Page 47 of Cruel God

“Are you sure you have everything in place?” I crossed my arms as I studied Colton. He stood behind the dining room table, staring at the three guns lined up next to each other as if he was waiting for God to tell him which weapon he should use to blow another man’s head off his shoulders.

I narrowed my eyes as I watched him pick up a Glock 19, check it, and tuck it in behind his back. “Don’t worry. I have everything under control.”

I lifted a brow. “Do you?”

Colton shot me a sideways glare before turning his attention back to the two remaining weapons. “Fortunately for you, you have the one card that motivates me to make sure nothing goes wrong tonight.”

“It’s so nice to know where your loyalties lie, Mr. Riggs.”

After Colton strapped in all his weapons, he straightened in front of me and looked me in the eye. Not something a lot of men had the balls to do.

“We can cut the bullshit now. You know who I am and what I want, and why I’m here. So yes, my loyalties lie with those who can help me find my sister.”

I scoffed. “Admirable.”

Colton squared his shoulders, his eyes beaming with a hatred I could almost taste. “I don’t give a fuck whether you think it’s admirable or not. A sick son of a bitch like yourself doesn’t know what it’s like to have someone you care about and then lose that person. You didn’t even love your own father.”

My hand was around his throat quicker than he could end his damn sentence, squeezing my fingers into his jugular. “Watch how you speak to me,” I spat out between clenched teeth. “You are nothing but a pawn in a game I intend to win. Like I said before, I chose you for this job because I’m done wasting time. But do not mistake my tolerance of your blatant disrespect as a sign that you are irreplaceable to me. I could easily step on your dead body bleeding out on my Persian rug and shake the hand of the man who will gladly take your place.” I leaned my head to the side. “And who’s going to save your dear sister then, huh?”

Colton’s eyes flashed with rage, his jaw ticking as he bit his tongue, knowing this little pissing contest between us wasn’t something he could win.

With a jerk, I let go of his throat and took a step back, my disdain for this man flooding my system.

Colton righted his shirt. “What I meant to say was, I know what it’s like to lose someone you love. I’ve been living with that pain for years. Not knowing whether my little sister is alive or not, whether she had been sold and beaten and raped.” His nostrils flared as he inched closer toward me. “Just so that we’re on the same page. I’m willing to do anything—and I mean anything if it means I’ll get just one step closer to finding her.” He stopped a few feet away, his glare pinned on me. “If it means I have to kill an entire fucking city in the name of Rex Cain…I’ll do it.”

Everything in Colton’s manner, his entire demeanor screamed of determination and desperation. That alone gave me the peace of mind that he’d do fucking everything in his power to ensure he got his hands on the recordings.

I placed my hands in my pants pockets. “Well, that’s good to know.”

“Yeah,” he sneered.

“But there’s one more thing.”

“Of course, there is.” Colton roughed his hands through his hair as he took a step back.

“I need to know who helped him get that recording.”

Colton stared at me, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Someone bugged my office. That’s how Anatoli got that recording in the first place, and I need to know who it is.”

“Maybe it was X. He seemed like someone who had the balls to do stupid shit like that.”

“No. It wasn’t him. He might have had the balls, but he wasn’t stupid. It was someone else, I’m sure of it. But I can’t figure out who. So, I need you to find out who so I can ensure this person never fucks with my business again.”

“And how do you suggest I do that?”

“You seem like an intelligent man. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” I turned around and strolled toward the door. “Once the party starts, you have an hour to get what I need. I don’t plan on staying at this damn party for long.”

“Rex?”

I stilled but didn’t turn around.

“Do you know where she is?” The desperation that clung to Colton’s voice was loud and clear. Almost pathetic. It brought a smile to my face, my wickedly disturbing tendency to play games with men like him causing the wheels to turn inside my head.

“Maybe I do…maybe I don’t.”

“Just for once, can you give me a straightforward answer? No bullshit.”

---