I stepped out of the bathroom, my guise perfectly in control and my bearings intact. I found Rick sitting on the balustrade of the balcony, looking out to the sky, a pensive look in his face.
As the bright moon shined down on him, I became more aware of this man's beauty. The only kind of beauty I envied in people. Untainted.
"Why are you still here?" I asked as I approached the bed.
He didn't turn. I wasn't even sure if he heard but he did because he spoke.
"I didn't want to go back to the party," he said quietly. "I'll just wait here till it ends."
"Suit yourself. I'm leaving anyway."
"Your brother said you can't sneak out."
A small smile played on my lips as I picked up the dress hanging by the armoire and slipped it on.
"My brother often tells me what to do but he rarely expects me to listen."
"I think it's admirable, the bond you two share. He doesn't expect anything from you and in return, you expect nothing from him but still, neither of you would hesitate to lay your life down for each other."
"It's tragic, really, because death is what will be the end of us. If he dies, I won't have any other reason to keep on living since he's the only reason why I'm holding on. If I die, then he'll suffer a long miserable life filled with guilt because he couldn't save the sister he's lost a long time ago. We're both suffering, the only thing that differs us from one another is that we don't share the same pain."
"You love him so much that you'd live for him despite the pain it causes you to keep doing so."
I chuckled, shaking my head. "I'm not bearing the pain of living out of some misguided love for him. I'm alive because my life is his," I said, pulling on my boots. "I was raised with the sole purpose of being Jude's right hand. Someone who will always be by his side to support him and serve him with absolute loyalty. Everything I've achieved is for Jude's benefit, not mine. If I kill myself, I will not only be the cause of our empire's demise, but I will also destroy Jude's future and considering my brother's deep affection towards me, he'll probably kill himself too. So unless he grants me permission to end my pitiful life, I'm stuck in this hell for as long as he sees fit."
I got to my feet, opening the armoire and taking out my coat. I stood in front of the full length mirror for a moment, looking at myself, catching Rick's gaze through his reflection as he stood across the bed.
"I think it's sad that you can speak of death as if it's nothing," he said solemnly.
I smiled, sliding a tube of red lipstick across my lips. "Death is far from nothing to me. Death is the only thing that I've ever wanted all my life. I've wanted it for so long and the longer it's been, the more I want it."
He shook his head, eyeing me for a moment. "Where are you going?"
"Some place filled with scums and suffering."
"Cut the crap for a second."
I walked towards the balcony, hiking myself up on the balustrade.
"I'm meeting a friend. I'd ask you to come but I don't suppose it's your scene. You'd lose your wits the second you step into the land of broken souls."
I swung my legs over the balustrade, looking back at him as I stood on the edge of the balcony.
"Feel free to come though. I find myself hating being alone these days. It makes me want to die more."
I shifted, crouching to get a good grip of the balustrade and without a second thought, I jumped the distance of the high ground and landed less than gracefully on the bushes.
I winced, dusting myself off as I straightened and clambered out of the bushes. I looked back up to see Rick looking down at me with a horrified look on his face that made me laugh.
I slowly made my way around the house, lighting up a cigarette as I passed windows to rooms that's never seen a soul. I heard a thud as the bushes ruffled, followed by faint sounds of footsteps behind me. I shook my head in dismay at the thought of this man easily giving into temptations.
We passed by a window and I could faintly hear a woman whimpering, moaning in pleasure. I took a glance through the small space in the window that the curtain hadn't covered and found Mother being fucked relentlessly by Andre Gustav in the sitting room. How wonderful.
I felt Rick stand behind me, watching the spectacle of Andre bending my mother over the couch while he fucked her from behind, gagging her with her own underwear while her breasts spilled out of the dress she was wearing.
He was grunting, biting onto her shoulder to avoid any uncalled for attention while he fisted at her golden hair and roughly thrust into her. It was a magnificent sight.
I looked over my shoulder, catching Rick watching the scene with wide eyes. His wary gaze came to me while I simply smiled as I blew the smoke through my lips.
"Andre's been fucking my mother for months now. He has a taste for older women. He's known for fucking the bored trophy wives of rich old men who'd rather fuck someone younger," I said flippantly before walking away from the window.
"Isn't he… your… boyfriend?"
I snickered. "If we're being official, yeah, I suppose, but I've hardly even spoken to him for the past year we've been doing this whole charade."
"Why are you with him then?"
