Page 110 of Cruel Revenge

I slide one hand between us, cupping his hard cock. “Are you sure? It could be. We could fuck, and then while you’re lying in bed, smoking a joint that you rolled on my ass, I’m going to go out and slaughter the bastard who thinks he can tell us what to do.”

He leans away from me. “I told you that this isn’t foreplay.”

“Sure.” I shift to the side, but he keeps me pinned in place. “And you’re not pinning me to the wall to try and get your rocks off before walking out of here. Coward.”

His hand drops, and he spins, stalking to the other side of the room, putting several feet of distance between us. “Believe it or not, this is the best thing for both of us right now.”

“Yeah, okay.” I roll my eyes, pushing off the wall and stalking over to him. “In what world?”

“Grady Granville is a dangerous man. He’s the kind who would kill you without a second thought.”

“And you don’t need him.”

“He brings all of my drugs into the country.” Joshua reaches for a bottle of whiskey on the shelf, opening it up and snagging a glass. He doles out a hefty pour before tossing it back. “I can’t just ignore that, Skyla. Even if I want to.”

“You could, though.” I stop a few feet from him, knowing that if I draw any closer I’m going to let go of some of the anger I’m trying to hold onto.

“No, I couldn’t.”

“You could. You have ships that are bringing people back and forth across countries. I’m assuming there are planes and trains dedicated to this too. Which means that you do have the power to cut him out if you’re willing to make a couple cartel connections.”

Joshua grits his teeth and glares at me. “You make it sound so easy, but you don’t know what it’s like.”

“Sure, I don’t know what running an entire drug operation is like. But I do know how to kill people. I know how to cut them out of business dealings and make connections. There’s a reason I run all the money laundering.”

He sighs and pours another glass. “You still don’t get it.”

“I get that you’re capable of so much more than you’re willing to give yourself credit for, but for whatever reason, you’re hellbent on taking the easy way out.”

He whirls around, throwing the glass against the wall, watching it shatter into a million little pieces. “I’m trying to keep you alive!”

“I can take care of myself!”

“Unlikely.” His chest heaves as he faces me. “You don’t know what this man is capable of. You think you do because you’ve dealt with men like him, but at the end of the day, you don’t have the slightest idea.”

“So, that’s it, then? Because you think I don’t know what I would be getting into, you’re not willing to deal with any of this? You would rather tuck your tail between your legs and pretendthat leaving is the best option when in reality, it’s the cowardly option.”

“I’m not going to keep doing this with you.”

“Great.” I look out the window at the city glowing down below.

When I glance back at him, there’s a heavy lump in my throat that makes breathing hard. “I thought you were different.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His shoulders slump as he makes his way back to the front door.

“I thought you were going to be the one person who saw me and decided that I was worth all the bullshit and pain. Worth sticking around for even when things got difficult. But look at you now.”

He stiffens, standing tall, though he doesn’t turn around. “Skyla.”

“Save it.” I rake a hand through my hair, watching as his steps slow. “You want to go, then go. I’m not going to stop you.”

He reaches for the doorknob. “You can stay here. I’m going to step away and take a breather, and then maybe we can talk about this more.”

“If talking about this more means you’re going to come back and drag out how much of a coward you are, then don’t bother. I’m not going to be here.”

The only thing I’m met with is the sound of the door shutting behind him.

A strangled sob rips out of me as I sink to the ground, but the tears don’t come.

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