Page 37 of Cruel God

“Your reason for wanting him dead goes much deeper than just a hunch that his loyalty might be less than true.”

“Do tell me what gives you that idea.”

He rubbed his chin, and I could hear the sound of his stubbled beard scraping against his fingers. The sound was the equivalent of teeth gnawing bone while we stared each other down.

“I saw your face when I shot him, the way you enjoyed watching the life drain out of him. You savored it, took pleasure in watching him die. That makes me think it was personal.”

I took a sip of my drink, not taking my eyes off him for a second. “Maybe I did savor it. We both know I’m a twisted fuck. Maybe I like seeing people die.”

“No, that’s not it. It’s like you’ve waited a very long time to see X die. But you needed him. You needed him to get close to Anatoli, to get you the information you needed.” He started pacing. “See, any smart man would know that killing the head of security of the man you stole your position from needs to be removed. But the fact that X knew your father’s clients’ ins and outs bought him a little time, didn't it?”

I eyed him cautiously, cocking a brow. “I won’t deny it. The bastard was on borrowed time, and I kept him until I had no more use for him…like I do with everyone.” The threat in my voice was loud and clear, and Colton immediately picked up on it. The thick atmosphere started swirling all around us, the hate and disdain for each other poisoning the air we breathed.

Colton walked up to me, stopping just a few feet away, carrying himself like he was convinced he had the bigger balls in this room. If I didn’t need the fucker, I would have made the bastard choke on his own goddamn blood right about now.

“The look on your face while you watched X die was that of someone who had a score to settle.” He slanted his head to the side. “What did he do to you? How did he wrong you?”

I didn’t back down. Instead, I moved a few steps forward, bringing us face to face, eye to eye. Animosity pulsed between us like a storm preparing to rage full force.

“You’re right,” I started. “I loved every second as I watched that fucker bleed to death. But unfortunately, his death was too merciful. I would have preferred sending him on a much crueler, more painful path down to hell.” I clenched my jaw. “That son of a bitch touched what was mine, broke one of the Cain legacy’s two most absolute rules. Unfortunately, I had to hold on to my need for revenge for a long time since I needed him to put this plan in motion. But that’s done now, and I finally got my revenge.” I took another step forward, my authority and power enveloping the poor bastard in front of me. “Let that be a lesson to you, Mr. Riggs. If I have been wronged in any kind of way, I always get my revenge—whether it be within a day or ten fucking years.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Of course, it is.”

Colton didn’t back down an inch. “Do you think it’s a good idea to threaten the one man you really fucking need right now?”

“Let’s get one thing clear—I, Rex Cain, need fucking no one. If I wanted to, I could slit your throat and paint Piper’s pussy with your blood, feed your rotting flesh to the sewer rats. It would just mean I’d have to take the long route in accomplishing my goal. But because I hate wasting time and prefer to avoid unwanted complications, I chose to use you and Xander. X had the knowledge I needed, and you have the ties to get in without suspicion. That’s it. So do not think for one second you have the upper hand here because you’re under the impression that Ineedyou. I tolerate a lot of shit, but I don’t tolerate arrogance, a line you are dangerously close to crossing.” I placed my glass down on the coffee table next to me and straightened. “I suggest you pull your shit together, back the fuck down, and make sure everything goes according to plan Friday night. Remember our deal, Mr. Riggs. Those recordings for my help in finding your dear sister. No recordings, no Hope.” I snickered. “Such a double meaning there, don’t you think?”

He remained unmoved; his expression impossible to read. Poor bastard was in so deep there was no longer a way out for him, and it was only a matter of time before he realized that.

I left Colton behind in the living room and made my way down the hall and up the spiral staircase. I was wound up too tight, my blood rushing through my veins with a force that had my heart racing inside my chest. And there was only one thing that would take the edge off. One thing that had the power to both calm and excite the beast. Her. It’s been five days since I last fucked her—her punishment for making me feel like I wasn’t her everything. Every morning when I took her breakfast, she would be on her fucking knees begging for my cock—pleading for me to end her punishment, to make her come. Of course, a part of me wanted to end it because not filling her, not claiming that sweet cunt of hers every fucking day, was torture. But a bigger part of me loved to see the amount of power I held over her. I reveled in the fact that her body ached for me, how her pain cried out my name. My dominance over her was carved into her fucking soul, and it thrilled me to the bone.

Punching in the security code, I felt a tingle of warning at the back of my neck, like someone was watching me. I turned, scanned down the descending stairs, but saw no one. Being careful and sometimes paranoid came with the territory, but I shook it off as I walked into the hall, closing the security door behind me. I stood still for a second until I heard the click and lock of the door before I finally relaxed.

As I stared down the hall, I wondered how much her suffering had intensified since I saw her that morning. Was it enough? Had I punished her—and myself—enough, or would I continue to torture her so I could witness how I ruled her ultimate submission?

Yesterday I allowed her to suck my cock twice but denied her the pleasure of tasting my cum. Just as I felt my release crowning at the tip of my cock, I pulled out and came onto the silk sheets she slept on. The moan of pure agony that trundled over her lips as she watched me deny her had me hard again within a split fucking second. She squirmed, her hips thrusting out of their own accord, her body begging to be filled. It was the most beautiful sight ever.

When I reached the door to her bedroom, I pulled the key from around my neck and placed it in the lock. I purposefully took my time unlocking the door, knowing that it would intensify her anticipation, her wanton need for my dominance.

Slowly I eased the door open, and when I saw her naked body bent on her knees, I smiled. “Hello, Butterfly.”

Chapter 14

She didn’t move. She didn’t even look up.Perfect.

I leaned against the door frame and crossed my arms in front of my chest, taking a few moments to drink in the sight of her. God, she looked like a fucking angel. All she needed was a pair of golden wings, and she would be a goddamn deity.

I shifted. “Open those legs for me.”

Without hesitation, she spread her knees apart, giving me a front-row view of the heaven hidden between her legs.Mine.

With small strides, I sauntered into the room, feeling that familiar buzz shoot down my spine. Whenever we were this close, the wretchedness of my soul smashed against the smarting ache of hers. It was like a hurricane colliding with a tropical storm, the one absorbing the other to create a kind of destruction that swept through our very essence, leaving nothing but disaster behind. It was something we both had grown addicted to.

As I stopped right in front of her, placing a hand at the back of her head, I heard her suck in a breath. “Are you aching for me yet?”

“Yes, master.”

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