Page 31 of Cruel God

“Then whose is it?”

I tilted my head to the side. “It’s mine.”

Silence settled over the three of us, and I kept my eyes on Colton. I didn’t like the son of a bitch, but I needed him. Sure, I could have had X do the job by stealing those recordings from Anatoli, but I didn’t trust X with something this big. Colton, on the other hand, I knew he wouldn’t fuck me in the ass with those recordings. Why? Because I had something Colton wanted, something he would do just about fucking anything for—which made him the perfect fucking candidate for this delicate job.

But just to make sure, I was about to put him to the test.

“So,” I started. “Will you be able to pull this off?”

Colton tapped his finger on the chair’s armrest—tap, tap—while he considered my request. It felt like fucking forever, and every second that went by, I felt more and more peeved by his fucking attitude. It’s like this fucker knew just how to get on my nerves.

Finally, Colton got up from his seat. “Fine. I’m in.”

I grinned. “Great.”

“But, if I pull this off—”

“You’ll get your payment,” I interrupted.

“I don’t want money.”

I cocked a brow. “Then what exactly is it that you want?”

“A favor.”

“A favor?”

“Yes. If I pull this off, you’ll owe me one favor. No questions asked.”

I snorted. “What makes you think I’ll hand out a favor without knowing the risks?”

“Because you need these recordings more than I need a favor.”

Fucker was good; I’d give him that.

I rubbed my jaw, contemplating the bargain Colton had just put on the table. I wasn’t stupid. I knew in the end this favor would have something to do with Hope. Finding his sister was the only reason Colton decided to join my crew. Little did he know that the only reason I offered him a spot on my team was tokeepHope.

Oh, the irony.

Two men willing to do anything for the same woman—ready to start a war for her. One wanted to find Hope, while the other wanted to keep her. In the end, only one of us would win this war.

I sauntered over to the window and stared outside. The front of the estate was even more perfect than the back garden. Maple and oak trees stretched as far as you could see, the road leading from the gate to the house the only thing that separated the sizable forest-like scene. It was easy to imagine that you were the only person on the planet when you looked out the front. There was no sign of other human life. You couldn’t hear the rush of traffic or the buzz of people as they tried their best to just fucking survive.

It was quiet. Peaceful. Serene. But it was quite the mindfuck to know that behind all the high walls and giant pillars hid an ugliness that stemmed from the most bottomless pits of hell. Demons roamed freely down these halls.

I turned around and faced Colton, rubbing my chin with my thumb and forefinger. “Fine. But I have a condition of my own if you want me to owe you a debt.”

Colton visibly stiffened and straightened his shoulders. “And what might that be?”

I looked from Colton to X, who still sat silently in his seat observing the conversation.

“As we’ve established by now, I hate having loose ends.” I started to move around the office, one leisurely step at a time. “Loose ends are like ticking time bombs threatening to go off any minute, and a man in my position can’t afford that. I don’t have time to tread lightly.”

Colton placed his hands on his hips. “What do you want, Rex?”

“I need you to prove your utmost loyalty to me. I need to know that after you get me those recordings, you won’t be one of those fucking ticking time bombs.”

“I thought I’d proved myself to you already?”

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