Chapter 2
Cassius
Three years later...
“Damn it!!!” Dean roars, smashing his fists on the keyboard before swiping the desk clean, sending the laptop crashing against the wall and breaking into pieces. “FUCK!” he bellows as he rams his hands into his brown hair, grabbing handfuls.
“What the fuck is going on?!” Axel demands as he bursts into the office, taking in the destroyed room before locking eyes on Dean.
Me? I'm just sitting on the office couch, sipping my bourbon, and trying to process this clusterfuck of epic proportions.
“They fucking destroyed it all!” Dean whispers in shock and disbelief. “I can't believe they would do that.”
Neo enters the room and whistles when he sees the state of it. “Oooh, Daddy Dean is mad,” he taunts.
Axel slaps Neo on the chest, but Neo just chuckles.
Turning his attention back to Dean, Axel asks, “Who the fuck are you talking about? And what the hell did they destroy?”
Dean is too far gone in his own head to answer, so I do. “Our fathers,” I say calmly, swirling the golden-brown liquid in my glass before taking another drink. This problem that Dean is losing his mind over? I'm the one who found it and brought it to Dean's attention.
Axel’s blue eyes turn a stormy gray at the mention of the monsters who helped bring us into this world. “What did they do?” he asks in a low grumble.
Neo dances his way over to the couch and plops down next to me, putting his arm around the back of the couch where I'm sitting. “What did our dear old pops do now?” he asks, grabbing my drink and downing it, then handing me back the empty glass. “Thanks,” he says with a smile, patting my cheek. I glare at him in annoyance. But this is who Neo is, a carefree, lively, in-your-face kind of person... or rather psychopath.
Turning my eyes away from Neo, I acknowledge Axel’s question. “They took everything. They drained the company accounts when they took off, disappearing to God only knows where. Apparently, we have been living off credit since they left.”
“But that's six years?! How the hell have we been able to do that for so long? And not know about it?!” Axel growls.
“From what I’ve gathered, they set up a bunch of credit cards with large limits. That and the money we make from the businesses did a good job of masking the truth. But we were spending more than we had and, since we went legit, we haven't been making as much money.”
“So, what do we do?'' Neo asks, his playful facade fading a bit.
“We need to find a way to acquire the money to pay back our debt, or we lose everything.”
Everyone's faces fall, and the fear we never show takes over.
“We could ask for a loan?” Neo says.
I shake my head. “No, that won't work. When they do a credit check, they will see how much we owe. Plus, getting a loan to pay back credit doesn't change anything; we would still owe the same amount.”
“I know we want to keep being legit, but I think we need to consider asking some of our old business partners for help.”
Shaking my head again, I say, “That won't work either. Our fathers ruined all their relationships before taking off. All the bridges are burnt; they would never help us.”
“Not everyone,” Neo says, his face turning into a wicked grin. “There's still one person who our fathers never worked with. We could see if they are willing to help out.”
Dean narrows his eyes at Neo. “Who?”
“She’s known as Queenie. Over the past three years, she’s been building a pretty hefty empire. She now owns all the strip clubs in Kingston Heights and has started collecting some in L.A. She’s not well-liked by the men of our world, but no one dares to mess with her because she’s fucking crazy! The stories I've heard about this chick...” his eyes light up. The man is a sadist, and based on what he’s saying, she sounds like his perfect match.
“She turned all the strip clubs into burlesque clubs and is crazy strict when it comes to the girls who work there. If you disrespect them in any way, she gives you a warning...and by warning, I mean she beats the crap out of you. If you fuck up again, you're swimming with the fishies,” he wiggles his hand back and forth, mimicking the movement of a fish.
“She’s a borderline billionaire, and here’s the kicker, other than the little murdering sprees she goes on, her businesses are all 100% legit. Rumor has it she only kills “evil” people, mostly men. Rapists, murderers, anyone who touches children.” He uses his hand to mimic someone slitting a throat.
“And how isshegonna help us? What dowehave to offerherin order for her to loan us money?” I inquire.
“I haven't thought that far yet, but it won't hurt to ask,” he shrugs, leaning back into the couch.