Heartless Lover by Faith Summers

11

Eric

It’s not her who’s the sadist.

It’s me.

This is the second time I’ve played with fire by stepping over the fucking line and gotten burned.

Of course, I was going to spank her ass for snooping around my room, but everything else came out of the blue.

It came from the beast inside me that wanted to consume her, and if I’m honest, it came from the part of me that knew Robert had had her. The part that suspects she must have been his on some level, and I wanted to erase that.

It’s crazy as fuck. I already know I can’t keep her, but I don’t want her to have belonged to him either.

That’s not what attracts me to her, though. There’s more. It’s something I can’t quite put my finger on, and that’s saying something given the fact I should be able to figure out my own damn mind.

Now the taste of her sweet pussy is in my mouth like I just had an exquisite meal, and the sadistic part of me wants to taste her all over again—everywhere.

That’s what’s been going through my head for the last hour and probably the only thing keeping me sane as I initiated Luke Thornton’s torture. All that time, and the fool has told me nothing but shit.

So, I feel nothing but that bloodthirst as I stare into his wide, terrified eyes. I have him tied up in the chair before me. My men got him warmed up before I arrived. By the time I got here, he was already covered in blood and a gory mess.

I gave the order to go wild just for the extra time we spent looking for him.

Of course, when he found out I was looking for him, the motherfucker tried to skip town. The fool even sent an email to Robert, which Maksim intercepted.

When I first walked into the warehouse, Luke looked like he was ready to shit himself. Undiluted fear rippled off him in waves, and as I grabbed the blow torch and burned off his leg, he knew that was only the beginning, and his only choices were to die fast or slow.

It was clear he knew this was going to be his last day on earth.

He would have come to that conclusion when he remembered what he did to me.

Even if I were to let him go, his cartel friends would kill his ass for not depositing the three million dollars’ worth of cocaine in the back of his truck with their buyer.

Giving him a ruthless smile, I fire up the torch once more and wave it in front of his eyes. Tears run down his cheeks, and as he shuffles against the rope holding him hostage the fragrance of burnt flesh tickles my nose.

“Please, I don’t know anything more,” he cries.

“You’re lying,” I answer, holding his gaze. I have no idea if he is lying or telling the truth, but it doesn’t matter. That won’t change what I do to him.

For the last half an hour, he’s gone from screaming for God to save him to shouting nonsense as he cried and begged for mercy, then he pissed himself. Twice.

I’m not a good man—clearly—but even I know God must have turned a blind eye when he called for him.

This man has a taste for preying on the weak.

Everything about him is a front, and it wasn’t just my sister who fell prey to his disgusting shit. Luke Thornton has a library of footage he’s garnered from other children—young girls—some who were kidnapped and sold to cartels for their flesh trade. He’s one of those perverted sick fucktards who like to watch and obsess over children.

“Robert Carson,” I say the name of my nemesis again. This time with emphasis. “You set up his meetings here. You must have some contact with him.”

When I turn up the flames on the blow torch, Luke starts sobbing again. He hasn’t answered me this time. I don’t know if that’s because he can no longer form words. Or it could be because he’s going to give me the same answer, and he knows my reaction will only accelerate his death.

“Answer me, Luke,” I shout, and he jumps at the sound of my voice.

“I told you, all I do is email, and he messages back with a location.”

“And you don’t have a fucking number for him?” I shout in his face.

We’ve been going back and forth with this shit for far too long. My patience is growing thin.

“I don’t. You have to believe me.”

“I don’t have to believe shit.”

I land the blazing flames of the blow torch over his other leg. He screams a wretched sound then vomits over the burning flesh.

Because of the rage inside me I can’t control, I haven’t gone easy on him like I knew I should have.

“Please… stop,” he begs.

“Please stop? I remember saying the same thing to you back in Brazil. Do you remember what you did?” I get up in his face, and tears run down his cheeks. “You electrocuted me and turned up the voltage so high it burned my skin. Then you got up in my face and told me if Jude gives you a chance, you’d fuck my sister and make my mother watch.”

That is the type of shit I had to hear, and this is one last asshole they’ll have to worry about.

He’s no good to me, so it’s time to end this.

Instead of burning his leg again, I aim the flames at his torso and set him on fire.

“That is for my sister, you animal,” I tell him as he screams.

Moments later, the screaming stops, and he stills. When his head falls back, and I watch the light leave his eyes, I know he’s dead.

As I stare into those cold dead eyes and watch the flames consume him, I ball my hands into tight fists.

I seem to have so much information, more than I had before, but I’m still on fucking square one.

I continued to stare at Luke’s mangled body, not knowing if he was telling the truth or not. If he was, then I never had a lead in the first place. Not with him.

The answer to this won’t lie with him.

It’s looking like if I want Robert, my number one goal has to be tracking the code.

