Page 35 of Cruel God

Colton wiped his palm down his face, sweat beading along his hairline. It seemed like the man needed one final push—one last nudge toward the tipping point.

I glanced at X. “You don’t know this man, Mr. Riggs. He’s nothing to you. Killing him should mean nothing.” I turned to face Colton, leaning closer. “But finding your sister, on the other hand…now that’s worth a bullet, don’t you think?”

The way Colton’s face fell, the color draining from his cheeks sent a thrill down my spine.

“How do you—”

“I know everything. Do you really think I would hire a man if I didn’t know every last detail of his life?”

Colton bit his lower lip, his dark eyes turning almost black while his anger started to burn behind those irises.

I let out a mocking laugh. “Come now, Mr. Riggs. Did you seriously think you had me fooled? Me?” Holding my arms out wide, I grinned like the fucking Cheshire cat.

His nostrils flared, his hardened expression setting in as he glared a thousand daggers at my forehead. The satisfaction that eased through my chest, melting its way through my insides, was fucking euphoric. Now I understood why Victor loved playing God with everyone’s lives around him. It was the ultimate display of power, watching everyone around you mindfucked and out of options.

I straightened my suit jacket while keeping my gaze on Colton. “I’m going to simplify this for you…a lot. Kill Xander. Find my recordings. And I will help you find your sister.”

Colton’s jaw clenched. “How do I know you’ll keep your end of the bargain and not kill me, too?”

I shrugged. “You don’t. There is no guarantee I won’t have you killed as well. But are you willing to risk it? Are you willing to let this one chance you have of finally finding her slip through your fingers because you’re afraid to take a risk? You’ve been searching for Hope—her name is Hope, right?You’ve been searching for her for years now, pretended to be one of us, all to find the precious little sister you lost because you wanted to study, and she wanted to play.”

Colton snarled as he wanted to launch at me, but I simply shot him a warning glare. “This is your last chance, Mr. Riggs. I won’t ask again. Do you have the motherfucking balls to kill this fucker and, in turn, get another step closer to finding your long. Lost. Sister?”

It was all there in his eyes. The hate. The disdain. The conflict of wanting to drive a knife through the heart of the one man who had the means to find his “long, lost sister”.

Beads of perspiration started to gleam on Colton’s forehead; his lips pursed tight together. His fists were balled at his sides, and I could practically taste the rage that oozed out of his every pore. Fuck, I loved it—the thrill, the excitement, the fucking power. If my sweet little Butterfly were here right now, I’d have her on her knees sucking my dick right before I fucked her raw on my freshly polished mahogany desk.

“You have ten seconds to decide,” I said smoothly.

“One…”

“Two…”

“Three…” Colton slowly reached behind his back.

“Four…”

“Five…” I watched as he pulled his gun from his back, clutching it tightly in his hand.

“Six…”

“Seven…” His hand holding the gun trembled, and I felt the anticipation pulse through my veins, the fucking adrenaline surging. “What’s it going to be, Mr. Riggs. Your sister, or Xander?”

Colton lifted his hand, the gun aimed directly at a groaning, thrashing, crying Xander, who knew he’d be looking the devil in the eye any second now.

I took a few steps to the side, away from Xander. I was well aware Colton could easily have aimed that gun at me and pulled the trigger, shooting me instead of Xander. But that was all part of the thrill. It was like a game of Russian Roulette, wondering who would end up with the bullet in their skull. It was fucking exhilarating; the entire room lit with toxic energy.

“Eight, Mr. Riggs.”

He bit into his lower lip as his finger tightened on the trigger.

“Nine.” I smirked, already seeing my victory in Colton’s eyes.

“Ten.”

Bang!

The sound boomed through the office, and my ears instantly started ringing. I simply grinned as I looked at Xander’s now lifeless body. Unfortunately, Colton didn’t have the balls to shoot him execution-style, opting for a bullet through the chest. Pussy.

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