CHAPTER FOURTEEN

One of them had locked the basement door after realizing Daniella wasn’t going to join them. It was a desperate move and a critical oversight. Most basement doors are locked from the opposite side. We’d made sure this one was backward, just for the hell of it.

I pulled the small key from my pocket, turning it over in my gloved hand. The homeowner’s key. We’d taken it the night we killed him. We had known about this trip since the moment Daniella booked it. They never stood a chance. Sliding the key into the lock, the tumblers click into place. With a faint creak, the door opened, revealing the dark stairwell leading down.

The lights were off. That was smart but also pointless. Our masks were designed to give us perfect vision in the dark. We’d look just as foolish as our quarry did if we were running through darkness half-blind.

I stepped forward first, my shoes heavy on the stairs, the sound deliberate. I wanted them to know we were coming. Let them stew in the terror for just a little longer. As I reached the bottom, I paused, my gaze sweeping the space. The room was wide, housing a pool table, sofa, and a dart area. Just a few feet ahead, was Cherish.

She gripped a pillowcase stuffed with pool balls, the fabric stretched and strained under the weight. I couldn’t help but be impressed. I shouldn’t have been. Cherish always scrapped dirty when she had to.

For someone who’d grown up cushy, she had a surprising knack for survival when the stakes were high. As soon as I stepped off the last stair, she swung. Hard and fast. The pillowcase sliced through the air, aiming right at my head. I dodged, barely avoiding what would’ve been a nasty hit. Lucian and Thorne laughed behind me. Of course, they thought this shit was funny.

Cherish twisted, her movements sharp and fluid, and swung again. This time the pillowcase arced for my ribs. I caught it mid-swing, the force jolting up my arm, but I didn’t let go.

“No!” she snarled, trying to yank it free, but my grip held firm.

Lucian stepped forward, chuckling as he plucked the makeshift weapon from my hands. He examined it, spinning it lazily. “Creative.”

She blindly came swinging at him. Thorne intercepted her, his arms locking around her torso. Cherish bucked against his hold, spitting curses as he began dragging her toward the stairs.

“Let go of her!” Autumn lunged toward the sound of her sister’s voice, instinct and adrenaline driving her, but I was ready. I grabbed her arms and spun her around before she could reach where they stood.

“You should’ve been more worried about yourself, now look where you’ve wound up.”

I pulled her flush against me, my arms wrapping around her waist like a steel band. Her hands clawed at my arms, her strength wasn’t surprising, but it wasn’t enough. She wouldn’t be going anywhere. Not ever again.

“Let her go!”

I couldn’t help but grin.

“You really think you’re in a position to give orders, Mint?” The nickname rolled off my tongue like a brand, claiming her all over again. She stilled for a fraction of a second, just long enough for me to feel the way her body tensed against mine.

“You wanted to run away from me,” I murmured, leaning in closer. “Look where it’s gotten you.”

She thrashed again, her nails raking against my arms through the fabric of my suit, but I held firm. The struggle only made me want her more. Lucian tossed the pillowcase onto the pool table like it was nothing more than a forgotten toy.

He gestured toward the stairs. “We’ll be… entertaining our new friends until you’re ready.”

He turned on his heel, following Thorne as he hauled Cherish the rest of the way up the stairs. Her struggles echoed through the space, her voice carrying until the basement door slammed shut, sealing us in darkness. I didn’t need light to know her thoughts were racing. She would be trying to figure out how to gain some semblance of control.

Too bad for her I’d already taken it.

I walked her forward. When we reached the pool table, I forced her down, bending her over the edge. My hand wrapped tightly around the back of her neck, pressing her cheek against the felt. I leaned in closer, my voice a low murmur against her skin. “Didn’t I tell you I’d make this right?”

Her fists clenched, against the felt of the pool table.

The tremor that ran through her wasn’t fear alone, it was anger, frustration, and desire that I knew she didn’t want to admit.

That was fine. I could wait. I always had the patience for her.

I trained my fingers down her spine, savoring every inch of her defiance. When I reached the waistband of her pants, I tugged them down in one fluid motion, the fabric peeling away to reveal her flawless, smooth skin and perfect ass. Her body tensed even more, a low hiss escaping her lips as I pinned her harder by the back of her neck.

“Wilder, stop. Please. You don’t need to do this.”

“Don’t pretend you aren’t into it.”

Her breath came in uneven gasps, and she turned her head slightly, her voice trembling. “You’re insane. Actually fucking insane.”

I reached around and slipped my hand between her legs.

“That doesn’t change the fact that I’m yours. Just like you’re mine.” Her breath hitched as I eased a finger into her pussy, pushing past her resistance. Her body was taut with tension, her fists curling tighter against the table.

I held her firmly, keeping her exactly where I wanted her. “I never cheated on you, Mint.” My fingers moved slowly, stroking, coaxing, drawing out every reaction from her. “I never touched any of those women.”

She choked out a breath, her voice trembling as she struggled to form words, fighting the pleasure. “You killed Amber.”

“And it was a gratifying experience,” I replied without hesitation, my voice dripping with satisfaction. “Did you like seeing her like that? Did it make you feel better knowing she’d never be able to hurt you again? I should have done that a long time ago. I made it nice and slow for you. She felt as her neck detached.”

She froze beneath me, her body going still even as her breathing quickened. “You’re sick.”

“Then that makes you, my cure.”

