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Earl
I’d been in Crude Hill too long. The desire to crush the four Monsters grew stronger with every passing second. They were good at what they did. They ran this town with a firm grip, but even still, they were children, nothing more than boys. Their fathers were proving to be a giant pain in the ass.
The truth was I’d expected them to come after me. What Caleb, River, Vadik, and Gael didn’t know was that I was the one to put their fathers in a vulnerable position. It had helped for the four sons to take over the running of Crude Hill.
With time and patience, you could achieve anything, and with the distraction I put in place to lure their fathers away from watching the town too closely, it had given the boys the right opportunity to strike.
I wasn’t going to point out the obvious to them.
Clearly, their fathers were on a warpath of pain and destruction themselves. I could understand that. Being locked away, drugged to remain completely submissive, was enough to make anyone cranky.
The only good thing to come after the past few days was the feel of Ashley in my arms at the end of each day. I hated being in the Monsters’ territory, but seeing my woman’s smile was worth it. Knowing she got the chance to be with Emily for this short time, I was glad to help.
Even though I spent most of my time wanting to shoot the shit out of all of them, which was why I followed Caleb into the house. I was growing tired of all of these games. It was exhausting. Their fathers clearly knew the town better than they ever would, and any idea they had that they’d be able to control them was just plain fucking stupid. They should have killed them when they had the chance, not keep them on to torture and taunt them for their own personal pleasure.
The entire house was quiet, which was no different than any other day. Guards were still at the doors, and they acknowledged Caleb as we passed. I didn’t stop following him until we got to his office. Caleb went straight to the drinks table. The little shit didn’t even bother to offer me one.
“Are there any places you haven’t looked?” I asked.
“Be quiet.”
“Be careful how you speak to me, boy. A little respect goes a long way. Remember, I didn’t have to come to you.” I hadn’t been spoken to like I was a piece of shit for decades. The last person to do it was six feet under, and I commanded his entire fucking empire—with a few alterations.
“I seem to recall threatening to blow your fucking boat up,” Caleb said. “And you were in shark-infested waters. I don’t think you would’ve lasted that long.”
I laughed. The threat I’d gotten from Caleb had been cute. Yes, we’d entered shark-infested waters, much to my annoyance, and I’d killed the fucking captain, feeding his body to said sharks. I didn’t want to put Ashley in danger. She hated the yacht so damn much. If she’d seen the sharks, she would’ve panicked. If Caleb thought I was scared by his little threat, he was so fucking mistaken. “Do you think that scares me? I know for a fact you wouldn’t have done that.”
“And why is that?”
“Ashley. You can hate me all you want, but I knew what she meant to Emily, and there was no way you were going to allow anyone to hurt her. Least of all yourself.”
“Do you think I couldn’t have covered it up?” Caleb asked.
“You could, but you see, that would have made you a liar. I’ve seen the way you look at that woman, and it’s with stars in your eyes. Always.” I laughed. I couldn’t help it. All four men were so obvious with how they felt. “Be careful, people may start to see you as weak.”
“What do you think they see you as?”
“Because of my need to have an innocent woman?” I asked. “The difference between me and you is I don’t care. I take what I want, the consequences be damned.”
“I wonder if you’ll feel this way when you fall in love,” he said.
This boy had a lot to learn, but I wasn’t going to be the one to set him straight. Talking about Ashley with this man pissed me off. She was all mine, and I wasn’t going to share her, not even a conversation about her.
“As thrilling as this is, I want to take Ashley back home.” I was done hunting ghosts. All of this shit the Monsters had gotten was on them, not on me. They should have killed their parents when they had the chance, not kept them around like little trophies, rubbing it in their faces that they won. It was a sure way of getting everyone killed.