Finding him is going to mean more patience on my part.

That means more waiting. One thing I absolutely loathe.

* * *

I reach home a few hours later. The blanket of night has just fallen over the sky.

I decided to check in at Markov Tech to see how things were going in my absence. At the same time, I informed my P.A. that I’d be away for most of the month, so it was best to reschedule all my meetings.

From the faint glow of light coming from the living room, I can tell I have a guest, and from the soft smell of roses lingering in the air, I know exactly who has come to see me.

Only I wish she didn’t. I hate seeing my sister after I’ve killed.

I cleaned up back at the warehouse, but my soul always feels dirtier next to hers. She doesn’t know what I really am.

I know she must have some idea if her husband-to-be recruited me for one of the elite roles in the Brotherhood. But Olivia still thinks of me as a good man.

I guess I’m making the same deluded mistakes as her because I still think of her as my kid sister, and she hasn’t been that in years.

We’re five years apart, and to me, that means as deluded as we are about each other, the fact still remains that I’m her older brother. I can be that for her for as long as I draw breath.

I get to walk her down the aisle in a few months and give her away to a man who would give her everything, including his life, if it came to it.

As much as I never wanted my sister to be part of this dark mafia world I live in, I couldn’t ask for anyone better for her than Aiden.

I also know if anything were to happen to me, Aiden would look after the two people I care about most.

When I step through the door, I find Olivia standing by the floor to ceiling glass windows. She’s gazing out at the scenic view of the City of Angels that assisted my decision to get this apartment. In her elegant navy blue cocktail dress, she looks as graceful as Mom used to when she’d get dressed up for a fundraiser or when she went to see my father.

Olivia turns to face me as I enter, and I feel like an asshole when I note the worry on her face. I know I put it there.

I don’t like seeing her worried. She’s had that specific look since I revealed the big secret that Robert was the person who betrayed me and caused us all that pain.

We’ve always had something to worry about, but the worry she’s sporting now is different. It mingles with fear. Nobody knows me better than she does. She might not be aware of what I get up to when I’m working, but she knows my rebellious personality. She knows I’ll go after Robert, and if that kills me, it’s a small price to pay.

“Sis, making late-night house calls?” I ask in a lighthearted tone.

She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. She tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear and brings her hands together.

“I won’t stay long.”

“I’m amazed that man of yours allowed you to come all the way out here by yourself.” I sound like I’m joking. I’m not, though. Aiden always has a guard with her. Even when she comes to visit me. Normally if it’s late like now, he’d come himself. I’m surprised there isn’t anyone else inside here with her.

“Maksim is just down the corridor,” she explains, and instantly I feel reassured she is more than safe. Maksim is just as good as having the Pakhan himself here. The next best is me.

“I see you have a guest,” she states with a twinkle in her eyes.

She’s talking about Summer, but she won’t know why she’s here.

“I do have a guest.”

“She’s pretty.”

“Yeah.”

“Will I hear wedding bells ringing for you, brother?”

I have to laugh. The closest I’ll get to a wedding is hers. “No. So what brings you here?”

“Nice subtle change of subject.” She grins, and I smile. “Aiden got called away on business. I wanted to talk to you, so I came here to wait.”

I move closer and search her face. After that talk with Aiden I expected her to see me at some point, but it looks like she has something important she wants to tell me.

“Is it something I have to worry about?”

“No. It’s nothing to worry about. It’s good news, actually.”

“Good news?” That’s something I rarely hear. I can’t tell when last I had anything of the sort.

“Yes, very good news.”

“Well, tell me what it is now,” I prod.

“I’m pregnant,” she replies, and I’m surprised by the happiness I feel.

I never thought about how I’d react when this day came. I’m genuinely happy for her.

“Oh my God, that’s wonderful news.” I pull her in for a hug and cup her face. “This is perfect news.”

It’s something both she and Aiden deserve.

This news and their upcoming wedding is part of her happily ever after. That’s something I want her to have more than anything. It will make up for the shitty childhood we had, and the times I wasn’t here for her.

“Thank you. I’m glad you’re happy.”

“Of course, I am. When can we expect this baby?

“In March. I’m six weeks pregnant.” Her smile widens. “I know it’s gonna be weird because we’re getting married in two months.”

“Olivia, no one cares about that. What did Mom say? I’m sure she cried and started planning shopping trips.”

The smile recedes from her face. “Nobody else knows yet. Only you, I’m going to tell Mom in the morning.”

At first, I feel a sense of pride for being the first to hear the good news. However, when I think of what that really means, I feel like an asshole again. I know why she told me first, and it’s not exactly for a good reason. The first person who should have heard this type of news is our mother.

Taking Olivia’s dainty hands into mine, I hold her gaze. “I’m honored you’d tell me before anybody else, but why Olivia?” I want to hear her confirm the fears I know she has. It’s time we talk about it.

