Ruthless King

Sasha was glaring at her. What right did she have to be so angry when it was Jilly that she’d wronged?

“What are you doing here? Come to gloat?” Sasha asked.

“I will warn you. If you speak badly to Jilly or upset her, you will die,” Regent told her coldly.

Sasha stared at him wide-eyed. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me that you were involved with criminals?”

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were going to betray me?” Jilly asked. “How could you do this to me, Sasha? Why would you do it? I thought we were friends.”

Sasha sneered. “You’re pathetic, Jilly. Do you know that? So self-sacrificing. You let people walk all over you, so why shouldn’t I get my cut? I made you into what you are. Into Nyx. Everyone should have laughed at you! Instead, you make more in tips than I do! And I let men paw me! I do disgusting things to get them to give me money and all you do is dance and show your unimpressive boobs.”

“There will be no more warnings,” Regent told her.

Sasha gulped. “Why shouldn’t I get my share of your money? Do you know what Santé did when I told him that I wanted to change my routine so it was more like yours? He laughed. Said I didn’t have the class to pull it off and to stay in my lane.”

“You did this because you thought I was more successful than you?”

“I made you! That money is mine too!” Sasha cried.

“I don’t have any money! I barely had enough food to eat. Where did you think I would find the money?”

“Not my problem. Santé would have lent it to you. Or Mrs. Y. Bitch has plenty of money, you know.”

She was delusional.

“No, she doesn’t.”

“She’s got you all fooled. But she’s rich. She just took me in because my mom is her niece and she had to. Mom told me to search for money, said the old lady would keep it hidden in the house. But I never found it. So I went looking for money somewhere else.”

“She didn’t know what you were doing?” Jilly whispered.

“Of course not. She thinks the sun rises out of your ass. But I needed that money!”

“Why?”

“My mom got herself into lots of debt. She’s living in a trailer. You have that big house. Why the fuck didn’t you just sell it? Stupid, selfish cow. I was only asking for ten thousand. It’s not too much to ask for putting up with your stupid ass.”

“That’s it. We’re done.” Regent nodded to Basilien, then he wrapped an arm around Jilly.

“No, wait. Please,” Jilly said. While Sasha obviously hated her, Jilly couldn’t stand to see her die. “Don’t kill her. Please.”

Regent stared down at her, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “She has to be punished, and she was warned.”

She heard Sasha sob.

“Please. I can’t live with her blood on my hands.”

“It will be on my hands.”

Jilly shook her head. “Please, Regent. For me.”

He was silent for a long time, thinking. Then a wicked look filled his face. “Fine. She can live. But she might wish we had killed her by the time I’m through with her.”

He swept her up in his arms and carried her to the car. Jilly should probably protest that she could walk.

But her legs weren’t feeling all that steady and right now, she needed him to touch her, surrounding her safety.

He was her anchor in a world gone crazy.