The Scotch Series: The Complete Series (Scotch #1-3) - Penelope Sky Page 0,291

want?”

“He said it’s private.”

That’s what he always said. “I’ll see him after I shower.”

“Of course, sir. What would you like for breakfast?” He followed me to the staircase and took the empty bottle of water from my hand.

“Black coffee. Egg whites.” It was the same thing I ordered every day, but he still insisted on asking.

“It’ll be ready when you return.” He drifted away, the plastic bottle still held in his hand.

“Thank you, Lars.”

“My pleasure, sir.”

I took my time getting ready just to avoid him. My rage had been worse this week than ever before. The nightmares came for me every time I closed my eyes, and Vanessa’s dead face was always the main star.

Lars told me to stay active, to exhaust myself out of my dreams entirely. But it didn’t matter how much running, boxing, or swimming I did. My dreams always turned out the same—my sister dead in my arms.

I entertained myself with thoughts of the way I would kill Bones. It had to be executed perfectly. Men like us were difficult to break, but I would find a way to make him crack like all the others. Perhaps I would skin him alive. Maybe I would insert needles into his eyes until he was completely blind. Maybe I would chop off his dick and make him watch a pack of hounds eat it—if there was enough to go around.

None of my actions took place without being carefully plotted. I wasn’t impulsive or impatient. I needed to wait until I was absolutely certain of my tenth move before I made my first.

I was a bit controlling.

I entered the tea room and saw my brother sitting in the armchair near the fire. Right on cue, Lars brought breakfast and coffee for both of us, silently setting up the table with both grace and speed. He walked out a moment later, shutting the doors behind him.

I took a seat in the other chair but didn’t touch anything on the table. We both waited until Lars was gone until we spoke a word to each other. I trusted my employees to take my secrets to the grave, but that didn’t mean I gave up information willingly. “What do you want?”

Cane poured himself a cup of coffee and rested his ankle on the opposite knee. He wore a suit and tie because he just left the facility. Despite our genetic link, we looked vastly different from one another. His face wasn’t as carved as mine, and his thick muscles made him burly. I was the opposite. My features were clear and distinct, and my body was ripped and toned. I preferred the lean and strong look. I was faster, quicker, and packed a lot of strength in a single punch. If you asked me, my brother’s bulkiness made him slower, his reaction time prolonged—which was why I always kicked his ass in a fight. “Are you always this grouchy first thing in the morning? I feel sorry for Lars…” He drank his coffee black, holding the cup by the stem like he was from royalty.

“I’m always this grouchy when I look at you.” I poured my coffee and drank it black just the way he did. There was no other way to savor the rich beans. I’d told him I wanted to be alone—several times. The only person I could stand was Lars. He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t feel entitled to explanations. He did his job without passing judgment. He just existed alongside me, there when I needed him and absent when he wasn’t welcome.

“How was your run?”

I hated small talk. “Is there something you wanted to discuss?”

“Always right to the point…” He pulled a folded piece of paper from the pocket inside his jacket. “I got some intel on Bones.”

“Anything helpful?” Maybe he had a special relationship with one of his servants. Maybe he had a soft spot for one of his employees. If there were someone he cared about, we would know.

“Actually, yes. It seems as though Bones bought another slave right after…” He didn’t finish the sentence because neither one of us needed to hear it. We didn’t wear our hearts on our sleeves because neither one of us had one. “She’s American.”

“What’s your point?” I didn’t care who Bones’s next victim was. Hopefully, she had a quick and painless death.

“One of our guys on the inside said he brought her to his factory in northern Italy.”

I was about to sip my coffee but quickly changed my mind.