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“We’ve never been friends.” I drink my whiskey, and the glass almost cracks in my grip when he gasps in mock shock, placing his coffee mug on the desk and covering his mouth, shaking his head.
“And you’re telling me this now? After all these years? I thought our bond was stronger than that.” He wipes away a nonexistent tear. “So that’s how heartbreak feels.”
Fed up with his bullshit, and so is my wolf, apparently, who growls some more, his claws digging into the leather and almost ripping it, I spit, “What do you want, Eudard?”
“I think I should be the one asking you this question.” Amusement vanishes instantly from his gaze, replacing it with coldness and fury akin to the one permanently residing in me while his hollow green eyes promise me retribution if I dare to lie to him. “What the fuck were you doing in my town, Price?”
Running my fingers through Zeus’s fur and earning myself his growl since my wolf rarely appreciates any kind of touch, mine included, I take another sip and extend a long pause that must drive him insane.
Payback, fucker. God knows listening to him is a chore in itself.
“Last time I checked, your town is part of our country, which means I have a right to go wherever the fuck I want without having to explain myself to you.”
His mouth curves into a smile that serves more as a warning while he clicks his tongue. “Careful, Price. Be very careful how you speak to me. We have a truce, but it can end easily if you cross the line.” His voice stays even. However, it’s hard to miss the threat evident in each syllable while he lights up a cigarette, inhaling a greedy pull, and sends the smoke flying, momentarily blocking his image from me.
My lips twitch at this strategic show of not giving a fuck and establishing dominance or, rather, to remind me I’m not dealing with an average citizen here.
After all, he’s Eudard “Madman” Campbell.
An heir to the throne who rules his town and expects everyone to bow to his commands.
Dangerous. Lethal. Ruthless.
Just some of his character traits, and whoever dares to go against him, especially in his fucking town, doesn’t live long enough to talk about it.
One might say all this combined should make us the best of friends, but unfortunately…he’s part of the Dark Protégés.
A deadly brotherhood of the most skillful serial killers in the country who think the world revolves around them and their wishes, led by the king of New York himself, Lachlan Scott.
His reputation precedes him. Everyone knows not to fuck with him or his city because the consequences of it are severe. He finds them all on the brink of insanity and then channels their dark desires. Rarely anyone goes against him, and those who do usually end up dead.
Considering our net worth is about the same, though, I don’t give a fuck about his mood swings or what he does as long as it doesn’t interfere with my goals. I prefer to keep him as an ally rather than an enemy because life is all about connections and networking. You never know when you might need their support. Besides…most of his protégés barely hold on to their madness, and it would be such a chore to clean up their messes should they go after me.
Not to mention, I don’t need Lachlan showing up in Chicago and messing up my plans.
Still.
No one fucks with me, so I say, “How is your woman, by the way? Heard she’s back in town. Is this what has you in such a foul mood?” He stills, and his eyes flash in warning once again. This time, though, darkness crosses his face, which earns him another smirk from me. “According to my sources, she has a revenge plan.” I hiss through my teeth as I finish my drink. Zeus barks, jumping up and landing by my feet. “Watch out, Eudard. You might be on her list.”
Considering how their town and their founding members destroyed her, I’m hoping she causes them all grief and mayhem.
The tension grows so thick around him I can feel it through the screen. I expect him to blow up and lose his shit because no one has a right to mention Cassandra to him.
He’s made that very clear, which is hilarious, considering she wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for me and my friends.
Ah, people are so ungrateful.
Maybe that’s why it’s so easy to kill them.
He leans back in his chair, inhaling more smoke, and internally, I prepare for the attack that he dishes out almost instantly. “If I were you, I’d watch your back.” He presses the butt of his cigarette into the ashtray. “I wonder how Santiago would feel once he finds out what you did with his little sister.”
My hold on the glass tightens, the crashing sound reverberating through the space, and the broken pieces dig into my skin, drawing blood, not that I give a fuck as my whole attention zeros in on the man who just became my main target. “Do not speak about her.”
“So you can run your mouth about my woman, but I can’t do the same about yours?” The glass pierces my skin deeper when I squeeze my fist. “Ah, right. She’s not yours. Claiming her would put such a dent in your friendships and, as a result, unity. Wouldn’t it, Florian?”
I get up, throwing away the glass and not caring how it scatters on the floor while wiping away my blood on the towel as Zeus growls some more, prowling to the other side to avoid getting hurt.
My wolf knows the drill. He never stays in my company when rage consumes me, polluting my mind, and anger glides through my veins, awakening every monstrous cell within me because Eudard dared to speak about her.
