Lie (Betrothed Book 8)

  Lie

  Betrothed #8

  Penelope Sky

  Hartwick Publishing

  Lie

  Copyright © 2020 by Penelope Sky

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  One

  Heath

  It was late at night in the bar, the very bar where I’d ambushed Damien the night I’d intended to execute his old man. I had a scotch on the rocks, not my usual choice, but they were out of vodka.

  Balto stared at me with a rigid expression, his large size blocking out a portion of my view because he had burly shoulders and his body was a thick mass. Whenever he grabbed his drink, he always used his left hand, and on his ring finger was the skull diamond identical to my own. “How’s Vox behaving?”

  “I thought you didn’t care about that shit anymore?” When Balto handed over the reins, he’d washed his hands clean and wanted nothing to do with his former business. He never asked questions, never got involved, said he was a retired man.

  “I care about the men staging a coup against my brother.”

  “Not gonna happen.” I had eyes and ears everywhere, spies against spies. Vox wasn’t silent about his distaste for the new leadership, obviously finding Balto’s decision incredibly biased. Vox was a brutal man, a soldier who had the cruelty that was required in leadership. He probably would’ve made a good leader.

  But too bad, because it was me.

  “Don’t be arrogant. Never be arrogant.”

  “You’re the most arrogant man I know,” I said with a laugh.

  “I’m retired. I can afford to be headstrong.” He lifted his hand and pointed at me. “You can’t.”

  Not too many rulers could get advice from their predecessors like I could. Former Skull Kings usually handed over their titles when they died. Balto’s retirement was unconventional. But now, I always had an experienced mind to give me advice, not that I needed it much.

  “And Damien?”

  That man was a goddamn joke. He’d pissed me off when he pretended to be too good to submit, but then he got my brother mixed up in the bullshit and that just made me angrier. Then he had the audacity to threaten me, again, when I was the one who let his sister go.

  In his defense, he had no idea about Catalina. “He’s a pain in the fucking ass.”

  “Still?” Balto eyed me incredulously, mirroring my reactions because of his identical features. “How can the man still be a problem? Your job is to eliminate problems. Why is this guy still walking around and breathing?”

  “You were the one who saved his ass.” I took a drink, the ice cubes sliding and tapping against my lips. I let the booze wash down my throat and into my stomach, the usual burn absent because I’d been drinking hard for so many years.

  “I owed him. What kind of man would I be if I didn’t honor my debts?” His arms rested on the table, and his shirt was tight on his muscular arms. He wasn’t the leader of an underground army anymore, but he kept his remarkable fitness at the same level as if he was still in charge.

  “You never told me how he saved your life.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Deal’s over.”

  My brother wasn’t much of a talker. I was definitely more of a conversationalist. “How’s the wife?”

  He gave me a glare.

  “What? I’m not asking because she’s hot.” I loved to get under my brother’s skin, push his buttons, and talking about his brunette woman sitting at home was the best way to accomplish that.

  His blue eyes darkened noticeably as his fingertips rested on the rim of his glass. He stared me down like he wanted to slam my face into the surface of the table. But, of course, he never did anything, because I was his flesh and blood. “She’s fine.”

  “Shouldn’t your wife be more than fine?”

  “Shut the fuck up, Heath.”

  I leaned forward. “Maybe I could teach you some moves. Maybe you’ve gotten a little rusty—”

  He slammed his glass down. “I will break this into shards and shove them into your eyes.”

  I raised both hands in a form of a mocking surrender and leaned back. “Alright…just trying to help.”

  A babe in a short dress came to our table, her eyes on Balto first. “Hey, I’m Tess.”

  My brother became a committed and monogamous man when he met Cassini, which was fascinating because he used to be deep between a woman’s thighs every night of the week. He was either at the whorehouse or at the bar, picking up a new woman for entertainment. But ever since he settled down, he didn’t look, didn’t even glance, at someone other than his wife. That was exactly what he did now as he rejected her. “I’m married.” He brought his glass to his lips and took a drink, his eyes still on me.

  Tess looked at me next. “Please don’t tell me you’re married too.”

  I patted my thigh. “Nope. Come on down, sweetheart.”

  She smiled as she moved into my lap, her arm circling my neck. “I prefer the tattoos anyway…”

  I pulled up my sleeve to my shoulder and revealed my flexed bicep. “Then check it out.” I pointed out the different images in black ink, knowing women got a kick out of all the demented stuff I put on my skin. She touched me every chance she got, leaning closer into me like she was already prepared to sweat on my sheets.

  Balto kept drinking, staring at his glass so he wouldn’t have to watch me get frisky with Tess.

  She drank my entire glass before she pouted her lips. “All gone.” She got off my lap and stood near the table. “How about I get us a few more rounds?”

  I relaxed into the wooden chair. “Good idea, sweetheart.”

  She turned around and headed to the bar.

  I looked at my brother again. “Jealous?”

  His eyes smoldered in annoyance. “That bitch has nothing on Cassini.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe. But she’s easy.”

