Page 56 of Bastard Prince
“Alright, calm down, cheerleader,” Rock said. “There’s some fresh zip ties in the cabinet over there. Go grab them and we’ll sort these two out.”
“What do you wanna do about numb nuts bleeding all over the floor, there, boss man?” Benny asked.
I stared at the man who had threatened my wife, a man who had probably hurt many other women before today and would likely do so again. As I considered killing him myself, a shot between the eyes seemed too good for a piece of shit like him.
Then an idea occurred to me, the perfect way to deal with a man like him.
“Call Lucky,” I then, and smiled when both Benny and Trick groaned. “I think she’d be more than happy to spend some time with our guest. And Benny,” I added, making sure I spoke loud enough for the whole room to hear, “when she’s done with him, make sure the hole is extra deep. I don’t want this piece of shit to ever see the light of day again.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Enzo
The fresh air felt good after so long down in the Shed. It was late, so late it was practically early, but that didn’t mean anything in Las Vegas.
“Where the hell are we?” Willow asked as she watched the garage door open, revealing the empty landscape around my property.
“Nowhere you should ever think about again,” I growled, throwing her a dark look. I knew she was an innocent, not involved with this shit on purpose, but that didn’t mean I needed her feeling like flapping her mouth would be a smart thing for her to do. Based on the way she dropped her eyes and stepped back, I figured she got it.
“So,” Sway said, strutting up to where my Audi was parked and leaning over, looking inside, “about those margaritas?”
He’d done his part by helping wrangle the two morons from the basement into the back of the van they’d arrived in. Massimo was gonna take them back to the city while Benny had drawn the short straw and was waiting for Lucky to arrive.
“Not a chance, kid.” I beeped the lock on the car, making him jump, then chuckled when he looked embarrassed. “Rock is gonna drive you home.”
“Why?” both Sway and Rock complained together.
“Heads up,” I called, tossing Rock my keys. “I’ll take the girls in the Chevelle. Once you have the kid where he needs to be, come meet us. And, kid?” I added, stepping close to Sway and narrowing my eyes. “I ever hear about you spray painting my clubs again, I’ll find you your own hole to disappear into. You get me?”
“Uh, your club?” He swallowed thickly. “Shit. Yeah, sure. No problem.”
“Alright, that’s enough,” Francesca called, patting my back. “Stop threatening my crew.” She moved forward, crossing her arms and frowning at Sway. “Now, you and I need to talk about your texting habits.”
I left her to manage on her own, taking Rock’s keys and starting the Chevelle, the loud engine rumbling in the quiet night. Willow slid silently into the back seat, and after a few moments, Frankie took her spot in the front.
“The kid’s got balls, I’ll give him that,” I said, watching as he bounced like an excited chihuahua in the passenger seat of my Audi. “Got a mouth on him, too.”
Francesca smiled. “He’s a good kid. Smart. I think he’ll go far with the right guidance.” She turned, her eyes softening as she looked at him. “He needs someone, Enzo. Life hasn’t been great to him. I can’t imagine the foster system is giving him many opportunities to better his situation.”
“He’s in the system?”
“Yeah,” Francesca sighed, still looking at Sway. I could see he was important to her, that he wanted good things for him, and in our life that meant he had to be trained up. Suddenly feeling generous, I fired off a text to Rock, letting him know the kid’s situation. When he met my eyes through the windshield and nodded, I threw the car into drive and started for the gate, knowing Sway was gonna be fine in Rocco’s hands.
It wasn’t hard to find a place for tacos that was still open, but holy shit, the party atmosphere inside this taco bar was starting to wear on me.
Seriously, a taco themed night club. Fuckin’ Vegas, man.
Francesca and Willow had been talking nonstop all night, and while I was glad Francesca was making friends—such as they were—here in Vegas, I was ready to get our asses home and fuck this day away.
“So, wait,” Rocco cut in, holding his hand up to stop what Willow was saying. Apparently, margaritas made her very loquacious, “you’re telling me that you go out with men, like, just for dinner and conversation, and they pay you for yourtime? You don’t have to sleep with them? What’s the point?” Francesca choked on her drink, reaching for the last taco on the platter in the center of the table. But Willow rolled her eyes, looking like she’d had this conversation too many times before. “What does the guy get out of it if not sex? I mean,” Rock went on, clearly unable to read the room, “no offense, or anything, but conversation is literally the last thing on my mind when I’m out with a woman.”
“Some of the dates end in sex,” Willow stated, playing with her empty glass. “But that’s typically negotiated beforeand. That’s what’s different about Sugaring. Some men want it, and some don’t.”
“So, as a...” Rock trailed off, waiting for her to fill in the blank.
“Sugar Baby,” Willow provided.
“Right. As a Sugar Baby, you can just enter an agreement with a guy, go out for dinner and then, what, he sends you home with a tip?”
