Page 36 of Towles

I turned to the right, and although it was dark in the house, I could see Paul sitting at a cherry desk, the glow of his computer screen distorting his face.

“Where is she, asshole? Give her to me, and you may live through this.”

“That’s very noble of you, Ethan, but I’m not giving you anything. Your kind doesn’t deserve a woman like her.” His voice cracked. He was way over his head with whatever he was planning.

I walked across the foyer and entered what I assumed was Paul’s home office. The place was fit for a king, and this king’s queen sat on the floor under his desk, eyes filled with tears. I heard the click of a gun and leaned my head to the left. Beneath the desk, Paul held a gun to April’s head. He had to die.

“She was just about to service me,” Paul said. He showed his other hand, the one also holding a gun. “Have a front-row seat.”

For the moment, I did as he said. It wouldn’t be like that much longer. When I arrived, I considered letting him live. Come to a gentleman’s agreement that he had temporarily lost his mind. I decided against that idea as I saw April whimper. Paul definitely had to die.

“Go ahead, April, take it out,” Paul said. “Let’s show Ethan how well you know my dick.”

“You don’t have to do this, babe,” I said.

“Babe.” Paul’s jaws tightened. “My, you two have become close.” He tapped April on the head. “Suck my dick, babe.”

April looked at me, mascara running down her cheeks. She saw my fists clench and shook her head no. Then, she winked at me, a smile creeping across her face.

“What’s next, Paul? Back to the whore house to beat on another woman?

April took Paul’s dick out of his pants, and it took every bit of willpower not to laugh. The man’s dick looked like a half-eaten hot dog. April put a finger against her lips, silencing me. I knew then that my baby had a plan. I was probably the only man in the world who was proud of his old lady while she had another man’s dick in her hand.

“It’s too bad you’ll never experience this, Ethan,” Paul said. “She’s quite good at it.”

“You’re a sick fuck.” I swallowed hard and fought every urge to save April.

I couldn’t bring myself to watch her put Paul’s dick in her mouth, but I did watch him. I watched him moan, and I watched him shudder. The more April sucked the limper his hand above the table went. I assumed the hand beneath the desk did the same.

I let April continue doing her thing. Paul eventually laid his head back, the asshole forgetting I sat in front of him. The hand holding the gun lay on the desk. I glanced down and noticed the butt of the gun dangled from his fingertips, not one finger close to the trigger.

I sat upright, ready to make my move, and then Paul’s eyes shot open, and he screamed like a man being dragged straight to hell. He dropped both guns and grabbed his dick, except for a couple of inches April spat out on the floor.

April moved from under the desk, and I stood next to her. Paul was too busy trying to find the rest of his dick to grab the guns.

April grabbed the gun on the desk and started to shoot the man. I didn’t want that weighing on her conscience for the rest of her life. I eased the gun from her hand and pointed the gun at Paul’s head. I had gloves on, so I wasn’t worried about prints. I pressed the barrel against his forehead and fired a single shot. He was no longer a problem for April.

April stood in front of the desk, staring at Paul. I put a hand on her shoulder. “They’ll know it was us,” she said.

I moved around Paul and stuck my finger in the mess on the wall behind him. With the blood on my finger, I drew a P on his desktop. “Problem solved.” I cleaned the gun of her prints and laid it on the desk. I took April by the hand and led her outside. Sure, if the neighbors were watching, we were caught. If not, we’d walk away free. April deserved to be free of the psychopath.

“He’s really dead,” April said. Relief rather than terror covered her face.

“It’s time to move on, babe. He’s not going to hurt you anymore.”

We pulled away from the curb around midnight but didn’t return to the club. When we got to my apartment, I sent Rose and Skittles a message, letting Rose know she could take my room for the night. April and I were staying at my apartment.

I opened the apartment door, and April stepped inside—not exactly the scene she was used to. I kept the place clean, but it looked like it belonged to a twenty-five-year-old man. I did not apologize for how I lived because it suited me fine. I didn’t mind making the necessary adjustments to make April feel comfortable.

“I’ve got something I need to do,” I said. “Go ahead and shower if you like. Look in the bathroom closet; I think you’ll find everything you need.”

“Always prepared to bring a woman home?” she joked.

“I’m not going to lie, darling. I was as big a man-whore as there is.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.” She left my side and walked through the bedroom to the bathroom. The shower started, and I walked out onto the small balcony.

The club needed to know what I had done. Or did they? If I didn’t say anything and it got back to Beast Paul had been shot, he’d naturally ask me if I did it. I wasn’t sure if the P I left behind would lead Manning to the Punishers. Manning would question April. I had to make sure she was prepared for that.

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