“What if I don’t want to work for you?”

“Then what are you going to do? Because if you piss me off again, I’ll throw your ass back in here.” I paid off the cops and the prisons, so I could throw anyone in here that I wanted. Some men preferred to torture their enemies, but I thought confining someone to a long-term prison sentence was worse. It wasn’t so bad in the beginning, but once your stomach started to reject the food and your hand chafed against your dry dick, it began to feel like torture. The mind went next…and the body followed. I didn’t want to put my brother through that, but he was such a shithead that I had to. It was either this or I’d have to kill him someday.

“I don’t know.”

“You have no money or a place to live. So what’s your brilliant plan?”

He tilted his head. “You aren’t going to invite your brother to stay with you? You’ve got a four-story building all to yourself. Not to mention, you’ll be able to keep a damn eye on me—which is so important to you.”

I wasn’t his babysitter, and I didn’t need to keep an eye on him. I paid people to do that. “Yes, you can stay with me—on the third floor. So what’s your plan?”

“I don’t have a plan. Do I need a plan right this second?”

“I’m not going to let you out until you do. Do you want to make an honest living?”

“And make sixty thousand euros a year?” he asked incredulously. “Fuck no. The boredom would kill me. The only skills I have involve stealing, lying, fucking, and drinking.”

“Then the Skull Kings will be perfect for you.”

He rolled his eyes.

“Give me an answer, Heath. This doesn’t move forward until you do.” I knew he didn’t want to rot in jail, not even for another week. The only benefit he got from his jail time was his physique. He bulked up while behind bars because he had nothing else to do.

He hit both of his fists against the table, the chain clanking with his movements. “Fine. You win. You always win.”

The corner of my mouth rose in a smile. “Yes. It seems that way, doesn’t it?”

His eyes clouded with shadow.

“Lighten up. You’re about to get out of here and enjoy the last of summer.”

“I want a week off before slavery begins. There’re a lot of things I need to catch up on.”

“Let me guess,” I said. “You want to borrow some money to pay for hookers?”

“It’s only fair—since I’m in here because of you.”

It’d been days since I’d last spoken to Cassini, and my dick missed her so much. I couldn’t imagine how it would be if it’d been six months since I’d last had her. My brother’s dick was probably about to explode. “You’re in here because you forced me to put you in here. But I suppose I could do that for you—as your brother.”

12

Balto

Heath checked out of the prison, and I drove him to my building.

He wore my clothes because the clothes he had were too small for him now. He was too muscular for his old t-shirts and jeans. My clothes fit him well, so he really did look just like me. His eyes were directed out the window for the entire drive, and once Florence came into view, he stared at the city with new appreciation in his eyes. It was a beautiful evening. The sun had just set, and the sky was full of splashes of pink and purple. The summer heat had dissipated as night descended.

“You want to stop anywhere?”

“No. You can still order hookers, right?”

“Is that all you can think about?” I asked. “Getting laid?”

He turned to me, his scowl threatening. “Would you feel any differently?”

I’d crave a good meal and booze just as much as a woman. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe being around a bunch of gross men all the time made him appreciate the beauty of a woman even more. “Probably not.”

He looked out the window again.

I pulled into my compound minutes later, and we entered the building. We rose to the third floor, where he would have plenty of his own space, including his own kitchen and living room, along with a hallway full of bedrooms. “Kitchen is stocked. Gym is on the first floor.”