Cephus' POV.
"For the last time, Vincent, where is my money?" I pointed the gun to the trembling man who is owing me a hefty amount of money.
Vincent's eyes widened at the sight of the gun. He stuttered, trying to come up with an excuse, but I wasn't having any of it. I needed that money, and I needed it now.
I tightened my grip on the trigger, watching Vincent's every move. He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. My eyes lit up at the sight of it.
But then I noticed something strange. The bills were stained with blood.
"Where did you get this?" I demanded, my voice rising.
Vincent hesitated before finally confessing, "I... I did a job for someone. They owed me money and paid me in this."
I felt a chill run down my spine. Vincent was involved in something far more dangerous than just owing me money. And now I was involved too, just by association.
But I didn't care, I wanted my money and everyone knew I was not a cool man to deal with.
Vincent stuttered, "I-I'm sorry, Cephus. I-I don't have it yet. I promise I'll get it to you soon."
I sneered at him, "Soon? Do you know how long I've been waiting for this money? I have people to pay and they're not as patient as I am."
Vincent's eyes widened in fear as I stepped closer to him, the cold metal of the gun pressing against his temple. "Please, Cephus, give me more time," he begged.
I hesitated for a moment, considering his plea. But then I remembered how many times he had promised to pay me back and failed to do so. I couldn't let him get away with it again.
Without warning, I pulled the trigger and watched as Vincent's body fell to the ground, blood pooling around his head. I felt no remorse, no guilt. This was the life I had chosen, a life where violence and brutality were necessary to survive.
"Clean up this mess and pack those money," I instructed my men and walked out of the house to my car.
I sat comfortably, "Myra club," I ordered my driver and soon we were out of Vincent's building.
We got to the club in no time and I made sure to instruct the manager what I need for the night.
"Make sure I am not disturbed, unless I say otherwise, this meeting is important to me,” he nodded and left me to my clients.
As they began to talk, my eyes wandered around the club, noticing a few new faces, and I signaled to my boys to be on the lookout for any rival gang member.
But as I scanned the room, my eyes landed on a woman sitting alone at the bar. Her long, black hair cascaded down her back in soft waves, and her bright green eyes seemed to sparkle in the dimly lit room, looking like she has let them cry.
I couldn't take my eyes off her. Something about her intrigued me, drew me in. So I looked closely, then I realized she looked like her.
"Freya." I whispered, feeling floored.
So I stood abruptly, startling my clients, "Excuse me gentlemen, I'll right back," I said, walking in her direction, but as I got to the bar, she was no longer there.
I looked around, but she was lost in the crowd, so I got on the dance floor where I could clearly see she was drunk, but I needed to check if it was Freya.
"Hello," I finally got to her, but she seemed out of it, too drunk.
So I placed my hands on her hips and danced with her a bit before pulling her in for a kiss, I couldn't stop myself from getting.
The kiss was okay, but it was clearly not Freya, but I had to check on last thing, so I looked closely for her birthmark, the one that usually sit beautifully on the nape of her neck.
"Freya?" The strange woman whispered, slurring her words.
Disappointment hit me hard when I didn't find the birthmark, but I was ready to leave her to have her fun when she pulled me back.
"What is it?" I wanted to ask, but she opened her mouth and threw all over me.
"What the fuck?!" I shouted watching her drop to the floor like a sack.
My men surrounded me quickly, looking for any real threat, but I was disgusted by what I was covered in, "Get me a fresh shirt!" My voice boomed as I commanded on of the men.
As I waited for the fresh shirt, I couldn't help but feel foolish for thinking that woman could have been Freya. It had been years since I last saw her, and even then it was just a glimpse. But still, the memory of her haunted me, and I couldn't shake it off.
When the shirt arrived, I quickly changed and made my way out of the club, feeling like I needed a shower to get rid of the stench of vomit.
"Carry her, she's coming with us," I ordered and got into my car.
As we got home, I noticed something was off and it quickly clicked, we've been ambushed so I made sure the girl was safe in the car and signaled to my men to get ready.
I got out of the car and pulled out my gun, ready for a fight. My men followed suit, and we took cover behind the nearby vehicles, waiting for the attackers to show themselves.
After a few tense moments of waiting, they finally made their move. Gunfire erupted in the air, and I could hear the sound of bullets whizzing past my head. I returned fire, my shots hitting their targets accurately.
The attackers tried to retreat, but my men and I pursued them. We chased them down the streets, firing our guns relentlessly until they were no longer in sight.
Breathless and covered in sweat, I made my way back to my car, where the girl was still waiting for me. I opened the door and pulled her out, carrying her in my arms.
I took her inside my house, where I laid her down on my couch and examined her more closely. She was still unconscious, but she seemed unharmed.
With the anger still bubbling inside of me while looking at her face, I turned to my right hand man, "Draw up the papers, debts needs to be paid."
