Empire of Ache & Ruin (Empire of Ruin #1)

1. Do Brave Deeds and Endure

CHAPTER 1

DO brAVE DEEDS AND ENDURE

Tristan

“Your vodka martini, Mr. Archer.” The bartender sets my drink on the small table in front of me with a reverent nod.

“Thank you.” I unbutton my suit jacket and sit a little straighter. The scars on my back burn in anticipation. Tonight has to go as planned. “I’m waiting on someone. Leave the tab open, yeah?”

“Of course, sir.”

I glance down at my watch and simultaneously scan the swanky hotel bar on the Upper East Side. Over the years, I made it back to the States on business many times. But tonight, being home is about something else. How about that? After twenty years, I’m finally home.

“Tristan, look alive. The mobsters are here.” Gardenia, my hacker and childhood friend, speaks into my earpiece.

“Jesus.” I sit forward and sip from my glass to cover for the fact that her voice startled me. “I see them. And they’re not mobsters. They’re friends.”

“If you say so.” She lets out a breath.

Even though I can’t see her upstairs in her hotel room where she set up shop, I know she’s rolling her eyes at me. When I approached Gardenia with my plan a year ago, she was more than eager to pack up and move to New York City and help me. Though she never really got onboard with this part of the plan. Asking my friends Rex Valentino and Santino Buratti for help was a big gamble. Getting the Italian mob involved always carries a risk.

“They’re here to help.” I speak into my glass.

“Favors from the mob always come at a high price. You know that.”

“I haven’t asked them for anything yet. Relax.” I stand and button my jacket. “Shouldn’t you be watching my back instead of talking my ear off.”

“I can multi-task.” She types fast on her keyboard. “And here they are. Jeez, you didn’t tell me they were mega hot.”

I turn around just in time for my gaze to collide with the sight of the most intriguing woman I’ve ever seen. The sudden magnetic pull is…bewitching. From where I stand, I have the perfect vantage point. Her red dress falls in a deep v down her front exposing most of her shapely breasts. The silky fabric clings to the rest of her form as she enters the room with the grace of a delicate dove in flight.

The lust is immediate. Powerful. Alluring. In an instant, I can see her tight little body yielding to me, bending to my will. Problem is, I’m not here for her. I let her traverse out of my line of sight and focus on the task at hand instead—Rex and Santino.

While I greet Santino with an extended hand and a smile, the handful of patrons sitting at the bar and the scattered tables pause to stare at the beauty with the golden eyes. But it doesn’t take long before their collective attention shifts to my guests. Rex and Santino are not the typical businessmen. Danger oozes out of them.

Gardenia did her research before coming to the States. Rex is more than the reclusive billionaire-slash-sex club owner with politicians in his back pocket. And Santino is more than a real estate mogul with billions at his disposal.

I didn’t lie when I told my team they were friends. Santino and I met during his semester abroad in Oxford. He was the first person I told about what happened to Dad. And how, even at the young age of twenty, I couldn’t think of anything else but revenge. Seeing him again gives me hope that soon I will be able to set things right. My father’s murderer will pay for what he did. I’ve waited long enough. The wheels have already been set in motion, and now there’s no going back.

“You’re late.” I pat Santino on the back.

“We had business to attend to.” He points his chin toward Rex.

“This city doesn’t run itself.” Rex steps in and shakes my hand.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Can we get some drinks?” Santino ambles to the bar. “We’re going to need a bottle of whiskey. Is this all you have?” He gives the bartender a disappointed look, pointing at the expansive selection of liquor lining the floor-to-ceiling shelves.

“We’ll take the Dalmore now.” I nod to the bartender, then gesture for them to take a seat.

“The man means business.” Rex sits on the club leather chair, smirking.

“You had me going all over England looking for that bottle just for this?” Gardenia scoffs in my ear again.

I sit across from Rex and Santino, cutting a quick glance to the security camera to our right. Even though we are childhood friends, Gardenia is more like a pesky little sister to me. But that’s not why I asked her to come work for me after she graduated from uni. Her hacking skills are the best back in the UK. Something that served us well on this little recon mission. In two days, she managed to infiltrate our hotel’s security system as well as the cameras covering the whole block.

“I want his head on a platter,” I say as soon as the server leaves to fetch our bottle.

