Vicious Dynasty (Reign & Ruin Book 3) Read online

  “What are you doing?”

  “Helping you…” He tilted his head and reached down into the bottom drawer, pulling my vibrator from beneath a pile of leggings. “What the fuck is this supposed to be?”

  “Why don’t you shove it up your ass and see?”

  “It isn’t doing much if it’s going inside your ass. You need something bigger than this.”

  “Just get out!”

  “Lower your voice and stop being so hysterical. I came here with a duffel bag. Do some basic deducing. I’m not leaving without you.” He stood and tossed the vibrator down on the dresser. “I can give you ten minutes to pack anything sentimental, but I would appreciate it if you made it less.

  “You would appreciate it?” I sputtered angrily. “I would appreciate it if you got the hell out of my apartment, that you’d never shown up here in the first place. And this?” I pointed to Diego’s covered body. “Why did you do this?”

  “For the same reason, I got rid of the boy you let touch you in Crudele. You remember what happened back then, don’t you?”

  “How could I ever forget? It was the summer you ruined my life.”

  “Oh, how I’ve missed your melodrama.” He turned all the way around and tossed the duffel bag onto the bed, then with all the confidence of a man who did whatever the fuck he wanted and answered to no one, he waked over to where I was standing.

  He stopped a mere few inches away, making it nearly impossible to avoid looking at him. I still managed, eyeing the duffel bag he’d so carelessly tossed onto my bed beside Diego’s covered corpse.

  “We can play a game of hunter and prey for as long as you’d like, principessa. It will always end the same.” He stepped closer and spoke almost directly into my ear. “Pack. Now.”

  The command and use of his favorite pet name had my stomach flipping. I lifted my chin to face him head-on. He'd always been taller than I was, but this was much more than that. Everything about him seemed to have been amplified.

  His voice was huskier. His features were sharper, the eyes regarding me from beneath dense lashes unnervingly cutting and much prettier than I remembered.

  His body was visibly more defined; I could tell by the way his suit fit him. The only thing remotely the same was his head full of tapered dark hair that could’ve been featured in a shampoo commercial, and how smooth his skin was.

  He was aging better than the finest wine, but none of his beauty could hide that the boy I once loved was gone. In his place was a man more vicious than he’d ever been. It was evident in the way he carried himself and the dangerous aura too big for my apartment.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you unless it means your unidentifiable body will show up at a morgue.”

  He flashed me the kind of smile a shark gave whatever poor creature it was going to devour.

  His face lowered until our lips were practically touching. “You can come willingly, or I will drag you out of here barely lucid. Those are your only options.” He spoke in a calm and level tone that had his underlying threat coming across ten times louder. I had flashbacks of when he’d sedated me before.

  “This can’t be real. You don’t get to waltz back into my life and demand I bend to your will. What fucking world do you live in?”

  “I live in a world where the people who make me repeat myself get a bullet to the head. Consider yourself blessed I want you to live.”

  “That’s not a blessing, it’s a fucking curse.”

  “Are you choosing the hard way?”

  “You aren’t drugging me!”

  He grabbed hold of my chin and applied enough pressure to cause a slight amount of pain. “You have five minutes left. If you need to cry your heart out over this piece of shit I suggest you do it while you pack because this will be the first and last time you shed tears over another man.”

  I stared into his eyes, forcing myself not to look away. I’d mentally prepared for this moment so many times, or so I thought. Nothing could prepare me for Judas but Judas himself. It felt as if he were taking a sledgehammer to the walls, I’d plucked from the wreckage of our past to protect what remained of my soul.

  He released me and walked out of the room, tossing “Five minutes,” over his shoulder before disappearing down the hall.

  I rubbed where his gloved hand had just gripped, fighting the urge to go after him and scream and rage like a lunatic. I looked at Diego’s covered body with a frown.

  Judas hadn’t shown an ounce of sympathy for killing him in cold blood.

  I waited for a feeling of grief to overwhelm me before accepting that I wasn’t going to cry over him either. For what? Diego was hardly the love of my life. I liked his pretty face more than I did who he was as a person.

  I barely knew anything about the guy beyond the surface level. That’s not to say I would ever agree with what Judas had done to him. He didn’t deserve to die like this, but we all had to go one way or another.

  Right now, there were much more pressing matters at hand, like his dead body in my bed and the ghost of my past waiting to drag me away. Dealing with Judas was a must. Since fighting him physically wasn’t exactly feasible, I had to use my head. I had to be smart. A million thoughts were already swirling through my mind.

  My biggest issue was allowing emotion to rule my decisions. That wouldn’t get me anywhere right now. I couldn’t expect him to be reasonable either. None of this would be happening if he were. He wasn’t going to sit down with me on the sofa and have a nice chit-chat where he answered all my questions before allowing me to slice his fucking throat.

  There was only one choice I could make right now, and it made me feel as if I were right back in high school trying to navigate his choppy waters.

  Sink or swim.

  I would pull a Rose from Titanic before I let myself be dragged down.

