Kings of Decay (The Winston Brothers Duet #1)

27. Ainsley

Chapter twenty-seven

Ainsley

P earce's expression was unreadable as I told him what happened at the mine.

"We need to keep an eye on Willow's old man," I finished and knocked back another sip of whisky.

"Seems like the whole family has a talent for putting their noses where they shouldn't and not shutting the fuck up," Pearce said after a long silence. He leaned back in his chair.

I glanced around the bar. Paydirt was pretty empty around lunchtime. Once the miners switched shifts, it would be packed as always, full of desperate drunks drinking their money away.

"So what do you think we should do?" I asked.

"You're the brains, Ainsley. You tell me."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't be like that," I sighed.

"Like what?" My brother challenged.

"Difficult, like a whiny bitch." I gulped down the rest of my drink. "Are you still thinking about her?"

Pearce's stony expression flickered, and I knew I was right. He was still thinking about her. Willow.

"About Derek? About what she saw?" I lowered my voice.

Pearce let out a low groan. "God, you should have seen her face while you were kicking the shit out of him," he practically purred. "That girl has a dark streak, I'd bet my life on it."

"So what?" I asked.

"So, I want to bring her into our fold, Ainsley. Imagine a girl for just me and you. A girl who has seen our dark side and wants us anyways."

I paused. Now, that was a delicious thought. Neither of us could keep girls longer than a night or two. We had too much blood on our hands. And for some women, that was a thrill at first. But it became too real, too fast. They'd realize that every time we went out, they risked coming face-to-face with a ghost from our past.

"Well?" Pearce asked.

I looked up, our eyes locked. Pearce had that gleam in his eyes that made me shiver.

"What if we made her a part of us, Ainsley? A part of who we are. Someone who can take the heat and relish in it, just like us."

"I don't think she's that kind of girl," I scoffed.

"You didn't see her expression," Pearce rolled his shoulders. "The way she pressed against me as you sent that truck into the lake. She was just as turned on as me. Maybe she doesn't realize it, but that's the fun part. We can twist her, Ainsley. We can make her perfect for us."

My cock throbbed in response to the mental image. "Maybe," I sighed. "But when?"

"The big snow," Pearce said immediately. He'd obviously been thinking this out. "Once she can't escape. We'll have the whole dark winter to make her our girl."