will be punishment enough. Then she can really have a blank slate.”
I actually liked that idea. People talked, so the world would know that I’d seriously considered killing her. It would make her look expendable and less valuable as a target.
“She still should be punished for what she did. Just because she has a magic pussy doesn’t make her immune to justice.” He sucked on his cigar again. “That’s my two cents. It will give you the closure you need, and she will forgive you because she’ll know you’re even.”
A part of me felt terrible for considering such a thing, but another part of me felt it was justified. The beginning of our relationship was a complete lie. To top it off, she ran away from me—and took my baby. They were two offenses that both deserved the death penalty. “I’ll think about it.”
“You’ve got a month—so take your time.”
I snuck out of bed at two in the morning and headed back to Florence. Bates met me on the way, and we descended into the Underground where the Skull Kings operated—nearly in plain sight.
The security checked us at the front and made sure we were unarmed. Under my special agreement with various factions throughout the country, I was allowed to bring three armed men anywhere I went. Each one carried an assault rifle that would annihilate everyone in that room before they could draw their pistols.
We took our seats at a round table, and a topless waitress fetched us our drinks.
Bates watched her lean over and set our glasses in front of us, his eyes eating up the sight of her tits. When she walked away, his eyes followed her like he’d never seen anything more beautiful. He took a drink as he continued to watch her.
“They’re just tits, Bates.” I looked at the stage and saw the poor women up for auction. All naked, young, and afraid, they would be auctioned off to the highest bidder for an unspeakable existence. I knew how the Skull Kings made their money, and even though I was opposed to it, I didn’t intervene. Unless a woman explicitly wanted sex, I wasn’t interested. I didn’t get off on the idea of forcing a woman to please me. Sex with an eager partner was so much better. But all the sick fucks in this room didn’t agree with me, and even if I had the power to save the lives of these women, I wouldn’t bother.
“But nice fucking tits. Probably fake but who gives a damn.”
I looked into my glass and took a drink, ignoring the auction that carried on around us. An older man bid on a woman who couldn’t be a day over twenty. Another man raised his paddle and increased the stakes. Back and forth they went until the older man won his prize.
Claw lowered himself into the seat across from us, the scar still visible down his left cheek. He was the top dog of the organization, the cruelest one of the bunch. “Glad you could make it, gentlemen. We have a lot of beauties for sale.”
“Is she for sale?” Bates nodded to the waitress.
“Ask her that, and she’ll cut off your balls.” Claw laughed maniacally before he drank from his glass—straight vodka. “So, how can I help the Marino Brothers? I heard you’re expecting a little one, Cato. Congratulations.”
I didn’t appear disgruntled by his knowledge. “Thank you. I’m having a girl.”
“Not a boy to take over the empire?”
“There’s still time to make one.”
Claw winked and clinked his glass against mine. “Then what brings you here? Looking for another woman to give you a son?”
“Just here to check on our investment.” I crossed my legs, and my elbow rested on the table. “You’ve borrowed a lot of money from me, and I hope you’re on track for paying it back.”
“You don’t need to play the banker with me,” Claw said. “We always pay. You know that.”
“And I always check,” I countered. “You know that.”
His smile faded. “Don’t worry another minute about it, Cato. Production is going smoothly. Once we sell our first batch, that’ll be more than enough to pay you back in full—along with your interest rate.”
“Good.” I clinked my glass against his. “Loaning nearly a billion dollars overall to one group is pretty generous. We don’t do that for just anyone.”
“We don’t,” Bates said in agreement. “And on that note, what do you know about Micah and Damien?”
Normally, I would roll my eyes or tell Bates to shut