Chapter 89
(ARLO)
I hate that I’m attracted to Miles.
Now all the fun of having him my captive at the cabin cellar is ruined. If I hadn’t been this attracted to him, I wouldn’t have had sex with him, to begin with. I still have no idea why I did that in the first place. Sure, I was horny but even so, having sex with my mark was a dumb thing to do. Risky.
Even down at the cellar just now, his scent made me get a weird reaction. I decided to be twice as mean to him because of what his scent was doing to me. It pisses me off because I don’t want to be attracted to Miles. He’s just a card to be played. He’s a pawn in my game.
And I’d love to use him some more.
I curse under my breath as I climb up the stairs to the kitchen. Marus glances at me uneasily as I enter the room. His yellow eyes glitter in the dim light. “You had a nice chat?” He asks.
I pull a chair from underneath the oak table and sit and I put the cattle prod on the table. “He’s an asshole p>
It is a small vintage kitchen. Dated. It has yellow Formica countertops, oak cupboards and old appliances. It is cosy, however.
“Is that even news? He asks. ” All the triple triad guys are assholes. They think they’re gods p>
“I’m gonna torture that jerk, and I’ll enjoy it. ” I get up and go to the coffee maker, where I serve myself a cup of coffee, still seething on Miles’ arrogance. The fact that he wasn’t the least bit scared pisses me off. If anything, he should be peeing himself just like the visitors who have visited me here have. Instead, he makes me feel like the loser. And that’s fucking annoying.
“I remember that guy’s face. The day Sasha went looking for Tyler at Mortus’ clinic, he kind of saved my life p>
“Excuse me?” I scowl.
“It’s true, he roughed me up a bit when he wanted to find out if I knew about Tyler’s location. Had it been Sasha, I would have been dead right now p>
“What the fuck are you trying to tell me, are you loyal to him or something p>
“No, it’s not like I’m trying to insinuate that I owe him or anything.” Sweat breaks on Marcus’ face as I stare him down. “I just appreciate him not blowing my brains off, that’s all. I doubt he even remembers me p>
” To me, you sound like you feel you owe him,” I say, pouring cream into my coffee.
“No. Not one bit.” He swallows thickly.
“How sweet to be reunited with your saviour; how about O for you so Sasha can give you the job instead? You could work side to side with your hero, no p>
“Boss,” Marcus says nervously. “All I’m saying is I recognize him. I mean, if Sasha handled me himself, I might have died. I’m just glad to be alive. But my loyalty is to you. You surely must know that p>
I take a sip of coffee and lean on the counter as I watch him closely. He worked for my dad since he was a little boy. I’m certain that he is loyal to us. Then again, in this business, you can never be so sure of anyone. Someone could smile at your face, promising you their undying loyalty while they slip a blade between your ribs. Trust and loyalty are what keep you alive in the mafia. Yet they are the same things which could just as easily get you killed.
It isn’t an easy life.
I hesitate to respond to him and he frowns. ” You surely trust me, boss. Don’t you?” He holds my gaze and his eyes gleam. “I’d die for you. You know that too p>
I’m relieved when he says that. Marcus has always been trustworthy, but even then, it’s best to keep him on edge. I can’t have him feeling so certain of his place beside me. “We’ll see about that when I start torturing your pal. Your reactions will tell me everything I need to know.
“I’ll happily help you to cut his balls off if that’s what will make you stop thinking that he is my pal p>
The imagery of what he just said makes me wince. I school my face and say “that’s more like it p>
“I mean it, boss. I will do anything that you tell me to do. Just give me the go-ahead. I’m sure I’ll have no problem killing Miles.” His eyes glitter and he looks determined.
“You know there’s a reason I tagged you along on this little revenge tour. I’m glad you said that. Of all my dad’s men, you’re the only one that I truly trust. I hope you will stay loyal and not disappoint me p>
“I’m very loyal to you, boss. I can never disappoint you.” Marcus remarks quickly.
I reply with a curt nod and notice how he relaxes. We are silent for a beat when I finally say, “It’s been about a day and a half. Haven’t you heard any chatter about Sasha knowing about Miles’ absence?
“I’ve heard some rumours, yes. But Sasha isn’t putting his business out there. He must be rattled because his second isn’t around to help him decide on what he’s going to do about it p>
“Just because I have Miles doesn’t mean that Sasha is weak p>
“Yeah, yeah. Of course, you’re right. But I guess he’s probably not at his best since his right-hand man disappeared p>
“He could be ten times more dangerous than you think now that he is pissed off p>
“Makes sense.” Marcus shudders.
“But it doesn’t surprise me. I knew Sasha would be upset once he learnt that Miles is missing. That’s the whole point of this. I want him to be angry then he’ll come looking. That’s when I strike p>
“So, what do we do now? Marcus asks, rising to rinse his cup in the sink. “Are you going to kill Miles or just torture him the entire time p>
“He has to die. I’ll kill him because I know there’s no way he won’t come around looking for revenge after I off his boss.” Uneasiness seeps through me at the thought of killing Miles. Ever since I began to plan this little revenge plot, his death has always been at play. Now, I’m not sure why the idea of killing him is suddenly distasteful. Could it be because we had sex? I doubt that. It wasn’t exactly a love-bonding experience. It was fast. Dirty.
But it was epic.
A wave of lust washes through me and I bite my tongue. Another rough fuck with Miles would be lovely, but that’s never ever happening again. That ship has sailed; what’s left now is to look at Miles for who he is. Bait.
After all, that’s all he was supposed to be.
“Are you certain that Sasha will come looking for him?” Marcus asks.
“He will p>
” So when do we let him know that we have Miles p>
“We don’t.” I laugh. “We will just keep dropping hints. Sasha needs to think that his efforts alone are what sent him to find Miles. He can’t know that this is all a setup. He cannot know that he’s being played yet p>
“But he is smart. You think he hasn’t known that he’s being played p>
“He probably does. Even so, leaving clues is the strategy that I’m sure will work best for us. ” I glance at Marcus and notice how his cheek ticks nervously. “Are you still up for this p>
“Yes, sure p>
“You seem edgy p>
“Going after the head of the Triple Triad Syndicate has to make one edgy unless you are a fucking fool p>
Heat rushes to my face. “Are you calling me a fool p>