Thirteen years ago, ever since Mom told me the truth about the burn scars on my back, how Dad died doing the honorable thing, why we lived most of our lives in hiding, I started to plot my revenge. The billions I amassed since graduation, the friends I collected most of my adult life, and even my education were all meant to serve this very specific purpose one day—to finally catch my father’s killer and make him pay.

“He doesn’t mean that literally.” Santino exchanges a meaningful look with Rex before he meets my gaze. “Head on platters are easy. You don’t need us for that.”

“Easy, Tristan.” Gardenia chews loudly in my ear. “Don’t let their stupid-handsome faces fool you. You’re playing your entire hand. Now they know you’re desperate. You might have more money than God, but these guys can make you disappear if they don’t like how you talk to them.”

“I know.” I put up my hand to get Gardenia to stop interrupting me, while meeting Rex and Santino’s gazes. I’m starting to regret letting her run point tonight. Though mostly I agreed to let her come with me because her father, my mentor, is worse than her when he’s on comms. I continue, “I want him destroyed, powerless, penniless, exposed. And then I want him to live a long life, rotting in jail.” I stop to look at the bartender coming our way.

“Your bottle, Mr. Archer.” He shows us the bottle I brought in, as if the hotel procured it for us.

After he makes a show of opening the bottle and serving the whiskey, he returns to his station behind the bar.

When he’s out of earshot, Rex says, “Santino tells me you brought your own team.” He brings the crystal tumbler to his nose and inhales deeply.

“I did.” I sip from my glass, then raise my eyebrows in approval.

“Did you think I wouldn’t get you the good stuff?” Gardenia scoffs. “That bottle was a hundred-and-sixty grand. It’s literally the ambrosia of the gods.”

“But if you know of any good hackers, let me know.” I drink again.

“What do you have in mind?” Santino asks before taking a long swig. He pauses to take in the whiskey then nods in approval. “You know your whiskey. Question is, do you know what you’re doing, old friend?”

“We start by draining his coffers. It’s election year; it won’t be hard to infiltrate his circle of trust. This is where I need your help. I don’t want him to get a single penny of my money. I want him to lose it all. He’s greedy. I need to find more opportunities for him to burn his empire to the ground chasing what he already has.”

“He’s already a member at my club.” Rex braces his arms on his thighs. “He rarely gambles with his own money though. Senators are good friends to have.”

“I know.” I swallow against the bitter taste in my mouth. The last time I was face to face with Senator Davis, I was eleven years old, and I had no idea the kind of monster he was. “But again, it’s election year, he’ll do anything to keep his seat.”

“But you want him to lose that too.” Santino cocks his eyebrow.

“I came here because I was promised a powerful senator in my back pocket.” Rex sips from his glass. “I need him backed into a corner, not useless.”

“And there it is.” Gardenia throws something heavy on her desk. “On the surface, it might look like you all want the same thing. But you don’t. They’re mobsters, Tristan. I don’t like the way they’re looking at you. Like they want you in their back pocket.”

“A single misstep is all we need.” I meet Rex’s murderous gaze. “I’ll be there to give him the rope to hang himself. Then he’s all yours.”

“You’re playing with fire,” Gardenia whispers.

Maybe she’s right. I played my hand too soon. Yes, I want Senator Davis stripped of all the riches and power he gained from my father’s murder. But I’m also willing to wait. The Italian mob would get their senator, but not for very long. That asshole deserves to rot in jail.

Rex doesn’t trust me, which is understandable. He’s here as a favor to his friend, Santino. That’s not to say that Santino trusts me. But he’s a romantic when it comes to revenge. He thrives in the depravity of it. More than anything, he understands what it means to lose a parent at a young age. The darkness that settled deep in my chest since my father died is something Santino understands well.

“I’ll tell you what.” Rex fishes a black card from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and hands it to me. “I’ll put some feelers out and see what shakes up.”

“I appreciate that.” I glare at the gold letters embossed on the card.

Fac Fortia et Patere. Do Brave Deeds and Endure.

