The Skull Ruler Page 3
Case watched the entire exchange but didn’t say a word until he heard the front door shut. “You like the guy now?” He shook his head then added the broccoli to the plates. “Stockholm syndrome.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I do like him. A lot.”
He rolled his eyes. “That man is evil.”
“The same could be said about you.”
“Don’t expect me to disagree with that. But I’ve never kept a woman hostage.”
“He agreed to give me back to Lucian a few days ago. They made a deal, me for the diamond.”
Case took off his oven mitts and placed his palms against the counter. His eyes were focused on me as he listened to the story.
“Balto called off the deal. Lucian said he would torture me then kill me, so Balto refused to hand me over. Instead, he’s going to kill Lucian and let me go.”
Case stared at me, his gaze hard but his eyes full of disbelief. “Why? Why would he do that for you?”
I shrugged. “He’s not as bad as people think he is. He has a heart…under all that muscle and testosterone.”
“And he’s just going to let you go?”
I nodded. “He said I deserve to be free.”
He stared at me for another moment before he looked away and sighed. “My limited time with the Skull Kings has shown me how loyal his men are to him. They practically worship the guy. He’s earned their respect a million times over. He doesn’t control them with fear and terror, not like most crime lords.”
“Because he’s a good man. Maybe he breaks the law and crushes the heads of his enemies…but he’s a good man. Lucian’s men tried to take me when we were having dinner, and Balto fought off all seventeen of them entirely on his own and saved me. I still don’t know how he did it.”
Case shook his head slightly.
“I like him. And when it’s time for me to leave…I’m going to miss him.”
He turned back to me and studied me for a while. “You have feelings for him?”
“Of course. The man saved my life, and he’s gorgeous. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel something for him.”
“I just hope your feelings don’t go beyond that. Maybe he is a good guy—but he’ll never be good enough for you.”
I studied my brother, touched by what he said. “He made it clear he doesn’t feel that way.”
“Good.” He opened a drawer and grabbed the silverware. “Set the table. I’ll go get him.”
I smiled. “Thank you.”
4
Balto
I drank straight out of the bottle as I sat in the truck, unaffected by the freezing temperatures outside the window. The booze was strong enough to keep me warm, so I didn’t bother turning on the engine.
Case’s reaction didn’t surprise me. He didn’t hate me as much as he did before, but he certainly didn’t want me in his home.
I wouldn’t have wanted him in my home either.
He walked outside and approached my passenger window. His knuckles tapped against the side, then he nodded for me to hop out of the truck.
I took a long drink of my scotch then joined him. I suspected Cassini told him what I’d done for her and that changed his mood. I rounded the truck then leaned against the side, my hands sliding into my pockets. “If you want the scotch back, I’m not giving it to you.”
He faced me, his arms across his chest. “I know better than to take a man’s booze away from him.”
“Good. We’ll both live to see tomorrow, then.”
The lights from his property gave us enough illumination for visibility, but everything in the background was black. Estates were spread out away from the city, surrounded by acres of land and vineyards. Case continued to stand there like he didn’t know what else to say. “Cassini told me what you did. You’re really going to let her go?”
“I’d let her go now if I could.”
“And you’re just going to let Lucian keep the diamond?”
I shrugged. “Maybe when I kill him, I’ll uncover it somehow. Cassini knows that house pretty well. She may be able to help me. He wouldn’t have stowed it inside a bank or something because I can get to that easily.”
“That’s still a big sacrifice.” He examined my face, trying to read my thoughts.
That was impossible. “I’ve got more money than I know what to do with.”
“But this is personal.”
“Keeping his wife and killing him is pretty personal too.”
Case continued to stare at me with scrutiny. “You didn’t tell her about Evan?”
I shook my head.
“Are you going to?”
“Not sure yet.”
“What did you do to him?”
“Almost killed him. It’ll take him a few weeks to recover, but don’t worry. He’ll walk again.”
Case didn’t react, but his eyes narrowed slightly in meaning. “He deserved it. But I also think Cassini deserves to know.”
“Not sure about that.”
“Why not?”
“Because he told me something…something I’ve kept to myself.”
He stepped closer to me, as if Cassini could somehow overhear us. “What?”
“I’m not sure you want to know.”
“I’m her brother. I have to know.”
It was a sad story. The second Evan told me, I wanted to kill him. “Lucian had been stalking her for a while. Spotted her at a restaurant and became infatuated with her. So he paid Evan a hundred thousand euro to play a part in his scheme. The whole stunt they pulled was fictitious. It was all just to get Cassini to submit to Lucian.”
Case wasn’t restrictive in his reactions anymore. He stepped back, his nostrils flaring and his arms moving to his sides. He paced back and forth slightly, like he didn’t know what to do with this horrifying news.
“Told you.”
Case paced for another minute before he came back to me. “You should have killed him.”
“I agree.”
