Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
With every word Angelo speaks, more blood spurts from his mouth, causing me to shake my head. When I raise the pliers to his lip once more, he winces. And the fighter is gone.
I suppose, once you accept you’re about to die, there’s no reason to fight anymore. Angelo knows there’ll be no mercy shown for his disloyalty. It’s not in my nature to be merciful.
I take a swing with the heavy, metal implement in my hand, slamming it down onto one of Angelo’s knees, which earns me an ear-piercing scream. I don’t like people who try to fuck me over.
Angelo sent his little whore in here to seduce me and my friends and suss out our secrets, and even though I didn’t fuck her, Val and Kai did. She had a job to do, keep things clean and work alongside the rest of the staff on the property. She was instructed to obey the rules and was forbidden from entering our private rooms, which are usually kept locked, but she didn’t listen.
I found her snooping in my office at three in the morning, gleaning details about our life she didn’t need to know. The files she’d laid out on my desk included details of where our territories lie, where our contacts are, and information about The Agency—an elite task force who we call on when we need certain jobs completed.
As Angelo shakes and spews curse words at me, I smile. I’ve had my fun. Time for my boys to enjoy themselves.
“I’m bored now. Val, sort this out.” I hand my best friend of twenty years the pliers, and stepping back, I lean against the cold, concrete wall. Watching Valen in his element has become something of a hobby of mine.
There are so many secrets hidden within the Venier mansion, and as Angelo’s screams bounce off the dungeon walls, I consider what life would be like if I didn’t have Kai and Val here.
I don’t like to think about it.
When I befriended Valen and Malachi at the age of five, I never imagined we’d still be together, almost twenty years later, closer than we’ve ever been and keeping each other’s most secret desires hidden. They’re the only ones I trust, other than my brother, Jordan, and my friend Emilio.
Once Angelo is dead, the threat to our livelihoods and businesses is gone, so I turn and make my way upstairs to the living room where I pour a double shot of tequila and swallow it back.
“I think we’ve made an example of him,” Valen says from behind me. “And we’ve learnt our lesson. No more women,” he adds, which makes me laugh.
He’s one of the biggest playboys on this island, and for him to want to swear off women is like me promising to stop killing. Yeah, that’s never going to happen.
“There’s no need to go to extremes, Val,” I tell him. “I agree we won’t employ any more women, but next time we want to bring one back here to fuck, we need to make sure they’re not allowed to wander round. Send them home after the fact.” I look at him and smile. “And besides, I doubt you’d be able to handle not having regular pussy.” I offer him a wink, which makes him chuckle.
“And what happens when you get married?” Val throws the threat at me as if he doesn’t already know that I don’t want a wife.
I’m more than happy with my life the way it is. Adding someone else to our rather unconventional, secret relationship would only complicate things. And I don’t like complications.
“There won’t be any women in my life…long term, I mean,” I inform both my friends as they watch me.
It’s not been that long since my father’s demise, and soon I’ll have to attend the reading of his last will and testament, which undoubtedly means there’ll be more rules for me to follow.
“You don’t know what your father has planned for you,” Kai adds his insight.
My friend may be right, but even if my father was still alive, I don’t see him giving me a wife to take care of. He knew what I’m like.
“Don’t be so sure you will not end up with the rest of your life perfectly planned out from the grave,” Val taunts me, forcing me to pour another double and drink it back in one gulp.
“Oh, I know. You could be right,” I say as I turn to them both.
My father may have loved me, but he also had his own set of strict rules and plans for me. He was the Boss, and for me to take his place, I’m going to need to obey whatever the fuck he set out in his last wishes.
No matter what.
A TWISTED CONTRACT
JUDAH
Black Hollow Isle is a special place.
A small island off the coast of Italy, which has been in my family, the Venier family, for several generations and now belongs to me. It’s where I went to university, and it’s where Jordan, my younger brother, is now studying for his degree. I live in our family home on the island that my father left to me when he died, and I wear the name Venier with pride.