Page 93 of Claimed By the Ruthless King

“What does David want?”

I slam my foot to the floor, grinding my jaw. “He has Ophelia.”

“You dragged five of us out of bed for your fucking assistant. Get another.”

“My patience is already running thin. Don’t test me.”

“We could lose everything. I warned you⁠—”

“Well aware, but there is more to this than Ophelia. Power thrives in isolation—you said it yourself. David is already unstoppable. Imagine how powerful he becomes when these boys turn into adults?”

“Fair point.”

“David conquered the overground space a very long time ago. The second he rules underground spaces, he starts controlling things.”

“Not to mention we lose our empire and spend the rest of our lives in prison cells.

That, too, but I’m more focused on getting Ophelia away from David Hale.

“We should get the fuck out of here,” I hiss at my group.

“I agree,” says another. “Sunrise starts in a few minutes.”

Exhaustion crashes over me.

Running around Manhattan the entire night takes a toll on your body. I’m ready to get the fuck back to Brooklyn and shut my eyes.

Of course, David is a nocturnal bastard who never knows when to call it a day.

“Where’s his family?”

“What?”

“His fucking family,” he growls, staring down at the man with anger. “They should pay the price of his actions.”

“That’s not how this works,” I say.

“Yeah,” agrees another. “Renato only asked us to take care of him. He never said anything about the family.”

“This man tried reporting the Crows to the police, and you want to spare the family? People talk. Families become angry,” explains David, shaking his head disapprovingly as he stares at the dead body in front of us. “His family are only a block away. I know the address.”

“You’re taking this a step too far,” says Ben, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Look who decided to show up all of a sudden and voice his opinion.” David rolls his eyes. “You disappear for weeks and show up, thinking you know what’s best.”

“I do know what’s best. His wife and daughter are innocent, and we only kill on command.”

“We kill for the greater good.”

“There is no fucking greater good,” hisses Ben. “Just endless misery, so long as Renato lives.”

I wipe my knife clean, sheathing it under my belt. Ben is proof that you cannot escape the Crows. Ever.

He has been trying to live a double-life, but he will never succeed.

While we’re following orders, risking our lives countless times a week, he fucks off like a coward, which makes him no better than the man he hates.

Unfortunately, in this instance, he has a point.