Page 55 of The Rebel Billionaire

I didn't think Lucas needed a recap, so I just said, "Pretty much, yeah, I know who he is.Orwas."

"The Raptors hooked up with Big John, and a month later, the president died in an accident—that I doubt was an accident—and Gunner took his spot. I was overseas under a blackout, so I didn't know any of this until it was way too late. A few months after Gunner became Prez, Big John had two people killed the same day . . . his son and mybrother."

"That's why you shot him," I whispered, mostly tomyself.

"It was a long time coming. He was an evil bastard. As soon as I got the message that Gunner was dead, I finished my job and came back. I made a deal with the Raptors. I took Gunner's position long enough to take down Big John's organization. Once that was done, Iwasout.

"That's how I got to know Brennan. We got a lot of pushback on all sides. Nobody liked my working with the Raptors, including most of the Raptors. But they wanted revenge and the territory they could grab with Big John out of the way. The police think I'm a wildcard, but we got thejobdone."

"That's why you trust Brennan?" Iasked.

"Yeah. Too many times, everything seemed like it would go sideways and Brennan always hadmyback."

"So you're not with the Raptorsanymore?"

"No. I dealt with Big John, we took out the rest of his organization, and I handed my kutte to the real Prez and walked away. I'm not a cop, and I'm not on a crusade, but their thing is not my thing. And their bullshit got my brother killed. He made his own decisions. I know that. He didn't see the line between right and wrong the same way I do. I couldn't have saved him. He didn't want to besaved."

"But at least you got revenge," I said. "Doesithelp?"

Lucas gave me a long, measuring look before he said, "Notreally."

I stared down at the bubbled scraps of paint I was scraping off the baseboard. The police reports said my aunt and uncle’s and my parents’ deaths were both murder-suicides. Both cases wereclosed.

But I knew, all of us knew, that there was no way my uncle would've killed my aunt or my father mymother.

Noway.

They'd beenmurdered.

After all this time, we still had no idea who had done it or why. Their deaths had left a wound that wouldn't heal. Not just grief, but a rage that had notarget.

Someone had stolen themfromus.

Someone neededtopay.

I'd always thought revenge would help that wound to heal. According to Lucas, I waswrong.

Lucas switched off the portable heater and set it down on the floor, upside down so the heating element could cool. Pulling the scraper out of my hand, he set it aside and stood, bringing me to my feet alongwithhim.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go get a beer and some food. Then we'll come back here and I'll fuck you until you beg metostop."

At that absurd thought, I busted out laughing. "Good luck," I said when I got my breath back. "That's not gonna happen. You can fuck me all night and I'll still ask for more. You'll be begging me to leave you alone and let yousleep."

"You want to bet?" Lucas asked with a chuckle. "First person to beg has to mow the other one's yard. You spent enough time watching me behind the mower. Now it's my turn. I can see you now, nothing but the mower and you, in a bright redbikini."

"Cocky much?" I asked as we went down the back steps—after I set the alarm and locked the door. "No bet. I don't mow lawns. And I don't own a redbikini."

"That's a crime. Your body in a red bikini?" Lucas shook his head and looked at the sky, the anticipation in his eyes so hot I immediately considered some emergency online shopping. Though I still wasn't mowingthelawn.

It was only a few blocks to a neighborhood bar that had a great beer selection and a fantastic bar menu. We dropped the bet, which was a good thing because a few minutes after we hit the futon, I was naked with Lucas's mouth between my legs, begging desperately for him to stop teasing and startfuckingme.

Whichhedid.

Allnight.

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

LUCAS