  Releasing a pent-up breath of too many years of frustration, I reached across the bed and grabbed the duffel bag.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  She’d bitten me like a pissed-off little gerbil. The side of my palm was still throbbing, but the sound of drawers opening and closing brought a fleeting smile to my face. Rhiannon had always been infuriatingly reckless, but she was just as quick to react when deciding to do something. I was glad to see that hadn’t changed.

  There weren’t any sniffles or sobs floating out into the living room where I was leaning against the wall. I suppose she could’ve been crying quietly but more than likely she wasn’t shedding any tears over Diego at all.

  That made me proud.

  Her allowing some weak piece of shit that didn’t deserve to breathe the same air into her home, however, made me want to walk back into her room and add a few more bullets to his head.

  I couldn’t dwell on the fact someone else had their goddamn hands on what was mine. It was in her best interest not to waste energy mourning for him.

  I felt Audrey’s glare and turned my head to look at her. Whatever she saw had her expression instantly morphing from anger to resignation. It was mildly amusing. I didn’t harbor any kind of special resentment or dislike for her. She wasn’t all that interesting at all, truth to be told.

  She’d earned herself a small sliver of my respect for always looking out for the woman I deeply cared about. She could just as easily lose it.

  “Rhiannon would hate me more than she’s already attempting to if I openly killed you any time in the near future. My best friend wants you alive for his own reasons but not even he could stop me if you piss me off. Keep that in mind.”

  She remained silent, dropping her eyes to the duffel bag at her feet. Our visit a few weeks ago had clearly made an impression. Audrey was never one to shut the fuck up and be obedient, I didn’t find that nearly as endearing coming from her as I did Rhiannon.

  She’d been smart enough to have a bag packed and ready to go before we got here which told me she knew how to read a situation correctly. That was one of the only things she had going for her. Rhiannon would figure out so
on enough that her closest friend was well aware we were coming, but the logistics behind it was for Audrey alone to make her understand.

  I had no desire to involve myself in that kind of womanly bullshit unless Rhiannon asked me to. Of course, if I saw her being hurt in any way then it would be necessary for me to intervene whether it was requested or not.

  Gavin remained silent as he pitched the bag of Doritos, he’d helped himself to into the garbage bin and then rinsed his gloved hands in the kitchen sink. I’m sure he had a lot to say about my utter disregard for his frequent fuck, but he wouldn’t dare open his mouth until we were alone.

  Hearing soft footfalls, I turned just as Rhiannon entered the main room of the apartment. The duffel bag I’d left for her was hitched over one shoulder. She had changed into a pair of black sweatpants and a fitted long-sleeve top. The simple outfit accented her figure more than the goddamn pajama set she’d been wearing had.

  Her hair was pulled into a ponytail now, the dark chocolate strands just as long as I remembered. I was glad she never cut it, I used to love wrapping it around my fist when I fucked her from behind or she sucked my dick. I couldn’t wait to remind her what that felt like.

  She wasn’t wearing a stitch of make-up, but she hadn’t ever needed to. Rhiannon had always been too beautiful for her own good and my sanity. Even now with a look on her face, that damned me to hell and then froze it over she was the most gorgeous woman I’d ever laid eyes on.

  Pictures could never do her justice. Time had done nothing but give the body I couldn’t get enough of deeper curves. Her waist was still slender, but her ass had most definitely gotten bigger. She was the definition of shaped like a coke bottle with a temper to match if you shook her up.

  Her brown eyes locked with mine, a cyclone of emotion swirling within their depths. I knew she didn’t want me to see it. Unfortunately for her, I did. Nothing about Rhiannon was a secret or mystery, not when it pertained to me. I made it my duty to know every single thing there was to know.

  Everything.

  How she liked the temperature of her shower to the creamer she used in her favorite brand of coffee. I knew it all. If there was somehow something I didn’t know, I would soon.

  “Are we going, or do you want to go next door and fuck up that girl’s life too? I’m sure she’s your type.”

  Gavin looked across the room in surprise, laughing briskly when he saw I wasn’t going to snap her neck. No one spoke to me that way.

  She was an exception to the rule--slightly.

  I was giving her a free pass for the next day or so. It was the least I could do to soften this blow.

  “I have plenty of other lives to ruin, but none can compare to how rewarding destroying yours has been.”

  I used my hand to indicate she needed to go ahead. Only a complete fucking fool would put a pissed-off woman at his back. She gave me another look that would have killed if it were able, brushing by me with rage hot on her heels.

  Did she know her anger made me want to slam her against the wall and fuck her brains out? She’d fight me, most likely, but I’d still make get her off twice before forcing her to the ground to suck my dick clean and swallow every single drop of come my balls had on tap.

  “Is there any point in locking my door?”

  “That’s entirely up to you.”

  With a scowl at Gavin and Audrey, she walked out of the apartment without looking back once. Her steps were evenly measured. Fury followed behind her like a billow of steam. I was impressed with how well she was managing to keep it together. My Rhiannon had learned some self-control after all.

  Gavin and Audrey trailed behind, talking quietly with one another. As we neared the elevator that would take us to the ground floor, a man wearing a Pac-Man shirt and gym shorts came around the corner.