"I'm not."
"You know what I mean."
I looked over my shoulder, offering him a smirk. "Cuz I'm Angel Lastor, babe."
He frowned, seemingly finally coming to an understanding of what that name truly meant.
"Does Jude know? Does your Father know?" he asked, sounding utterly bewildered. Concerned, even.
I snorted, look at him for a moment to see if he was serious. He seemed to be.
"If Jude knew, Andre wouldn't have a cock to fuck my mother with anymore. My father doesn't give a shit as long as she doesn't parade her affairs in the tabloids. He's too busy running a bloody empire to care if his wife is sexually satisfied."
"Your father deserves better than that. He's a great man and your mother, no offense, but she's a horrible person," he said, sounding disgusted.
I simply smiled. My father was a great man indeed. So great he often beat the shit out of me just because he didn't like looking at me. So great he'd torture me into whoring myself to seal business deals. So great he kills anyone who dares to cross him. So great. So fucking great indeed.
"It's none of our business," I said calmly. "Growing up in that house, I learned it's better not to care than to worry about things that has no place in my life and just do what is expected of me. Besides, Lastors don't get divorced. Ever. It's a principle everyone in our family holds. You may dismiss the vows you made during your wedding day but you will honor the vow to only part in death. Not like my parents love each other anyways. They only married out of duty. They've made heirs and all they have to do is keep up with the act. Eventually, Jude and I will be arranged to marry suitable partners too. It's all about doing our duty, not about what we want."
"Why does it sound like you don't love your family at all?"
I sighed, musing over the concept of love for a moment. Even for just a moment, it felt like a waste of thought.
"What is love good for really?" I said dismissively. "To me, it seems to be only a form of dependency mixed with the foolish belief of permanence. It convinces you that without the thing you love, your life is meaningless. It's ridiculous. How does loving someone who was once a stranger to you even come to be? When do you love someone? Why do you love someone and not love others? It's complicated and unnecessary. I'd rather not surrender myself to something that offers no benefit to me."
"If you really believe that, then why are you protecting Stella?"
I faltered in my step, glancing at him. "He told you."
He shrugged. "He mentioned it in passing."
I rolled my eyes. "Like I've said, my sole purpose in life is to serve Jude and provide him with everything he needs. I may disobey him at times, but I will always do right by my duty to him. If he believes he needs Stella then I will do everything in my power to keep anyone from taking her away from him, even if it means going against my beliefs."
"Or maybe you just didn't want your brother to lose the only girl he's ever loved."
I pursed my lips, remembering the gut wrenching sight of my brother crying over the thought of losing Stella.
"No matter how much you refuse to accept it, you are capable of love, Angel. And there's nothing wrong with that."
I sighed. "I'm done talking about this."
We made it to the underground garage and I nodded curtly at the guard standing by the entrance. Rick let out a low whistle as he took in the grandeur of it all while I simply rolled my eyes.
There were at least twenty vehicles in here, probably more.
"Would you be against riding a motorcycle, Rick?" I said over my shoulder as I walked along the open space.
"Are you going to drive?"
"Of course."
"Then yes, I'm vehemently against riding a motorcycle."
I let out a laugh, throwing my head back as I turned to face him. He rolled his eyes, grinning.
"Close your eyes and pick one," I urged as I walked backwards.
He arched a brow, halting in his step as he looked at me before glancing at the cars cloaked with identical grey covers. I grinned, urging him with a nod.
He closed his eyes and then held out an arm, his index finger up. He made a quick circle in his spot and stopped, his finger landing on a car to our right. I walked towards it, yanking the cover off and revealing shiny Rolls Royce Wraith.
I glanced at Rick, smirking at the wide eyed look on his face as he appraised the luxurious car.
"I'm sure Father wouldn't mind if we took his favorite toy for a spin around the city."
His eyes snapped to mine, a slow grin appearing on his lips. "You're going to get us in trouble."
"Then we better make it count." I put my fingers between my lips and let out a sharp whistle. The guard stood in attention. "Keys for the Wraith."
He nodded before disappearing into a booth where the keys were placed and quickly marching over to us. I didn't miss the wary look he gave me as he glanced at the car, almost reluctantly handing over the keys to me.
I tossed the keys to Rick and he scrambled to catch it while the guard's eyes widened at the realization that Rick would be handling my father's precious car.
"Don't worry. We won't wreck it. Just don't tell him," I said teasingly, gifting him a wink.