My fingers slid deeper, her slickness coating the leather of my gloves, further proof of the war between her mind and her body.

I reveled in the way she reacted, the way she fought herself. She could never truly hate me or anything I did to her. I’d had years molding her to fit me, knowing one day the time would come for her to know the truth about my line of work.

Her breathy voice broke through my thoughts. “What are you going to do to us?”

I withdrew, savoring the way her body trembled at the loss. “How many of you do you think is left?”

She turned her head, trying to look at me, her voice shaking. “What?”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I undid the buckle of my slacks.

“No,” she ground out, trying to loosen the hold I had on her neck.

I lifted her higher, placing more of her upper body on the pool table to make things a bit easier. I grabbed my dick and lined the head up. I was so fucking hard it hurt.

“Gabe’s dead,” I revealed as I thrust inside her. Her body clenched around me, her breath catching in her throat as a strained cry escaped her lips. “Naija should be next.”

She said something unintelligible and a sob broke free. I thrust harder, watching her fingers claw at the table. Fuck, I missed her. I refused to go a single night without fucking her ever again, for as long as I lived.

“You’re a monster.”

That I understood.

“But you like that, don’t you? Must be why you’re drenching my dick.” I leaned forward, pressing my chest against her back and grabbing her hip. Her body arched, her breathing ragged as I pushed her closer to the edge. I wasn’t gentle; I wasn’t kind. I gave her everything—my anger, possession, and devotion, all of it poured into every brutal thrust.

“Tell me you don’t want this, Mint” I taunted. “Tell me you hate me.”

Her silence was deafening, and the way she gripped the edge of the table told me everything I needed to know. I knew her better than she knew herself. She could fight it all she wanted, but there was no denying it. I owned her. Every perfect, beautiful inch inside and out.

She made the most delightful sounds as she got closer to cumming, her heavy breaths and quiet, desperate sobs cutting through the dark basement. They spurred me on, each gasp and whimper encouragement I couldn’t ignore.

She felt like a dream come true, home—everything I’d been needing since the second she walked out of the penthouse. I hadn’t gone this long without her, ever.

The loss of her had hollowed me out, and now that I had her again, I couldn’t get deep enough inside her. Sometimes I wanted to split her apart just so I could crawl inside.

There was a sharp intake of breath when I moved just right, stroking her G-spot.

I drove into her harder, the force enough to make the pool table creak beneath us. I couldn’t stop, didn’t want to. The way her body moved against mine, so responsive, so perfect, made my head swim. I’d been starving for this.

“You feel it too,” I implored, my voice rough and strained. “Don’t you, baby?”

She shook her head, a desperate, futile denial. “Wilder… please—”

“Please what? Please don’t stop? Please remind you who you belong to?” I punctuated each question with a deep-seated thrust, dragging a broken whimper from her lips. “Say it, Mint. Tell me the truth.”

“I hate you,” she choked out.

“Remember what I told you about lying, Mint?” I laughed through a groan. “You can’t hate me. I made it that way.”

She let out another muffled sob, her pussy beginning to clench, betraying every word she tried to say. She was unraveling, her fight slipping away.

I savored every second of it.

“You’re perfect,” I murmured, more to myself than to her. “Everything I’ve ever wanted, everything I’ll ever need.”

I moved faster, rougher, determined to push her over the edge, to take everything she had. When she finally came, she muffled the scream of pleasure against the pool table, I followed, the intensity of it ripping through me like a storm. I kept pumping in and out until every drop of cum was inside her.

For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of our ragged breathing, the weight of what had just happened settling over us. I pulled back slightly.

Unable to withhold anymore, I lifted my mask just enough to free my mouth, then leaned down and captured her lips. I swallowed her protests, my hand tightening to keep her where I wanted her. Her body was still trembling.

I slipped a hand between us again, finding her clit with ease.

She gasped into my mouth, and I pulled away, pressing my lips to her slick skin, sucking and biting just hard enough to leave a mark. My mark.

“Come on,” I coaxed, my voice low and rough as my fingers worked. “Let go for me, Mint. I know you want to.”

She shuddered, trying again to push me away. I moved closer, my lips brushing her ear as I whispered the words that I knew would break her. Promises, confessions, and dark truths, all spilling from my mouth like a poison she couldn’t resist. Her body tensed and then she came again with a broken cry.

“Good girl,” I praised.

I wished I had longer to draw this out, to worship her fully from head to toe, but there were limits to my patience, and I didn’t want us to miss all the fun upstairs.

“I’ll make it up to you tomorrow,” I promised.

“Fuck you, Wilder.”

I hushed her with another kiss.

Reluctantly, I pulled out, fixing myself as I cast a lingering look at her flushed, tear-streaked face. “You’re beautiful like this.” I worked to tug her pants back into place. She squirmed weakly, but I didn’t let up, pleased by the thought of her carrying the evidence of me inside her after all this time apart.

Once she was dressed, I adjusted my mask, pulling it back into place, my focus never left her. She flinched as I gripped her throat, my fingers a leash to lead. We reached the stairs, and I paused.

“Now it’s time to go upstairs and clear up some misconceptions,” I explained, my tone soft but unrelenting. “Be good, and you’ll see Moose sooner rather than later.”

There was a noticeable change in her demeanor at the mention of her— our —dog, a spark of life reigniting in her gaze. If that was all it took I’d buy her a million of them. I smiled and led her up the steps.