Page 78 of To Curse A Knight

“Tell them to bring blood—loads of it. He’s gonna need a transfusion.”

I received a somber nod as I peeled out of the parking lot toward the warehouse; that one night changing my life all those months ago. I’d chosen my fate when I joined Fight Club then—and now that we’d been bonded in blood, I wasn’t willing to let him go just yet.

We’d get Aaron the medical attention he needed, and then when his life wasn’t on the line, we’d come up with a plan.

Fuck… who was going to tell Blondie?

Directing men in every corner of my life was exhausting.

Admittedly, the Board of Directors for Lane Enterprises was almost a fair 50-50 split of genders, with a non-binary member as well, but there was something about veteran businessmen who thought they knew it all that grated on my nerves like a lemon zester to the nipples.

The one-hour defensive planning meeting had turned into three. Because I’d known what was coming, I’d already put together a PR plan, but it had taken hours to convince certain curmudgeons it was the best option. They were useful curmudgeons—poking holes in my theories to come up with the best decision was far better than a team of sniveling ‘yes men’—but their pointed questions and need for answers I couldn’t admit I knew had been an irritating game of shells, when I had far more important things to do.

Important things, like protecting my own ass from Alvarez.

I wasn’t naïve: this wasn’t anywhere close to being over. Alvarez had been released on bail and placed on monitored house arrest. He’d spend the next few months fighting every tiny legal loophole of this case, and unless they froze his assets—which Kellan was fighting for on his side of the fence—he’d have a bottomless pit of money to throw into his appeal.

He had millions at his disposal. I had billions, though, so no amount of bribery was going to get him a winning verdict. When he’d exhausted all his resources and he was finally thrown in prison, Kellan would arrange for a very painful death through one of the incarcerated Carlos Cartel gang members. Aaron had voted for disembowelment, but I was still vying for castration with a slow bleed-out from the femoral artery. Time would tell.

We’d taken all precautions to be untraceable, but very few things remainedactuallyuntraceable in this era of technology. It was a fool’s errand to think we were invincible. I was just waiting for some form of retaliation from the Alvarez family and planned to lie low over the next few days to watch his next moves on the board.

Joey glanced at me every few minutes in the rearview mirror as we drove back to my condo, her brows knitted in a frown. I’d informed my teams the Palace had burned down because of an unforeseen electrical issue, and she’d digested that information without question. The people I hired were intelligent, and she knew a storm was brewing in the electrically charged air around us, but I was having a hard time telling her which front to expect it from.

Alvarez? Antonio? The Six? Due to my merry band of murderous men, we now had an entire fleet of enemies at our back.

My men. A few months ago, I wouldn’t have called any man in this world “mine,” but now, I had three who’d showed they’d move the world for me—or at least murder my enemies with just cause, and truthfully, that meant a hell of a lot more.

Kellan’s overbearing protectiveness drove me up the wall; it also made me feel a sense of safety and security knowing his watchful eyes would never stray too far, and he’d leap to be my sword or shield at any cost.

Aaron’s devotion made me feel precious and cherished; his unwavering commitment strengthened my resolve. I knew I could break into a million pieces and he would glue every single one of them back with perfect care.

Lucky’s casual approach to life disarmed me; he coaxed me out of my protective casing and knew how to show me the lighter side of the darkness we tread. He balanced my sharp edges with his smooth lines and soft smiles, and I craved his whimsy, even when I wanted to punch it out of him.

Four dark souls exorcising their demons through an unlikely combination of revenge and sexual tension—it was the plot of an excellent book.

I’d cautioned all my men to be vigilant. I was grateful they had the skills to take care of themselves, but the roiling sensation of sparklers going off in my gut all day had been enough to put this seasoned vigilante on edge.

Thankfully, the world believed Aaron Rodriguez was dead. Veronica and Vicente were currently being raked naked through burning coals at their recent shift in allegiances. Had he been alive to see it, Aaron would have been coerced to take the fall—or planted as the scapegoat without his knowledge. We would watch their palace burn together from the comfort of our own. Then, once it was nothing but a pile of powdered ashes, we’d take out their brothel network, too.

I’d tasked Lauchlan with his own plan for dealing with The Six. We couldn’t afford an additional war front with another criminal organization; he’d find a way to charm them the way he charmed everyone else when he couldn’t come up with the painting. Then we’d run some of our own reconnaissance in the background. I wanted to know who’d hired him.

You didn’t get to be rich and powerful without a lineup of enemies waiting to take their swing at you with maces and pitchforks; the list of culprits was as long as the Nile. When we found them, they’d learn the true consequences of fucking with Hillary Lane.

My long-term plan for Antonio was still very much in play, and ruining Alvarez’s company would only make for an easier transition to attack mode when the timing was right. Right now was most definitely not the time to piss off both mobsters in my backyard—but it was coming.

Traffic was significantly backed up in the downtown core, so I browsed through my messages, surprised I had seen nothing come through from Aaron or Lucky. Kellan and his brothers were disbanding the last few outposts for Alvarez’s gangs in Sequoia, but Lucky should have been home by now after clearing out his desk.

I really didn’t like this Mother Hen hat I was wearing. It was as unfamiliar to me as an Amish bonnet, and it did nothing to complement my killer outfit.

Still…

I sent them all a message on the new group chat I’d created, asking for a check in. Then I shoved my phone in my purse, desperate to unplug for a few minutes. I’d convince Kellan to spar with me this evening to rid my body of some of this tension. Then I’d convince him to use me for his pleasure and we could escape into each other for a little while.

Ormaybe we could re-live the threesome of the other night. In my darkest sexual fantasies, I’d never considered these two Alpha males sharing me between them, or ever sharing themselves with each other, but the moment had been the perfect melding of sweat-slicked bodies and desperate desire. I replayed every delicious second in my mind as Joey weaved through the stalled cars along the freeway, closing my eyes to relive their taste on my tongue and their cocks stuffed into my—

“Ms. Lane, are you hearing this?” Joey interrupted the best part, but when my eyes flew opened to see deep concern saturating her stare, I straightened in my seat.

“Sorry, what was that?”

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