The Skull King Read online

  “Are they good guys?”

  “The best,” I said, unflinching. “What about your brother?”

  He shrugged. “He’s an annoying jackass, but he’s loyal. He’d take a bullet for me, and I would take one for him.”

  “That’s the definition of family right there.” I grabbed my martini and finished it.

  He held his glass between his fingers and examined me, the expression in his blue eyes impossible to dissect. Whenever we were screwing, he was easy to read, just like a book. But any other time, I felt we were like two enemies facing each other across the table. He didn’t want to share his secrets with me, especially when I wouldn’t share mine with him.

  “It’s almost eight… I should get going.” I cleared the dishes and washed them in the sink before I went into the bedroom and changed back into the dress I’d arrived in. My heels returned to my feet, and I left his t-shirt on the bed. After I fixed my hair and reapplied my lipstick, I walked back into the living room.

  He pulled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt so he could walk me out. He didn’t try to convince me to stay. Maybe he knew it was best for this to end, especially now that I was asking questions. At first, it was easy just to screw then say goodbye, but now that I’d fallen deeper into those blue eyes, I wanted to know more about him—all the good and the bad.

  I stopped in front of the elevator, prepared to have the discussion that would end this for good. I would miss this man, especially the way he felt deep between my legs. Going back to only my hand would be a rough adjustment.

  He hit the button. “I’ll walk you out.”

  “I thought you were a cruel man. Cruel men don’t walk women to the car.”

  The doors opened, and he stepped inside. “But I don’t fuck a woman in the ass and let her cross the parking lot on her own—while twenty men hold rifles.” The doors shut, and we descended to the bottom floor.

  “So, you walk all of your lady friends out?”

  “No.”

  We hit the bottom, and the doors opened. He walked me to my car, his sweatpants fitting his physique in the sexiest way. He stopped at my car and watched me pull my keys from the clutch. It wasn’t as dark as it usually was when I left his place since it was still fairly early in the evening. “We both know this has to stop. So, it stops now.”

  With his hands resting in his pockets, he stared at me like he hadn’t heard a word I said. He seemed bored, like my words meant nothing to him.

  I kept staring at him, unsure if he heard me or not.

  He stepped closer to me and kissed the corner of my mouth. “Whatever you say, baby.”

  “I’m serious. He called me today and asked what I was doing.”

  “Seems like a normal question.”

  “But he’s never asked it before…”

  “If this guy were suspicious of you, he’d be a lot more threatening about it.”

  Maybe that was true, but it still scared me. “I’m not good at keeping secrets. I’m not good at covering my tracks. He will find out—if we keep doing this.”

  “Then let him find out.” He tilted his head down so he could look into my face.

  “He’ll definitely kill you.”

  He grinned, as if this was all a joke. “I would love to see him try.”

  “You don’t know who you’re dealing with.” Lucian could wire explosives around Balto’s building then demolish it while he slept. It kept his hands clean—and made a spectacle at the same time.

  “And you don’t know who he’s dealing with. If I’m the only thing you’re worried about, then you can relax. There’s no man on this earth that I’m afraid of—especially some pussy who forces a woman to marry him to save her boyfriend. A real man can keep a woman on his own, not with forced servitude. This guy is a loser, and we both know it.”

  I couldn’t deny that.

  “And you couldn’t stay away from me if you tried. If you want me never to contact you again, that’s fine by me. But we both know you’ll only last a week before you start texting me in the middle of the night, flooding my inbox with dirty pictures.”

  I wanted to slap him for his arrogance, but that was only because I knew he was right. I could try to forget about him, but my thoughts would wander to him until I eventually gave in. I could fight as long as possible, but it was a battle I would never win.

  He stepped closer to me. “Last time you were here, I fucked you so good. But you still pulled me up against this car and had me fuck you like a whore in an alleyway. Whatever we have is too strong to ignore. We have lust, heat, and a passion that’s so volatile, it could burn this entire city to the ground. I’ve fucked a lot of women, but I’ve never had this kind of chemistry before. You look forward to our nights together because your husband is worthless. I look forward to it because you’re fucking gorgeous, sexy, and have a pussy that’s more addictive than crack. So, call this off whenever you want. I know you’re just going to come back to me…again and again.”

  22

  Cassini

  Lucian returned from his trip, and I wore the lingerie that he asked for.

  He looked me up and down, stripped off his clothes, and then took me like he’d been celibate all week.

  I did my best not to think of Balto as I waited for it to end.

  The more I had sex with Lucian, the more I wanted to kill him.

  The more agonizing it became.

  And I still had a long life ahead of me.

  I didn’t contact Balto, and he didn’t contact me. He was a stubborn man, and he would wait a lifetime to prove his point. He wouldn’t acknowledge my existence until I contacted him—and he would glow in his arrogance.

  Going back to my mediocre life made me realize he was right.

  I couldn’t live like this forever.

  I needed Balto—like I needed air and water.

  I joined Lucian for breakfast on Wednesday. He usually spent the morning with me before he headed to work, to wire new explosives or decide who would get his next prototype. He really was a brilliant man, and it was a shame he used it for evil. Sometimes I worried that was how he would kill me, tape me to explosives then blow me into pieces.

