Hades
Listening to Markov drone on and on about what he didn’t enjoy regarding the recent development was grating on my fucking nerves.
But I sat there with my stoic expression in place, acted like I was paying attention, and tried not to curl my lip in disgust that he conducted this business meeting at a fucking strip club, of all places.
We were in one of the back VIP rooms at the salacious strip joint Markov owned. I’d had to tell the women to get out because none of the other men were paying attention with all the half-naked asses on display.
These men might be criminals, using this recent development to launder their money, but this was still business. And business made money, so I let Markov call the shots… to an extent.
We should do this in a fucking office, not with tits and ass being shoved in our faces. I looked at Markov and Ivan as they kept talking about why they didn’t like a particular aspect of the building.
The third Russian was too busy staring out the floor-to-ceiling wall of glass that overlooked the main floor of the strip club. It was clear the only thing on his mind was pussy.
Cronus Enterprises was the legitimate side of the business. That was what Zachariah and Michael had handled. The legal shit that had them front and center in the public eye. Me? I was just the piece-of-shit fake brother and son who had never been good enough to help run the “family business”.
I had been given the seedy side of work. Money laundering, drug and illicit gun trafficking, and a host of other despicable things that no one else in our circles would have the stomach for.
And so I made a shell company. Cerberus Corp.
But things were different now. With Zachariah rotting in the ground, and Michael on his deathbed, I was in charge. IwasCronus Enterprise’s.
I scrubbed a hand over my jaw, done with this shit. “Markov, does it really matter how big the square footage is for each room?” I finally said, unable to keep my annoyance down.
The three of them turned their attention to me. I knew who these men were—and not just because they were linked to the Bratva.
They were the type of males who were used to getting their way, and if they didn’t, they shot bullets through skulls.
They were the type of people I worked with. The twisted underworld of humanity that I was most comfortable with.Because I’m just as dark and deprived as they are.
“Excuse me?” Ivan was the one to speak as he looked between me and his boss.
Markov slowly grinned, but it was far from pleasant.
I’d been working directly and only with Markov for months now, going over every detail of the development, discussing the illegal aspects. This project was nothing more than a shell company.
The other men that came with Markov? His lap dogs.
So I didn’t even bother addressing or acknowledging Ivan. I stared at Markov and lifted an eyebrow, waiting forhimto respond.
“Even if it’s a hole in the fucking wall, you know we’ll take care of your assets. And isn’t that the entire point? Making more money and ensuring you don’t lose any?”
That was all Markov cared about. That was allhisbosses were worried about.
I wanted out of this fucking meeting. I wanted to get home to see Persephone.
Over the last few weeks, I’d been so busy with work I’d hardly seen my girl. I wasn’t even counting sneaking into her room at night and watching her sleep.
But it wasn’t just that reason that kept me away. She was messing with my head, making me second-guess what I really had planned for her. The more I saw her, thought about her, and listened to her sweet, sassy mouth snap back at me, the more I realized I didn’t want to hurt her. Not like that. Not like I’d planned.
Breaking her until there was nothing left now made my gut wrench and my heart race.
And it fucking pissed me off.
So I made myself busy by taking these fucking meetings. I should have passed this bullshit off to someone beneath me. I thought it would have helped clear my head, but she was always on my mind. Being away from her made me think of Bunny even more.
All I could think about was when she talked back to me the last time I’d picked her up from school.
I’d wanted to bend her over the hood of my car, flip up the little, plaid skirt of her uniform, pull those cotton panties aside, and fuck her in front of everybody.