Page 9 of Savage Desires

"I want you to tell me about the girl you were beating half to death."

"This is about that whore?" he laughs. "She's nothing. Just some bitch paid to take whatever she's given."

I cross the distance between us in a flash, grabbing him by his throat. "I suggest you show a little fucking respect. Tell me who is pimping her out. How you contact them. Everything."

His eyes widen, and he's finally properly worried about his current situation. "Look, I don't want any trouble. She's just a club whore. Anyone can buy time with her. You just go to the bar and ask about the specials."

"Okay," I say, releasing his throat and lightly patting his cheek.

"Is that it? That's all you want?"

My lips tip upwards.

"Not even a little," I say before punching him hard enough that his eyes roll into the back of his head. He hits the ground, unconscious.

Time to take this conversation somewhere a little more private.

I've just finished tying Todd up nice and tight to the metal chair in what I like to consider my interrogation room. Sounds all professional to call it that instead of calling it what it is… a torture chamber. The room is in the basement of a warehouse I own through a dummy corporation. It's got two pieces of furniture: the chair Todd is currently occupying and a table where all my favorite tools are kept. The drain in the floor below the chair makes clean-up easy.

Poor Todd is still out cold. Who knew a man his size couldn't take a little love tap on the head. I'm doing a quick inventory of my tools when my phone rings. A genuine smile tugs at my lips when I see who's calling.

"Hello, Hurricane," I greet.

"Ugh! Kisten, will you ever let me live that down?" Rose complains, but I can hear the smile in her voice.

"Never. You'll always be my tiny hurricane."

She sighs. "Destroy one little apartment, and it follows you for life!"

I chuckle even though the memory pisses me off. Rose destroyed my best friend Matthew's apartment after Nelson Grant found her and tried to destroy the new life she was building. Nelson was Rose and Matthew's foster father and a piece of shit. When Matthew aged out of the system, Nelson and his wife took off with their foster kids and disappeared. Rose spent years in their brothel being raped and tortured.

Matthew never gave up on finding her, even after ten years. He named his BDSM club after her, and in some fucked-up twist of fate, a long-time member brought Rose into Black Rose. He was caning her in a public scene not unlike the one Beauty was forced into when Matthew intervened. That is how Damon Savada got on our radar. He was partnered up with Nelson Grant to expand his fucked-up business from brothel to human trafficking.

You'd probably be shocked to know how Nelson met his demise. I'd love to tell you that it was right here in my favorite room after hours of torture, but that didn't happen. He came for Rose, and being the untamed hurricane she is, she beat him to death with a statue. In the end, she didn't need us to protect her. She protected herself.

I push thoughts of the past away before I'm overcome with rage. I'm glad I have Todd to work my anger out on today. It'll be way more satisfying than a fight. Beating the shit out of a handful of other fighters doesn't have the same kind of satisfaction it once did. It started as a way to make money and get off the streets, then it was a way to relieve the pent-up anger that's constantly boiling under my skin; now, it barely soothes the angry monster that burns in my chest. The only thing that quiets the beast inside me is taking care of pieces of shit like Todd Mallory.

Except her, my traitorous mind whispers. I didn't realize it then, but the constant itch to destroy the world wasn't there while my Beauty was in my arms. Yes, I wanted to kill Todd, but it was a focused anger instead of the overwhelming rage that is always just under my skin.

"What's up, hurricane? Do I need to come kick Matthew's ass?" I ask.

She giggles. "Not this time. I'm inviting you to Iris's birthday party. Well, the invite is a nice way for me to say that you're coming to Iris's birthday party."

I chuckle. "How is Princess Iris?"

"She misses her Uncle Kisten."

I sigh. I've been avoiding Matthew and Rose's place for a while now. Every time I go, I feel something dark and ugly deep in my gut. Something worse than the anger that's my constant companion. It's jealousy. I never thought about settling down, but watching Matthew with Rose and their daughter flipped a switch I didn't know was there. It's easier to ignore that I'm jealous of the man I consider my brother and his family than face them. I feel like shit that I've stayed away for so long.

"When's the party?"

"Two weeks from Saturday. Slade and Hannah are flying in with Remington. Even Luca and Summer are coming."

"I'll be there. What does the princess want for her birthday?"

Rose laughs. "Like I would make it easy on you? No way. You get to pick something you think she would like. Gifts should be from the heart, not a list."

"Evil woman," I grumble.

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