The guard smiled, nodding. "Will you be leaving town, Ma'am?"
He often asked me that whenever I came to take a car here for some reason, probably because I often did leave town every time I took a car from the garage.
I shrugged. "Nah. I'll have someone bring it over when I'm done."
He nodded. "Would that be all?"
I waved him off and he scurried back to his post. I gestured for Rick to open the door for me. He smirked as he pointed the remote at the car and it beeped in recognition. He opened the door for me and I slid into the passenger seat while he jogged towards the driver side. He inserted the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life.
"Where to?"
"Where the desperate and the damned dwells." I brought my gaze to him, smirking. "Hunts Point."
The horrified look on his face made me laugh.
* * *
To say Hunts Point, Bronx was a far cry from the wealthy neighborhood I had grown up in would be an understatement.
The car was a sore thumb amongst the poverty in the area and Rick most certainly stood out in the crowd in his fancy tuxedo as thugs, addicts, prostitutes, and pimps eyed us like preys as we got out of the car.
Rick passed me a wary look, probably wanting to say, 'Are you sure about this?', the way he's been asking me all throughout the drive.
"Stay here," I said to him.
"Wait. Where are you going?" he said as he came to my side.
I jutted my chin towards the old building that could least be abandoned from its exterior.
"I told you, I'm meeting a friend."
He made a face, looking back at the building. "Friend?"
"Relax. Stay in the car," I said, making a move to walk away but he grasped my arm. I sighed. "Rick."
"You can't expect me to let you go alone in there. It's dangerous. We shouldn't even be here," he said, already opening the car door.
I sighed again. "Come with me, then," I said, wanting to just get it over with.
"But what about the car?" he whispered as if to keep the people around us from hearing.
I rolled my eyes, tilting my head to look at the people watching us. I let my eyes wander, searching for a familiar face. There were some thugs hanging around the curb. Some prostitutes waving at Rick. A few guys who looked like they were three seconds away from holding us at gun point. Then I recognized one guy who sat on his bike, smoking while blatantly staring in our direction.
I smirked, nodding at him. He spat on the ground before marching towards us while Rick stepped in front of me as if to shield me from the evils of the world. How cute.
"Hey, Reaper," Franco greeted coolly.
"Don't call me that."
"Why? It's fuckin' badass. Better than what people call me."
"Dimples is cute though."
"Fuck you."
I snickered and approached him as he leaned against the hood of the car and we shared a quick handshake.
"Jazz been missing ya, by the way," he said, his stance lazy and when I took a good look at him, I was sure the fucker was high.
I arched a brow. "Pop lets you run with her now?"
He shrugged. "Someone had to pick up the slack after you bailed. Really slowed us down."
"Yeah, I heard Pops lost London when I left."
He nodded. "Irish fucks went in with guns blazin' when they heard you weren't holding the place no more. Almost went to fuckin' war cuz of it."
I tutted. "What a fuckin' waste."
"Tell me about it. Jazz threw a fit when Pops told us to stay down." He sniffed, rubbing his nose. "Who's this?"
He nodded his head towards Rick, eyeing him with a hint of amusement.
"And why is he looking at me like he's better than me?" he snarled, probably trying to intimidate Rick as he folded his arms across his chest. It didn't seem to work. "What, pretty boy? Wanna suck my dick or somethin'?"
I rolled my eyes. "Cut it out. He's with me."
"Yeah? Good for him. You fuck like a pornstar."
I slapped the side of his head. "I said cut it out and you wouldn't know how I fuck. I don't fuck little boys with uncut dicks."
He chuckled, scratching the scruff that had grown since the last I saw him. It must have four years now.
"You're lucky Pops got your back. Nobody hits me."
I snorted. "Don't even try pulling that shit with me, kid. I can turn your dick into sushi without breaking a sweat."
He grinned, the deep dimples on his cheeks showing. "I'll let you do anything if I can have your hands on my dick."
I rolled my eyes. "Shut up. Is Leo in there?" I cocked my head towards the building.
"Wouldn't know. That cock suckin' and pussy eatin' pimp ain't mine."
I sighed. "I guess I'll have to see. Watch the car, will you?"
He scoffed. "I ain't your fuckin' maid."
I smiled and closed the space between us, slipping off the gun tucked in the waistband of his jeans and pressing the barrel against his side. He stiffened when I brushed my lips against his earlobe.
