Page 143 of Tempting Fate

Never expected to be on the receiving end of his sociopathic ways.

As I predicted, Brutus drops the façade a moment later when he asks, “It was yours?”

“Of course.”

Lily’s father smiles. “Then it’s a blessin’. Over my dead body will any grandchild of mine carry a drop of your blood.”

“Come near the club or Lily again, and I’ll make that a reality.” My hand shakes as I battle not to drive the blade into his black heart. Killing him has to wait until we’ve extracted every piece of information from him. “Your time at the top is over. I’ve got Joker and Honey. We know Bear’s been workin’ with you… the rest of the rats will be easy to flush out. I hold the winnin’ hand?—”

“You hold nothin’,” Brutus sneers. His blue eyes, so like Lily’s, light up. Except where hers are warm and loving, her father’s gaze is filled with evil. “If you’re here and Cherub is at Slash’s instead of the compound, that means Alex is dead. Also means I’m all that stands between you and life in prison.”

“Prison doesn’t scare me… so you can stick your empty threat up your arse.”

He chuckles. “It mightn’t scare you, but we know you’d sacrifice yourself to save my little Cherub if the need arose… and, since she’s already confessed to shootin’ Alex before, I imagine it won’t be all that hard to link her to his death. Fuck knows, she probably had to do it herself—we both know you’re incapable of protectin’ her.” I recoil at the certainty in his voice. With perverse joy, Brutus tells me, “Guilty or not, jail won’t be a picnic for a pretty girl like my daughter. Not with the enemies we have on the inside.”

“You’re worse than the devil.” I remove my arm from his throat and replace it with the knife. “I should kill you and be done with it.”

“Do it,” he crows. Surging forward, he grabs hold of my arm and pulls the blade across his neck. A thin, shallow line blooms with blood. “There’ll be a bullet in the head of every motherfucker you love within twenty-four hours… I have contingencies?—”

This time I’m the one who laughs. I pull my phone free of my cut and wave it in his face. The screen lights up. The timer showing that I’ve been recording everything he said ticks over steadily. As understanding dawns, Brutus growls. I step out of his reach when he tries to swipe the device from my hand.

“Looks like we’ve reached a stalemate and my contingency voids yours.”

With a derisive snort, Brutus flops back on the bed. “No, what we’ve reached is a deal. I’ll keep my seat at the head of the table. You’ll stay away from little Cherub. In exchange, Alex’s untimely demise will remain a secret, and your position at my six will go unchallenged.”

“No deal.”

The expression he hits me with is filled with glee. “Then I look forward to goin’ to war with you. Seeing you choke on the defeat your daddy avoided twenty-five years ago will bring me a little peace in the afterlife.”

His threat makes little sense.

Not that it matters.

I have something more pressing on my mind.

Advancing with intent, I lean down over him. Brutus’ eyes widen. He gurgles when I seize hold of his throat, fingers on either side of his windpipe, and squeeze. My traitorous president flops like a fish out of water against the mattress, but I’m relentless. When he sees he’s not getting free of me, he falls still.

I loosen my grip and leer over him.

Confusion clouds his gaze.

My lips curl into a grin. It’s filled with menace. Hot with hatred.

The knife I’m holding is heavy in my grip as I place the blade between his lips and slice from the corner of his mouth in an arch toward his ear. With a second swipe, I butcher the other side of his face.

“I had one more item to add to our agreement,” I tell him as blood runs over his neck and a single tear makes its way down his whiskered cheek. “Figured since you wanted to smile over the death of my kid, I’d make it a permanent feature. Now you’ll be able to remember this moment forever.”

Lily’s father makes a sound that could either be disbelief or rage as he brings his fingertips gingerly to the Glasgow grin he’s now sporting. He jerks away from me when I wipe the blade clean on his gown.

I pat his shoulder. Too hard.

“Now we have a deal.”

Brutus is sobbing quietly as I leave him alone to wallow in self-pity. I find Doc at the front counter. He swings around to face me, his inquisitive gaze lightening as he scans my face. “That wasn’t as rowdy as I expected.”

“Nah,” I tell him. “Brutus wasn’t up to talkin’ much.” After securing my knife back in its holder, I clap Doc on the shoulder and squeeze. Sa a plan forms in my head, I tell him, “I’m headin’ to the Blackards for a while. Will see you around when I get back.”

“Sure thing, Venom. Ride safe.”

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