“A hundred thousand euros.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, furious at the number. “And you really thought Cassini was worth that meager amount? That woman is fucking priceless, but you sold her for pennies.”
“Lucian said he would kill me if I didn’t cooperate,” Evan explained. “So I might as well take the money.”
Heath shook his head. “We should kill you. A piece of shit like you doesn’t deserve to live.”
“No, he doesn’t,” I said in agreement. “You don’t deserve to have a dick between your legs because you aren’t a man. You never deserved to touch her or kiss her. You don’t even deserve to breathe.”
He bowed his head. “I did love her—”
“Say that again, and I’ll shoot you between the eyes.” I pulled my pistol from the back of my jeans and set it on the table beside me. It was fully loaded, and I had perfect aim. I would spray the back wall with his brains.
Evan couldn’t take his eyes off the gun. “I’ve told you what you wanted to know. What more do you want from me?”
I wanted to murder him and Lucian at the same time, bury them deep in the soil and piss on their graves. I always described Lucian as being a pussy and an idiot, but he’d expertly trapped Cassini, making her think her actions were heroic. That was how he got between her legs, how he got a dutiful wife. Because he made up the whole fucking thing. “And you just moved on and never looked back?”
He could barely look me in the eye. “What else was I supposed to do?”
“Be a man,” I said coldly. “And die for your woman. That’s what men do. That’s what we were put on this earth to do.” I rose to my feet and grabbed my gun. “The only reason you’re alive is because Cassini wouldn’t want me to kill you. Consider yourself lucky.”
“Does she know about all of this?” he asked.
“No.” I approached his desk as I shoved the gun into the back of my jeans. “I’ll be waiting for you when you get off work.”
Evan glanced at the frame on his desk, a picture of his wife and young son. He turned back to me, pathetically apologetic. “And what are you going to do to me?”
I planted both hands on the desk and leaned forward. “I’m gonna take you out to the middle of nowhere and push you to the brink of death. You’ll fear death in the beginning, but once the agony kicks in, you’ll wish it would take you away. And that’s when I’ll leave you…when you beg me to finish the job.”
We parked in the compound, and I killed the engine.
“Are you going to tell her?” Heath asked from his side of the truck.
I’d never intended to tell her about my vendetta against Evan, but he’d told a secret that completely changed the past. Did Cassini have the right to know what really happened? Or would it only hurt her more? “I don’t know.”
“Knowing he’ll get a beating of a lifetime later might give her closure.”
Knowing her, it wouldn’t. “She’s too classy for that. She wouldn’t want me to do it.”
“Then why are you going to do it?”
“For myself. I’m the Skull King—and it’s my job to pursue justice.”
It was almost eleven in the morning, so the sun was high in the sky. Heath wore sunglasses on the bridge of his nose to keep the brightness out of his gaze. Winter had nearly arrived, but cloudless days like this made it feel like summer. “And what about Lucian?”
“He’ll pay.” He’d pay for a lot of things. I already got some vengeance when he realized I’d been screwing his wife right under his nose. She was mine long before I took her. Every time he was away on the weekend, I was buried deep inside her, making her come like he never did. “He knows about our affair.”
“He does? When did he tell you that?”
“About a week ago. Cassini left her phone behind, and he went through the messages.”
The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “Talk about a declaration of war….”
“Yeah, he was pissed. But I like it when my enemies are pissed. Means I’m doing something right.”
“Then you’re definitely doing a lot right.”
We got out of the truck and made it to the elevator.
“Want me to help you tonight?” Heath asked as we rose to his floor.
“No. That asshole is all mine.”
The doors opened, and Heath stepped into his entryway. “Alright, I’m going to bed. Have fun with Evan.”
“I will.” The doors shut, and I rose to the top floor. Cassini wasn’t on the couch where she usually was, and that was probably because of how late it was. It was nearly noon, and I was usually home by four in the morning.