Ready Or Not (The Hunter’s Club #2)

Chapter 11

11

Hero Killer - PierceTheSkies

One week ago

I survey the sex club in front of me, the heavy beat of the base pounding into my chest. The music used to make me feel a little something other than the endless boredom. But now, I feel nothing.

I didn’t plan on coming tonight, but the void is so empty I wandered in here, hoping it would help.

I stare out onto the dancefloor from my reserved corner. My dad used to always bring me here, but now I’ve taken over most of the family business, and I’m too busy for it. I’m one of the major drug distributors in the region, and at first, I found it stimulating. I used to love working relations between us and the cartel, weeding out moles and doling out punishments with my fists. Anything to keep my mind off the infuriating woman my father brought into our lives. I’ve tried everything possible to get her to bow to me, but she won’t. She’s impossible to manipulate, aggressive, and damn near as smart as me.

Which I never find.

I look over the club again, feeling a hint of annoyance thinking about Riley. The woman I still haven’t tamed.

Nearly naked men and women dance on the dance floor, and some fuck openly on the couches arranged around the area.

The Hunter’s Club looks like a swinger’s club. It’s where the rich, bored, and famous come to get their rocks off, at least on paper. The real reason people come here is to be noticed by Wyatt, the owner. If he likes you, he’ll invite you to his private island to play his little annual hunting game.

I’ve gone every year since I was seventeen. Besides messing with Riley, it’s been the greatest thrill I’ve ever felt.

I shift, thinking about her again. She hasn’t talked to me in days. Which usually means she’s mad at me or up to something and doesn’t want me to know about it.

I check my phone again. We aren’t supposed to bring our phones in here, but I could care less right now. There’s nothing from Riley.

I grip my phone hard, looking up at the room again. My gaze immediately catches on a tall, lithe woman who’s just walked in. She’s in a short, sparkly black dress that grips her body. I cock my head in interest. Not many women are as tall as Riley.

As the woman turns, I catch a glimpse of her face.

My whole body locks up. It is Riley.

What the hell is she doing here? This club is full of pieces of shit who will eat her alive.

Rage rushes through me, and I jump to my feet. Riley is mine . No one else gets to touch her. Stalking to where Riley leans against the bar, I come up behind her and drop my arm around her shoulders. She turns a dazzling grin to me that instantly disappears as soon as she sees me.

“Long time no see, sis.” I grip her tightly.

“Manson,” she smiles, but it’s fake. As is everything about her tonight. She hates dresses, and her hair is even out of her favorite braids.

“What are you doing here?” I can’t keep the slight quiver out of my muscles. Adrenaline is flooding my system.

Riley turns away from me. “Just looking for a good fuck.”

I laugh, although nothing is funny about this. Riley knows just how to fuck with me. I yank her back from the bar. “Join me, sis.”

Riley tries to yank away from me, but I pull her back toward one of the private rooms. No one even bats an eye as she fights me. Around here, discretion is more valuable than anything. People have been killed for less.

I yank Riley into a private room and slam the door.

“Let go.” She shrugs out of my grip.

“Riley,” I growl. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I know she’s not just looking for another fuck. Riley can get whoever she wants at a normal bar. She came here for a reason.

The stunning woman in front of me fixes her dress, intentionally drawing my eyes to her ample breasts. She smirks a little when she sees me looking.

I lunge forward, pinning her against the wall. The whole room rattles with the force of it.

“Easy, brother,” Riley puffs out a breath. “Jealous much?”

I narrow my eyes at her. She does make me jealous. Every time she takes someone home from the bar. She knows it, and I know it. But still, she refuses to be in a relationship with me. It’s infuriating and aggravating.

And endlessly fascinating.

“Tell me,” I demand.

“Fuck you.” Riley has fire in her eyes. “Let me do this one thing, Manson. Stop getting in my fucking way!”

I don’t let off the pressure I have on her neck. “You know what this place is,” I say it as a statement, not a question.

She doesn’t flinch.

My stomach knots. I know why she’s here. Riley is the most bloodthirsty woman I’ve ever met. Bloodthirsty and reckless .

“How did you even get in here?”

She bats those long, dark eyelashes. “You weren’t supposed to be here.”

I close my eyes. “Did you tell them you knew me?”

“Your dad, actually.” She shoves against me. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

As usual, whenever I’m around her, I feel a mix of hatred and electricity. “You can’t be here.”

“Why? Because it’s against the rules?” Riley’s tone is mocking. “Since when did you ever care about rules?”

It’s true. No women have ever been allowed to join the club as hunters. Wyatt’s orders. So, my little pain has done her research.

I watch her, enjoying the pulse of her heartbeat under my arm. She feels so fragile and warm. I could kill her so easily. How dare she give other men the chance to do that? I run my thumb along her pulse point, and goosebumps break out across her skin.

“You haven’t killed anyone.” Proving yourself is a rule to joining the club as a hunter. Riley should know that, having done her research.

Her eyes immediately light up with rage. “And who’s fault is that?” she hisses at me.

I shake my head, immediately stepping back. If she still blames me for that, then she isn’t ready.

“No,” I say.

Riley’s hand rears back for a blow. I watch her, staying still. She slaps her hand against my face in a sharp crack. The stinging pain radiates across my face, but I don’t move.

“Fuck you, Manson Kennedy,” Riley hisses, looking more beautiful and breakable than ever before. I just want to squeeze that pretty little neck until it turns purple.

I take a step closer to her. She stands her ground, seething. I trace my finger along her jaw. “Too impulsive, little sister. Learn how to kill correctly, or don’t do it at all.”

“How can I learn if you won’t let me?” Her creamy skin is flushed and angry. I want to bite it. To make it red and irritated. To leave my marks all over it.

Despite the fact I’m mad, I smirk. I like seeing her so angry. It makes my dick hard. If it gets me this reaction, I’ll never let her kill.

I turn away and head for the door.

“Wait,” Riley says.

I stop. I could get her kicked out of this club permanently, and she knows it.

“I’ll marry you if you get me in.”

Everything around me freezes, and the thudding of the base grows distant. The world stops.

This is the first time Riley hasn’t thrown the idea back in my face with hatred.

I turn and stare at her, soaking in her face. It’s a beautiful mask of indifference. She’s lying to get something that she wants. But I don’t care. This is the first step in breaking her down. The idea of her on my arm and my ring around her finger is something I’ve dreamed about for a long time.

Riley stares at me with her brilliant jewels of eyes. We stand there silently.

I know marrying your step-sibling is frowned upon by the rest of society. But I couldn’t care less. That’s not the issue. The issue is that she isn’t bowing at my feet, begging to be mine.

I look down at her. “You haven’t proven yourself, Riley. I can’t always be around to protect you.”

“I never asked you to.” Her eyes glint.

I shake my head. Riley never asked me to, but she’s needed it. As much as I want her on my arm willingly, it’s not something I’d sacrifice her safety for.

“Prove yourself to me, Riley. Do it the right way, don’t get caught, and for the love of Satan.” I snatch her up under her chin. “Don’t ever come here alone again.”