"I see even a scratch on it, I'll blow your guts out and feed them to raccoons, you wanna be thug."
"Okay, okay, I was just fuckin' with you. Jeez."
"You know better than that." I slipped his gun back into his jeans and took a step back. "We'll be quick, and stop fucking sitting on the hood."
He rolled his eyes, pushing off the hood. "Yeah, whatever."
I took Rick's hand and dragged him behind me towards the building.
"Give me everything in your pockets."
"Why?"
"Because you'll lose your shit three seconds in there and people know me here."
"Yeah, why do people know you here? And who was that?" he asked as he placed his phone and wallet in my palm.
"I know people and I used to fuck Fran's sister back in the day."
His brows rose at that. "You-"
"No more questions," I cut him off as we climbed up the steps leading to the door.
A girl whose name I remembered as something along the birth stones was leaning lazily against the heavily vandalized wall as we entered the building while tapping her thumbs on her phone. She offered a crooked smile at the sight of me, blowing smoke through her lips.
"Hey, ginger. Been a while since you came around. Watcha doin' here?"
"Came to see Leo. Is he in?"
She shrugged, her eyes sliding over to Rick. "Hi there," she purred, biting her lip as she raked her eyes over him. "I'm Ruby."
"Keep your rotten pussy to yourself, bitch," I bit out and she gave me a sheepish smile. "Is Leo in?"
"Yeah, he's in," she said while blatantly staring at Rick who shifted in discomfort under her lustful gaze.
I nodded and headed up the stairs, dragging Rick behind me while he clutched my hand as if a kid in a mall who was scared of losing his Mommy. He froze when we passed by a scanty clad woman who was passed out on the hallway with a syringe stuck to her arm and lying on her own vomit. Her skin had gone pale and flies were scattered all over her body.
"Oh my God. Is she-"
"Leave it."
"What? We have to-"
"Hey." I grabbed his face, making him look at me. "She's hopeless. If you touch her, you'll get infected with whatever shit she's carrying."
"She needs help," he insisted.
"Not our fucking problem."
"So you're saying we should just leave her out here to die? Are you serious right now?"
"Yes."
He scoffed. "You're unbelievable," he said, making a move to approach her but I gripped his jacket.
I took a deep breath before I lost my shit. "People come here to kill themselves because they know no one will call for help. It's fucked up but it's reality. Saving her now only benefits your conscience. Her grave has probably been dug by now."
"What... what are you talking about?"
I sighed, going by the stairs. "Hey, get this chick outta here! She's starting to stink!"
"On it!" Ruby yelled back.
I went back to Rick, glancing at the dead girl. "That girl downstairs works for the guy who owns this building. She collects payment from anyone who plans to kill themselves and provides them with what they need. Rope. Razorblades. Gun. Drugs. The works. It costs fifty bucks do it in a room and twenty for the hallway. Plus fifty if they want it to be done for them."
He seemed stunned as he stared at the girl. "You mean kill them?"
"It takes a lot of guts to take a life. You need the strength of a thousand to take your own life and you know what they say, suicide is the coward's way out."
"Only ignorant people say that," he uttered bitterly.
He slowly approached her, as if not wanting to disturb her, shrugging his jacket off and carefully placing it over the girl's body. He crouched beside her, taking her hand and closing his eyes. It took me a second to realize he was praying.
I stared at him in confusion. He didn't even know the girl and yet he genuinely cared about her.
When he stood, he pulled me to him and wrapped his arms around me.
"Promise me you won't do it like this."
I sighed. "I already tried once. Leo just kicked me out and beat the shit out of me."
He managed to laugh. "That's not funny."
"It's not." I drew my head back, frowning at the sight of tears brimming the edges of his eyes. "Come on. Let's get this over with."
We made our way along the littered and vandalized halls of every floor until we reached the top. I stopped by the door at the end of the hall, not bothering to knock and just walking in.
Rick visibly froze at the sight of three bodies sprawled out on the mattress across the room. A lone body of a man lied underneath two naked women. One sat on his face while the other bounced on his cock while moaning dramatically.
I hauled Rick inside the room when he stayed rooted on his spot, pushing him towards a chair by the corner.
"Sit there and no talking," I ordered and walked towards the three bodies who were unaware of our presence. "Leopold!"
The girl bouncing on his dick broke out of her daze but still kept bouncing like an idiot while the girl who had her cunt shoved up Leo's face kept grinding like a bitch in heat.
