Chapter Twenty Six
As I stepped through the guarded door to my father’s war room, as he liked to call it, I gave a small prayer of thanks that I wasn’t late. In the coworking fashion of the Syndicate, my father’s business premises were situated above an elite nightclub in London owned by Bast’s father. The comings and goings of clients meant it was much more difficult for anyone not related to the Syndicate to keep track of who came in and out of my father’s rooms, and he liked it that way. Running private security for the disgustingly wealthy sometimes proved to be a dangerous occupation, and Lord Carver had had countless death threats and even several attempts on his life since his official retirement, sadly, none had even come close. My father employed some of the darkest, most unhinged men I’d ever met, but they were the best security agents in the world. Ex-military, most of them dismissed on charges ranging from rape to murder and genocide.
The room was fairly dark, lit by table lamps which cast shadows about the room. About twenty five men of varying ages in expensive suits stood around talking. Some were already sat at the table, sipping at crystal glasses containing spirits far too expensive to be served downstairs to the masses. Alastair Carver had an empire worth millions, and he liked the finer things in life.
As I moved further into the darkened room, a few of the men looked my way, greeting me with a nod of respect, before returning to their conversations. Others I didn”t know as well tried their hardest not to stare. I stood at the edge of the room, near the head of the table. No one approached me, or offered me a drink. My scars, covered but not hidden under my tattoos, served as a constant reminder of my past and my reputation. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth as I watched men who claimed to be fearless squirm under my intimidating presence. To them, I was a spectre, a dangerous enigma they couldn”t quite understand, and I relished the power that fear gave me. I cultivated it.
Faces looked up as the door near the head of the table opened and Edward Blake stepped in, followed by Bast and my father. Edward was an older version of his son, with classic dark good looks, and more than a sprinkling of silver in his hair and beard. He was hard on Bast, and he demanded a lot from him, but he was never cruel. My own father however… I forced down the familiar tightening feeling in my chest as I looked at him. We weren’t similar. I”d inherited my mother’s colouring, and her eyes, though I had his jawline. His pale blue eyes were sharp and calculating, and never revealed the slightest hint of emotion.
I watched them silently as they took their seats at the head of the table, their authority unspoken yet palpable. My father”s ice-cold gaze swept over the room, bringing an immediate hush. Edward leaned back in his chair, unfolding a set of papers he had brought with him. A murmur of curiosity rippled through the room as he began to speak.
”Your attention, gentlemen,” he announced. His voice was deep and resonating, demanding immediate obedience. ”We have matters of grave importance to discuss.”
I watched from my position near the edge of the room, my uneasiness growing. My father”s unreadable gaze met mine across the table for a fleeting second before returning to Edward and I felt the cold feeling trickle down my spine. I held his gaze however, until he looked away. I could never appear weak. That would be… dangerous.
“Our next mission is of high importance and we must handle it with maximum discretion...”
For the next hour or so, details were discussed in hushed voices; plans were drawn up and pieces put into place. No job was simple but this one felt particularly complex and dangerous. We were dealing with unknown enemies which made everyone in that room visibly uneasy.
“One last item of business, gentlemen,” drawled my father. “Word has reached me that the Bates family is encroaching on our territory. Pushers in our clubs and streets, their girls following along to sell their own wares, and I”ve even heard that some of their enforcers are now trying to pose as our own debt collectors, taking payments that should be coming to us. Derek, do you have anything to add?”
”We”ve secured our hold on the east side, but there”s still work to be done. Tony took a few of our guys along to a club they were calling at regularly, and had a... conversation... letting them know we were watching them. They haven”t been back since, but I think they”ve simply moved on. We need to put the word out, get more eyes and ears on the street, especially at night.”
My father nodded. ”Good work, and yes, I agree. Let”s get the word out. They are a proud family, and they might not have the physical strength, but they have the money to hire mercenaries, and I don”t want our streets to become a warzone. We need to find a way to do this peacefully.”