  His first colossal mistake was glaring at me openly. The second was following that up by disregarding my and Gavin’s presence altogether to focus on Rhiannon.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Hi, Joey. Everything’s fine,” she replied with a smile in her voice that pissed me off.

  “Are you--?”

  “She said she’s fine,” I interjected, stepping up beside her.

  Joey’s frown pitched deeper, causing a crease in his forehead. His dull eyes seemed to reassess the situation, but his brain still didn’t deliver the correct message.

  “Look, bro, I don’t know who you are or what’s going on, but--.”

  I was officially done with him at the word, bro. I reached out and grabbed the piece of shit by his throat with one hand, slamming him against the wall between the two elevators. Before he could make another sound, I had the gun I’d just used to put a hole in Diego’s head pressed against his temple.

  “If your lips even look like they’re about to form a word I’m going to decorate this lovely beige wall with the few brain cells you have inside your head.”

  “Oh, my god! What are you doing?” Audrey cried.

  “Judas!” Rhiannon seethed, looking around to see if anyone else was coming. “You fucking psycho, let him go.”

  I almost took a page from her book and rolled my eyes. I glanced back at the two of them and had to suppress a grin. Audrey was pale-faced and being held in place by Gavin.

  Rhiannon simply looked annoyed on top of being enraged. It gave me a great amount of joy to see no traces of shock or fear on her pretty face. She hadn’t completely regressed during our time apart. What I was seeking wasn’t buried as deeply as I’d been anticipating.

  “You’re both overreacting. Joey here is fine. Aren’t you?” I tapped the end of the gun against his tear-stained cheek to indicate I wanted a response. He surprisingly found some remnants of intelligence and nodded instead of trying to speak.

  “See. Now while one of you calls up the lift Joey is going to walk away and reflect on what it means to mind his fucking business.”

  Without needing incentive this time, he quickly nodded again, turning into a real-life bobblehead. I lowered the gun and tucked it back into the waistband of my suit pants.

  With a heavy sigh, Rhiannon hit the call button for the elevator with more force than necessary.

  “Go,” I stepped back and ordered.

  Like a mouse scurrying away from certain death, Joey bolted down the hall with his eyes fixed on the floor.

  “You feel better about yourself now?” Rhiannon asked, staring up at the digits counting each level as the elevator came down from above.

  “I always feel good about myself, principessa.”

  A ding signaled the arrival of the lift. The doors slid open, and we all stepped inside.

  I kept Rhiannon in front of me, prepared to sedate her if she tried to make a run for it. I didn’t think she’d do something that incredibly stupid, but it was better to be safe than sorry when it came to her.

  “I need his file pulled.”

  “I’ll have it to you before we touch down,” Gavin replied.

  Rhiannon turned her head and looked back at me. “His file?”

  Those captivating eyes of hers rendered me momentarily speechless. My delayed response gave her the impression I was purposely ignoring her. With another sigh and a slight shake of her head, she went back to staring at the elevator doors.

  It was better she didn’t know what I had planned for him. It would ruin the surprise later on. We didn’t come across anyone else on our way to the parking garage.

  The doormen and security guards knew to make themselves scarce the moment we had arrived.

  I half expected Rhiannon to begin a tirade of questions once we were seated in the back of our blacked-out SUV, but she didn’t say a word. It was nearing Guinness world record numbers for her when she finally spoke and it was only as we arrived at the airstrip where my Jet was waiting.

  She turned her beautiful face towards me, confusion and uncertainty haunting her expression, but she didn’t ask why we were there or where I was taking her. She asked something far simple
r.

  “Why?”

  “I made you a promise.”

  She looked away and stared out the window. I would have comforted her but there was no point. The sooner she came to terms with what was happening, the better off we’d be.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  A boy made me a promise once, that he’d wreck my world and make me love him as he did it.

  I hated that kid.

  He’d done exactly that and now he was sitting across from me with an infuriating gleam in his eyes. They were too beautiful for an asshole like him to have. Everything about Judas was gorgeous, even his dick.

  I was grateful that there was a decent amount of space between us, but it still wasn’t enough. He leaned forward and loosely draped his arms across his knees.

  “Are you going to keep this up the whole flight?”

  “Keep what up?”

  “Your attitude.”

  He couldn’t be serious. After what he’d just pulled and essentially kidnapping me, did he expect a cheerful travel companion?

  “This isn’t me having an attitude. You’re ruining my life again over a promise you made when we were teenagers.”

  His head cocked to the side as if I’d said something that puzzled him. “Again? Your life has been nothing but pitiful since the day you walked away from me. I’m going to fix that.”

  “I don’t want anything from you unless it’s your goddamn head on my mantle.”

  His pristinely white teeth flashed as he laughed. “You’ve threatened to kill me twice now. Keep going, it makes my dick hard.”

  “It would.” God, he was still next-level infuriating.

  “So, are you also going to fix the eviction I’ll get if I don’t pay rent? My job termination? And you know Joey’s probably pissing himself and preparing to call the police. What do you plan to do about the arrest warrant I’m sure to have when someone finds my fuck buddy’s body?”

  The mention of Diego wiped the grin right off his face, causing his mask to slip for the briefest second. It was enough for me to see I’d struck a nerve.

  Good.