An interesting moto for someone in the mobster business. I don’t care about their moto. All I care about is the fact that Rex is offering me a lifeline. I have one mobster favor, one shot to bring the Senator down. Aligning myself with powerful men is the only way to beat my father’s killer at his own game. For now, I have the element of surprise. I have to come at him with everything, because once the Senator finds out who I am, why I’m here—once our masks come off—he will focus all his resources on finishing what he started twenty years ago. He will come for me and Mom, the only family I have left.

I stand to walk them out as if I’m hosting them in my own home. “It was good to see you, brother,” I say to Santino.

“Welcome back.” Santino hugs me.

At six feet, five inches, I’m barely a hair taller than him. Rex embraces me as well. But as I make to walk with them, he puts up his hand then tilts his head slightly toward the bar and my mystery woman. “Stay. We know the way.”

“I’ll be in touch.” I nod.

I wait until they leave the bar, then watch them through the large window as their retreating forms cross the street, and then they disappear into the night. For a moment, I consider going upstairs to my room to get ready for the next step in my plan. But then I steal a glance in her direction, and I’m enchanted all over again.

“You cannot be serious right now,” Gardenia whines in my ear.

“The meeting went as planned,” I say to the cocktail table as I pick up my tumbler and drink.

“You don’t have to fuck anything that?—”

I turn off my earpiece and don’t let her finish. The mission for tonight is done. I don’t need Gardenia playing my conscience in my ear the rest of the night.

“Mr. Archer, would you be dining with us?” A server appears in my line of sight and gestures to the bottle service.

“Not tonight, thank you. But I would like to buy the lady a drink.” I don’t even have to point at the woman at the bar, he knows who I mean—probably because every goddamn asshole in the room is eye-fucking her from a distance.

The thought puts all kinds of violent ideas in my head. I have no reason to feel protective of her. She isn’t even mine. And I don’t have time for something as complicated and mundane as a romance.

I glare at the security camera knowing full well Gardenia is watching me. A drink can’t hurt anyone, I tell myself as I amble toward the woman in the red dress. To my delight, she already has a crystal tumbler in her hand, and she’s regarding the bottle of Dalmore with appreciation in her eyes.

“Thank you,” she says with an air that almost implies “you’re welcome,” as if I said thank you to her and not the other way around. “Your friends left you.”

Her voice is angelic, hypnotic. And I can’t help but wonder if she comes to this bar alone often. She is too beautiful to be a coincidence. And then I remember Rex’s encouraging nod. I smile at my tumbler. Did Santino bring her here? For me? My cock flicks in painful anticipation.

“They did.” I meet her eyes and get lost in the golden specks mixed in with a few scattered green ones. This woman is pure perfection. And best of all she’s here for me. “And you? Where are your friends?”

“I have no friends.” She sips.

“I’m new in town.” I smile at her delicate features.

“I can tell.” She lets out a subtle laugh, a sweet sound that is musical and erotic. “You speak with a slight accent. Are you British?”

“American. I’ve been gone for a while.” I bite my tongue. This woman doesn’t need to know that I had to flee the States when I was eleven years old. That my mother hid me in a remote town in England until she felt it was safe for me to know the truth at the age of eighteen. “Come upstairs with me.” It’s not a request.

“Bring the bottle.” She slides off her barstool and stands to her full height. The top of her head barely reaches my chin.

She’s enchanting as she leans against me to whisper in my ear. “I only accept cash.”

“How much?” I ask without thinking. My cock is in enough agony as it is. I don’t have time to consider morality. I have never paid for sex before, but I need her now. And she’s willing. She’s fucking willing for a small price.

“Ten thousand.” She meets my gaze with so much angst in her golden eyes.

Her chest heaves as lust dilates her pupils. Jesus. I swallow and nod, unable to say the words that will make me the kind of desperate man who pays for a woman. I don’t give a shit in this moment, all I care about is getting a taste of her sweet cunt.

“We’re going to finish this upstairs,” I say to the bartender as I grab the bottle, not waiting for his response.

Placing my hand on her lower back, I usher her toward the grand staircase. A voice that’s not Gardenia’s, though it sounds very much like her, speaks softly in my head.

“You ought to be ashamed. You can’t fuck anything that bats her pretty eyelashes at you.”

I quickly retort with, “she’s not a thing. And she didn’t bat her eyelashes, she asked for money.” It’s comical and also freeing. Because come morning, I’ll have to let her go.