He shoved his palm into his face and slowly dragged it down, sighing with anguish. “All of that was a lie… I can’t believe it.”
“Now you understand why I haven’t said anything to Cassini.”
“Yes…I do.”
“And I’m not sure if I should.”
Case turned quiet.
I stared at him and waited for his opinion.
“I don’t know if you should either,” he whispered. “It’ll just hurt her. But at the same time, she has the right to know the truth. Maybe when the dust is settled and she has her life back. But right now…it might be too raw for her.”
I nodded.
“And I think you should be the one to tell her.”
I smiled. “Make me the bad guy, huh?”
“No. Because then you can tell her that you nearly killed him afterward.”
“I don’t think she’s going to care about that once she knows the truth. She thinks she loved this guy. She already thinks she’s stupid for sacrificing herself for him. Imagine how she will feel when she realizes it was all staged?” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Knowing I hurt him badly is going to be the last thing on her mind, honestly.”
“Maybe. But when she calms down, she’ll be able to take it in.” He came to my side and leaned against the truck beside me. “You know what I think?”
“I don’t usually care about the opinions of other men.” I only cared about my opinion—because it was always right.
“You’re going to listen to it anyway. I think you aren’t helping Cassini because it’s the right thing to do. I think you’re bending over backward for my sister because she means something to you.” He turned his gaze and stared at my side profile. “She told me you want to go your separate ways when this is over. I just want to make sure that’s the case. I appreciate what you’re doing for her, and I actually respect you…but there’s no way in hell I want you to be with her. She deserves a nice guy, a nice house, and a nice life. She deserves something
better than men like us. Do we understand each other?”
I turned to him, my face hard in a scowl. Cassini and I had no future, and I’d made that clear to her days ago. I never lied, so she believed every word I said.
“I don’t care if you’re in love with her. I don’t care if you would die for her. Evan is out of the picture, Lucian will be gone soon, and you can’t take their place. She needs to start over, to find a man who’s actually good for her. A Skull King will never be good for her.”
“The Skull King is the most powerful man in this country. It’s because of me that she’ll be free. It’s because of me that she got her revenge against Evan. If she were my woman, she would only know power and luxury. Before you shut me down, remember exactly who you are talking to. Remember that the only reason her freedom is possible is because of me.”
Case held my gaze, unblinking just the way I was.
“But no, I won’t keep her. She and I want different things in life, and there’s no compromise. I can’t afford her as a distraction because I’m devoted to my cause. I have many more important things to worry about. And she wants a life I have no interest in, one of peace in the middle of nowhere. Marriage and fatherhood put me to sleep just thinking about them. We have this time together, but when it’s over, it’s over.”
Case finally looked away when he heard the answer he’d been hoping for. “Good. I hated you when we first met. But you know what? I think I might actually like you.” He glanced back at me. “But don’t let it go to your head.”
“I won’t. When you’re liked, it usually means you’re doing something wrong. And every decision I’ve made for Cassini has been wrong…”
The three of us sat at the dining table with our plates empty of food.
Cassini and Case scarfed everything down like true Italians, wiping the remaining sauce with pieces of bread. They shared a bottle of wine and went through the entire contents.
I ate everything because a single bite wasn’t enough. Pasta was a rare meal for me, so rare I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had it when Case didn’t prepare it. Even if I went to an Italian restaurant, I managed to find something carb-free. But the lasagna was delicious, so I ate every single bite.
Cassini glanced at my plate. “Balto never eats like this, so that’s a big compliment.”
Case shrugged. “What can I say? I know my way around the kitchen.”
“What’s Dirk doing tonight?” Cassini asked.
“He went to the bars with the guys. Catching tail, probably.” Now that Case didn’t hate me anymore, he relaxed in his chair and treated me like a welcome member of the conversation. There were no silent looks of threat across the table, no bouts of tension that hinted of impending war.
I drank my scotch because I didn’t drink wine. Even the dry stuff was too sweet for me. I’d been drinking liquor for the last decade, and anything less potent than that felt watered down.
“So, are you going to help me with the dishes?” Case asked his sister.
She laughed before she sipped her wine. “Do I ever?”
“No,” he countered. “But maybe you should offer since I always cook for you.”
“I’m your guest,” she said. “It would be rude for you to allow me to do that.”
“And we both know I’m rude.” Case grabbed his glass.
I noticed Case and Cassini bickered when they were in the same room together, but there was also a potent undertone of love. Case loved his sister fiercely and wasn’t afraid to go head-to-head with me when it came to her. He’d folded when I demanded a percentage of his business, but he never folded when it came to her. Their love ran deep, underneath the taunts and lame insults.
My brother and I had a much different relationship. When he left prison, it was rocky, but living in the same building united us in many ways. Being part of the Skull Kings entertained him, so he stayed out of trouble. He must have realized I was right for locking him away because he warmed up to me noticeably over the last few months. But we didn’t have the depth that these two had.
“Well, it’s getting late,” Cassini said. “We should go home.”
