Page 54 of Resisting Royal

CHAPTER 26

ROYAL

I was halfway to the gym when I got the call. Some bastard was caught stealing lumber and supplies from one of the construction sites downtown. What did I want to do with him? Well, well, well, it was his lucky day.

“Bring him to me, I’m almost to the gym.” I hung up, not waiting for a reply. Last month, his feet would already be in cement as I watched him get buried alive under the very building he was caught stealing from. Yesterday, I would have let him go with a threat. This afternoon, I would have turned over video footage to the police and let them deal with the crime. Tonight, right fucking now, I had so many feelings and aggression to get out that he just made himself the absolute perfect target at the fucking absolute worst time—for him.

I was aware my emotions—a whole fucking array of them I didn’t even know I had two weeks ago—were so out of whack that my actions and decisions were sporadic. I had a brief moment where I thought, maybe I should see a therapist, but then I brushed it off as Bianca’s presence making my balance a little out of sorts. It would even out eventually, right?

I was only at the gym ten minutes when two of my boys came stumbling through my door, dragging a man between them. They pushed him in front of me, and the man stumbled, nearly faceplanting before righting himself.

Unbuttoning the cuffs of my dress shirt, I began to roll up my sleeve. “Did Leo and Manuel hurt you?”

The guy was sweating bullets, probably already knowing he was in for a whole shit load of fun tonight. He swallowed hard, trying to force words out, and I patiently waited as I moved to my other sleeve. “N-no, sir.”

I nodded my approval, they knew the rules. Unless I gave the okay, I didn’t want them to use their brute force. “So, why did you make them drag you in here when you have two perfectly good feet? Are you a child? You don’t look like a child to me.”

He shook his head vigorously. “N-no, I-I’m not a child. I-I was afraid,” he finally got out.

I leaned against the table, crossing my arms in front of me, well aware that the corded muscle on display was impressive to the ordinary man. “In the future, and you will have a future just so we’re clear, my men won’t hurt anyone without my go ahead unless provoked and forced.”

Relief flooded him, the tension in his shoulders visibly loosened. “T-t-thank you, sir.”

I chuckled, and my men did the same. “I said you would live, but we still have the issue of the attempted theft to deal with.”

His eyes went wide, and his hands began to shake at his side. “I-It was a-a-a m-misunderstanding. Please.”

I fucking hated how someone thought they were tough as they committed a crime, but when the time came down to it, they were all weak. They all stuttered in fear in front of me as they pissed their pants. They drooled and cried instead of taking their punishment like a man. “What’s your name?”

He hesitated, but then realized I would eventually get it one way or another. “Frances.”

God, even his name screamed pussy ass mother fucker. “Frances, when you fill your bags with my tools and supplies, back your truck up to my worksite, and begin loading my lumber into your truck, I don’t agree with your statement.”

“I didn’t realize they were yours,” he rushed out, his stutter no longer present as he saw how dire his situation was.

“So, stealing from anyone is okay? Just not from me?”

“N-no, I just thought . . . I didn’t see it as stealing. They were just lying there.” I sighed heavily. Did he think his bullshit would work?

“Chair.” I directed my boys, who practically lifted him up and tossed him into the chair, securing him in place with straps. “The site is enclosed with a chain-link fence, which you cut a hole into the side of.”

“Please.” He was pulling against his restraints frantically as I opened a drawer, skimming over my various tools. “I won’t do it again.”

I picked up a sharp serrated knife and held it up, examining the blade before setting it on the table and searching out what else I wanted to use. I heard liquid hit the cement and I groaned dramatically. Every fucking time. “Do you realize how much extra work goes into cleaning when grown men piss themselves? You are not a toddler, take your punishment like a fucking man.”

I nodded to Leo, his fist came out, right hooking Frances square in the jaw. He screamed upon impact, spit flying and landing a foot away from my feet. I shook my head in disgust, then reached for pliers, a thick rubber band, and some clamps. It looked like a great start to me. I couldn’t fucking wait to dig in, let loose some of the coils that my wife had wound inside of me. I turned around, Frances eyeing the tools on the table.

“You won’t die today, but walking tomorrow might be a struggle,” I told him as I dragged a chair up and sat backward onto it. I grabbed my pliers. “Now, are you a lefty or righty?”

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