The meeting progressed with the rhythm of a well-oiled machine. Territories, deals, rival families – it was all laid bare on the table. I listened, my eyes picking up the subtle shifts in body language, my ears tuned to the undercurrents of emotion in their voices. Every word, every gesture, is a piece of the puzzle, a clue to the next move in this deadly game we”re playing. And yet, for some reason, my mind started to wander. Not to the rest of our operations, or the men in the room, but to a certain blonde, and how she”d felt in my arms, how she’d tasted. I tried to shove the memory away, but it lingered there at the edge of my mind.
Ridiculous, I told myself. It”s not like I could fucking have her anyway. The Persephone was a benefit, an extra pleasure the club provided. I could get my fill as soon as Bast gave his blessing, and then at the end of the year, she’d walk away a rich woman. Women avoided me like the fucking plague once they saw my scars or heard my name, and Paige was as innocent as they came with those big blue eyes and that mouth that begged me to bruise her lips with own. I thought back to the first place I’d met her, in that club where that dickhead had dared to touch her against her will. I let my mind drift over the memory of dancing with her, the way I’d pulled that round ass back against my hard dick, as I’d thought about sliding my hands up to cup those generous breasts, licked my way down her bare spine...
”Nathaniel,” My father”s voice cut through my thoughts like a knife. ”Give us your report on Blackvellyn.”
Fuck, getting caught daydreaming by him was not a good thing. I’d pay for that later.
”Of course, Lord Carver,” I said smoothly. ”Four rival shipments intercepted this week; their goods are now ours. Two informants identified and dealt with—no loose ends. Protection payments from local businesses are up by fifteen percent.”
He nodded, satisfied with my report, but I felt compelled to address something that had been weighing on me. My jaw clenched, and an edge of steel crept into my voice. ”However, there was an incident involving one of our guys. He crossed a line, putting innocent lives at risk. I took care of it personally, but we need to ensure it doesn”t happen again.” A hushed murmur rippled through the room at my words, but no one dared to challenge me.
”I see,” Vincent said firmly, his gaze unflinching as he met mine. ”Well, I trust you”ll keep our men in check, Nathaniel.” His words seemed harmless, but I could tell he wasn’t happy about me bringing it up. My father didn’t give a shit about innocent people getting hurt, as long as it didn’t fuck with his profits. I caught Bast’s eye briefly and he gave me a nod that was barely visible. He’d urged me to make the point in the meeting and I hadn’t felt like I could argue. Bast knew my father was unpredictable and cruel, but he had no idea of the depth of depravity that lived behind the walls of our country estate, and I had no intention of enlightening him any time soon. Those shadows needed to stay buried.
Further conversation was brought to a halt as one of my father’s men came through the door, and approached him. He bent to murmur something in Carver’s ear, and I saw my father’s face darken, and a flicker in his eyes that experience had taught me meant violence was coming. ”It appears you were right, Derek. The dealers you had a conversation with the other night seem to have friends that simply moved on further into our territory. Seeing as our Bates friends won”t listen to reason, we must employ clearer communication strategies. Rico apprehended these two in our club on Broadway Street earlier this evening.”
I looked up as Rico reappeared, two men with bruises and cuts to their faces in front of him at gunpoint. On either side, one of Rico”s enforcers had a tight grip on their arms. The taller one glanced around the room, his face twisted in a sneer, until his eyes fell on me, and his face paled. I smiled at him, but didn”t move. I knew most of the high rollers in the Bates family, and I didn”t recognise these. Footsoldiers, I assumed. No one of any worth.
”We found these two peddling poison on our streets,” Rico announced, shoving the captives forward. ”Low grade, cut with other shit.”
”Filthy rats,” I muttered under my breath, my gaze narrowing as I sized up the intruders. Cutting drugs with unknown shit caused real problems, and could kill. People chose to take drugs, and we chose to supply, but we provided quality product, not the cheap shit others did. Our buyers knew what they were getting. I was in charge of the supply into Blackvellyn, not just the town, but the university too. We had elite clients there who paid a lot of money, and I ensured that they got the quality they’d paid for. These guys were scum, cutting their drugs with whatever shit they could find, and it was downright fucking dangerous. They had the audacity to invade our territory with that fucked up crap, and now they were going to pay for their insolence. My father looked up, steely dark eyes fixing on the face of the tallest. The shorter one seemed to be trying to shrink away behind his friend. Coward.