"You have three seconds to stop fucking before I set this shithole on fire," I warned.
Leo pushed the girl who was sitting on his face to the side, his beard damp with pussy juice while he grinned at me.
"You know, one would think you'd be raised with better manners, being a Lastor and all," he quipped like the clever little shit that he was.
"Didn't you take a vow of chastity to help with your sex addiction?" I muttered in distaste, shoving the girl who kept bouncing on his dick to the side.
"Bitch!"
I arched a brow, taking a step closer to her as she sat by Leo's parted legs.
"You said something?" I mumbled sweetly as I took out my pocket knife from the inside of my coat. "I didn't hear you, sweetheart. Mind saying it louder? This bitch has awful hearing due to the screams she has to endure while skinning alive pathetic little whores like you."
I flipped the blade out, slashing across her cheek. Blood tricked from the shallow cut.
"Call me a bitch again and I'll cut your loose pussy out and feed it to you, you uncultured slut."
She crawled away from me, fear evident in her eyes.
"Angel... Angel... my sweet psychotic little Angel," Leo cooed as he sat up. "Put the knife away, darling. You know I don't do that BDSM shit like you."
I rolled my eyes, letting out a disgusted scoff. "Put some clothes on. I need to talk to you."
"Isn't it too early for your visit? I swear, I got you on my calendar for July third," he muttered, scratching his scarred chest.
"This isn't a visit."
He quirked a brow, staring at me for a moment and I wordlessly held his gaze. As if in understanding, he nodded his head and rose to his feet, easily towering over me while his erection stood prominently between us.
He pulled off the condom and threw it to the side, a silver barbell glinting by the tip of his cock. I didn't bat an eye.
He flicked his finger and one of his whores took the robe hanging by the wall on a nail, sliding it over his shoulders.
"Got smoke?"
I handed him my pack and lighter. He took them, taking a stick between his teeth and lighting it up before pocketing my shit like a thief.
"So... to what do I owe this not-visit, my dear?" he quipped as he plopped back down on the mattress, his whores quickly wrapping themselves around him like vine.
"Exactly that. Owing me."
I walked over to where Rick sat and slid on his lap, placing an arm around his shoulder.
"You okay?" I whispered, tilting my head to look at him.
He passed Leo a glance before nodding. I looked at him for a moment, waiting for him to say he wanted to get the hell out of this place but he merely arched an expectant brow. I shrugged.
Okay.
I turned to Leo who was already fingering one of his whores while the other was sucking his cock. Seriously. This guy needed to get a grip.
"Remember that debt you owe me, babe?" I said loudly.
He visibly straightened as the playfulness in his face disappeared. He pushed away both girls who whimpered at the lack of his touch.
"Gem, Shon? Can you fuck off for a bit? Daddy and his friend need to talk about some business," he said without sparing them a glance.
They pouted, whining about why Daddy had to do business during play time. Ugh.
"I said fuck off!" he barked, his face hardening while his eyes remained locked with mine.
Right there, I saw the merciless killer in him.
The two girls scrambled, picking up their discarded clothes from the floor before running to the door. Leo got to his feet, making his way over to the kitchen.
"So I take it you remember then," I said as I watched him fill a cup with whiskey.
"How could I forget? I owe you for saving my kid's life. How is she by the way?" he said before taking a sip from his cup.
I shrugged. "I saw her ballet recital a few weeks ago and her foster parents threw her this big ass party for her fourth birthday. She's looking more like you by the day."
A sense of grief flickered through his eyes before it quickly vanished.
"So, you came here to collect?" he said, pushing away the subject of his child.
I nodded. "Remember that bar I own back in Jersey?"
"Yeah?"
"I want you to take care of it."
He frowned. "What do you mean by 'take care of it'?"
"Exactly what it means."
He pursed his lips, thinking for a moment. "That's Viktor's turf, right?"
I nodded. He sighed, wiping a hand over his face.
"Gel..." He sighed again and I stilled, waiting for his response. "Don't get me wrong, I love you and I'll do anything for you but damn." He blew out a sharp breath, shaking his head. "I don't want to be anywhere near that guy. He's a fucking nutcase. I can kill him for you if you want. I won't mind but-"
He was cut off with Rick's coughing and we brought our attention to him. Rick froze, pursing his lips when he realized we were looking at him.