Katie's POV"Rıse and shine, stranger," came the deepest voice I have ever heard in my entire life.I woke up groggily, trying to fight the sleep off of my eyes as I rubbed my eyes, trying to take in my environment."Where are my?" I asked, sleep still deep in my voice as I peered at the shirtless man looking at me with murder in his eves from across the room."You're in my palace prıncess," he replied with a smirk, removing the huge tobacco from the parting of his lips as he played with a sharp looking blade between his fingers.I quickly scrambled from the bed, pulling the duvet over my body, but not before checking if my clothing was still intact."What did you do to me?" My voice shook, as I forced the tears away, seeing myself in another clothes.He chuckled evilly, "Don't worry pet, I did nothing to you," He suddenly stood up, his height scared me, so I pulled back on the bed and was about to scream.The look on his face scared me, but instead of coming towards me, he walked to
Katie's POV"What… What is this?" I stammered, as I rubbed my eyes, trying to see what was on the paperwork before me. My hand trembled as I reached towards it, and as soon as I got it, I took it over to my eyes, which widened in shock and fear after I had read it.It was a contract that would officially make me a sex toy in the club."No, please" I whispered, shaking my head as tears rolled down my cheeks. "I don't think I can do this. No, I can't!”The paper fell down my hands and laid on the floor."How dare you!" I heard his loud and cold voice which sent shivers down my spine."I apologize, but I can't do it. Give me another punishment or job, I will take it but not this" I said, shakily, my nose started getting so runny that it stained half of my face.He scoffed, and grabbed my chin which he took upwards to face him. "I gave you an option, but you weren't ready for it" He said, his deep voice resounding."I don't have the money," I said, shaking my head. "If I did, I would have
Katie's POVMy heart pounded in my chest so much that I feared it would burst and break my rib cage. The knife was just on my skin and any little flutter might cause any injury. Even with my eyes, I saw how sharp and shiny this sharp object before me was."I will sign it" I suddenly said, and he looked at me."You want to sign it?" He asked, his voice giving hints of surprise and perplexity.I nodded quickly, and vehemently. "Yes!" I responded."You said you were a virgin" He said, as an eyebrow scrolled up."Yes, I didn't lie about that," I answered.He smirked, "You are about to give it a try?" He asked."Yes, I will learn, try my best and do a good job, I promise "I uttered in a low and soft tone.He chuckled and clapped his hand, after shoving the knife underneath his armpit. I heaved in relief when the knife moved away from me. I could now breathe and not live in fear, and panic."Good job, girl. I'm sure you will do a great job. Later on, in future, I won't be surprised when you
Cephus' POV."Do you think you can ambush me and get away with it?" I made my voice as menacing as possible and the scared look on my prisoner's face satisfied me a lot."You don't scare me," his voice wavered as he tried to sound strong, but I could tell he was on the verge of breaking."Oh yes? How about this?" I pressed the hot burning iron into his thighs as he screamed at the top of his lungs, for a man trying to sound strong, he sure looked like a sissy in distress.I chuckled evilly, "Where is your base? Where is your boss hiding?" I questioned him for the umpteenth time, but all he let out was a bucket full of sob."I don't know," he looked pathetic and I couldn't stand looking at his face, so I left the place to my right hand man, Arman."Come on, Romeo, come find this fucker for me," I signalled to the computer genius, making him follow me out of the room.He hurriedly fished out his computer and walked with me, "Boss, there is a tracker embedded into his neck, if I could ha
Katie's POV"Thank you," I made sure to fill my voice with enough gratitude as I looked at Cephus. I never thought he would come to save me.He looked pissed, "I can't have damaged goods working in my club now, can I?" His reply made me shiver."Is that all you think of me? A good to be used to bring in profit for yourself?" I was on the verge of crying, but his emotions were shut off that I could barely get a read. One thing was for sure though, he meant every word."Get back to making me money, pet," He grabbed me by the arm, pulling me out of the room into the dance floor where I can continue shaking my ass off to strangers that get off of it.I felt disgusted with myself as I danced for the men and women in the club. The way they looked at me, like I was nothing more than a piece of meat, made my skin crawl. But I had no choice. Cephus owned me now, and I was at his mercy.As I danced, I caught a glimpse of a man in the corner of the room. He was watching me intently, but there wa
Cephus' POV."Give me the strongest drink on the menu," I slapped my hands on the counter, startling the bar tender for the night. The place is mine, so no one dared question my actions.To say I was pissed after Romeo informed me of Felix's moving would be an understatement.I took a swig of the drink and felt the burn down my throat, momentarily easing the anger coursing through my veins. I couldn't believe Felix had the audacity to move without consulting me first. We had a deal, and he knew the consequences if he ever tried to break it. I looked around the bar, taking in the dimly lit room and the hushed conversations of the patrons. This place was my sanctuary, a place where I could escape the chaos of my life and unwind. But tonight, even the comforting atmosphere couldn't calm my nerves. I needed to figure out what to do about Felix.As I pondered my next move, a voice interrupted my thoughts. "Cephus, can we talk?" It was Sophia, my ex-girlfriend. I hadn't seen her in months,