  My brothers wouldn’t be able to bury me.

  It would be so cold, so cruel.

  He sat across from me and sipped his coffee while he read the newspaper. It was a warm day for the beginning of fall, so he left his jacket over the back of the chair and unbuttoned the front of his shirt.

  That was when I noticed the silver chain hanging around his throat.

  With a diamond in the shape of a skull at the center.

  I stared at it for a long time, knowing it was familiar. I’d seen it somewhere, but I couldn’t figure out exactly where. It was a unique piece of jewelry, something I wouldn’t have spotted in a jewelry store or online.

  Then it hit me.

  Balto wore a ring with a similar diamond…unless it was the same diamond.

  My heart started to race as I examined the flawless quality. The diamond was so large that it had to be worth a hundred times more than my wedding ring. Why did these two men have diamonds that were so similar?

  Lucian looked up from the paper. “Everything alright, Beautiful?”

  I tore my gaze away from his necklace, repulsed by the nickname. “I was admiring your necklace. I’ve never seen you wear anything like that before.”

  He didn’t touch it with his fingertips. His eyes moved back to his paper. “I rarely wear it.”

  I wanted to know more about it, but I didn’t want my interest to be too obvious. “It’s an unusual shape…a skull. What does it mean?” Balto had the same diamond in a ring, wearing it constantly and never removing it while we were together. It was an unusual piece of jewelry for a man like him, so it obviously meant something significant. Did that mean these two men had something in common?

  He folded the newspaper. “Rumor has it that Sir Francis Drake took three of these diamonds from an indigenous tribe along a smal
l chain of islands to the south of India. They are flawless, rare, and worth more money than all of the European countries combined—and one of them belongs to me.”

  “And the other two?” Did Balto have one?

  He picked up his newspaper again. “No idea.”

  Maybe it was just a coincidence, but I found it odd that two powerful men had the same diamond. I didn’t ask any more questions because I was already too interested. Lucian clearly didn’t want to talk about it.

  “They’re premiering Romeo and Juliet at the opera this Saturday night. I have a balcony reserved for us. I’ll be meeting with colleagues afterward for dinner. I want you to pick up a gown this week, something with a high slit and a plunging neckline.”

  I cocked an eyebrow because I couldn’t believe he bossed me around like that. Now he was telling me how to dress? “I’ll look for something I like.”

  “It’s supposed to be a good show. I think you’ll like it.”

  I didn’t want to spend my Saturday night with him, and I’d never been to the opera before, so I didn’t know why he assumed I would enjoy it. Maybe I could kill him and take the diamond necklace. It would be worth enough money to pay for a small army for my protection. It wasn’t the worst plan I’d ever had.

  He opened his newspaper again and took a drink of his coffee.

  I looked out the window and watched the sunlight reflect off the pool. The only plans I had for the afternoon were soaking in the sun while reading. At midday, I would touch myself then take a nap. Those were the only activities I looked forward to anymore. Sometimes I considered gaining a bunch of weight on purpose so he wouldn’t want me anymore.

  “Aren’t you excited?” He looked over his paper at me.

  He expected me to be grateful. “I’ve never been to the opera.”

  “I’m sure you’ll like it. Most women do.”

  Was going to the opera feminine? It was such a sexist comment.

  “You seem unhappy this morning.”

  Because I’m looking at your ugly face. “I don’t feel comfortable sitting in on your meetings.” Lucian purposely wanted his colleagues and opponents to stare at me. It was a disgusting power play, to show everyone what kind of woman he could land, whether I was forced or not. I was just eye candy, a trophy. He used me as bait.

  “I would never let anything happen to you.”

  That didn’t mean it didn’t make me uncomfortable. I could hardly tolerate him, let alone the criminals and terrorists who tried to kiss his ass to get what they wanted. “It’s still not the way I’d like to spend my evening.”

  “Well, that’s too bad.” He looked at his newspaper again. “You will be on my arm, you will kiss my neck, and you will show those fools I’m the only man who can have you. You’re part of my image—and you will do your job.”

  23

  Balto

  It’d been almost a week.

  No contact from Cassini.

  Maybe she’d meant what she said, that we couldn’t keep fucking around anymore. Maybe she really had the strength to quit me cold turkey and deal with being suffocated by her worthless husband.

  It seemed that way—but I still didn’t believe it.

  She’d call.

  I walked up to the bar at the Underground and ordered a scotch on the rocks. Denise was the waitress behind the counter, a woman who only wore a thong and apron while she served the clients. Her topless frame was her best feature, but now that I was obsessed with another pair of tits, I wasn’t as impressed as I used to be.

  “You look tired.” She pushed the full glass toward me.

  “Do I?” I asked. “Hmm…must be because I am tired.” I took a long drink then knocked my knuckles on the counter, telling her to top up my glass before I walked away.

  She smiled then refilled it. “Is that your brother over there?” She nodded to Heath in the corner, who was dressed in all black and looked so similar to me that I’d had to change my clothes. The one noticeable thing that separated us was the ring on my hand, a ring so valuable and powerful that people recognized it when I walked into a room. Everyone else would be too afraid to wear something so priceless everywhere they went—but I wasn’t scared of anything. They could try to take my ring—and see what happened.

