Page 9 of Lord of Debauchery

He cocked his head, daring to finger my wet hair, flipping long strands back and forth.

I dared slap his arm and in the next two seconds, his massive hand was wrapped around my throat, the large man pushing me against the wall. I was trembling all over and I sensed the holier than thou asshole could tell it by the smile crossing his face.

He took a deep breath, lowering his head as he rubbed his thumb back and forth across my lower lip roughly. “I’ll put it to you this way. Consider the four of us guests for the evening.”

“And if I don’t agree?”

There was something so enticing and very dangerous about the laugh erupting from the very depths of his being. I could already read exactly what was on his mind and it angered me as much as the fact they’d broken in.

The unknown jerk believed I should bow to him.

“Let’s just say you won’t like what happens should you dare to refuse.”

Instead of shuddering in fear, which was obviously what he wanted me to do, I offered a bright, sunny smile.

Just seconds before I punched him hard in the gut, turning swiftly and racing from the room.

If the brutal men thought I was a pushover, they had another think coming.

My daddy had taught me well.

Always fight to win.

CHAPTER 4

Beckham

There was one true element of surprise left in this world and it had nothing to do with crime statistics or men attempting to betray me. It certainly had nothing to do with the law of averages or betting.

The only surprises I’d ever had in my life had had a woman smack in the middle of them.

I had to admit the one who’d walked into the living room brandishing a butcher knife had amused me at first. She was standing in bare feet wearing an ill-fitting robe with wet hair and challenging a dangerous man like me.

She either had balls and for such an incredibly beautiful woman, I found that hard to believe, or she had no clue who’d been standing in front of her and what the four of us were capable of.

Especially after the rough night we’d had.

Jeff, while looking amused, also had a slight scowl of concern in his eyes. “Do you want us to go after her, boss?”

I righted myself, shocked how hard the woman could punch. After taking a deep breath and hearing the slamming of one of the main doors upstairs, I took the opportunity to rake my hands through my hair.

“Not necessary. I’ll handle her. Just check the exterior and the downstairs to ensure we didn’t miss any unwanted guests. And look for weapons.”

“She’s a fighter,” Camden said, grinning as if the woman had won a battle against me.

We’d made our way through the forest using the flashlight I’d snagged, hopeful in finding the small town of Camden, which my Camden had taken the opportunity to tell us what little he knew about as we were trudging through the dense trees, crawling over debris and avoiding blackberry bushes.

At barely seventy-five hundred people year-round, it supposedly held the kind of quaintness and stunning beauty that attracted writers and artists, retirees and big city dwellers longing for a taste of the simpler life. What it also curiously offered was a safe haven for those involved in disreputable businesses.

Including the gang-like organization we’d run into.

But the nagging from the way the attack had been handled continued to justify being on the edge. The entire situation had been shocking.

And that was rare as hell for a man like me.

Once we’d found the bed and breakfast, it had seemed like a good place to hole up for the night, the location providing not only a place to get some rest, but also some food. The four of us were starving.

Plus, I needed to make some calls, which meant finding Wi-Fi I could easily connect to. However, what I didn’t need was trouble with a capital T and I had a feeling the woman was that and a lot more.

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