  “You’re easy.”

  “Is that an insult?” My eyes went to the bar to watch my piece of ass fetch us drinks, but then I noticed somebody else who looked familiar. With long brown hair, an athletic and petite figure, and rocking heels that were so high they seemed impossible to walk in, she looked just like my former prisoner.

  She was with a group of other women, all similar builds, all wearing short dresses with the intention of having a good time this evening. She ordered a shot right away, downed it, and then threw her arms in the air to release a shout. “Yaaasssss!”

  Shit, it was her.

  Balto noticed my sudden change in mood. “What?”

  “There’s a woman over there that I think I know.” I continued to watch her hang out with her crew, hog the bar, and commander the bartender’s complete focus. The woman I’d had on my lap minutes ago was standing at the bar, being ignored because she couldn’t compete with that group of women.

  A few guys stood at one of the tables, dressed in suits like they’d just finished their jobs at the office before coming to the bar to wind down. One guy in particular was staring at Catalina.

  She ordered a vodka cranberry and did a little dance between her girlfriends, shaking her hips from left to right like she was ready to salsa.

  One of the guys approached her, a playful grin on his face, and walked right behind her. He was a decent-looking guy, but I knew Catalina could do much better. He was about to get rejected, buy her a drink that would never turn into sex.

  But then he did something I didn’t expect.

  He squeezed her ass.

  Both of my eyebrows rose at the very stupid thing he’d just done. “He just fucked with the wrong woman…”

  Balto turned in his seat to see what I was talking about.

  Just as I expected, Catalina turned around and didn’t shrink down at the size of her assailant. Her eyes were filled with the flames of hell as she slowly walked forward, sizing up her opponent. He was nearly a foot taller than her.

  Did she care? Nope.

  One hand was on her hip, and her short blue dress was constructed of straps across her body and in various other places, leaving lots of beautiful skin to be viewed. With her long hair, bright eyes, and legs for days, she was definitely the most beautiful woman in that bar. She cleaned up pretty damn good. “Do you want to die, motherfucker?”

  Stupidly, he smiled because he didn’t see her as a threat whatsoever. “I was just trying to get your attention, sweetheart.”

  “Congratulations.” With the same unparalleled speed she’d shown me behind the theater, her hand moved to his crotch and she gripped one side of his sac through his slacks. “You have my full attention, asshole.” Then she squeezed.

  The guy tried to cover his scream, but he couldn’t. It was unmistakable, even over the music playing from the speakers. He tried to push her wrist away to free his balls, but when he tried to push down, her fingers inched closer together. She was like a crab—the more you tried to get free, the harder she squeezed.

  “I’m sorry, does this hurt?” she asked loudly so everyone could hear.

  He whimpered, breathing hard through the excruciating pain. He gave a quick nod.

  “My bad.” She squeezed his entire sac with all her fingers. “Did I just humiliate you in front of your friends?” Her voice was filled with sarcasm, and she destroyed his dignity right in front of everyone in the bar
. “You want me to let you go and leave you alone?” She tilted her head and started to talk in a baby voice.

  He nodded, seething.

  “Then don’t try that shit again.” She released his balls and stepped back.

  He fell backward into his two friends then kneeled over as he breathed through the pain. “Get me some fucking ice.”

  I watched the episode unfold, thoroughly entertained.

  Balto turned back to me, slightly impressed. “Is that her?”

  I nodded.

  He grabbed his glass and finished it off. “I like her.”

  Balto took off, and then it was just Tess and me. But I was more distracted by the magnetic brunette who’d stolen everyone’s attention inside the bar. She didn’t pay for a single drink because rounds were constantly purchased by her admirers. And she was so free, moving with a self-assurance I’d never seen on a woman before. She wasn’t conceited about her appearance, and she didn’t have an inflated ego either. It was hard to describe. She was just confident, plain and simple. She collected a few phone numbers throughout the evening and stuffed them down the front of her top.

  She was owning the night.

  It’d been about four weeks since the last time I’d seen her. I’d dropped her off at her apartment, and I didn’t think about her again. She was just an obnoxious memory I chose not to dwell on. Never had I ever had a prisoner who was so much work.

  It would be easy for me to slip out of the bar without her even noticing I was there. We didn’t have anything to talk about anyway, and I didn’t exactly look forward to a conversation about the past. But I found her so interesting, I couldn’t stop staring.

  Tess noticed I was distracted. “Do you want to get out of here?”

  My eyes stayed on Catalina. “Yeah. I just need to talk to someone first.” I got out of the chair and walked across the bar until I reached her. She was still surrounded by her girls, talking to a handsome guy, a drink in her hand and her cheeks flushed because of the booze in her system. “Call me.” She handed her drink to a friend and pulled out a permanent marker. “Are you left-handed or right-handed?”

  The guy held up his right hand.

  Catalina wrote her digits in big numbers across his palm. “That way, you’ll think of me next time…you know.” She winked.

  He smiled before he turned away. “Oh, I definitely will.”

