Page 87 of King of Ruin

And a Queen will take her place.

A smug grin stretches his lips, bringing attention to a long scar on the side of his cheek. “You look so much like that slut mother of yo–”

A harsh crack rings out in the space as the back of my hand connects with his face. I remain impassive as I watch him spit blood on the concrete.

Something between a cough and a laugh seeps from his mouth as he turns to me. “No introductions?”

I tilt my head slightly and hold out a hand. On cue, Trigger places a small scalpel in my palm. “I need you to understand something.”

Trick moves behind Sam and rips the shirt from his body.

“I want nothing from you.”

Shi steps forward and slips the belt from his loops.

“And there is nothing you can give me.”

Maddy giggles as she skips in front of him and uses the blade in her hand to rip his pants down the legs.

“This will not be pleasant. And even when you beg for death…”

I move closer to him, running the small scalpel along his temple and reopening the old scar all the way into the stubble on his face. His hisses as the blood beads quickly, dripping down his cheeks and falling onto the floor.

“He will not come untilItell him I’m done.”

Iknew I was going to make a mess. I knew clean-up would take months to truly complete. But I also knew we’d have to work quickly, keeping as much of it under the radar as possible, and get new men in as fast as we could.

What I didn’t anticipate was Oliver having already acquired over three dozen new soldiers, training them in one of Phineas’ empty warehouses, and then having them on standby.

He told me that when he found out Fiona was brought to the mansion, he held out hope I’d take over after all, and for his wishful thinking and preparation, I’m thankful.

In two short hours, the new men have helped rid the grounds and the mansion of the dead. They’ve assisted the maids in scouring the floors, and reported to Oliver to find out where they would be needed after.

In that same time, my shoulder was patched up, I was able to hold a meeting with my father’s accountant, who is faithful only to money, and contacted Lucian again about transferring ownership of my father’s businesses. I now owe the lawyer a favor; but with the dozens of people moving in and out of the mansion, asking me for different decisions, and relying on me for answers that won’t get them killed or arrested, I don’t mind.

Having spent those weeks watching Onyx, and how she operates, has helped me tremendously in these last two hours. Each new person I speak with poses a different problem—and different attitude—but my calm demeanor stays the same.

Some of the conversations are easier than others. The managers for the strip clubs don’t know the extent of the changes I’m going to invoke but will be here in the morning to go over them. The drug runners are already on their way, and I’m almost certain that after they hear the changes, not all of them will walk out with a pulse. And the men guarding the women in warehouses are none the wiser as Oliver’s group heads over to slice open their throats.

I give it about a day or two before the police show up, and with the way the men are working, I don’t think it will be a problem. Besides, I’m not sure they’ll be too upset that I’m cleaning up my father’s wrongdoings.

Not to say I won’t continue some of them, but one thing I’ve learned is that you can still be the lesser evil even when you’re knee-deep in hell.

Men will still seek the company of women, so the strip clubs will remain, but dancers will be of legal age and protected from any acts they don’t wish to partake in. Those seeking drugs will still be able to buy them. Only now, they must be old enough to legally buy alcohol. I’ll also raise the prices, but they won’t have to worry about laced drugs anymore.

Now, as for the men that come to collect women they think are nothing more than objects they can own? Well, I anticipate a lot of enemies, but I’m hoping Onyx will help me with that. I know she doesn’t want to see me now, but I also know she doesn’t want anyone to move in on me and continue to traffic women even more.

In the end she may still not agree to see me, but perhaps Shi will accept, and we can work together on that front.

My stomach churns as I walk back to my office. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t fucked up about how everything ended with me and Onyx. How fucking hurt I am that she can’t see that she wasn’t the only one that deserved to kill him.

But really, no matter how much I hoped for the impossible, I already knew the outcome. Worst case, she would kill me; best case, a bullet somewhere on my body.

That's what we promised each other after all.

Until a bullet stops me.

Shooting me there was a message, and no matter how much it rips my heart out, I’ll respect it.

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