Chapter 2
Alec
She lay slumped on the couch when I removed the scarf from around her neck. When I nudged her arse, she didn’t move.
“Have you killed her?” Nick chuckled.
“I doubt it, but I know where you’re coming from now. She’s definitely starred in porn flicks with those sounds,” I said, checking her neck for a pulse.
“Don’t make a mess of my couch. Some people shit themselves after they die,” Rowan said, calmly buttoning his shirt.
“I’m not cleaning it up,” Nick added, smirking as he jerked his thumb toward her. “It’s his mess.”
She had a steady pulse, and I wasn’t sure whether I was relieved.
“She’s fine. She’ll need to cover up those marks for tomorrow’s shift,” I said, pulling out of her arse to get rid of the condom.
“Just use a gag on her next time,” Rowan suggested.
I glanced at Nick with a smile. He knew why I did what I did.
“It’s not as fun,” I replied, grabbing my clothes.
I stared at Sophie. Red lipstick was smeared across her mouth, mascara streaked down her face. Nick hadn’t gone easy on her either.
“I’ll get Harris to stick her in a taxi,” I murmured.
Rowan tossed me her dress, and I snatched it from the air before it could land on the floor.
“You’ll need to wake her up first,” Nick stated the obvious.
“Don’t leave her in the office,” Rowan added.
I nodded.
We all knew the protocol.
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I set the coffee pot back on its stand before returning to the table and taking my first sip of caffeine for the day.
It wasn’t long before I heard Rowan and Nick coming down the stairs.
It didn’t feel like a house share most of the time.
We had a floor of our own, but we did have a communal bedroom that came in handy from time to time.
Our preference was the office or a hotel room before inviting anyone into our home.
“You’ll make someone an excellent wife one day,” Nick said as he wandered toward the coffee.
“And you won’t know if I spit in your breakfast panini tomorrow,” I replied dryly.
“Why do I have to be the dad?” Rowan asked, snagging a mug from the countertop.
“See? We have a complete family now,” Nick said, smirking as he sipped his coffee.
“Great. A delinquent son,” I said. “You’re too old for us to change your ways.”
He was only four years younger than me, and although he could be volatile when left to his own devices, we managed to keep him grounded.
“Is anyone else getting bored with Sophie?” Rowan asked, unwrapping his panini.
“You know my answer,” Nick snorted, taking a seat beside him.
“I almost choked the life out of her yesterday,” I said with a shrug.
“There’s always an ulterior motive with an outsider,” Rowan said. “But I’d rather find someone exclusive to us.”
“I don’t want anyone permanent,” Nick scowled.
Rowan was thirty-four, and I was a year younger.
Nick was probably right, being the youngest, he liked to keep his options open.
He’d started as a security guard at Dominion, but when he saved Rowan’s life, his trajectory shifted.
Rowan began giving him more responsibility.
That was six years ago, and we never looked back.
There were times I wanted to smack him around, but that was mostly because he knew exactly which buttons to press.
“It would be good to fuck someone without a condom,” I said, thinking of the benefits of exclusivity.
Nick paused, his panini hovering halfway to his mouth.
I hid my smile behind my mug.
The fucker had so many piercings on his dick it resembled a pincushion, and he was always complaining about trying to get a condom on without it tearing.
“It was just a thought,” Rowan said, flicking open the newspaper.
I studied him for a moment. Rowan never floated a thought unless he’d already mapped every possible outcome. This wasn’t idle conversation—it was a feeler, a way to gauge our reactions before he went ahead and did exactly what he wanted anyway.
I didn’t give a fuck.
Pussy was pussy.
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We had too much hard cash coming in, and while we searched for a new manager for Monarchs, I needed to split the funds among the other four businesses.
Purchasing gold bars in cash at jewellery emporiums and bullion specialists required third-party buyers who wanted a cut of the profits.
It was becoming harder to pay in cash; everything was electronic now.
I wondered if Nick could gather some people at Hustle to help us out. Anyone who knew him would be too afraid to try to scam us.
I tapped out a quick message in code to him.
He didn’t respond, which meant he was working collections. The man knew how to twist a knife just enough. It didn’t matter where people sat on the food chain—most of the time, his words and presence worked before he ever resorted to violence. His reputation was earned. As was ours.
I grabbed my suit jacket.
My office was two blocks away from Dominion, and most of my lunches were spent at the restaurant there. Routine was as vital to me as the numbers I manipulated. Before leaving, I checked my laptop for any updates from the Commission.
A snitch would be an example, and Nick wouldn’t be alone in his or her demise. Our united front was what kept the wolves at bay.
When I stepped outside, I scanned the street before heading toward Dominion. The early spring sunshine was a welcome change after the cold, wet winter. I’d grown sick of dull grey skies. Everything felt a little more tolerable.
The people. The traffic. Even the preachers’ calls drifting from the park.
It wasn’t long before I reached the doors of Dominion.
The opening hours were long, but we didn’t need to oversee the floor at all times.
The security team in place were proficient.
Rowan had a habit of scouring the footage anyway, but remaining one of the top-performing casinos in the City of London was no easy feat.
The doorman nodded politely and held the door open.
I caught a glimpse of Sophie’s hair and quickened my pace toward the restaurant, smirking when I noticed the scarf around her neck.
They always gripped a little harder while gasping for air.