I make it to the elevator bay and hit the call button, while my thumb draws small circles on her exposed skin. She is soft and warm. And blushing. I glance at her as we step onto the elevator car. As soon as the doors slide closed, I turn to face her. I mean to devour her in a kiss. But she presses her small hand to my chest and halts me.

“What kind of man has ten thousand dollars in cash just lying around in his hotel room?” She smiles sweetly.

“The kind who likes to be prepared.” I run the back of my fingers down her cheek.

“Lucky us.” She takes the bottle from me and drinks from it. “You pay for women often?”

“You’re my first,” I confess.

The door dings open when we reach the top floor. I’m glad we didn’t start anything in the elevator. Something tells me that once I do, I’m not going to be done for a long while. I escort her to the end of the corridor to the corner penthouse suite. I have to believe she does this often. For one, she’s not afraid of me. And she isn’t concerned at all to be alone in a hotel room with a complete stranger.

“You visit this hotel a lot, Little Dove?” I scan my phone to the keypad and push the door open.

“I’m here all the time.” She strolls inside, taking in the tall windows and the spectacular view of the city beneath us. “How about you get my money, and I’ll serve a couple of drinks?” She turns in place and stops when she spots the butler’s pantry.

“Sounds like a plan.” I saunter toward the main bedroom in the back.

I stand in front of the safe and punch in the four-digit code. The money I stashed in here a few days ago was meant for petty bribes. These days people don’t help others out of the kindness of their hearts. They all want to get paid. Once I count the bills and shove them in an envelope, I shut the safe, taking a handful of seconds to calm the fuck down.

The lust burning through my veins is something I’ve never felt before. It’s clouding my mind and all logic. The only way to solve this problem is to fuck her all night, and then, move on. A pitiful peptalk, but it will have to do. I return to the living area with cash in hand.

“I’ll trade you.” She offers me a glass of whiskey.

Fuck. Her eyes are serene pools of desire and allure. How can she look so innocent and so lustful at the same time? I take the tumbler and drink deeply from it while I let her take the cash from me.

“I’ve never met a man like you.” She puts the money on the table and gracefully closes the space between us. “You’re beautiful.” She cups my cheek. “I want to kiss you so badly.”

I want to devour her right here and now. But the pout of her lips seems, for lack of a better word, inexperienced. Or is that what I paid for? She’s so experienced at fucking men, she’s able to fool me into this fantasy where I’m the predator, and she’s my prey.

“I do too.” I finish the rest of my drink.

When I reach for her waist, her eyes widen in surprise. Her mouth forms a perfect “o” as she lets me guide her toward me. A willing participant, I fall for her game. I pull her gently toward me, and she delicately surrenders to my embrace. She trembles fisting the sleeve of my suit jacket. My cock fucking loves it.

Yes, I want to ravage her, to tear up her expensive dress, and suck on her tits until she comes. But I want this game too. I want her desire to boil over. I want her to beg for me.

Gently, I place my index finger under her chin and press my mouth to hers. Fucking ecstasy. She moans quietly and melts in my arms. I take her surrender as an invitation to coax her velvet tongue to meet mine. She tastes like whiskey and green apples. When her lips part to let me in, I deepen the kiss, claiming her mouth the way I plan to plunder her cunt in the next five minutes.

“I don’t think I did enough.” She pulls away, panting to catch her breath. “How are you still standing?”

Her words are like a spell. She’s no innocent maiden. She is a witch. My body knows what’s happening to me, but my brain and my cock are still hung up on her, refusing to see the truth. I fall to the floor with a heavy thud, and still, I can’t form the thought in my head.

“Little Dove,” I mumble.

She poisoned me?

I lie on the soft carpet unable to move, staring up at her. Her eyes go big like saucers in surprise or trepidation. I can’t fucking tell the difference anymore.

“Let’s go,” a male voice calls from somewhere near the door. “Now. Who knows how long the effects will last. He’s a beast.”

“I’m coming.” She touches her fingers to her lips. She looks lost and confused.

You can drop the act, Little Dove.

I glare at her with all the contempt I can muster.

“Why did you kiss him?” the man asks.

“I don’t know.” She smooths out her dress, her eyes never leaving mine. “Get the money.”