Chicago was a fail; all it did was gain attention. But of course, the United States government didn’t want word getting out, so they downplayed everything. The organization that had the human-trafficking ring was a mess. It had been easy to infiltrate. I’d saved the asses of more men than I could count by giving the files to Damian after I had gotten copies for my personal collection.
One of the men stupid enough to get caught in the raid was Julian Sr.
Now he was the type of man I despised the most. Men who wanted blind loyalty wanted their men to bleed for them when they were nothing but rats. Julian got his cartel by giving the CIA the head of his boss. The internal war was over quickly with the help of Sergio, leaving scared men or men with no code at his disposal, and that made him the most dangerous of everyone here.
Men with no code didn’t hesitate to stab a knife at your back.
“Don’t you two look cozy.” Gideon walked up to us, making my heart beat erratically, wondering how much he heard. “One would think you were plotting someone’s murder.”
I couldn’t resist myself and smiled at Gideon, who kept looking between Bas and myself. “Yes, yours.”
“Oh, Petal, we both know you don’t want me dead. I’m the only one who saves your arse in your suicide missions.”
“I’m sure I can find a replacement.”
Gideon’s eyes grew dark, and his jaw ticked. I pissed him off, which was a plus, though I couldn’t understand why exactly. I also told myself I didn’t care.
“Give us a moment, Kingsley,” Gideon demanded without looking at Bas. We both knew he used Bas’s last name as a weapon to show he knew who he was.
“This might be the time she actually kills you.” There was humor in Bas’s tone. He patted Gideon’s back as he walked away.
Not wanting to have this conversation where people were watching, and where someone might hear us, I walked out of the safety of the camp and into the jungle.
“Speak.”
The word was barely out of my mouth when Gideon’s hand was on the back of my neck and his hand at my waist, and he pushed me face forward against a palm tree.
“What the fuck,” I gritted out.
“Don’t.” He spat. “I am sick and tired of your bullshit right now.”
Gideon pressed his weight on me, and the bark from the tree rasped against my cheek. If I got an infection because of this, I would neuter him.
“I’m here on business,” I spat back.
Gideon didn’t speak right away. I felt his breath below my ear, the brush of his lips behind my nape. I closed my eyes and begged my body not to shiver. I prided myself in mastering control over my body, and I would be damned if it failed me now.
“Petal,” he murmured. The vibrations of his voice against my skin sent a shock wave straight to my core. I bit my lip, grateful my back was to him. That was until I felt his finger digging below my waist.
“Gideon,” I warned.
He let out a dark chuckle but didn’t stop. His fingers made their way down fast, his palm flattening against the curve of my ass. I held my breath, and then I felt him cupping my pussy.
“What are you up to?” he breathed against my neck as his hand roamed between my legs.
“Unless you want to die, let go of me,” I managed to say.
“Nice,” he chuckled. “Now, try saying it like you mean it.”
“When I stab a dagger between your eyes, you’ll know I mean it.”
He turned me around and slammed my back against the tree trunk. Gideon bit his lips as his eyes bored into mine. His hand came to my chin, gripping it, asserting his dominance. “The only thing stabbing is my dick inside your pussy.”
A slow smile spread across my face, knowing I had him where I wanted him. It would be foolish to let him win easily; he would get suspicious.
“Gideon, you need to let that go. It was a long time ago,” I murmured. I tried not to think about our encounters if I could help it. I knew one year ago was not a long time to forget, because for me it was still fresh, and I hated myself for it.
He brought his face even closer to mine, and when he smiled, the whiteness of his teeth was blinding. He pressed his forehead against mine, and I held my breath. I could use my body to get what I wanted. It was just another weapon in my arsenal, but emotions were a weakness that got beat out of me at a young age.
“Petal.” He sighed the nickname he gave me early on with want and tenderness. I needed to get out of here fast. “I’ll never forget the way you felt wrapped around my cock.”
I bit my lip before I could kill the moment. Vulnerability wasn’t something I ever did, but I allowed myself the feeling now. My hand shook as I raised it to cup Gideon’s cheek. He was smooth and cool despite the warm weather. He cocked his head to the side, burrowing into the warmth my hand emitted.
“Your voice has whispered my name more times than I care to admit.” The confession was easy to make, but that was the thing about lies and games— they were best believed when you added a little truth to them.
Gideon’s eyes flashed with desire. “Will you ever forgive me?”
It was I who had to beg for forgiveness. I gave him a sad smile. When I pushed him away, he let me. My back was to him, but I knew he was still watching me.
“Maybe, just maybe I’ll go to your tent.”
I didn’t have to turn around to know he was grinning. I walked back into camp, feeling like shit, but knowing there was no other way to get what I wanted.
Heavy was the head that wore the crown, and mine was making me bleed.
There was something to be said about a woman who knew what she wanted. It was sexy. Also frustrating when the same woman denied she felt something for you. I leaned back against the palm tree, watching the way Daphne’s arse swayed against her tight black trousers.
She wanted me. I knew it down to the marrow of my bones that she was mine, but she had yet to come to the same conclusion. Reaching behind my ear, I pulled a cigarette, then put my hands in the pocket of my jeans and took out the black Zippo lighter. After all these years, I didn’t think she knew I had it.
Before going back to camp, I walked through the jungle vicinity but making sure I stayed out of reach. No one trusted anyone, and putting us in the jungle together perhaps wasn’t the best idea. Not when every single person here was a predator and had no qualms about getting bloody.
People wondered how I stayed alive for so long. It was because I treated death like a pesky friend that always loomed near me, tempting me. My plans always involved the worst fucking scenario, and I went from there.
I liked to keep an ear to the ground, always wanting to know what everyone was up to. Asking questions here and there, being able to piece the missing pieces, made it easier to make the right calls.
When I went to the States to pay Falcon a visit, I found out about what the Sekt had been up to across the pond. Had I been a better man, it would have made my skin crawl. I knew Bastian Kingsley came from money; his family were oil tycoons. He was going to marry Katia Von Ives, another socialite. It was no secret Katia loved her drugs, and that her family renounced her. Nothing was ever heard of her again. Kingsley moved heaven and earth to find his fiancée until he found her a few years ago in New York.