Page 10 of Duke of Chaos

She rolled over until she was on her stomach, propping her chin on her forearms. Her dark eyes, framed with heavy black lashes, looked him up and down hungrily.

“Do it again.”

The invitation was plainly spread out for him, but he ignored it. Amusement and a smidge of relief flowed through Ezra as he dared a twitch of his lips; the closest thing he would ever offer as a smile. Though grateful for her proposition, Ezra donned his jacket and retrieved his billfold from his inner pocket.

“I need to get to work,” he stated, pulling out a fifty note. “This is for a week of rest and eating. Red meat will make the bruises go away faster.”

He pulled out another fifty note and handed it to her.

“This is for your discretion.”

Though Maria had accepted his first payment gratefully, she turned her nose up at the second and flung it back at him in a crumbled ball. She got up from her bed, her heavy, bruised breasts bouncing as she stormed to retrieve her robe and cover herself.

“You disrespect me by doubting my discretion, Your Grace, and I take your payment as an insult. This hell provides protection for all of us working girls, and I would never divulge a client.”

“It seems I am set on offending all women today,” Ezra muttered, so low Maria did not hear him as she continued to dress with loud huffs of irritation. Knowing his time with herhad ended, Ezra straightened his jacket and let himself out of her room. In truth, he was relieved to end things this way.

Maria had been right, he had been different tonight, which meant that they could never be together again. Now, though, her anger would at least make her feel as if it had been her decision.

He was both annoyed and amused that his fascinating interaction with Lydia had driven him to the gaming hell he and Ambrose operated together. He’d not gone to gamble or box, but to lose himself in sex. The only problem was that this time, there was no black void staring back at him as he released his carnal rage. There was only Lydia, with her glittering eyes, innocent freckles and long, flowing hair that made her look simultaneously wild and pure.

He had asked her to disrobe, and although he had expected her to refuse, it had stirred a startling response within him when he observed her mulling over his request before he let her off the hook. It impressed and aroused him to witness her willingness to save her sister from his supposed monstrous claws by contemplating such a degrading act. Then, before he’d realized it, he had offered her an alternative option.

“Ezra.”

Ambrose’s voice sounded curt and annoyed as he approached Ezra from behind. Ezra stopped and turned to see his friend and business partner march toward him wearing a deep-set frown.

“Evening, Ambrose,” Ezra greeted blandly. “How is Barbara and the babe? You named him Titus, did you not?”

“Do not even try to dissuade me,” Ambrose snapped back, his dark blue eyes nearly silver with annoyance. “What is this I hear? That you are pursuing Alice’s youngest sister, Juliet?”

“Why the concerned frown, brother?” Ezra replied mockingly, slapping his hand lazily over his heart. “Surely I thought one of my fellow orphans would love me enough to see me as a man and not the monster everyone believes me to be. Would she really be so horribly off married to me?”

Ambrose’s dark gold brows drew down as he huffed out a breath and crossed his arms.

“Do not do that, Ezra,” Ambrose warned. “You are our brother in every most important way and we accept you for who you are. You know that. But Juliet is…she is off limits, do you hear me?”

Who I am,Ezra mused silently.You have no idea who I am. I have no idea who I am. Perhaps I am not a man at all, but the demonic creature everyone already believes me to be.

“Are these your orders or Duncan’s?” Ezra asked, “Because if they are yours, you have no authority in this matter. Barbara is the Knight sisters’ friend. Not family.”

“It is an order from both of us,” Ambrose growled, snatching up Ezra’s collar.

Ezra gripped a firm hand over Ambrose’s and tilted his gaze in a silent challenge. As hotheaded as the four of them were, it was not a rarity that they would go at one another in the boxing ring, and Ezra was wondering if this was going to be a similar occurrence. Suddenly, he realized he hoped it would be. With thoughts of Lydia still springing up randomly in his head, perhaps he could use this moment as another outlet for his frustrations.

“Shall we have a round in the ring?” he asked with a wicked grin. “You have been opting out of practice lately and I think it’s because of Barbara and the babe, yes? But that rage, that darkness you keep pretending is gone? It is still there. And you better let it out to play before you take it out somewhere else.”

Ambrose let go of his collar as if suddenly disgusted, but he did not step away.

“My darknessisgone, Ezra,” Ambrose stated, giving him an honest look. “What I have with Barbara…what she has brought out in me, what she has healed in me…It has driven all such darkness and rage away. As Alice has achieved with Duncan. I know you and he were the “twins of darkness” for a while, but he has become someone else. Something better.”

The truth sliced through Ezra like a dagger, but the only thing in his demeanor that changed was his wicked smile. It dropped back to a thin, unreadable line. Better. Yes. Duncan had gotten better, and he had not.

“You also deserve a woman who can chase away that darkness from your mind and soul,” Ambrose went on with a weary sigh, “so, pick someone else, Ezra. Someone uniquely suited for you. And as for my status, Duncan might be Juliet’s brother-in-law, but I also carry some weight in this game. Do not forget that I am your business partner here in this gaming hell I can change that whenever I please.”

Ezra bristled at the only threat that ever hung over his head. Last year, Ambrose had toyed with the idea of shutting down the hall when he began to fall in love with Barbara, but Ezra had talked him out of it. Ezra took on more control over the hell so Ambrose could spend more time with his new family. But even in his increased role, Ambrose could still kick him out.

“You do not come in here for months, allowing me to take on the sole responsibility of this place, and then you threaten to withdraw me from it?” Ezra asked, steepling his fingers together calmly. “That’s not very brotherly of you, Ambrose.”

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