Page 26 of Cruel Crown

“Let’s go,” Bas said, clearly having had enough.

I shrugged and followed after him as the receptionist was coming out. Her eyes widened as she saw us.

“Yo-you c-can’t go in there.”

Bas ignored her, and I smiled at her. “I suggest you take your break now, love. Make it a long one.”

We barged through the office doors, and a man sat in the far corner, his back to the floor-to-ceiling windows that faced Chicago city.

He was young, mid-twenties, tan skin, dark eyes. He wore a black dress shirt that was rolled to his forearms. Carmine Estacado held a pen in one of his hands. He stared us down as we walked into his office. His father had trained him well. He didn’t cower, looked surprised, or give away anything; instead, he leaned back on his seat.

“Well, there’s a face I never thought I’d see again.” He looked at Bastian. “When Katia showed up dead, we all figured you would follow,” he said smugly, his voice deep but smooth. “Who are you?”

Before I could answer, Bastian did. “He’s my boyfriend.”

Carmine raised a brow but didn’t miss a beat. “I always thought Katia was too flat-chested; the only thing she had going for herself was a nice ass.”

At that moment, I got it. Why Bas was the way he was. He wasn’t gay or bi, but like his bitch master, he learned to exploit sex in different ways. A lot of straight, homophobic men or men who said they didn’t care if you were gay tended to get rattled in the presence of two gay men. Bastian wanted to rattle Carmine, for Carmine was trying to disturb him by bringing up his sore subject.

“Is there a reason you come tomycity and barge intomyoffice?”

“My apologies, mate,” I smirked at him. “I wasn’t aware Chicago was renamed in your honor.”

“We need all the information you have right now on Yoro. As you said, this is your city, so can you tell me where he’s at or where will he be today?” Bas demanded of him.

Carmine smiled at us. “Now, why would I do that?”

“Because I’m going to kill him,” I said, my voice with a lethal edge.

“If it were that easy, he would have stopped being a problem a while ago, not that I know any of that. I’m just a businessman.”

“And I’m just a British tourist.” I grinned.

The reason Yoro was untouchable was that he had the Sekt at his back, but that changed the moment he double-crossed Damian.

Before Carmine could speak, someone else walked into the office. “Did you piss off another of your secretaries?”

Both Bas and I turned to look at the younger Estacado. He was tall but leaner, with sunken eyes and sharp cheekbones.

“Do I know you?” He pointed at Bastian.

“Carlo, you remember Kingsley, don’t you?”

Carlo looked at me. “And who are you?”

“His boyfriend,” Carmine said smugly.

“You want to be rid of your Russian problem, give me the information I seek. As for the reason he was untouchable, it no longer applies.” Bas pulled a card from his jacket, throwing it on the desk.

“What do we need you for?” he asked.

“Because he touched something that wasn’t his, and the only way immunity will work is if I am the one to do it,” I told him, and contained my smirk when I saw some shock on his face.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Bas and I started to walk away, aware both brothers were looking at us. Just before I walked through the doors, I turned around and spoke.

“If you’re wondering who bottoms…it’s him.” I pointed at Bas, who cursed me under his breath and watched Carmine roll his eyes at me.

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