Chapter Eight
Several Days Later
“I don’t want to,” Morgan said. Even to her own ears, she sounded like a child.
“Seriously, I offer to buy you a whole new wardrobe, and you’re not interested?” he asked.
Morgan glanced around as people passed them on the street. The last few days had been a blur. Carver hadn’t left the house, and they hadn’t left his room. He’d gone for food, and they enjoyed bathing, but they’d spent the rest of the time exploring one another.
This morning, Carver had been there and promised her a shopping trip. She hadn’t been expecting anything, and yet she was going to get a shopping trip. This was insane.
They had gone to three different shops, but Morgan didn’t want to be clothes shopping with Carver. Standing in a changing room, while he waited to see whatever outfits she chose. That might have sounded fun to other women, but she just wanted to spend time with him.
“I’m not interested. You’ll get me the clothes you think I need,” she said. She put her hand on his chest, because she didn’t want him to think she was being ungrateful, which was probably how it sounded.
“What do you want?” he asked.
“To spend time with you.” She glanced over toward the park. There were already a lot of people but she didn’t care. “Come on.”
They could order clothes online. She wanted to spend this time with her husband, where she didn’t have to be trying on random clothes, and they could have some fun together.
“Morgan,” he said.
He used that dominating tone that said he wasn’t happy.
She stopped at the entrance to the park and turned toward him. They had no choice but to move out of the way for a couple. Morgan offered them a smile, but the couple were more focused on each other than anyone around them.
“Yes, Carver,” she said.
“I want you to have everything your heart desires,” he said.
She took a step toward him. “Then I’d love to have a dog.” She pressed a kiss to his lips. “But, this is what I want. To spend time with you. Not to spend your money.”
“It’s our money.”
“No, your money. You earn it. I don’t do anything,” she said.
She took his hand and walked him into the park. Already, she felt that was an achievement, and she let out a gasp and a smile.
Carver smirked.
It was the most she was going to get outside. Back at home, he’d smile and wouldn’t hold back. Now, they were in the real world.
“Why did you bring me out here?” she asked, holding onto his hand. She knew it was a risk.
“I wanted to spend some time with you, and we don’t always have to be locked away in my home.”
“But, it’s safe,” she said.
“It’s safe out here.”
“There’s so many people.”
“Yes, and not all of them are intent on killing us.” He pulled her in close. “Besides, it would take a real amateur and a fool to take me on.”
“Have you ever been attacked out in the open?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She looked at him, wide eyed. “I can’t protect you.”
“You don’t need to protect me. I’m the one that needs to protect you .”
“That is not how this is supposed to work. As your wife, I’m supposed to be able to protect you.”
He tightened his hold on her hand. “All I expect you to do is to run as far and as fast as you can.”
Morgan didn’t like that. “Don’t.” She didn’t like this. “How do you expect me to do that?”
“Because it is what I told you to do.”
She didn’t like this, so she stopped walking. He took a few steps before he clearly realized she wasn’t following.
“Morgan, I am not going to argue with you about this.”
“You don’t have to argue, but you need to understand I am not happy about any of this. You expect me to run away. You expect me to leave you to deal with the people out there.” She was aware of the people in the park. “I can’t do that. You’re my husband.”
“And it is my job to protect you,” he said.
“Then equally as much, it is my job to protect you, Carver. I’m your wife, and I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you and there was a chance I might have been able to help.”
She wanted to scream at him, for him to understand.
Carver pulled her in close and kissed the top of her head.
“I’ll teach you everything I want you to know. I’ll teach you how to fire a gun, but it will be for you to get away, do you understand me?”
Morgan wanted to argue with him, but she knew it was pointless. Carver at this time had made up his own mind and was being stubborn about it.
“Fine, you can teach me how to shoot and how to run away.” But that didn’t mean she would have to.
“Don’t,” Carver said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against him.
She couldn’t help but smile as he pressed his lips against her neck. She loved it when he kissed her there. She gasped, closing her eyes, enjoying the feel of him close. The air was crisp and cold. Overnight, a frost had fallen, and although it was past lunchtime, there was still an icy chill in the air, and several patches of ground were frozen.
