Page 13 of Cruel God

She fucking smiled at me and shook every foundation my existence had been built upon. It was like the sky had opened with her simple yet beautiful smile, and now the light of heaven was shining through her…and straight at me.

That was the moment I knew what I needed to do.

I had to do everything in my power to make her mine. No matter how long it took, one day…she would be mine.

* * *

Present

I forcedthe memory out of my head and wiped my mouth with a napkin before placing it next to my plate. “Honestly, I will admit that it wasn’t a decision merely made on a whim—as you so well put it. I have my reasons for hiring you.”

“Which are?”

I eyed him for a few more seconds before replying, “You’re forgetting rule number one, Colton. I will—”

“Never be questioned, I know. But the second part of your rule states that when you tell me to do something, I have to do it. No hesitation. Am I incorrect in assuming that the ‘never questioned’ part only relates to direct orders from you?”

The way one corner of Colton’s lips twitched, it was evident that he thought he had me in a corner. But no one puts Rex in a corner—or whatever the fuck they say in that shitty eighties movie.

“You’re good, Mr. Riggs. I’ll give you that.” I leaned back. “But since I’m the dictator here, I can change or bend the rules to my liking. I’m like the joker in a deck of cards. I can change the game however I want.”

He simply stared at me, his eyes flashing with hate.

Slanting my head to the side, I asked, “Now, tell me, Colton, why is a man like you in our line of business?”

“A man like me?”

“Yes. You just don’t seem like the kind of man who has a particular taste for what we do here.”

“You mean sell girls as sex slaves?”

“Oh, not just girls. This is the twenty-first century, after all.”

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Fine. Sell people as sex slaves.”

I snorted. “I prefer to use the term traders of the flesh. But yes, if you want to be so blunt.”

He placed down his knife and fork and leaned back in his chair while his eyes never left mine. “Forgive me if I’m a littleblunt, but I don’t think this trade we’re in can in any way be sugar-coated.”

While taking a sip of my coffee, I continued the little staring contest, studying him. I decided to drag it out just a bit more by taking another leisurely drink. I knew Riggs was getting edgy. I could see it in the way his knee bounced up and down next to the leg of the table, and in the way he kept on chewing the insides of his mouth. I could say with all honestly that my ability to read people was one good thing that came from growing up under my sadistic father’s wing.

I put my cup back on the table, ready to end this little game, and stood up from my chair, buttoning my suit jacket. “I have cargo coming in tonight at midnight. Port Newark. I need you to make sure everything goes down smoothly.”

Colton, too, got up from his chair and rounded the table, his attire of jeans and a plain white T indicating that having a decent wardrobe was not on his list of top priorities. But even without a suit, he looked the part of a focused man who would not rest until he got a job done—which was exactly what I was looking for.

“What’s the cargo?” he asked.

I smiled a fake as fuck smile. “You of all people should know the answer to that question.”

Colton’s mouth didn’t even twitch, his expression one of unwavering focus. “How many?”

“Thirteen.”

“Ages?”

The fake ass smile was still plastered to my face. “I fail to see how age has any relevance to you making sure there are no fucking problems.”

“If it’s kids, the risk is much higher since their behavior can be unpredictable.”

---