31. Bash
Chapter 31
Bash
I trace the marks I left along Stasia’s bare shoulders as she sleeps. Swollen bruises from where I sucked on her delicate skin, blooming out in deep pink. Teeth marks from where I bit her soft skin as I came deep inside her. She’s wearing the proof of me fucking her all over her body. I know I’d kill anyone who saw her, but that doesn’t stop the sick primal wanting to show my brand off. There’s a curl of warmth in my chest, knowing exactly how Stasia would feel about that. I’d be lucky to make it out with my nuts intact.
My thumb grazes her temple as I push the baby strands of hair from her face. She turns into my touch, a hum in her throat that has my heart kicking into my ribs. If I didn’t have somewhere else to go, I’d devour her right now.
I kiss along the curve of her neck and bury my nose in her hair. She smells like vanilla and honey, and I’m fucking starving.
There’s a low growl in my chest as I trace the faint bruise circling her wrist. I’d been feral tonight, out of my mind after that asshole touched her.
I’m still barely holding myself together. If it wasn’t for Damon and Matthias stepping in, I’d have torn that man apart right there in the ballroom. Except Damon was right when he said I needed to take care of Stasia first, and I trusted my brothers to get things ready for me.
Raising the covers up to her neck, I tuck them in around her. She’d taken me into her body, accepting every untamed part of me, matching my pace as if she was made for me until her clear blue eyes drooped with exhaustion. I kiss her forehead. “Sleep well, Princess. I’ll be right back.”
Dark clothes are better at hiding blood, so I slide on a black button-up shirt and a pair of black wool slacks. There’s a thrill prickling under my skin as anticipation sets in. It’s been a while since we’ve done this, and I, for one, am looking forward to wiping the leer off that asshole’s face. I brought Stasia back home, unable to keep my hands off her and needing somewhere safe. Every protective instinct kicked in until I was nothing more than an animal.
I close the door quietly behind me, not wanting her to wake up before I’m back. I’m down the stairs in seconds, grabbing my keys from the table, and leave.
Two of my men wait on either side of the porch. They’re both dressed in black suits, with barely concealed guns strapped to their sides.
“You’re leaving late, boss.” Carter nods. He’s at least six foot six, made up of solid muscle. No one’s getting past him. He’s worked for me the longest and one of the only ones I’d trust with my girl.
It’s nearly 2:00 a.m., but I know my brothers are waiting for me, and the adrenaline about what happens next has me on edge.
“I’ve got something to take care of. No one goes in but me.” It’s a low command, one that’s not to be argued with.
“Of course, boss,” they reply in unison.
Good. All I need to do now is get this over with as soon as possible. Some of my excitement wears off, replaced by the call to go back to her. When the fuck did I get so whipped, and why aren’t I mad about it?
The ride to the Elysium is quick, and I take the stairs to the basement two at a time. The closer I get, the more the tension builds between my shoulders.
I knock three times on the thick steel door. This section of the building is missing any of the lush adornment of the upstairs. Gray-painted cinder block walls and flickering fluorescent overhead lights set the perfect mood for what happens next.
“Who is it?” Matthias’s familiar voice comes through the door.
“Me, asshole. Open up.” It swings open, grazing my shoulder.
“Took you long enough,” Damon says from over Matthias’s shoulder.
I can’t stop my smirk. “You’re the one who told me to take care of her.”
“Jesus Christ, Bash.” My eldest brother pinches his nose as they both step aside, letting me in.
Fuck me. The scene looks like something from a horror film. The asshole who dared to touch Anastasia is tied to a chair, and there’s plastic underneath him and hung on three sides. Our family doctor, who’s paid enough to know to keep quiet, stands in the corner of the room, ready for whatever I ask.
I side-eye Matthias.
“What? We didn’t know how far you’d take it, so we thought we’d get ready just in case.”
I’d planned to only scare him a bit, but the sight of him has fire licking up my spine. This man had a death wish the moment he approached Stasia, and it’s too fucking bad for him he didn’t know better.
He’s shaking his head as I walk up to him, stopping so close my shoes are only an inch away from him.
“I didn’t mean to…I didn’t know she was yours, I swear.” He stumbles over his words.
Nothing he says is going to faze me, not when there’s a roiling heat burning under my skin. My pulse is speeding in my ears, anxious to get started, but I take my time unbuttoning my shirtsleeves at the wrist and rolling them up my forearms.
He watches my every movement, his eyes so wide they’re bulging out of his head.
“I’m not going to kill you,” I say in a carefully controlled tone.
“Thank God. Thank you. Thank you so much.”
I pick up a hatchet from the tray prepared beside me. The freshly sharpened blade glints in the light.
I bare my teeth. “I wouldn’t thank me yet.”
“No…no…p…please. I’ll never touch her again.”
A menacing aura fills the air as I grip the weapon. “You’re right about that.”
His hand’s already bruised from where I crushed it earlier, and he cries out when I grasp it, holding it down against the wood armrest. He’s looking at my brothers for help, but neither Matthias nor Damon move to step in. There’s no question in my mind that they’d let me do whatever I want.
“You shouldn’t have fucked with what’s mine.” My smirk is wild as I bring the blade down on his wrist, cutting through tendons and bone like butter. Blood splatters everywhere as he screams, then goes dead silent when he passes out.
I wipe the warm liquid off my face and gesture to the doctor. “Make sure he doesn’t die.”
Damon tosses me a cloth, and I use it to clean my hands.
He arches a brow. “Feel better?”