”Tell me,” my father began, his voice low and dangerous, ”what makes you think you can peddle your filth on our turf?”
The two men exchanged anxious glances, then the taller one stepped forward. He seemed to be searching for something to say.
”Speak,” Carver commanded, an unspoken threat hanging in the air.
The second man swallowed hard, finally finding his voice. ”We didn”t know it was your territory. We thought it was unclaimed.”
”Unclaimed?” My father scoffed, his eyes narrowing. ”You think I would allow any part of my city to go unprotected? You must take me for an amateur.”
”We thought that if we only took a little piece, you”d never notice,” the tall one said, his voice wavering, ”we”re only trying to make a living.”
”What kind of living,” I said, getting up and moving around the table towards them, ”are you making peddling shit like that?”
Again they hesitated, but I could see the tall one had recovered his nerve, despite the growing panic in his eyes. He glared up at me.
”I don”t know who you are,” he said, his voice shaking, ”but we”re in the Bates family. You can”t just take us captive in here and make us—”
”You don”t know who I am?” I asked, my voice a low growl. ”I”m fucking Nate Carver, you little shit. Now you”re gonna tell me what you brought into our city, and who said you could.”
I knew the moment the shorter one recognised me because he shrank away and began to mutter under his breath.
”Oh shit, he”s the fucking Beast, oh shit, oh shit...”
”Shut up!” hissed the taller one. He turned back to me and tried to look me in the eye. It was laughable, being that he was a good seven inches shorter than me.
”You think you”re so fucking untouchable, but you”re done in this city. The Bates are taking over, and you won”t know what”s fucking hit you. I”d be surprised if you lasted the week.”
I looked back over at my father who sat there, his expression calculating. After a moment, he sighed.
”I feel our Bates friends need to receive a clear message about what happens when they push their luck like this. Nathaniel, if you wouldn”t mind?”
I nodded and turned back to the tall guy.
”I ain”t no fucking message boy,” he growled at me.
I grinned. ”No, you”re not.” I reached out and grabbed his collar, pulling him in close as I brought my face down to his. I jerked my head at the shorter guy. ”He”s the messenger. You”re the fucking message.”
I waited until my words hit home and the cocky look on the idiot”s face slid away, revealing the more appropriate fear on his face. He stumbled back, catching himself just before he fell. His eyes were wide with terror as he tried to move away, but Rico stepped forward and blocked his path. I slowly circled around him as he trembled, my fists clenched tight in anticipation of what was to come, pulled back my fist and punched him hard across the face, sending him crashing backwards into Rico, who grabbed him and shoved him back towards me.
I grabbed hold of his shirt with one hand and punched him again. This time I felt his nose shatter, and he cried out as the blood streamed down his face. He pulled away, twisting to the side away from me and from Rico, but I dragged him back, hitting him in the face again and again, pummelling it until it was nothing more than a bloody mess. He dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes, groaning in pain as he tried to crawl away. But I wasn”t done yet - not by a long shot. I followed him down, straddling his chest as he squirmed beneath me, trying to escape my grasp.
I continued my onslaught mercilessly, taking my time to ensure that every blow landed precisely where it needed to for maximum damage, feel bones break under my blows, until finally his screams ceased and he just lay there, blood bubbling from his mouth.
When I had finished I stood up straight and looked around at the men who had been watching calmly throughout all this. They nodded their approval before turning their gaze back towards Carver who was still sitting there expressionless. Carver gave me a sharp nod, and I immediately moved to the side so he could address the shorter man who had been standing there petrified throughout the whole ordeal.
”You,” my father said calmly, ”will deliver our message.” He paused for a moment before continuing. ”Nathaniel.”
His eyes met mine and I nodded. I turned towards the shorter man and stepped forward. He looked up at me, eyes wide with fear, and for a moment, I felt sorry for him. Only for a moment though.
His eyes flicked to the lifeless body of his companion, then back to me.
”I thought I was the messenger,” he pleaded.
”You are,” I replied, a cold smile spreading across my face. ”But who said you need to be able to walk to deliver a message?”