  I didn’t glance over my shoulder. “Yes.”

  “You look identical.”

  “Hence, identical twins.”

  The corner of her mouth rose in a smile. “So you’re always a smartass, then?”

  “Always.” I left her a fat tip before I joined my brother on the other side of the room. The auction was about to start, but that wasn’t why we were there. We headed into the back room where my tall, black chair sat at the head of the table. The wood had been carved to look like skulls. If you gripped the chair too tightly, it would slice your hand. Fortunately, my hands were so callused from guns and knives that my skin didn’t break easily. I took a seat and my brother sat to my left.

  Brutus was there, sitting on my right with a noticeable scar down his face. Thomas was there too, his drink steady in his hand.

  The Skull Kings were a highly organized ring of criminals, all of them serving me. Just a few years ago, there had been a different Skull King—but I took over. I was exactly what this organization needed—and my profits proved it. “Heath will be joining us.” Heath was recruited because of my special treatment. Lots of men wanted to be part of us, but we didn’t take amateurs. It was an exclusive gig because the pay was so high. We didn’t want any trash off the streets.

  Brutus drank from his glass but didn’t object.

  Thomas nodded in agreement. “Skills?”

  “I’m the full package,” Heath said. “Give me a job, and I’ll see it through.” He had perfect aim, and his hand-to-hand combat was exceptional as well. If someone needed to have my back, I’d want it to be him.

  But I didn’t need to stick up for him.

  “Loyalty?” Brutus asked.

  “He’s family.” I rested my elbows on the table. “Enough said.”

  The two men dropped their questions.

  “So, what’s on the agenda?” I was in a slightly sour mood because Cassini had ignored me for the past week. I admired her for trying, but this drought was getting tedious. I could have taken the waitress home or picked up a hooker, but there was only one pussy I wanted to bang. I was wrapped up in her cunt so pathetically that I couldn’t see straight. I could pay the best hooker in Florence for a great time, but I knew that wouldn’t hit the spot.

  “Rumor has it that Lucian will be at the opera on Saturday night.” Brutus stared at my brother even though he was speaking to me. “He’s got a box in the balcony. Then he’ll be meeting with a few men afterward.”

  I hadn’t forgotten one of my biggest enemies. He’d crossed me, and while he’d gotten one of the most expensive diamonds in the world, it’d cost him his brother’s life. After his brother was buried, I dug up the grave and left it empty—just to remind him that I hadn’t forgotten.

  He was too chickenshit to do anything.

  He might be a strong man with his own army, but I was more powerful.

  He probably hoped I would forget about him and move on.

  Never.

  I liked to torture my prey before I killed it. Then I liked to play with my food before I ate it. Lucian had had to look over his shoulder every single day for the past few years. Sometimes, I showed up when he least expected it, and I saw how unnerved it made him. He knew I was playing games, and he couldn’t cover up his natural fearful reaction of when his eyes landed on me. He was never quick enough.

  And I saw it.

  One day, I would make my move. But in the meantime, I would make his death slow and painful. I would make him feel innately unsafe, like the fifty guards on his property were never really enough to protect him.

  If he weren’t scared of me, he would have pursued me by now.

  But he knew I was untouchable.

  All he could do was hope
he would be ready when I made my move.

  Which was unlikely.

  He wouldn’t sell the diamond he took from me, not when it would make his brother’s death truly in vain. Then it really would be about money, and that would make him feel cheap. He’d intended to cross me before we’d even met—but he’d paid the price for his arrogance. Bad things didn’t just happen to bad men. Bad things happened to bad men who didn’t keep their word. He’d lost all my respect that afternoon—and now I couldn’t find a suitable punishment.

  “Lucian is the one who took the diamond?” Heath asked.

  I nodded.

  “Does he still have it?” Brutus asked.

  I nodded again. My men tracked him regularly, and he was seen wearing it on a chain around his neck. It was usually tucked under his shirt, like he didn’t want anyone to know he was wearing it, but it was also too valuable to keep at home or in a vault.

  He was too much of a coward to wear it proudly the way I did mine.

  “Are we going to take it back?” Heath asked.

  “Eventually.” I wanted Lucian to get attached to that diamond, treating it like his brother’s soul. That would make reclaiming it all that much better—because it actually meant something to him. I knew his brother’s death haunted him, had moved him to tears at his funeral. Truth be told, his brother was the only real friend Lucian ever had.

  What a shame.

  “Then what’s going to happen at the opera?” Heath asked. “Just a little intimidation?”

  “Something like that.” Just when he was most relaxed, I would make my appearance. It was always the best way to piss off an enemy, to continually catch them off guard so they would know you had all the power. I could easily shove a knife into his gut or squeeze the trigger of my gun, but I never did. That made it more terrifying because I would execute him eventually.

  But when?

  “What do you want me to do?” Heath asked.

  Very few people knew I had a twin. I kept it a secret for a reason—so I could use it at my own convenience. “We’ll play a few games.”