I shrug. “The fucker had it coming.”
My brothers and I take the elevator up in silence. None of us is willing to risk a word until we get into our private room. The music is pounding when we exit the door right onto the main level of the club. The bass vibrates through my feet. There are bodies moving with the beat, touching in a way that’s more sex than dance. It’s intentionally designed to give semi-private spaces to encourage the guests to let go of their control. The thrill becomes an addiction that keeps them coming back.
The club’s been mine for the last several years, and I’ve managed to double the profits. It’s a small project that keeps me active when all of my brothers are busy with their own shit. Xavier used to run it with me, but since he abandoned me, I’ve been doing it on my own. Which, if I’m being completely honest, has been a godsend. Without it, I think I’d have lost my mind a while ago.
That is, until I met Anastasia. Now, nothing can take my attention away from her.
The bouncer nods at us as he lets us pass. There’s a long, curved staircase that leads to the second level and the private rooms. Renting them out by the year is one of the ways I increased our profit. These men want to show off their wealth, and nothing says powerful like owning a spot at our club.
I swipe my key pass, and our room door opens with a beep. It’s decorated like a lounge, with leather furniture, dark wood accents, and a one-way mirror overlooking the dance floor. Matthias has this place on absolute lockdown. Security cameras, soundproofing, alarms if anyone comes in. It’s one of the only places we can meet and speak as freely as we want.
The noise is cut off when the door clicks shut behind Damon. He’s slow as he walks across the room, controlled as he pours Matthias and himself a drink. It’s not lost on me that he’s left me out.
He makes his way to a lounge chair and sits down. His casual pose is undermined by the coldness in his eyes. Growing up with a Lord as my big brother means I’m used to this. I flop on the sofa across from them.
“Wasn’t that fun?” I smirk.
Matthias looks at Damon, then back to me. “So you’re obsessed with Anastasia?”
“Hmmm. I’d say I’m more than obsessed.” There’s no point in trying to hide it. I did just chop off a man’s hand for touching her.
“So why haven’t you married her yet?” Damon asks, genuinely confused. Of course he is. This fucker had his girl wifed up immediately.
I snort. “Not all of us want to force their wives into marriage. Some of us want them to love us first.”
“You sure you’re what she wants?” His right brow raises, and there’s a slight disbelieving shake to his head. He may bet against me, but losing is not an option. Not now that I realized I’ve fallen for her. At this point, she owns me completely. Not that I’m going to tell these assholes that.
“Positive.” I pause for a second. “Well, that or she wants to kill me. It’s hard to tell.”
Matthias’s smile is absolutely shameless as he runs his thumb under his neck, where Scarlet carved her name. He wears her mark as a point of pride, even though she was trying to murder him when it happened.
I blow out a long breath. “So, are you going to help me or not?”
Damon sits forward, elbows resting on his knees. “Explain what you’ve been up to, and I’ll see what we can do.”
I hadn’t planned on letting them in, preferring this stay between Stasia and me, but at this point, I don’t have a choice if I want to keep this up. And I really fucking do. There isn’t a second I’m with her that doesn’t have my heart racing. She has me addicted to the high only she can provide.
There’s a bad taste in my mouth. It feels like I’m telling her secret. “I’ve been helping her steal the Kokoshnik Tiara. In return, she’s been pretending to be my girlfriend.”
Matthias barks out a laugh. “Of course you’re stealing from the Order. Don’t you have any morals?”
My head tilts to the side. “Should I? It’s not like any of us really care about the Order of Saints. Even as the Lords, it’s just been another avenue to keep us in power. It was our father who worshipped the title, and honestly, I couldn’t give a single fuck.”
Damon rubs his fingers into his forehead before sliding them through his hair. It’s clear he’s fighting off his frustration. “Start from the beginning.”
My brothers have earned my trust over and over, and I know no matter what I say, they’ll be on my side. That doesn’t mean I have to like it. Not when it involves bringing up Stasia. I tell them about catching Stasia in the Vault, waiting to see if they have any reaction. There’s no anger; if anything, they both look impressed. Matthias is furious that we’d nearly heard him fuck his wife, but luckily, Damon hurries the story along.
“So you have the code. Why don’t you just get the item yourself?” Damon asks.
“That’s actually what I need your help with. Once she gets her hands on the tiara, our deal is over. There’s no reason she’d stick around.”
Damon nods. “Honestly, she’d be smart to abandon your ass.”
“Hey, now! I’m your little brother.” I throw my hands into the air. He better help me out here after everything I did for him. He’s lucky I love my sister and nieces and nephews to death.
Damon leans back. “You’re a pain in my ass. So she can’t find the tiara. Is that all?”
She’ll fall for me. I just need a little more time. “Pretty much. So I was thinking you could move it somewhere for me.”
Damon flips his hand in a whatever gesture. “Fine. I know exactly where to hide it, but you better lock her down quickly before she finds out she’s better than you.”
I wince. “I’m pretty sure it’s too late for that. At this point, I’m trying to wait her out and use my charm to win her love.”
Matthias laughs. “Fuck me, you’re totally screwed.”
“Hey. I went through both of your schemes. This is child’s play compared to the shit you put me through.”
Matthias is cold when he says, “Hear me out. Not a single hair on my little sister’s head better get hurt. You’re playing a fucked-up game. Make sure you don’t lose.”
I smile because with those words, I know I’ve got them. They already consider her family, and they’ll never let anything happen to her.
“I won’t…because…” I tilt my eyes up without raising my chin. “I love her.”