Page 26 of Brutal Bond

The sudden swell of possessiveness over her catches me off-guard, and I grip the arms of my chair so hard it hurts as Nikki continues, “He watched us finger each other to prove her agreement, and he’s expecting both of us to pay up on Thursday when he comes to our apartment.”

“And you’re going to give whatever he wants.” Liz flashes a cheeky smile at Nikki and Harper. Upon hearing the words, I want to lunge across the table and slap some sense into her.

That is not the answer.

My nostrils flare as I try to control my breathing, pushing down the anger quickly building inside of me.

“You aren’t going to do anything?” Harper breaks her silence, and I’m suddenly met with her teary eyes waiting for me to swoop in and save her.

That’s not who I am, little rose.

“You get to keep your million dollars.” Liz crosses the room and grips Harper’s face with such force that her nails dimple her cheeks. “Is that not enough for you, princess? Considering you fuck drunk frat boys for flat beer, I’m thinking two grand a week is more than sufficient.”

Quickly, Liz’s eyes scan over those of us sitting at the table, waiting for disagreement.

Disagreement I know Harper is waiting for.

Disagreement that doesn’t come.

“You don’t speak a fucking word about the five of us or what happens in this house. You’ll zealously take his cock in all your holes. You’ll fucking suck his toes while Nikki eats his ass if that’s what he wants. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Harper responds as if in pain, but I’m certain her current anguish is from much more than the bruising grip on her jaw.

“We’ll be in touch, ladies.” I stare at Harper as I speak the words because they’re meant for her.

CHAPTER

TWENTY

EDMUND

Taking a deep breath as Harper and Nikki walk from the room, Samuel drops his two cents on the situation. “We should just fucking kill him.”

“He’s a fucking cop.” Will smacks him up the backside of the head. “You can’t just kill cops in a small fucking town like this and not expect to be caught.”

Spoken like a man with experience.

“They’ll give him what he wants,” Liz states matter-of-factly as she shrugs her shoulders. “It’ll keep him content and quiet for a bit while we figure out how to handle him.”

“I hate to agree with the stupid kid on this one, but eliminating the problem really might be the easiest solution,” I side with Samuel. “Not immediately, but after enough time that we could pin it on the girls for blackmail.”

Or just Nikki.

Getting Harper out of this unscathed—and untouched by Detective Asshole—is my top priority for reasons that totally escape me.

“If we go that route, the video gets leaked, Eddie.” Liz’s displeasure with the idea is clear.

Fuck, I hate when she calls me that.

“Did we watch the same video?” I scoff with a smirk. “An hour-long video of me thoroughly fucking and pleasuring three different women; that’s like a fucking dating ad for more pussy than I can fucking handle.”

Or want…

Where the fuck did that thought come from?

After a brief discussion regarding security for our compound, Grant’s new pet, and the party here on Saturday, we all slowly head our separate ways.

As I step outside, part of me is hoping to find Harper waiting. But she’s long gone.

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