“What’s the matter?”
“What do you think could possibly be the matter, Oliver?”
“That’s what I’m curious about. Seeing as you’re a grandfather to a couple of kids, three to be precise, and Lou is due her second. Oh, and Landon is coming back. Is that it? You don’t want the youngest son back? He’s a bit of an asshole.”
“Oliver! This has nothing to do with family, or with everything that is happening. This has to do with the fact that there’s an uprising of the Coltons, and they’re giving us a headache.”
“Yeah, why didn’t Granddad and yourself kill every motherfucker off? It doesn’t seem his or your style.”
“No matter what, killing kids is not part of who we are. Besides, we killed everyone else associated with the Coltons. They were never coming back. There’s a reason I took over. Your grandfather was sick, Oliver. Just stop asking questions. Just get back here. I’m not in the mood to have a son go missing.”
“Love you, too, Dad.” Oliver hung up the phone and looked at the mess he’d made. “Such a waste. You should have fought me a little more.” Oh well, there was always places to find blood in the city, especially being a Denton.
****
Ruby Santos walked around the casino, aware of the guards, the cameras, and everything that could alert the Dentons to her presence. Not that she expected them to know that she was stalking them, or particularly one. He’d wandered into the casino an hour ago, used the elevator to take him up several floors, and came down ten minutes ago. He appeared to be in a pissed off mood.
Oliver Denton.
Yes, she knew all about her targets. Ever since she was twelve years old, and her brother was torn from her because of these bastards, she’d been doing her homework. She knew what each of the Denton men looked like, sounded like, and had observed them. Oliver seemed to be the most laid back of all of them. He wasn’t. Sure, he fucked other men’s wives, and made them watch, but there was something far more sinister about the third brother. He was also the only one who didn’t seem to know when he was being stalked.
Standing next to the machines, she kept a good distance, watching, waiting. For the past ten years her life had been dedicated to this moment, to finally getting her revenge. She took a deep breath, happier with the feel of the blade against her waist and the gun in her purse.
The weapons were only there for emergencies. The truth was, Ruby was far deadlier without them. Ten years she’d been training, going from one foster home to another. She knew how to say all the right things, and do everything everyone wanted. In return, she spent every available second being trained in the gyms where she lived. They said she had a natural talent for beating the shit out of things.
She’d gotten into many fights, had a lot of broken bones.
Right now, she wanted to wipe the smug smile off the asshole’s face.
Patience.
You’ll get your revenge.
She kept him in her sight, playing the slot machines, slowly.
It wasn’t long before Oliver was joined by his brother, Jacob. The two seemed to be having a heated discussion.
Maddox, Jacob, Abel, Oliver, Gideon, Damian, Landon, and Stuart were all on her list. She knew about the women as well, but she wasn’t too far gone to think that she could end a woman’s life. Tamsin, she couldn’t do. She was just a baby.
But no, she had to do it. These men didn’t care about who they hurt. At the moment she was focusing on just the men. The men responsible for hurting her brother, for taking her family away. They were going to die at her hand. Then she could think about dealing with the women.
She watched as the two brothers spoke, sharing cross words, or at least it looked that way with the frowning that was going on, and the serious hand gestures.
Sipping at her drink, she smirked, loving the way they were struggling.
Finally, Jacob stormed away, and Oliver threw down the dice that he held before he did the same as Jacob. Keeping a few steps behind him, she followed him out of the casino. She was a little surprised by how easy he was making this for her. Shouldn’t the Dentons be like superheroes when it came to their protection?
Clearing the casino, he moved toward the alley, and she removed her shoes, ignoring the bite of the warm tarmac under her foot.
He lit up his cigarette and was typing down on his cell phone.
“Do you really think I don’t know when I’m being hunted?” he asked.
She looked behind her and found no one else. “Then you’re the fool for leaving the casino.”
“Wow, a woman? Are you one of the cunts I’ve fucked?”
This fucker was offensive, and horrible.