Corrupt(17)

She finally turned, hurrying for wherever she’d dropped her clothes, and I heard rustling as she got dressed.

Looking back down, I saw Rika pour paint into a tray and then dip in a roller, soaking it in red.

My favorite color.

It was brave and confident but also aggressive and violent. Not sure why I favored it, but I always had.

The elevator bell dinged again, and I stood up straight, steeling my back as I heard deep voices enter the penthouse.

Turning around, I saw the girl, Alex, slip on her last shoe and grab her clutch purse before hustling in the direction of the elevators.

But regardless of whether or not she was dressed, she wouldn’t go unnoticed.

Damon, Will, and Kai emerged from around the corner, dressed in similar black suits, having just been out themselves, smiling over a shared joke.

Alex stepped quickly, trying to scurry past, but Damon caught her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Whoa, where do you think you’re going?” he teased, tightening his hold against her fake struggles. “Did Michael use his full hour already?”

Will laughed, shaking his head as he and Kai kept walking, making their way into the apartment.

Damon walked her backward, into the living room again, one of his hands squeezing her ass.

I leaned over to the chair, picking up the lounge pants I’d thrown there this morning. Slipping my legs in, I pulled them up and then whipped off the towel, tossing it on the floor.

“Just leave her alone,” I told him.

But his dark eyes, nearly black, drifted up to me, a challenge lurking there that I was getting f*cking tired of seeing.

His lips curled in a smile as he reached into his pocket, taking out a roll of bills.

“I’ll be gentle,” he whispered against her cheek, holding up the money.

She turned her head, eyeing me, probably wondering what the protocol was. Was she supposed to indulge an opportunity while another was still in the room?

I didn’t care what she did. She was available, and when it came right down to it, it was her business, not her pleasure. I’d simply needed someone on my arm tonight for a private party, and Will knew her well enough to know she was discreet and hassle-free.

I was just sick of Damon’s antics.

But she turned back to him and slowly took the money.

And he didn’t hesitate. Yanking the top of her dress down to her waist, he picked her up and guided her legs around his waist.

“I lied,” he said, baring his teeth next to her ear. “I’m never gentle.”

He dived for her, covering her mouth with his as he carried her down the hall, disappearing into a spare bedroom.

I exhaled a hard breath through my nose, aggravated with the constant tug of war with him. It never used to be like that.

My friends and I all butted heads over the course of our friendship. Of course. We had our own temperaments, vices, and senses of right and wrong.

But those differences strengthened us back then. As individuals we had weaknesses, but as the Horsemen we were invincible. We each brought something different to the table, and where one lacked, the others stepped in. We were a unit, on and off the court.

I wasn’t so sure that was true anymore. Things had changed.

Kai sat down on the couch while Will walked for the refrigerator, grabbing a sandwich off the plate of leftovers and a bottle of water.

I twisted around and grabbed the game ball I’d been awarded after we’d won the state championships in high school and shot it over at Will, slamming him in the upper arm.

He jerked, dropping the bottle of water and glaring at me with a mouthful of sandwich.

“Ow!” he barked, holding out his hands. “What’s your problem?”

“Were you in 2104?” I shot out, already knowing the answer.

There was a reason we’d moved Rika to the twenty-first floor. It isolated her from neighbors. But I was also well aware that my friends probably wouldn’t let the vacant apartment next door to her—or the opportunity to f*ck with her—go to waste.

They didn’t live in the building, but they’d somehow gotten a key to the apartment.

Will averted his eyes, but I caught the grin on his face. He swallowed his food and faced me, shrugging. “We may have brought a couple of girls back from the club,” he admitted. “You know Damon. It got a little loud.”

I shot Kai a look, knowing he wasn’t in on it but pissed that he hadn’t stopped them.

I combed my fingers through my damp hair and pinned Will with a stare. “Erika Fane may be young and inexperienced, but she’s not stupid,” I pointed out, looking between him and Kai. “You’re going to have fun with her. I promise. But not if you get her running before we have her where we want her.”

Will bent down to retrieve the basketball. At six feet tall, he was shorter than the rest of us, but his build was just as strong.

“Kai and I have been out for months,” he charged, pressing the ball between his hands in front of his chest and looking at me as he approached. “I agreed to wait so Damon could have his part in this, but I am done f*cking waiting, Michael.”

His patience was wearing thin, and I’d known that for some time. He and Kai had received lesser sentences based on the charges, but to be fair to Damon, we’d held back doing anything until he got out as well.

“Like that stunt last night?” I threw back. “Showing up at her house in masks?”