"Pardon me," he muttered quickly.
Leo chuckled, passing me a questioning glance. "Who's this good looking fella?"
"He's with me," I said simply.
He smirked. "Bringing the boy toy in the den for date night, are we?"
There's that word again. Toy.
"He's not my toy," I bit out in annoyance.
His brows rose as he grinned like an idiot. "Huh, must be pretty fucking serious then. You don't bring anyone here every time you visit."
I glared at him. "The bar, Leopold. Let's not beat around the bush. I need you to take care of it for me."
He sighed, wiping a hand over his filthy blonde hair, the locks tangled in knots. My fingers itched to fix the mess.
"Why this?"
"Because you're the only person I can trust with this," I said in a grave tone. "And we need an accountant."
He snorted. "Do I look like a fucking accountant? Jeez, I can fuck and kill but I don't do book keeping."
I rolled my eyes. "What's 24 x 49?"
"1,176," he said almost immediately.
I smirked while he glared when he realized what happened.
"You're a Math Wiz, babe. There's no denying that. Besides, I'm not the only one who gets something out of this. You get a fresh start too. Clean slate and all."
He sighed. "You're doing that shit again."
"What shit?"
"That shit where you save people's lives without batting an eye. You know I'm not taking that shit from you, Gel. I may have done it once but I was desperate and it was my kid. You ain't saving me from nothin'."
I sighed, leaning against Rick as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Why do you do this anyways?"
I never understood why he insisted on living in the slums even though he could get out of it any time he wanted to. He had a shitload of money and yet he was pimping whores and renting out rooms for suicides. It was nonsense.
"You know why, I'm a dead man," he muttered before downing his cup.
True. Leo had crossed the wrong people, killed some powerful men, and fucked the wrong women. His head was worth a small fortune in the underground. The only reason why he still had it on his shoulders was because he put himself into this hell hole.
We had met during one of the wars my family fancied to wage whenever they felt like throwing their weight around. That time, it was me who fancied to throw all my weight into the council that ruled my family and see who could bear with me, and crushed those who could.
I was sixteen and had spent the past year terrorizing the council with my relentless climb through the ranks. Leopold had been assigned as a guard for a member of the family council who was campaigning to have me disinherited on the grounds that my actions were destabilizing the order of things. It was pissing me off, so I decided to shut him up.
I raided the bunker he had shut himself in, got his surrender, and celebrated the win by snorting lines in a bathroom. When I went back to my uncle, he was dead and my people were holding Leopold at gunpoint. Then, the shit show started.
He went through the dozen mercenary soldiers I had personally handpicked for the raid, slicing their throats and blowing their brains out with their own guns, until I was the only one left standing.
I had asked him of his intentions, and he told me my uncle had used his little brother as hostage to bring him into his ranks. While I was getting high in the bathroom, he had asked my uncle for his brother's release. The fucker only spat and cussed at him in response, and so Leopold snapped his neck.
He was going to kill me too, to cover up his tracks. I offered to get him his brother in exchange for my life, since Gramps would have certainly died with me if I wounded up a corpse.
I made a call, found the boy within an hour, and we went our separate ways. He kept following me around for a few weeks. Thought I didn't notice. I cornered him at a club and pulled a knife on him while he pulled a gun on me. We got talking and we've been friends since.
"I wouldn't be asking you this if I didn't have to," I said with a sigh. "Don't make me say it."
He grinned. "Say what? Please?"
"No. You owe me and I can ruin your daughter's life with one fuck if you don't do this for me," I said, making sure to get my point across as I stared him down. "You wanna know how I'm gonna do it?"
I leaned forward, propping my elbows on my knees.
"I'm going to give her new Daddy the whole spin. Fuck him every possible way I can and use your little girl's name while I'm at it. I might even wear a blonde wig to make it better and call him Daddy while I'm bouncing on his dick. He won't look at her the same way again and, I assure you, he'll be fucking her in no time. She's a pretty little thing after all, thanks to Nadie. When she's grown enough, I'm going to fuck her and we both know I can make that happen. I'll fuck her and shove some snow up her nose. Make her love everything I do to her till she loses her mind in the hell I've put her in and she'll be wondering why the fuck all that shit happened to her. And I'll tell her how her real Daddy did that to her. And then I'm going to make her choose. Die or kill you."
I leaned back, draping my arm over Rick's shoulder.
