Desire #2
“Listen up, you cocksuckers.” I wave the gun, pointing it at the pale-faced Zack.
“I’m going to teach this pathetic bastard a lesson.
No wet work. You’re going to stand here, watch, and not dare interfere.
If one of you fucks takes a step toward me, my crew will kick out the doors along with your teeth, and I’ll personally blow your heads off. Am I making myself clear?”
The henchmen swallow hard and exchange glances. Sticky fear swims in their glassy eyes.
“Okay … we were just having a drink here …,” one of them bleats, dropping his hands to his sides.
“What?! Are you out of your fucking minds? I’ve paid you—” Zack lashes out at his traitorous men.
I slam the grip of the gun into his cheekbone with all my force. The crunch of bone sounds like music. Zack yelps, clutching his face, and collapses onto the parquet floor like a sack. Then I drive my heavy boot into his gut, knocking the air out of his lungs.
I never get tired of doing this. Especially now. Punishing someone who dared to hurt my Aurora isn’t just a duty—it’s a pleasure, spreading through my veins like molten lead.
Yes, my princess asked me not to hit Zack, but I only promised I wouldn’t kill him. No one said anything about bruises and broken ribs.
Funny, why does she insist so stubbornly on not being my “muse of cruelty”?
I suspect she actually wants it, she’s just rejecting her true nature.
I remember last night perfectly. I saw how her body reacted when I said I’d have to kill Jefferson.
How her pupils dilated with arousal, how her wet cunt became unbearably tight and hot, clenching around me. She craves this just as much as I do.
I deliver another methodical blow to Zack, keeping an eye on his cronies.
They’re standing there, heads tucked into their shoulders, eyes on the floor.
No one even twitches. That’s what real power is—not the number of guns but the ability to make people submit through fear alone.
I could have called in my crew for backup, but something else mattered.
I wanted to show Zack I could break into his house alone and smash him into the floor right in front of his men, and no one would save him.
I squat next to the whimpering Zack and press the gun’s muzzle into his temple. “Is it finally getting through to you?” I murmur. “My power doesn’t depend on the Kingdom. And I certainly don’t need it to protect my girl from you.”
“What the fuck do you want with her?” he rasps, blowing bloody bubbles from his busted lips. Pain and genuine, vicious confusion swirl in his swelling eyes. “Why?!”
“Who knows, Zack.” I stretch my lips into a mocking smirk. “Maybe I just like fucking someone who’s never given you a chance?”
He gurgles something unintelligible through his bloody mouth, and I smile at how I’ve flipped reality. It looks like Zack was the one avoiding Aurora because of his own weird issues, and my girl was the one who contemptuously rejected him.
I get up and back toward the exit, keeping this whole pile of garbage in sight until the last moment. When I step outside, I inhale the evening air.
Steve steps onto the porch, giving me a questioning look.
“We’re done here,” I state, waving him off.
Only after slamming the Hummer’s door shut, do I finally tuck the gun back into my waistband. Caution is never excessive—any of those drugged-out junkies could have tried to stab me. My crew disperses in different directions with roaring engines, and I pull out onto the highway heading home.
My phone rings and it’s Laurent. “Desire, sounds like you threw quite a party at Savannah. Jefferson is ready for the final contract.”
“Perfect! When should I swing by Robert’s?” I ask, feeling anticipation.
I’m counting on committing at least one murder for Aurora’s sake tonight.
“No need to swing by. He emailed everything to me.”
“That’s unexpected,” I state, suppressing my irritation. “Robert always gave me my targets in person before.”
I’ve studied the places he likes to hold meetings—from restaurants to his office. I planned to put a bullet in his forehead at our next meeting, right under the hum of his ever-blowing air conditioners. I know full well he is probably planning to do the same to me, and I am ready for a shootout.
“So this time he decided to get creative.” Laurent chuckles. “Another business trip for you. This time to London. Preparation could take up to six months, and Robert wants you to start as soon as possible.”
“Really?” I clench my jaw until it creaks, but don’t show it in my voice. “What’s the rush? I just got back from Africa a couple of weeks ago.”
“Weren’t you the one itching for action not so long ago?” Laurent laughs.
“I’ve suddenly gotten a taste for student life.”
“That’s unexpected, brother. So what should I tell Robert?”
“Tell him I’m already picking out plane tickets,” I lie, and hang up. “Fuck!”
I slam my palm against the steering wheel. Everything is going wrong. That old bastard Jefferson just wants to ship me off to London so he can quietly get rid of Aurora while she’s unprotected. He knows who she is.
Of course, I’m not fucking going anywhere. I’ll find a way to get that piece of shit. If it means going against the family, so be it. I’ll deal with the fucking consequences later.
The phone buzzes again. This is one call I can’t ignore.
“Hello, Father.” I make my voice sound calm.
“Desire, I hear you have a steady girlfriend now.”
I grip the steering wheel and force my pulse to steady.
It’s not easy. The head of the family never calls about such trivial things.
So Father knows who Aurora really is too—she’s a witness to my crime.
Maybe that bastard Laurent figured it out and told him.
If Father demands that I get rid of my broken princess … , fuck, I’ll have to tell him no.
“Yeah, Dad. Calling to congratulate me?” I smirk, not taking my eyes off the darkening road ahead.
“I’m sure you know what you’re doing, son.”
“As always, Father.” My tone becomes deadly serious.
“Don’t forget your goal. Build your kingdom. You’ve sacrificed too much for it.”
“True, too much,” I confirm, and dozens of old scars beneath my clothes burn my skin with a phantom heat.
He hangs up. Silence fills the car, broken only by the hum of the engine. I whip a U-turn with a screech of tires and peel back onto the highway. Fuck Jefferson for now. Aurora should already be at her parents’ house, but if my family decides to eliminate her, no walls will save her.
Only I can protect my broken princess.