Damn her!
He offered her the condo to make sure she stayed safe.Imagining her in that hovel of a room got under his skin.He wanted to give her everything that she’d ever need.Wanted to dress her in silk and drape priceless jewels over her beautiful body.
She thought he meant to keep her as a sidepiece, and yes, but his exclusively.Perhaps she wanted faithfulness.He could do that.Maybe she desired independence.That’s why he wanted to support her.To dream big and let her pursue it.So, why the fuck had he opened his mouth and spouted the shit he said?He wanted her in the condo so he could get her used to the idea of being with him forever.
Wait.Forever?When the fuck had he started to associate her with forever?He wasn’t a forever kind of man.Women were a dime a dozen.He could have any female with the snap of his fingers.Any, apparently, except the one he really wanted.So, what made her different?
Sure, the sex was amazing.
Her beauty unquestionable.
The trust in her eyes ...damn.That was it.She didn’t want his money, or his status.Had no desire to change him.Accepted him in all his cold-hearted glory.All of it rolled together until he finally admitted he wanted to keep her.To stamp his proprietorship on her, and put hers on him.She had no idea that he was devoted to her.When that happened, he had no idea, but it didn’t really matter.He had to swallow his damn pride and go crawling back, because letting her go was out of the question.
“We have a mutual enemy, Mr.Sinclair.”
Hades turned his chair around, schooling his surprise.He was the last person he expected to show up on his doorstep.“Nolan Rennick.”
“You’ve heard of me.”
“Who hasn’t?”
Nolan Rennick was a businessman who had a Midas touch.Very few knew he was also a cold-blooded killer, and he liked it that way.Some whispered he was a serial killer, feeding his hunger for blood on men and women who hurt innocents.While they were both monsters, they rarely moved in the same circles.Rennick was high class, and Hades was the king of LA’s underworld.
“What can I do for you, Mr.Rennick?”
“I need to know where I can find the VoclainFamille.”
Hades frowned.“If I knew that they’d already be dead.”
“I know you work with Maxence Chevalier,” Nolan remarked, “and I also know Chevalier is part of The Lemaire.”
How the hell does he know that?Hades thought.
“Why do you need to know where to find them?”
Nolan’s mouth twisted.“They killed someone very important to me.I’m going to make them all pay.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know where their headquarters are,” Hades replied, then held up a finger.“But, I will put some ears to the street.”
Unblinking, Nolan stared at him with icy, pale blue eyes, and Hades freely admitted that stare was very unsettling.From the inner pocket of his suit jacket, he withdrew a card and held it out.Hades took it, seeing only a phone number and nothing else.
“I’ve had men scourging the city but can’t find the rats.If your luck is any better, use this number.”
“Boss, I’ve got something you need to see.”Acheron marched into the office and interrupted the little tête-à-tête.He frowned as he spotted Nolan.“I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware we had a visitor.”
“I was just leaving,” Nolan announced.He left just as silently as he had appeared.
“Why was Rennick here?”Acheron asked.“I didn’t know about any meeting.”
“There wasn’t.I want you to assign a few men to look for the Voclain’s center of operations.”
“Will do.”Acheron held out a tablet.“You have to take a look at this.Detective O’Connell came through with CCTV footage.”
Hades hit the play button.Even though it was evening, the feed showed Steven Harold walking into a building in Chinatown.Draped over his shoulder was a female and from the brilliant fire color of her hair, he knew it was Cora.Right behind them was that fucking bitch who had bruised her face.Murderous rage filled him, and he vowed that he’d burn both of them and send them to hell.
“Get the Bugatti,” he ordered.“We’re going hunting.”
Moments later, with him behind the wheel, they sped down the freeway.The only thought in his head was to save Cora.If something happened to her, he’d burn the city down.Located north of Downtown Los Angeles, he maneuvered quickly through traffic, sometimes even driving along the shoulder.People honked at him, but he didn’t fucking care.