Katie's POVMy eyebrows arched as I tried to apprehend whatever he was saying. I realized he was really drunk at that point, and I couldn't be so nervous, when I noticed that his whole body was against mine, like we were couples.I looked around, and sighed in relief, when I noticed there were only a few people around, and even those there, looked like they weren't concerned about us. Instead, they were all focused on their business or whatever they came for."Freya" I heard Cephus's whisper, and my eyes blinked."Why does he keep saying that?" I whispered to myself, and hissed before slightly pushing him.Even without using enough strength, he fell to the floor, like he was light and loose. I gasped shockingly, and crouched low."Gosh! Why did he drink to this extent" I muttered, releasing a soft, depressing sigh.I wanted to help him and lead him to the sofa at the side, but he was quite heavy, and I was exhausted already. All the dancing and moving that day, made me so tired.I nev
Katie's POVMy eyes blinked, and I tried not to allow the tears to leave my eyes. I couldn't believe he treated me that way, despite helping him. I felt my heartbreak and at that point, I couldn't hold the tears any more, so it started leaving my eyes.I felt like a fool, and I regretted bringing him to my place, and even seeing him at the bar. If only I ignored him and left before he dropped drunk."Asshole" I sniffed, rubbing my itching and runny nose with my hand.The door suddenly opened and when I looked up, I saw Cephus. He was glaring stonily at me, like we were both enemies before birth. I felt flabbergasted to notice his sudden and uncalled presence.He walked closer to me, and I shifted back. I prayed that he wouldn't hurt me, but what was he doing back here anyway. Did he probably hear me when I called him an asshole.My heart kept beating fast as he walked closer. I couldn't even look him in the eye, so I kept dodging it."Look at me" I heard his cold voice order. I slowly
Chapter 183Katie's POVAll I see is a blur of him as I try to get my mind and body to function so I can answer him. My legs hit the floor as he pushed me down, releasing me to walk away. His hand grips his hair as he stares at the gun in his other hand and back down to me.“No. No, it’s not true,” I whimper, tears still falling. “Don’t listen to him,” I plead, looking him straight in the eyes.“Silence,” he orders, walking over to me with his hand raised. Will he hit me? Will he hurt me?“That isn’t true!” I shoot back. “Nothing he is saying is true…”Silence ensues for a long second before Cephus speaks. “Get the ropes and tape!” he yells to Mack. I’m lying on the ground on my side when his face comes into my vision.“Was it all a lie, Katie? Was it all some fucked up lie so that you could get into my head? So you could get the inside job done and walk away unscathed?” His voice is so loud in my ears, I push away from him.“Was it?” he shouts, demanding a response, his fingers gripp
Chapter 182Katie's POV“I see it as more of a protective arrangement for both of us. There are legal protections for each of us… incentives to keep one another’s secrets.”I fixed him with what I hoped was the most vicious look I had in me. “I never went to the cops after you kidnapped me, didn’t go running to my parents begging them to find someone to break your kneecaps, and you thought you needed some other way of getting me to keep your secrets?”“It matters…” I can hear the anxiety in Mack’s voice. Something is very, very wrong.“Why does it matter? She was nothing before this whole incident and will be nothing after everything takes place. She’s clean. I know it.” Cephus sounds confident, and though I know I have done nothing wrong, if Mack convinces him I did something, I know I am as good as dead.“It matters because I know she’s not clean. After Jared called me and told me what Luccio said, I did a little digging on her and found some shit out.”Horror fills my mind. What i
Chapter 181Katie's POV“I was seven or eight, in a regular primary school not far from here.” His right hand moved, grasping for his phone, then he left it alone and pulled my hand he was still holding onto his knee, placing both of his hands over it. If the ring I was wearing was digging in, he didn’t give any sign. “It might surprise you to hear this, Katie, but I was not the best of children.”“Shocking revelation.”“I was always targeting kids a bit younger, a bit smaller. The ones I knew wouldn’t be able to give me any shit in return. Except this one time, there was this kid—Billy Burke, I remember his name vividly—and he did give me shit. He told me he wanted me to stop pushing him around and trying to scare him, and no he wasn’t going to give me his lunch money, by the way. I’d never run into this situation before when I was running this scam, so I panicked a bit. I hit him in the face. Told me to his parents.”I didn’t know what to say to this. It took me all too quickly b
