“He needs his fix of excitement. He keeps throwing things at the three of you to get that fix.”
A low hearty laugh tumbled from my lips, echoing in the basement as it bounced off the walls. “You mean the same fix I get from cleaning up my men’s mess, or the fix I get fucking them raw? Hell, even the other alters needed that fix beforeFinn. I distinctly remember one of them sucking me off after I killed some bastard down here. Give me something else, Brent.”
Brent grunted, his voice thick with disgust. “You’re blind, Samael. He’s got you wrapped around his finger.”
Runo stepped forward, that unhinged look on his face telling me that Brent still hadn’t given me the entire truth. “I swear he talked a lot more when I was tying up his ass, saying that I didn’t belong with you or some shit. Your best friend here wanted to take me down and dissect me before handing me to the police.”
My heart dropped into my stomach, my gaze snapping to Brent. “What?”
Runo moved around to stand behind him, his hands landing on Brent’s shoulders, fingers digging in just enough to make Brent tense. “Your best buddy here had awholeplan,” Runo purred, “but it involved thrusting you in the limelight. Your work would be on the line, and when I asked him about it, he said you’d understand, that you’d forgive him one day.”
My brows furrowed slightly as I stared at the one man I thought I could trust. “Did you hate working for me that much?”
“Runo is ripping apart this city, and you’re turning a blind eye. I just wanted to stop him, but…”
This didn’t sound like the Brent I had first taken on. “You’d have to take me down too if Runo went down.” I stood up, towering over Brent, my hands clenching at my sides as I stepped closer. “We’ve been through so much together, and you thought I’d just be okay with this? I asked you to find my little killer, to bring me back the man I fell in love with over a weekend, the one who saw me kill another man and then let me fuck him. Brent, if you thought I would just be okay with this, you were wrong.”
My fist flew before I could think, connecting with Brent’s face, the crack of bone against bone echoing in the basement. Hischair tipped back and crashed to the ground, his head snapping to the side, blood trickling from his nose.
I stood there and stared at his sorry form before slipping a small pocketknife from my pants and releasing him from his restraints. Runo just glared at me, confused. “What are you doing?”
“I’m not going to beat my best friend without giving him a way to protect himself.”
Brent snorted, his voice rough as he stood. “And if I win?”
I cocked my head to the side, studying the man who thought turning me in to stop Runo would have made me proud. “You won’t win, but I’m giving you another chance to explain yourself, to truly tell me what you were going to do in the name of taking down Runo, and then, based on that explanation, I’m going to make this easy or I’ll make it fucking hurt.”
Runo giggled, a wild sound from a killer but strangely, it reminded me of Aeron. “Dinner and a movie? This is fantastic.”
Brent let out a low growl, his eyes darting to Runo. “What the fuck are you talking about, you crazy fuck?”
Runo leaned closer, his hands back on Brent’s shoulders. “I’m going to watch my beautiful monster break you apart, and then I’m going to suck his cock because he deserves it. Now,proceed.”
I tsked, shooting Runo a look, the heat of his words stirring a dark thrill in my chest. The memory of his body under mine from that weekend we’d fallen in love flashed through my head but that would have to wait. Instead, I turned to Brent. “So? Explain yourself.”
Brent’s glare hardened, the man brushing himself off before he spoke. “What is there to explain? You got it into your head that this kid was worth ruining everything you built your life around. You’re the King, the mysterious presence in this city that owns more of the underground than anyone else, and yet, you’ve not been part of any of the operations since you came back fromthat winter trip. Your entire life revolves around him and the others.I’vebeen keeping your business afloat!”
A sloppy grin slid across my face as I rolled my shoulders, preparing myself for a fight I was going to emotionally die over. “First off, Runo isn’t akid.We’re all dangerously close to the same age, Brent. As for the business part… Are you just jealous? If you wanted the business, all you had to do was ask.”
Brent’s eyes widened. “Really?”
I laughed, the sound rough and echoing in the basement. “No, you fucker. I built this shit from my parents’ money and brought you on as a friend and my employee. You told me that it wouldn’t change things, that you could follow rules. Sure, my priorities changed, but not enough for you to undermine me. And if we’re being technical,youbrought him here. You made sure Killian stepped into my estate.”
Brent’s face flushed, his voice cracking. “What does he have that I don’t?”
I chuckled, leaning closer. “He doesn’t question me.”
There were about three seconds between letting him digest that and my fist hitting him square in the face again. Maybe I should have come to terms with how unreasonable I was being—throwing away a long-time friendship for a man I shouldn’t be in love with. However, I needed someone to hit and turning that anger on a person who would have turned me in for the ‘betterment of the city’ seemed like a good target.
I let my rage direct me, focusing on the crack of bone against bone and Runo’s cackles bouncing around the walls. Brent was swift on his feet, or as swift as he could after having been tied up for nearly a day. He was no match for my size and my anger, though.
And with my carefully placed fists, he wouldn’t last much longer.
Brent staggered backward and spit on the floor, blood splattering across the concrete, a loose tooth adding to the puddle. I hesitated for only a moment before picking back up, fist after fist connecting with his jaw, chest, and stomach until he crumpled to the ground.
I grabbed his collar and bashed his head into the concrete with a wet thud, blood smearing the floor as his eyes rolled back. “I loved you once,” I growled, “as a friend, as a brother, maybe even as something a little more. You were the one person I could count on to have my back, and the one person in the end I realized I couldn’t trust.”
Brent gasped for air, his chest shuddering, blood trickling from his mouth. “Runo will turn on you,” he rasped. “He doesn’t love you.”