“Don’t what?” she asked, trying to be innocent and coy.
“I won’t teach you anything else.”
“Okay.” But she had a feeling she might be a little more persuasive.
****
Carver held onto Morgan as they stepped inside the main house.
“Do you think we should be here?” Morgan asked.
Rigel was one of Romone’s main men. He was the one who went out and drew the business in.
He was aware that Rigel wanted to see him punished. This was why he wasn’t invited to this party. It was a small little soiree, with a couple of investors, along with a lot of businessmen, all of which didn’t earn their money through legal means.
Carver was entering the lion’s den. The only problem was, most of the men were nothing more than cubs. Romone was going to be at this party.
He leaned down and whispered against his wife’s ear. “I go wherever the hell I want to go, and no one is going to stop me.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek.
His wife wore a beautiful red dress. The straps were thin, and the bodice melded to every curve of her body, emphasizing her full tits. It stayed that way as it went to her hips, and then dropped down, falling around her ankles. There was a slit in the side of the dress, going to just above her knee. It was classy, sexy, and sultry at the same time.
Her long, blonde hair had been curled, and she wore minimal makeup. He also sensed how nervous she was.
“You’re my wife.”
“I’m not used to this,” she said. “My parents always had invitations to parties like these.”
“I know.”
“And you don’t have an invitation,” she said.
“I don’t need one.”
They had already passed the security at the door. The main guard had looked at the guest list, and had already known who he was. Carver had waited to see if he had the balls to tell him he wasn’t on the list. It probably didn’t help that the last security guard had ended up without his own dick as punishment for trying to keep him out of an event.
Carver didn’t take too kindly to being excluded. He saw it as an insult.
The house was beautiful. Fine furnishings, and pure wood pieces, expensive-looking carpets, artwork on the walls. It screamed money, it yelled prestige, and Carver knew he would gladly destroy it all if he chose.
Several men had already spotted him. The moment they did, some made their escape. Others had disdain, but he also noticed they kept their distance.
He had several weapons on himself in case it went south.
There were scantily clad women, along with the wives and mistresses. The waitresses were not wearing any shirts, allowing their full fake tits to be on display. The male waiters, however, were fully dressed. Also, the women’s skirts didn’t exactly hide the fact they were naked.
The women were probably hooked on some kind of drug Rigel was giving them. They were his property. He was known for buying women, keeping them, using them, and then they always ended up either on the street or working one of the brothels. Once Rigel had his fill, he didn’t like to keep the women around. He didn’t like ugly things. It’s why he’d wanted Carver dead several times, but the bastard was too much of a coward to do it himself.
Entering the main dining room, Carver heard the few gasps and whispers. The only problem with big homes like this was that voices tended to linger and echo. It didn’t take long for Rigel to come to him.
“You’re not invited,” Rigel said, holding a fake smile on his lips.
“Last time I checked, I didn’t need an invitation, and seeing as I’m here, I would say I don’t need one now.” He stared at Rigel.
The other man tried to hold his stare, but he couldn’t handle it. Less than a minute, and he was already looking the other way. Carver had no respect for him.
“None of us agree with what you did to the Rose family. You have put the whole organization into chaos,” Rigel said. “You should be thankful Romone hasn’t asked for your head.”
“Oh, you mean the way you have several times, and I suggest you tell your men to back off right now. I’ve got my wife here tonight, and if anything spoils her pretty dress, there will be a punishment. I don’t like anyone hurting my wife.”
Rigel looked toward Morgan. “So, the rumors are true. You did marry.”
“And that is why the Rose family had to die,” Carver said. “Anyway, where is Romone tonight?”
Rigel went bright red and glanced around the room. Carver watched him spread out his hands, telling his man to back down.
He took a step toward Rigel. His wife was by his side as he didn’t let her go. The silence in the air was deafening.
“He was unable to make it tonight,” Rigel said. “I’ll be sure to let him know you were asking about him.”
Carver smirked. “We both know what that means. He’s too much of a coward to face me himself.” He let out a tut. “When are you going to stop defending a coward?”