Chapter 180Katie's POVEven when it gets worked out in the end, it sucks for long-term relationships.”It had to be even harder to find someone you could enter into the sort of long-term relationship most people were especially keen on with. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised Cephus had jumped at the chance to get me on board as a future wife.And speaking of my future husband, I had half-expected he wouldn’t be there when I returned. Then when I saw him sitting on the couch in front of the TV where he’d been when I ran out to get in Caroline’s car—where he’d probably slept for all I knew, he’d gone out the night before and hadn’t been back before I admitted defeat and crawled to bed—I half-expected to spot Angel somewhere in the room in the next moment. She didn’t have anything further to add to her roster of manipulations for the moment: we were alone.“What was your day like?” asked Cephus without looking at me. I let my bag slip by degrees from my fingers, frozen in place by the p
Chapter 179Katie's POV“Cephus isn’t supposed to be a part of this side of things, he can’t do it… and I doubt you’re in a position to ask your mother for assistance. Caroline is an ideal choice.”I didn’t like it, but she was right. I couldn’t go about this the wrong way if I ever wanted to be on Cephus’s good side. I didn’t want to go about it the wrong way. And while I was surrounded by Cephus’s family I needed to make connections unless I wanted to be treated the same way I was on my own. Caroline seemed like the safest option there so far.“If you’re sure I won’t be inconveniencing you,” I told Caroline. “I could use the help. I don’t have much experience with the whole wedding business, that much is for sure.”Caroline broke out in a little golf clap of delight. There might actually be some benefit in spending trying to absorb as much as I could of her elegance. “I’m so pleased to help. Now, I was thinking, I have the whole of tomorrow afternoon off work, so that would be a g
Chapter 178Katie's POVI sat up with a gasp.It was just like the morning before when I had woken to unexpected voices. But this time I was in a strange bed again, and at least one of those voices didn’t seem familiar at all.I’d learned my lesson from the day before. I couldn’t get myself into the single bathroom in the apartment, but I pulled on a proper outfit, brushed out my hair, and cleaned my face thoroughly with some wipes. I didn’t dare put on makeup without a full mirror, but I was young and fresh enough that I could probably get away without it.Once I was decent, I made a quick and quiet tidy of my room and then stepped up to the door for a bit of strategic eavesdropping before I joined the action.A childish female voice was doing most of the talking. “She’ll need someone to guide her through the process.”Cephus’s voice sounded both amused and exasperated. “Someone who has never been even close to getting married before?”“You know exactly what Caroline means.” The thi
Chapter 177Katie's POVI kept trying to convince myself that what I was craving was the worst craving anyone had ever had, including anything that had been thought up by a brain on pregnancy. But it was ridiculous to be so worried about whether I did or didn’t sleep with him when I was already making myself vulnerable to him, right? Or was this just how I was convincing myself to go along with wherever my lust took me?I don’t think about looking at my plate. Then when Cephus abruptly slid his chair backwards and stood, I startled like a tiny animal that could run away if provoked further. I knew damn well I couldn’t run.Cephus came to my side and put his hand out for mine, drawing me to my feet when I complied.“You have sauce on you,” he said and pointed it out on my shirt—his fingertip pressing slightly into my breast in a way that was, I’m sure, entirely necessary.I looked down at his hand there. Well, I’d managed to at least try to eat something.I thrust my chest forward in
Chapter 176Katie's POV“Madonna and child.” Cephus folded his arms and leaned back; it felt like an acknowledgment that I’d landed a hit, but I didn’t have any idea how. I’d just been trying to give a voice to my frustrations. “So you know a little bit about art, then.”“I think that’s kind of something I picked up through pop culture actually,” I said. I was hoping to screw with him while I seemed to have an advantage, and he did appear to deflate a little in response. “You’d be more eager to get a leg over if I was the kind of girl who t art and how to engage with you because I have any desire to ‘get a leg over’. And I have no intention of scorning you because you lack cultural polish. I assure you that I will be able to provide for you sexually in every way you might require.”“What kind of statement is that? Trust me, I’m a sexy beast, even though from the way I behave you would expect pretty much any Arctic land to be less frigid than I am?”“Do you want me to provide referen
Chapter 175Katie's POV“Am I supposed to believe you are shy?”I was so startled by Cephus's Voice that here I dropped the capsicum I’d been fidgeting with. It rolled across the bench, and Cephus caught it with one hand while he continued dicing its unlucky sibling with the other.“I guess you wouldn’t,” I admitted, “but if any situation was going to make me feel that way… I mean, we’ve gone from you having me dragged out If bed to trying to cook with me?”“You’ve got to roll with the challenges life presents you sometimes, Katie,” said Cephus, rolling the second capsicum into the path of his knife.“Are you talking about me here or you?”“Both of us, for once.” His expression visibly dulled. It struck me then just how much more animated he had become since we had first met. It was just a handful of hours but there was someone behind the mafia man front he was slowly letting me see, whether by choice or unconsciously I did not know.It bothered disappearing again. It was messing wi