Chapter 2

WALKER

I woke up with a pounding headache, and to top it off, the blonde I’d been with last night was enthusiastically working on my hard cock, hoping for another round of Walker’s charm.

All these women seemed the same.

If they weren’t after your money, they were after your body.

I slid my hand down to the blonde’s head and pushed her further onto my cock, causing her to gag.

She protested, muffled, and when I did it again, she let go of my cock with a pop and swatted at my hand on her head.

“Don’t force me like that!” she exclaimed.

“That’s how I like it,” I replied.

She pouted, pushed her breasts together with her arms, and reached for a condom on my bedside table.

I grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

“Actually, I’m not done sleeping. I’ll call you later,” I said.

Her blue eyes looked hurt, but she got the message.

She climbed out of my bed, gathered her clothes, and closed the door behind her.

Rolling my eyes, I turned onto my side and tried to will my arousal away.

Just as I was about to fall back asleep, I heard my bedroom door open.

“What do you want, Hayden?” I snapped at my second in command.

“I saw Brandy leave and figured you were awake.”

I rolled onto my back and glared at Hayden.

He was six foot one, with jet black hair and blue eyes.

Some might call him a pretty boy, but I knew Hayden’s dark side, and it was anything but pretty.

“Was that her name? Brandy?” I asked, grimacing.

“You don’t remember?” Hayden teased.

I shrugged.

“They all blend together,” I said.

“And none of the Bluewood’s babes can thaw the great Walker’s heart?” he joked.

“Did you come in here for a reason or do you want to lose some teeth?” I asked, sharply.

“They caught little Richard last night.”

“Caught him stealing the goods?”

Hayden nodded and smiled slowly.

“What do you want to do?”

I clenched my jaw and felt my eye twitch.

“Basement in an hour,” I said.

Hayden pumped his fist in the air and jumped a little.

I kicked off the bed covers and headed to my private bathroom, turning on the shower.

Under the hot water, I rolled my neck around before washing myself with some expensive body wash.

I turned off the water, wrapped a towel around my waist, and walked back into my bedroom.

I pressed a button on a remote and my bedroom windows cleared, letting in the sunlight.

I winced again and ran a hand through my wet black hair.

“Bad idea,” I muttered, reaching for some painkillers on my bedside table.

I swallowed a couple with a gulp of water and pulled on some black joggers and a black t-shirt.

Leaving my bedroom, I went downstairs to the kitchen, put some bread in the toaster, and slid a cup under the coffee machine.

From the fridge, I got out butter and jam and spread it thick on my toast before eating it.

Hayden came into the kitchen and slid onto a stool at the breakfast bar as I sipped my coffee.

“You do remember that we’re having a beach party tonight?” he said, slowly.

I rolled my eyes and grunted.

“It’s just to show our less important members that here at Raffiel’s we care, and we share,” he said, placing a hand over his heart.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” I said, burping quietly.

“It’s okay. We can just sit up on the deck while the peasants party below us.”

We threw this party once a year. It attracted lower members and a flock of women like a bird feeder.

We provided the drinks and BBQ food in a show of appreciation for what they did for us, and usually by the early hours of the morning, it was over.

“Are you taking Brandy?” Hayden asked.

“No,” I said, firmly.

“Okay, so will you be my date then?”

I threw a crust of my toast at him, and it hit him in the head.

“What happened with you and Shelly?”

Hayden made a face and shook his head.

“She got too clingy. Had to fuck her and leave her,” he explained.

That’s all these hookups were nowadays.

Pointless sex.

I sighed, finished my coffee, and headed to the dishwasher.

I opened it to find it full of dirty dishes.

“What the fuck!” I swore.

“You forget to turn it on?” Hayden asked.

“No, it was your turn,” I said.

He shook his head.

“Nope. Definitely your turn this week.”

I growled, frustrated.

I hated cleaning.

“Look into hiring a cleaner, will you?”

Hayden nodded as I put a tablet into the dishwasher and started its cycle.

I put the butter and jam away and wiped down the breakfast bar.

Hayden and I lived here together, and we took turns cleaning up, but mostly it fell to me.

Speaking of cleaning up?

I had that bastard in the basement to deal with.

“Everything ready?” I asked Hayden.

His blue eyes darkened as he nodded, and we both walked to the basement door, descending quickly.

Two of my men were flanking a man tied to a chair with a gag in his mouth.

I moved over to the man, stood before him, and crossed my arms over my broad chest.

Hayden lowered his gag so he could speak.

“It wasn’t me!” he cried out.

“Oh, come on, Dick? You were caught red-handed,” I said, sounding bored.

“It was only a couple of bags. I needed the extra money,” he protested.

I pulled out a chair, straddled it, and crossed my arms over the back of it.

I lowered my head so I could look Richard in the eye.

“I don’t like thieves,” I said.

“Especially if they steal from us,” Hayden added.

“It won’t happen again,” Richard said, tears streaming down his chubby face.

I leaned closer to him.

“But I hate liars even more,” I said.

Hayden’s fist collided with Richard’s face, shattering his nose.

I watched as blood streamed down his face, a smile tugging at my lips.

There was something about the sight of fresh blood that I found appealing.

Hayden landed another punch, this time splitting Richard’s eyebrow.

Richard let out a grunt, and I motioned for the two men to release him from the chair.

I rose from my own chair, moving towards a table where a pair of silver knuckle dusters lay. I slid them onto my hands.

As I turned to face Richard, he caught sight of my fists and panic flashed across his face.

“Please. No!” he pleaded.

Hayden bound his wrists together and the two men hoisted him up from the chair.

“Hang him on the hook,” I instructed them.

They lifted Richard up, suspending his wrists on a hook that dangled from the ceiling.

His ribs, stomach, and chest were now exposed. I noticed Hayden slipping on his own pair of knuckle dusters.

We moved towards the man, ready to beat him within an inch of his life.

I could feel ribs crack under my fists as I used him like a punching bag.

Blood sprayed over me as I pummeled him relentlessly.

~This will teach the bastard not to steal from me!~

Once my knuckle dusters were slick with blood, I stepped back, removing them.

I heard Richard’s pained grunt and gave Hayden a nod.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he pulled out his Glock 17 and shot Richard in the head.

A satisfied smile spread across Hayden’s face as we watched the lifeless body sway in our basement.

“Clean this up and dispose of the body,” I commanded the men.

They nodded, cutting Richard’s body down. It crumpled to the floor in a lifeless heap.

I made a face of disgust and stepped over him, heading back up the stairs.

Hayden trailed behind me and we washed the blood off our hands in the kitchen sink.

“Make sure the word gets out. No one steals from the Raffiels and lives to tell the tale,” I told Hayden.

The darkness in his eyes had faded, replaced with a look of satisfaction.

I walked over to the sliding door in the kitchen, slid it open, and stepped out onto the deck of the beach house, my gaze sweeping over the sea before me.

The sun was shining brightly, signaling the start of a party I would have to feign enjoyment in.

I ran a hand through my hair, letting out a groan.

I had wealth, power, and this entire town under my control, yet I found myself yearning for something more.

I wasn’t sure what it was, but the things I used to enjoy, like sex, were starting to leave a sour taste in my mouth, and I didn’t like it one bit.