That twinkle I saw in her indigo gaze moments ago disappears, and the worry I knew wasn’t far away returns.

“I know you have a lead on Robert. I just wanted to make sure I told you in person as soon as possible. Since this whole Robert thing came about, that’s all I worry about. You dying.”

There it is. Exactly what I thought. She thinks I’m going to die.

It was only two mere months ago when I revealed the truth. Up until that point, everyone thought Robert was dead. I couldn’t talk about him before because I was still in a weird place in my mind, and everything was still so raw. I knew from the moment I told everyone what really happened, they’d know what I’d be planning next.

Worse of all, I knew they’d know my mental state and my obsession with death.

That’s the best way to describe me. In my obsession with bringing an end to Robert, I’m not as careful as I should be. Definitely not for a man who’s been out of captivity for a few days over a year. Anyone who looks at me can see I’m only living to find that motherfucker, and I’m not afraid of death.

That is what my sister sees when she looks at me—a soulless creature who’s crossed over to the valley where the shadow of death is always present.

When a man like me gets captured and is held in that captivity for so long, you come back different. Changed.

That’s the thing about me I can’t fix, and neither can she.

“Olivia, you can’t worry about me now.” I shake my head firmly, and she presses her red lips together in a thin line of displeasure.

“Eric, I lived in this world for five years thinking you were dead. Every day I died inside a little more when I thought of your death.” A tear runs down her cheek. “You have no idea how I felt when I found out you were alive.”

“I can imagine,” I say quickly, then shame dips my head for a brief moment. When I meet her gaze again, another tear drifts down her cheek, and I catch it. “It wasn’t what I wanted for you.”

“But it happened.”

“I’m sorry it did.”

That’s how the lives we now have begun and how our paths interwove with Aiden’s. He was looking for his son.

“It wasn’t your fault,” she states softly.

I release my hold on her. “It was. There’s a difference between walking into a trap and walking into a trap you set for yourself. I’m the latter.” I got involved with people I shouldn’t have and facilitated everything else that happened. That’s the bottom line.

“We all make mistakes. That was a mistake. You didn’t know what you were getting into. I know that. If I didn’t know it in my heart, I wouldn’t have risked everything to find you. You must know how much I love you and just wanted you home safe.”

“I know. I don’t want you to worry about me,” I say again.

“Telling me that isn’t going to stop me. You kept quiet about Robert for almost a year, but I knew something was wrong, so I worried. Every time I saw the way your face looked whenever his name was mentioned, I worried. I worried because you used to get the same look whenever Dad disappointed us.”

I always felt betrayed by my father. That’s why I would have had that look she’s talking about.

My parents were in love with each other but could never be together.

Persephone, my father’s wife, didn’t hesitate to make our lives hell.

When she found out about us, she threatened to take everything away from my father if he didn’t cut us off. Since he was practically the leader of the Syndicate, that meant everything he ever stood for. Persephone further threatened to destroy my grandfather and our family. While Dad didn’t entirely listen to her in cutting us off, in my eyes, if he truly loved us, I thought he should have been willing to sacrifice everything and protect us from whatever she threw our way. We all loved him so much and his death was hard on us all.

My mother was driving when she heard about his death. The shock hit her so hard she crashed her car. That’s how she lost the use of her legs.

“I don’t want revenge to consume you. Even before you told me the truth about Robert, I knew what that look meant,” she adds. “I knew Robert must have done something terrible to you. Something terrible to hurt you near enough the same way Dad did when he practically disowned us.”

Although it aggrieves me to admit I allowed Robert to cut me at such a deep level, she’s not wrong and the sting of betrayal felt similar.

“Olivia, I want him to pay for what he did. It’s as simple as that. That is what I want. You have to realize something here; I can’t rest because he’s out there alive somewhere. He tried to destroy us, and in my eyes, he’ll always be a threat I need to eliminate before he comes for us again.” I explain as best as possible. I know she gets what I’m trying to say, but it’s not going to help her worry any less.

“Can you promise me that you’ll be careful,” she pleads.

A promise like that feels the same as telling her I won’t die. But right now, I need my sister to believe anything that will help ease her mind even if it’s a lie.

“All right. I promise to be careful. But, Liv,” I only call her the pet name I gave her when she was little because I want her to see how serious I am. “You can’t worry about me anymore. You have a family to think about now. I’ll be careful, but just remember your family has to come first now. You hear me?”

She nods. “I hear you.”

“Good. Now go home and get some rest.”

“Okay.”

“Spokoynoy nochi,” I say, telling her goodnight in Russian.

“Spokoynoy nochi.”

After another hug, she leaves. As soon as she goes through the door, the tension I previously felt comes back, and the beast inside awakens, remembering all that I have to do.