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His thumbs wiped away the last of my tears and he stared into my eyes with a new expression. He was still dark and threatening, but different than who he used to be. When I first met him he was cold and terrifying. He would kill anyone that got in his way, and he was ruthless in his leadership. Desperately trying to remain numb and void of all emotion, he turned to sex and scotch. He refused to let me in even though he was several layers deep inside me. But he finally let his walls come down and stepped into the light.
He stepped into the light with me.
Chapter Eighteen
Crow
I woke up early that morning, went for a run, and then had a quick bite downstairs. I had a lot of work to do and not much time to get it done. While I wanted to stay home with Button I had to leave her warm caresses and kisses and step into the real word.
I had to kill Bones.
I took a quick shower downstairs and Lars fitted me with a new suit he got in Florence. Made of fine Italian craftsmanship that was made to my exact specifications, I looked like a man that you didn’t want to cross.
But then again, I always looked that way.
“Your car is waiting, Your Grace.” Lars smoothed out the back of my jacket even though it was already crisp then walked to the entryway.
“Thank you. Tell Pearl I’ll be back before dinner.”
“Or you could tell me yourself.” She stood at the top of the stairs wearing my t-shirt and sweatpants. Her hair was in a braid over one shoulder and one hand was on her hip.
My attempt to sneak out failed. I walked to the foot of the stairs but didn’t meet her at the top. “I have work to do. I’ll see you at dinner.”
She narrowed her eyes on me, suspicion deep inside. If it was a regular day at the winery I wouldn’t be leaving this early, and I wouldn’t sneak out without kissing her goodbye. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing.” I put my hands in my pockets and continued to meet her gaze. “I’ll see you later.” I turned around and headed to the door.
“Whoa, hold on.”
I turned back around, not bothering to hide my annoyance.
She walked down the stairs gracefully, carrying herself like she wore a gown rather than my enormous clothes. She took her time because she knew I would wait for her until she reached the bottom. When she arrived, she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. “Don’t ever leave without kissing me goodbye.”
My hands tightened around her waist and I felt myself get swept away. My earlier ambition disappeared the second that warm mouth was on mine. Now I wanted to lift her into my arms and take her back upstairs.
She pulled away, her eyes greedy for my affection. “Do you understand me?”
My spine shivered the second I heard the command in her voice. When the authoritative side of her came out it made me harder than steel. I loved it when she possessed me, controlled me like I was hers to be controlled. “Yes.”
She gave me a knowing look before she kissed the corner of my mouth. “I’ll see you later.”
I melted again, desperate to take her upstairs and pin her to the mattress as I had my way with her. She knew she was teasing me, punishing me for trying to get out of the house so I wouldn’t have to explain anything to her. The second I came home, she would rip into me.
And I looked forward to it.
***
“What the fuck took so long?” Cane was on me the second I pulled into the base.
“I was running late.”
“Doing what?” he snapped. “Just get in your car and drive.”
I shoved my hand into his face and gave him a forceful shove as I kept walking. My younger brother couldn’t talk to me like that even if he was right. I marched inside and turned to the intel center. The guys were at their stations taking care of business as usual.
Cane came in behind me but he didn’t continue the argument. “He’s gonna call in two minutes. Are you ready for this?”
Beyond ready. “Yes.” I sat at the table where the single landline sat. My cell phone was forwarded to the line so it could be traced easier. If we could pinpoint his location we could bomb him back to World War II. All he knew was we made weapons, not explosives. He was in for a surprise.
“Keep him on the line—”
“You think this is my first rodeo?”
He slammed his hand down. “For a guy getting pussy every night you sure as hell have a shitty attitude.”
“Don’t talk about her like that again.” My hand balled into a fist and I threatened him with just a mere look. He could insult me all he wanted but Button was off limits. “Unless you want me to shoot you in the other arm.”
