Page 13 of Empire

“Does that ego of yours ever get you in trouble?”

His grin widens, and it makes the butterflies flutter through my stomach. “Like you’ll never know,” he tells me before pushing back off the bar and gripping it between his strong fingers. “Don’t eat. I’ll feed you later.”

And with that, he slips away into the crowd, once again leaving me breathless.

Chapter 5

DALTON

“Thefuckdoyouthink you’re doing?” Zade demands, shoving his hands against my chest as I slip out the back of Danny’s Bar, Sawyer and Cross in tow. His dark eyes blaze, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m staring down the barrel of a gun. “You’re getting too close. You know the fucking mission. She’s my sacrifice. In two months, I’ll be cutting her beating heart right out of her goddamn chest and you’re trying to tell me you want to get attached to the bitch first? Fuck off, man. You’re smarter than that.”

“Watch yourself,” I say, shoving him back. “You might be the fucking heir of Empire, but you’re not there yet.”

Sawyer scoffs, shaking his head. He’s one of my best friends, but I know exactly where he lies on this. “I warned you this was going to happen. You shouldn’t be getting close to this chick. Stop thinking with your dick, man. You’re gonna get us all in trouble, and worse, you’re gonna get attached. You need to cut it off with this chick.”

“What’s the big fucking deal?” I say, stepping out into the alley and lighting up a cigarette. “Apart from stalking her last night, have you even had a conversation with the girl?” Zade glances away. He knows I’m damn right. “She’s horny as fuck, and don’t pretend you haven’t noticed. If I’m not laying it down, she’ll find it somewhere else. This way, we can keep her close. She won’t be out there looking for dick if she’s got it right next door.”

Cross runs his hand through his hair, letting out a heavy breath before looking at Zade. “Fuck, man. He’s got a point. We can’t risk her slipping away.”

“She won’t slip away,” Zade argues, leveling Cross with a lethal glare. “There’s four of us and one of her. How fucking hard can it be to keep her in our sights? We live right across the hall from her. None of us need to be getting attached. Forty-one fucking days and she’ll be dead. Do you really want to get attached to that? Because I won’t fucking hesitate to take her out. I don’t give a shit if you fall for the bitch. I’m not risking it. If I don’t make this sacrifice on the sixtieth moon, I don’t claim leadership. I don’t need to explain this to you, man. You fucking know how important this is.”

I clench my jaw, hating how fucking hard he’s going on this. It’s been a little over two weeks since he dragged that dagger across his old man’s throat, finally taking the bastard out. Everything was cool, he went and performed his rituals just as tradition dictates, but something else happened there . . . something he’s not telling us, and whatever it is, it’s got him all kinds of fucked up.

“What’s this really about, Zade?” I question, stepping up to him. “You’ve never given a shit how I’ve gotten my dick wet before. Why start now?”

“Do you not see what position you’re putting me in?” he says, the sound of the bar deafening behind us. “You’re going to fall for this chick, and I’m going to slaughter her without a second thought. There are thousands of other chicks around here who are willing to suck your dick. Fuck one of them instead. I don’t need this to get complicated.”

“When have I ever fallen for some random girl?” I question. “Come on, man. You know me better than that. You’ve been my best friend since we were kids. When I tell you I can handle this, you should be able to trust me.”

Zade drags his hand down his face. “I don’t fucking trust anyone.”

“Yeah, you made that crystal clear,” I tell him. “But either way, Oakley’s expecting me to pick her up after her shift, and I fully intend to do that. Besides, did you see the way she was watching over her shoulder last night? You three have already fucked with her head. Just because you’re going to end her life in forty-one days, doesn’t mean you need to make the last two months of her life miserable.”

“He’s right,” Sawyer says. “The Circle specifically stated she had the heart of an innocent. We might not be the kind of guys a father wants his little girl fucking with, but we’re not about to spend the next two months torturing her. Besides, if we go too hard, we risk her packing up her shit and taking off. She’s already scared and she needs something to keep her grounded. Something that excites her about being in Faders Bay and makes her want to stick around, despite her fear. Dalton can be that reason.”

A grin stretches across my face, and I watch from the corner of my eye as Cross shakes his head, knowing I’ve got Zade right where I want him. The fucker can’t argue with that logic.

“Fuck,” he grunts, his jaw clenched as his hands ball into tight fists. He steps into me, barely able to control the wild, reckless emotions exploding through his system. “If you fuck this up, it’ll be your heart I offer up as a sacrifice. You got that, Eros?”

“I’m not gonna fuck it up. I know what I’m doing.”

“I’ve got a lot of enemies, man,” Zade warns, grabbing the back of my head and forcing me in close. “It’s one thing for The Circle members to know who she is, but if word gets out to the rest of Empire that she’s my sacrifice, there’s no telling what could happen. There’ll be a target the size of Texas on her fucking head, a target not even we could protect her from. They’ll do anything to keep me from getting in power.”

“You don’t think I know that?” I spit, tearing away from him, not lost on the fact that we have to protect her in order to be the ones to kill her. “I know what’s at stake just as much as you do. You don’t think we’ll all suffer right along with you? You might have the blood of Empire running through your veins, but it’s all of our necks on the chopping board. If anybody else gets into power, we’re all fucking dead. They’ll take us all out.”

Zade lets out a heavy breath, visibly trying to calm himself as Cross steps forward. “It’s in our best interest to keep her close, man,” he mutters. He’s usually a man of very few words, but when Easton Cross speaks, you fucking listen.

Zade looks back at me, shoving a finger into my chest. “Take her to the rooftop, nowhere else,” he says, knowing damn well we have security cameras already set up all around that building and he’ll be able to keep an eye on us. “I don’t want her getting familiar with this city. If you’re doing this, you’re going all the way. I want her dependent on you, reliant, can’t go a fucking day without checking in with you. You got it? Make her fall in love with you. Become her whole fucking world.”

I look my best friend dead in the eye, a grin pulling at my lips as her gorgeous face flashes in my mind, the very thought of getting to play with this girl getting me hard. Making her fall in love with me might just be the best thing I’ll ever do.

“Consider it done,” I tell him just moments before watching the three dickheads slink in through the back door of Danny’s Bar, more than ready to spend their night watching over our girl, protecting her from the very people we belong to.

Candicerumblesdownthestreet, the purr of her engine almost as good as the feel of my cock sinking into a slick, warm cunt. Exactly what I plan on doing with Oakley tonight. And if she’s anything like I’ve imagined her to be, tonight is going to be one hell of a good night.

It’s a little after two in the morning when I pull up out front of Danny’s Bar and peer through the old windows. The lights are still on, but from what I can tell, they’re just starting to close up. There are still a few people lingering outside, and I can clearly make out Zade, Cross, and Sawyer hidden in the shadows across the road.

I meet Zade’s stare, and with a firm nod, the three of them make their way back toward the shitty apartment complex, where I don’t doubt they’ll use this opportunity to slip into her room and get a feel for her space. She was home last night, and despite my efforts to try and get her out of her apartment, it just wouldn’t happen. She may be desperate to spread those pretty thighs for me, but she kept her word. She wasn’t about to fuck a perfect stranger she met on the street, despite being her neighbor. They’ll get in there tonight though. Cara is all too willing to help out where needed. After all, she’s been dropping to her knees for Zade for years.

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