Page 1 of Temptation and Tyranny

Chapter One

Cooper

If Steele found out what I had done, he’d kick my ass from Paris to London. But that didn’t stop me as I counted the crates, carefully inspecting the cargo. When I’d been approached by a group in Sudan who were in the market for weapons, I’d originally turned them down. But they offered more and more money, and I finally gave into the temptation. I knew it was a risky proposition, but honestly, I didn’t give a damn.

The business was now mine, but I knew Steele was anxious about me getting into trouble. It was annoying how he looked out for me like an older brother, especially since I had a twin to do that for me. And if he wanted a say in what I did, he shouldn’t have walked away.

“It’s all here,” Colton confirmed. I glanced at my brother, nodding my head. Once Steele had decided to leave the fun side of the business to spend his days and nights as a doting fiancée, I had reached out to my twin brother to see if he’d be interested in partnering with me. Colton was currently studying to be a lawyer, but I convinced him to work with me on the side. My brother was a proud man, and he refused to take money from me for his tuition and his half of the debt he owed for my father’s medical expenses, so the money was appealing. I knew he was struggling financially. I’d paidoff my share of my father’s bills a long time ago, but Colton was so damn stubborn.

Just like me.

“I’m gonna head out of here,” Colton hollered over the crates, wiping the sweat off his forehead. It was unusually warm for early spring, and I’d soaked my shirt through even though the men had been doing most of the heavy lifting. “Are you going home soon?”

I picked up the clipboard I’d been marking the inventory down on. “Probably. Unless you want to grab a drink?”

My preferred wingman, Steele, was no doubt at his estate, making goo-goo eyes with his girl. They’d invited me to dinner a few weeks ago, and I swore to fuck that they didn’t even look at me the entire meal. Eyes trained on each other, every single bite they took seemed like some secret code.

Disgusting. I’d rather have a hooker and a cigar and then pass out drunk in front of the TV at my place.

“I can’t. I’m going to go sit in on some court cases tomorrow morning, and I have a ton of studying to do, too.”

“Boring shit. I don’t know why you waste your time with that. The real action is right here, in this building.” I stretched my arms wide, circling a bit on the spot to emphasize my point. Priceless artifacts, exotic animals, controlled substances, and illegal drugs, all under one roof. There wasn’t anything I wasn’t willing to distribute for money, except for one commodity: women. Steele and I both agreed that we wouldn’t get involved with any type of trafficking. That shit was beneath us.

Just like the woman I hoped to find tonight.However, as the thought of a willing woman crossed my mind, I stumbled a bit, leaning on my cane for balance.

Fucking injury. Despite physical therapy, I still relied on the damn cane to walk. It was seriously impeding my ability to impress women, and I’d taken to avoiding hitting on them at bars and clubs. It was easier just to pay a whore than to wobble around like an idiot, buying girls drinks just to have them make up excuses when I’d get up to walk them to my car and they saw the ugly cane that haunted my existence.

Colton looked at me with sympathy, and his pity was enough to make me want to beat the shit out of him. “I’m fine,” I snarled.

He ignored my instant mood change and shrugged, stopping in front of the office while I unlocked the door. He stepped inside and grabbed his share of the paperwork, then stuffed it into his tattered briefcase.

I watched as Colton marched out of the warehouse, his briefcase tucked under his arm. The handle had broken after he first started law school, but he refused to replace it. It was sentimental, he had told me. I knew the truth, though. He was drowning in debt and couldn’t even afford a new briefcase.

Colton ignored my scrutiny and crawled into the front seat of his truck, started the engine, then drove away.

I turned towards my car but groaned as soon as I recognized the dark figure leaning against it. Wearing jeans, a black shirt, and a scowl, he glared at me as I approached.

Fuck.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Steelewas livid, his eyes flashing in anger as he clenched and unclenched his fists. I tried to move around him, but he got right up in my face. “Weapons? Do you know how dangerous that is?”

I wanted to shove him away from me, but I knew I’d just lose my balance again, and that soured me quickly.

“You walked away, Steele. Remember? You wanted nothing more than to import boring shit and push paperwork around while thinking with your dick twenty-four hours a day. I like Ashlynn, but damn. She’s softened you. You don’t get a say in what I do. Unlike you, there’s no way I’d ever let a woman run my life.”

Steele looked so angry I thought he might punch me. Fury carved deep lines around his mouth. “You put Ashlynn in jeopardy when you do shit like this. And that’s worse than anything you could ever do to me. Are you becoming an arms dealer? That’s ten times more dangerous than anything I ever did. You risk everything.”

At this, I raised my voice, matching his anger. “I don’t have anything to risk. Go home to your fiancée and let me handle my affairs how I want!” I sneered a bit at the word fiancée. It was such pussy shit.

I moved around him, leaning on my cane as I opened the car door.

As he watched me struggle to get into my car, his rigid posture eased, and he grabbed the door just as I tried to slam it shut.

“Cooper, I don’t want to see you hurt. Men like these, they’ll want more and more. And then their enemies will want more, and pretty soon you’ll be in the middle of some heavy shit. Just stick to the businesswe had before. I know you can’t pull off art heists anymore without my help, but Cubans and drugs are lucrative enough. You don’t need the money. You’ve made enough to live a hundred lifetimes.”

I shrugged, trying to suppress my hostile tone. “What’s there in life besides money and power?”

“A great deal more,” Steele pleaded, ignoring my grab for the door as I attempted to wretch it away from him. “Let’s grab a drink. Please.”

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