Page 61 of Vengeance

Dele

The story we agree on is a simple one. After Bella’s and Bond’s deaths, I was left to try to sort through the fallout. In the process I found “mysterious evidence” of my connection to Stephen Pray, and worse than that, I supposedly found out that Bella and Bond found out about Pray’s sex trafficking ring and were getting ready to report him but he had them killed first. With no one else to turn to, I turned to Adrian who helped me get all the evidence to a reporter, and they got everything over to the feds. But Pray found out we were conspiring and cornered us when I’d flown out to see Adrian and discuss everything.

In hindsight, it’s not so simple. There’s a bunch of details we have to fill in. A bunch of questions that Jake asks us to poke holes in our narrative the same way other feds and lawyers will, so we have to come up with the answer to those questions. Even if we don’t have the answers, we have to be prepared for them so we won’t be phased.

It’s a week before the initial questioning and initial searching of Pray Drinks headquarters and all Pray’s properties is done. Very quickly, they figure out that Pray meticulously kept anything and everything to do with his legitimate business away from his illegitimate sex trafficking, so it’s likely that most of his assets that were seized will be turned over to me. But, of course, that’s pending a trial in the court of law that’s never going to happen because Stephen Pray will be dead. The investigation will come to a dead end, leaving the public to sensationalize the entire thing through movies and memes and some interviews of the few men and women lucky enough to survive and brave enough to come forward.

Pray goes down, his personal legacy in shambles while keeping the rest of his empire secret and his legitimate business, Pray Drinks, intact.

Somehow, we managed to pull this shit off.

Suddenly, we’re the owners of the most powerful criminal organization in the west. We might just be the most powerful people in the west right now. But I’d prefer not to think about that. That kind of thinking makes you complacent. That kind of thinking makes people arrogant like Stephen Pray and not able to see the fucking enemy right under your nose.

Now, there’s just… one last thing to settle.

Well, two things.

Actually, a lot more things. Most of Pray’s support is willing to submit to the new management as long as we keep the money coming in. But there are some who have scattered and who Viper is going to have to end up dealing with. However, that’s for later.

In the immediate future, there are two things.

One of them is something that I have no hopes of winning because Adrian clearly made up his mind about this a long time ago.

“Adrian,” I repeat yet again, even though Adrian has said every time that he doesn’t care, “the agreement with the Fantonis was that you would run all Pray’s businesses and make the decisions about it. Marrying me and becoming an actual Fantoni was just your insurance plan.”

“That’s what I told Sabino and you. But let’s be frank,” he says without taking his eyes from looking out the window of our private jet as we fly to our destination.

The way he’s looking out the window and barely paying attention to our argument tells me that I won’t win. He’s already made up his mind, hence being so disengaged from our back and forth. If he was open to other options or hearing what I had to say on the matter, he’d look at me.

“I don’t have the temperament to run this business. I hate people. My first answer to everything is shooting it. And frankly, I find the idea of running a business and this empire boring as fuck. But you… you built a fucking empire from the ground up while planning to go to war with and steal one. You’re the obvious and natural choice for who should be in charge.”

“And what are you going to do?” I ask, because Adrian surely isn’t going to just be a stay-at-home dad and my arm candy in the midst of all this.

“Enforce your benevolent rule.”

“You’re not that generous of a person.”

“I’m not.”

“And you’re not good at being subordinate to anyone for long considering what I helped you do with Pray.”

“You mean what I helped you do to your father.”

I give him an unimpressed look. As though sensing it, he finally turns to look at me.

“Don’t worry, I’m still keeping my shares and ownership in Pray Drinks and some of his other subsidiaries, and I’m still the Viper. You won’t be calling all the shots. I’m still the most powerful man in the western hemisphere.”

I frown at him and say, “Don’t let it get to your head. Don’t think that just because we’re married, I won’t murder you if you slip.”

Adrian, the unhinged and psychotic man that he is, leans over into my chair, puts his finger on my chin, grins, and says, “That’s exactly why I’m putting you in charge.”

That makes absolutely no sense. None of this makes any sense, and I would tell him that if not for him distracting me with his lips.

Fuck. I hate the way he makes me feel like I’m sixteen all over again when he kisses me. The way my body instantly goes languid. The way my entire body begins to tingle. The way I feel my body and pussy begin to flare to life. Even more so when he presses his lips harder against mine and pries my mouth open to thrust his tongue inside. Back and forth. Making his kissing feel like he’s fucking me. But it’s not fucking me. Even though it feels like it, and when he pulls away, even just barely so that I still feel his hot breath on my lips, I’m left wanting.

“I never did induct you into the mile-high club,” he mutters.

“Now really isn’t the—”

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