“Romone is no coward.”
“Kind of how you’re no pervert, but you hide behind the women. We both know they’re all a little old for you, don’t we?”
The anger on Rigel’s face was so clear to see. The redness of his cheeks, the rage brimming in his eyes.
Carver smiled. “We should catch up.” And with that, he turned on his heel and left the party. He walked so that Morgan kept up with him and looked every part regal.
“We’re not staying?” Morgan asked.
“Only if you want to,” he said.
“Hell, no. I cannot stand those parties. Unless you’d like to stick around?”
“No, no, and no. I hated them when I was younger and I still hate them now.”
****
Rigel poured himself a glass of whiskey. He sent the young woman away. She hadn’t been able to tempt him in any way. He’d already called Romone and tried to reason with the man. They needed to end Carver, The Beast, Turner, now. The man’s influence had gone on long enough. The security guard that allowed him to enter had already been dealt with.
Sitting in his chair, he leaned back and drank a nice big mouthful of the most expensive whiskey he owned. Tonight’s party had only been allowed the cheap stuff, especially when Romone had heard the whisper of Carver’s entrance into the party and made his escape. If he had the means, he would have taken Romone out many years ago, and taken over the running of the ship. As it was, he didn’t have the means. If only he’d not burned his ties to Carver.
He’d tried to end Carver, to bring that man to his knees more than once, but each time, he seemed to come back fighting. The man was a machine who killed without remorse. If it wasn’t for his men around his home, he would have feared Carver coming to him.
What Carver did to the Rose family had caused a wave of fear throughout Romone’s connections. No one wanted to take on the women, and they had shipments coming in weekly. There were a lot of men and women to deal with. It was giving him a headache, as people feared what Carver would do. No one had known why he killed the Rose family. All they knew was one day they’d been making deals and the next, all of them were dead. The house burned down, the bodies unrecognizable.
They all knew it was Carver. He did what he wanted and there was no one who could stop him.
“Enjoying a nice drink after your meal?”
Rigel jumped so hard he spilled whiskey down his white shirt. He glanced around the room, and only then, as he looked into the shadows, did he see the man people feared. Carver stood in the shadows.
“Carver, what are you doing here?” he asked.
“I figured it was best to pay you a visit when you didn’t have your men giving you the courage they seem to do.”
Rigel didn’t understand how Carver was able to get into his home without him being alerted. He reached beneath his desk and clicked the panic button.
Carver clicked his tongue. “That’s not going to work. I’m sorry, but the men who respond to your alarm, they’re kind of taking a nap. The kind of nap you don’t wake up from.”
He tried not to show fear.
His heart started to race, and he felt sick to his stomach. Sweat began to build at his back, and he was close to screaming. This was not good.
“I was thinking about you today, Carver, and you know how business is. Well, I was wondering how you would feel about becoming partners? You saw how Romone reacted today, and that is not good for any business. I think you and I can see eye to eye.”
Carver stood close to the desk, and Rigel kept his focus on him, reaching for the gun he always kept stored there.
Now, that would be a power trip, if he was able to take out Carver. The only person to face The Beast and win. Romone’s days would be over, people would follow him, and it would answer all his problems.
“Are you looking for this?” Carver asked, holding up the gun.
All the hopes he had in that fleeting second ended.
“Let’s see if it is working.”
Carver fired the gun, and the first blow landed in Rigel’s chest. He pressed his hands against the wound as pain erupted all over his body.
“I know who you are, Rigel, and I know what you are. You need to understand that you and Romone are coming to an end.” Carver stood over him and fired the gun again.
The pain was unimaginable. He’d never been in so much pain in his life.
He fired his weapon. He’d killed many people with it and not cared about the pain they were in. He’d been in Carver’s position, waiting for them to beg, knowing he wasn’t going to give in.
Rigel stared down the barrel, feeling the pain and the blood seeping out of his body. He didn’t want to die. If there was a Heaven or Hell, he was surely going to Hell after everything he had done and the pain he had caused.
“Please.”
The gun went off again.