  She gave a playful wave before she took her drink back from her friend. This woman was the winner of the room, owned every guy in sight so there was no one left for anyone else. It wasn’t just her dark hair, tanned skin, and tight body; it was this infectious spirit that filled the bar with so much energy.

  I almost walked away, but now I was more intrigued than before. I walked up to her and stared.

  She sipped her drink as she stared at me, taking a few seconds to process my features until she finally recognized me. “Oh my god, the Skull King?”

  And just like that, I remembered why I hated this woman.

  “What are you doing here?” She broke apart from her group and came closer to me, not nearly as afraid as she should have been, considering I’d kidnapped her four weeks ago. Since we were in public, she probably assumed she was invincible.

  No one was invincible…from me. “It’s a bar. I’m doing the same thing you are.” I glanced at the guy she’d just given a permanent hard-on to. “Just not quite as well.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You have better game than I do.”

  She gave me a suspicious look and tipped her glass to take another drink. “I thought you said I would never see you again.”

  “That was the plan. But, you know, shit happens.”

  “This shit could’ve been avoided if you’d just walked out.” She wasn’t the fun, outgoing woman I’d been watching all night. Her memory must have caught up with her, reminded her that I took away her freedom and threatened to kill her. Now her guard was up, and so was her attitude. She looked nothing like she had in my cage, when her skin was caked in my blood and her dress was ruined.

  “My curiosity got the best of me.”

  “And what are you so curious about?” She’d been drinking all night, but she didn’t slur her words or slow down her firing ammo. She was witty and quick, far more intelligent than the average person. She seemed to have inherited the smart gene, and Damien didn’t.

  “Why didn’t you tell him?” The question was another reason I hadn’t left. I could’ve taken Tess home and I would be fucking her right now, but I was too curious about Catalina’s silence. She could’ve told Damien what I did, but she chose to keep her secret.

  Once the question was in the air, she lowered her glass and turned stern. “What makes you think I didn’t?”

  “Because one of us would be dead right now.” When I’d confronted him at his office and collected my money, he was angry about my part in Liam’s plan, but he didn’t mention his sister at all. He was impulsive and emotional, so if he’d known that I threw his sister in a cage and intended to kill her, that night would’ve gone very differently.

  She crossed her arms over her chest and ignored the drink resting between her fingers. “Why did you let me go?”

  I’d expected an answer, not a question. My eyes narrowed in annoyance. “What does it matter? You’re free and clearly enjoying it.”

  Her attitude flared. “Again, what’s that supposed to mean?”

  I’d been privy to her most personal thoughts when I listened to her pray, when I listened to her confess her sins and ask to be blessed. It seemed wrong to subtly mention it because it was none of my business in the first place. “Just answer me.”

  “I don’t owe you anything.”

  “I let you go, so I disagree.” My anger started to rise just as it had in the basement. She was so difficult, so resistant; it was impossible to accomplish anything. I’d never met a woman so combative all my life, physically and emotionally.

  “Oh, so I owe you now?” Her voice rose an octave, her rage coming out.

  “Damn right. And you wouldn’t want me to take you again, right?”

  Now both of her eyes were wide as if she couldn’t believe I had the balls to say that to her. She turned to her friend and tapped her on the shoulder. “Hold my drink.” She walked up to me and reached her hand down like she was going to grab me by the balls, just like she had with that other guy.

  I backed up instantly. “Alright, alright.”

  She flicked her hair dramatically. “That’s what I thought, bitch.”

  I’d come to her looking for an answer, but instead, I’d turned her into a raging bull. She bowed her head and pointed her horns at me, ready to stab me in the gut. My intention never landed with this woman because her intense reactions always took the conversation in a different direction. “You were much more pleasant last time I saw you.”

  “Because you were being a dick.”

  I could walk away at any time, but I continued to stay there, continued to look at her beautiful face, her unblemished skin that was free of scars, unlike mine. When her makeup was done like that, she had the look of an actress or a model. When coupled with her fiery attitude, she could be anything she wanted to be. I’d never encountered a woman like her, who would fight with everything she had, didn’t shy away from a man twice her size, and stood up for herself when people disrespected her…including me.

  Tess came to my side and slipped her arm through mine. She couldn’t look more different from Catalina. With short blond hair and fair skin, she was the exact opposite. Tess was pretty, but she didn’t have the brilliance Catalina possessed. “Babe, let’s go.” She claimed me like she was trying to get rid of Catalina. She rose on her tiptoes and kissed me on the neck, as if that would entice me to ignore the woman I was speaking to.

  Catalina didn’t look at Tess. “Enjoy your night.” She sheathed her anger once someone else was in our presence and turned away.

  “Cat?” I remembered what she’d said when she got out of my truck, what her friends called her.

  It was enough to make her look back at me.

  “This conversation isn’t over.” I had wondered why Catalina didn’t sell me out to her brother, but it hadn’t consumed me like it did now. After seeing her in the flesh again, I felt my curiosity turn into obsession. I needed this answer, and the more she resisted me, the more I needed to know.