"Turn your back on your word and I'll show you pictures of me riding that man's dick while wearing blonde pigtails like little Lana always does by the end of the week."
He looked at me for a moment and his eyes showed it all. My words got to him. He was way too easy. His only weakness was his kid and I wasn't going to hesitate to use it.
He chuckled, shaking his head as he looked down at the floor. "Anthony raised you well."
I shrugged. "You gonna do this for me or not?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not unless you want your kid's life flushing down the toilet."
He grimaced. "I should kill you for even saying all that shit to me."
I chuckled. "I won't mind."
He groaned, shaking his head as he looked up at the ceiling. "I'll need to find a place."
I stood, taking out a set of keys from my pocket and tossing them to him.
"It's a studio apartment. I got the cable hooked up and bought some furniture, and a few gorceries too. Water and electric are on me and there's a Shawarma joint down the street. The neighbors are just a bunch of college students so they'll leave you alone most of the time. I also took care of the car. You can find it parked outside the building. White 2005 Baleno. Nothing flashy. It's got a new battery and the oil was just replaced."
He seemed amused.
"What about the records of the transactions?""
"Already handled. Everything's been wiped off."
"The landlord?"
"You're looking at her."
"Now that's just sloppy."
"I had my people set up a bunch of dummy corporations and bought the building a month ago. The money was wired through several networks independent from me and it's impossible to trace."
He clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Nothing's impossible."
I sighed. "I've spent the past three months working on this. I've checked every possible entry and installed additional firewalls on all the companies. Trust me, it's secure."
"Only a fool would trust a Lastor, everyone knows that," he muttered, lowering himself to the floor. "How many people were involved?"
"None outside my authority."
"Did you kill the previous landlord?"
"Wasn't necessary. All communications were done through email," I said, sighing. "This isn't my first fraud, babe. I know what I'm doing."
He tapped his finger against his cup, thinking. "When do I start?"
"Monday."
"What do I say?"
"I sent you."
"What's my name?"
"Ludwig."
He made a face. "First, Mozart's old man. Now, Beethoven. Give me something else, Gel."
I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Alex."
"That's better. What about my background?"
"Doesn't matter. Just make shit up and I'll make them legit."
"And Viktor?"
"I'll handle him. Just do what you're there for and don't fuck Mindy."
A sly grin appeared on his lips. "Who's Mindy?"
I glared at him. "She's your life insurance. Fuck her and your kid's a goner."
He rolled his eyes. "Got it. Anything else?"
I offered a smile as I took out something from the pocket of my coat and held it out between us. He froze when his eyes landed on the picture of little Lana during her ballet recital.
"She did well. I'll make sure she's on the right track. No boyfriends till college."
He smiled lightly. "No boyfriends till fifty."
"Take it. You need something to keep the night terrors away."
He chuckled, taking the photograph between his fingers. "How's yours?"
"Fucking torture."
"Just say the word and the piece of shit is done for it," he said while still staring at the picture.
"Nah. I'm good."
"You don't look good." He set his gaze on me, raking his eyes over my frame. "You look like you're about to do a runner and this shit with the bar makes me think I'm right."
I chuckled humorlessly, averting my eyes as I ran a hand through my hair.
"Things have been pretty shitty lately."
"Take it easy. You still doing drugs?"
I rolled my eyes. "No."
He gave me a hard glare. "Yeah, you fuckin' are. I can practically smell it on you and I bet your arm's got enough track marks to run a fucking train through it. You know that shit won't make things better, right?"
I scoffed. "Yeah, and fucking till your dick stops working doesn't either."
He shrugged. "Hey, we gotta do something to make the shit in our head go away."
I sighed. "Exactly."
I held out a hand between us and he stood, taking it.
"Alex Wagner. Thirty years old. Born and raised in Philly," he said, his accent and the cadance of his speech suddenly shifting. "My Ma bailed when I was six. Don't talk to my old man. Got no siblings. Left home after high school and came to New York. We met at a club a few years ago. Hooked up at a hotel. Tried to steal from you while you were taking a shower in the morning. You kicked my nuts. Have been friends since. Good enough?"
"I'll have my guy handle the documents and ready when you get there," I said, pulling Rick up from his seat. "Just make sure you kill yourself tomorrow."
"Any suggestions?"
"You run a suicide house, babe," I said, heading for the door. "I'm sure you've seen every nasty way people have chosen to off themselves. Take a pick."