He trembled, his eyes wide with terror as I closed the distance between us, my every step echoing ominously in the silent room. I could see the realisation dawn in his eyes, and could almost taste his fear. It was intoxicating, heady, a reminder of the power I wielded. The Bates family had crossed a line, and they needed to know the price of their folly.
This time, I pulled out my knife, its gleaming blade reflecting the dim lamplight of the room. The man”s eyes widened, his breath hitching as he took in the sight of the weapon.
”Please...” he begged. I loved it when they begged.
”Go back to your family. Tell them to stay off our territory.”
As I raised my knife, I locked eyes with my father one final time. His eyes were ice cold and flat, like a sharks. I looked down at the man beneath me waiting just for a moment, and then, I struck.
Bast joined me in the bathroom a little while later. For a few minutes, he said nothing, just watched the blood rinse off my hands, swirling down the sink.
“Are you travelling back to Blackvellyn tonight?”” I asked.
He nodded. “The second trial is tomorrow night. I want to be ready, and I’ve settled everything here with my father.”
“Did you ask him about Paige?” I grabbed the Egyptian cotton towel off the rail and dried my now clean hands, cursing as I noticed the flecks of blood on my cuffs.
“I did, but all he had is what we already knew. Her parents have links to our parents through the club, and there’s potential that they could cause some kind of scandal, but Paige is their daughter, and no parent is going to put their kids through that.”
“You’d be surprised what some parents put their kids through,” I muttered.
“True, but offering her up for…”
“Rape.”
“It wasn’t rape, Nate.”
“Sexual assault then, it was non consensual,” I snapped.
Bast sighed. “Look, I know you’re big on the whole consent thing, and I get it. I would never force myself on a woman who didn’t want it, but we didn’t know, Nate. We all thought she was willing, that she’d volunteered. She even agreed it wasn’t our fault.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t feel like shit about it,” I growled. “You didn’t see her after, Bast.”
“I saw her after you,” I said. “And don’t get me wrong, I felt like shit about it too, but if what she’s saying is true, then we were all victims to whoever masterminded this delightful misunderstanding. Besides, something tells me she seriously got off on it, even though she’d never admit it, maybe even to herself.”
I grunted, not wanting to admit Bast had a point. I’d felt the way her hips had pushed towards me as I”d eaten out that delicious cunt of hers, lapped up her mess when she’d come, heard those breathy little moans that I replayed in my head every night when I jerked off thinking of her.
“Has she actually said that she forgives us?” I asked quietly, not wanting to meet Bast’s eyes. He was as shrewd as his father, and I didn’t want him to see more than I was comfortable with.
He grinned. “Well, she certainly forgave me in the bedroom afterwards.”
“What?” I snapped, turning to glare at him. “You fucked her already?”
“Not her pussy, just her mouth, and fuck was she good at sucking cock. All big innocent eyes as she choked on it…”
“Fuck’s sake, Bast. You want me to walk out there and talk to my father with a raging hard on?” I groaned.
Bast laughed. “You”ll get your chance tomorrow. I have some interesting ideas for Paige”s second trial, and you and Tristan will definitely feel the benefit, trust me.”
”She hasn”t agreed to it yet,” I reminded him.
”She will,” Bast said confidently, as his phone rang suddenly and he reached for it. ”Bast. Hey, Tris, you sound fucking dreadful...”
I zoned out as Bast talked business with Tris. We”d bought up an abandoned building on the edge of Blackvellyn, with the idea of turning it into a luxury hotel aimed at the parents of the university students who came for events and visits. I was involved, but I had no interest in the reservation system that Tris was handling. Right now, all I could think about was getting back to Blackvellyn and seeing Paige again.
”Shit, Tristan”s really fucked up there. We should get back,” said Bast, pocketing his phone.
”He mix his drinks again?” I asked, rolling my eyes.
”Sounds like he”s had serious food poisoning. Been puking his guts up the last couple of days and hasn”t been able to get out of bed.”
”Has he seen Paige?” I asked. ”She isn”t ill too, is she?”
”He doesn”t think so. She messaged him from class yesterday.” Bast inhaled slowly.
”Look, I know I said it was her choice, but Paige is our Persephone.” He looked up at me, his eyes like steel. ”I want her Nate. Let”s go get her.”
I couldn”t fucking wait.