I felt a slight thrill when she referred to the compound that way, like we were a couple that lived together. She considered my fortress a home, a place where she could sleep soundly at night because she felt safe.
Case walked us to the door. “Balto, when are you going to take out Lucian?”
I shrugged. “When the time is right.”
“You don’t carefully plan things?” Case asked as he opened the front door. “You just do it on the fly?”
“No.” I turned to him. “I do things when they feel right. Rushing into something usually gets you killed. Taking too long usually gets you killed. So, finding the right time is crucial. That moment is difficult to describe. But when it has arrived, I know it.” I raised my hand to shake his. “Thank you for dinner—and the scotch.”
He eyed my hand for an instant like he might not take it. But then he placed his palm in mine. “Thank you for freeing my sister.”
I nodded then stepped over the threshold.
Cassini hugged her brother for a long time on the doorstep. “Thanks for dinner. Balto only has garbage at his place, so this was a nice change.”
“Garbage?” he asked in surprise.
I rolled my eyes. “I have a strict diet, and she doesn’t like it.”
“Oh, gotcha.” Case pulled away. “Well, pretty soon you’ll be able to cook whatever you want, when you want.”
“Yeah…” She smiled at him then kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll see you later. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
She stepped through the doorway and came to my side, the cold air immediately piercing through her jacket.
I walked her to the car and got the passenger door open for her.
“I didn’t know you were capable of being a gentleman.” She got into the seat.
I stared at her with my hand resting on the open door. “You’ll forget that I was ever a gentleman in five minutes.” I shut the door then got into the truck. I turned on the engine and cranked the heat because she was cold. Then I drove onto the road and headed in the opposite direction of the city.
“It’s so cold. Can we just go home?”
I drove a short distance down the road and pulled over into the grass.
She looked over her shoulder out the back window. “My brother’s house is right there.”
“So?” I killed the engine, and we were left with silence. I unbuttoned my jeans and pushed them down so my cock could come free. “We had a deal. So, get over here.”
“It’s freezing.”
“I’ll warm you up. Take off your clothes.”
She kept looking at me like I was crazy.
“I’m a man of my word. Are you not a woman of yours?”
She kept her jacket on because she was still cold, but once I made my point, she finally stripped it off. She pulled off her top and bra, bumps visible up and down her arms. Every piece came loose until she was naked in the seat beside me. “What if a cop comes by?”
“Trust me, he’ll keep driving.”
She moved to my seat and straddled my hips, her body cold to the touch. She grabbed my shirt and pulled it over my head so she could press her naked body against mine and she could suck all the warmth out of me.
My arms circled her waist, and I held her tight against me, my lips close to hers. Her green eyes were beautiful, even in the dark. Her full lips were kissable, and her hard nipples dragged against my skin every time she moved. My hand glided up her back between her shoulder blades and to the back of her hair, where I fisted it. “Fuck me, baby.”
She had to rise high on her knees so she could point my length at her entrance. Then she slowly slid down, taking in inch by inch until she sat right on my balls. Once she felt me inside her, she didn’t seem to care about the cold. The windows were already fogging from the heat of our increased breaths.
I kept my lips away. “No kissing. Just fucking.” My arms hooked under her thighs, and I lifted her up and down, telling her exactly how I wanted it. This was just sex, just a quick screw in the truck like she meant nothing. In bed, I was usually on top with my tongue in her mouth, but now I wanted her like I’d paid for her.
Her nails clawed into my shoulders, and she bounced on my dick hard, fulfilling her end of the bargain. With a wet pussy that was perfectly tight around my dick, she delivered exactly what I wanted.
I relaxed against the seat and watched, my muscular arms helping her rise and fall when she became too tired. Maybe this woman wouldn’t be mine forever, but she would be mine for now. “Like that, baby.” She was the only woman I’d been with without a condom, and going back to that lifestyle would be hard at first. I was used to wet pussy directly against my dick. Now I’d have to get used to the latex that separated me from the thing that made sex so good.
Instead of thinking about the disappointing future, I focused on the woman right in front of me, the one with vibrant green eyes and parted lips. She breathed hard in my face from the exertion, an occasional moan escaping from her lips when she wasn’t panting.
Now the windows were completely fogged up, and my truck rocked from left to right with her bounces. Anyone who drove by would know exactly what we were doing, and that made it better.
I could feel her tighten around me, see the blush that entered her cheeks as she prepared for a climax that would make her shake. “Still cold?”
She glared at me as she kept going. “Shut up.” She kept bouncing, like my dick was a pogo stick. She bit her bottom lip when she didn’t need a breath, and the tremors in her body were the warning an earthquake was approaching.
This was just a quick fuck on the side of the road, something dirty that would make my truck smell like sex for weeks. I still owned this woman, so I enjoyed calling the shots for a little while longer. I felt my dick thicken as I prepared for an explosion. “It’s coming.”