The Tattoo Artist (La Petite Mort #1)

16. Chapter 16

sixteen

Alexander

W hat the fuck was I doing? That question had been running through my head for the past few days. I shouldn't be here with my brothers. I should be in my place torturing the bastards that dared disrespect Quinn. Maximo informed me that the man who called Quinn a bitch was sitting in the basement along with his fucking buddies. I wasn't going to allow Deimos to take care of this.

I wanted to kill them.

I wanted their blood on my hands.

My brothers and I listened to the Volkovs as they talked about the war in the New York underworld after Nikolai's sister was murdered. I didn't want to imagine the pain he was going through because I knew I would lose my shit if they murdered my sister.

Nikolai was the head of the Russian mafia in New York. He and his second in command, Alexei, own the Northeast and the Southeast of the United States. On the other hand, my family owns the Midwest and West regions of the United States. The Hades brothers run the Greek mafia.

Yup, you read that right. In Greek mythology, Hades was the God of the underworld and the ruler of the dead. Let's just say we ruled the underworld here and in the States. I was the second in command and the second eldest. I was responsible for the underground fighting in Greece, the United States, and Europe. I chuckled, knowing that no one could beat me, the great Alexander Hades—ruthless and dangerous.

My brother Aristotle Alastor Hades was a force to be reckoned with. As his middle name suggested, Aristotle was the God of family feuds and avenger of evil deeds, just like Deimos. Aristotle was the head of the family since our father retired, and he now lived with our mother on a small island off the coast of Greece. Don't let that fool you. He was still the most ruthless son of a bitch I knew.

"Alexander. Alexander. Alexander," Aristotle snapped, bringing me back from my daze. He looked at me just like our father. I gave him a smug look, finding it funny when Aristotle was annoyed. "Nikolai wants to know when your next fight will be. And against who?" I looked down at my drink, and the whiskey was almost gone. "Two days," I said, looking at Aristotle. " Pavel," I smirked, knowing damn well what that name did to the Volkovs.

I threw my head back and swallowed the rest of the whiskey as I stood up from my seat. I gave my older brother Aristotle a chin up and left the room, slapping our youngest brother on the back. Sebastian Ares Hades was the youngest of the males, and just like his name, the God of war, he was a hothead, especially when it came to our sister Aurora, the youngest of the Hades.

I walked out into the empty hallway towards the stairs. I could barely hear the music playing throughout the club. I looked around once I reached the second-floor VIP room. The club was full of naked women. The club wasn't entirely full since it was still early, but it was always busy, whether with private shows or the exclusive clients that came in to enjoy a night away. People wanted sex at all hours of the day, and because of that, KARMA was successful.

I could feel Sebastian approaching when I leaned against the metal railing overlooking the club. Sebastian grabbed my shoulder, causing me to turn my head slightly before he joined me. I sucked in a breath and released it a few moments later. What the fuck was I doing here? Not even a minute later, Aristotle joined us .

Aristotle summarized what the Volkovs had said in the last ten minutes of the meeting. I listened, but not fully paying attention, as my mind wandered back to my encounter with Quinn. She trusted me with Deimos, confided in me, and allowed me into her space.

I looked around towards the bar, feeling eyes on me, and I could see women staring at us.

I rolled my eyes.

Sebastian had disappeared not even a minute later. I swear he was the biggest player in all of Greece; now he was the biggest player the UK had ever had. Sebastian loved to think with his dick, but I didn't blame him. He was young but not stupid, which was why Aristotle didn't say anything. I let Aristotle know I was heading out, and he followed me.

Fuck!

He was coming with me. As we approached my car, I unlocked the door, rounding the hood as I made my way to the driver's side. "Xander," Aristotle said with a smirk on his lips. I looked up and saw him holding a white Kate Spade backpack. You wanna tell me something?" He had a smug look on his face and raised a brow. He threw the backpack my way, and I caught it.

"Fuck off!" I said, giving him the finger.He slipped inside the front passenger seat and answered a call.I took this time to open the trunk and place the backpack inside.

I chuckled. Quinn must have left her bag. I took my phone out of my pocket, scrolled down my contacts, and saw her name—Little Butterfly with a blue morpho emoji. I pressed the message icon and typed her a message.

Me: You left your backpack in my car, Princess. smirking face emoji

"Xander, Sebastian is coming. He's on his way out," Aristotle said as soon as he ended the call. I closed the trunk and saw Sebastian coming outside the club door. His shirt was unbuttoned, and his hair was messed up. I shook my head and laughed at him. "You a one-pump chump or what?" I said, teasing him.

Aristotle laughed. "Fuck you. Both of you. She sucked my cock, if you must know, and yes, I got her off with my fingers in less than a minute." He said, getting into the back seat of the car.As I drove, Sebastian and Aristotle continued to fight and argue. I rolled my eyes at both of them. I swear they were both over the age of eighteen but act like fucking children. My phone vibrated, and the sound of the vibrations was echoing from the console. I could see Aristotle staring at me as I went to grab my phone. I swiped up—unlocked my phone, and read the message.

Quinn: Shit! I knew I was missing something. LOL, it's a good thing I ate all my cranberries, right? My art class starts in an hour, would you mind bringing me my backpack? Please praying hands emoji

I typed back, letting her know the answer.

Me: Send me your location. I'll take it to you.

I exited the messaging app and locked my phone again, but this time, I didn't place it on the console; instead, I held onto it. My elbow was leaning against the window, my phone held tightly in that hand while my other hand grabbed the steering wheel. "Aurora wants to have a family dinner tonight?" Aristotle announced.

"Can't do tonight, big brother. I have plans!" Sebastian argued, raising his eyebrows suggestively.I shook my head and laughed. No way was Aristotle going to be okay with any of us ditching dinner tonight, mainly because none of us can say no to Aurora. Sebastian knew he was canceling his plans. He couldn't resist pissing Aristotle off. I love my little sister, but today, out of all days, I wanted to say no. Aristotle looked at me; as the second eldest brother in the Hades family, he knew I couldn't say no.

The motherfucker smirked, knowing damn well he had just ruined my plans, and he knew how to get under my skin.

"Fine. What time?" I mumbled, and at the same time, my phone went off, vibrating in my hand. I changed direction and headed to the docks to drop off Aristotle before heading to Quinn. I arrived at the docks a few minutes later, and Aristotle got out of the car and headed inside, where Nikolai's men, Boris and Lev, were waiting for him. Sebastian had decided to hang out with me, and no matter how much I bitched, Aristotle thought it was a good idea for our little brother to tag along.

I pulled up her location on my navigation system and started my journey. "Why are we going to a Catholic boarding school?" he asked. I didn't answer him and kept on driving.He knew it couldn't be because of our sister since she was at home.

"Alexander," he demanded.

The car came to a stop at a red light, and I took this as my chance. I turned my head to face him. "You—" I said, pointing at him with my finger. "Will not speak a word of what you see today. Sebastian, you better not tell Aristotle. And don't go telling Aurora either." He watched me closely as the light bulb flashed inside his head, and he understood why I was headed over there. "Sebastian, I swear to God, if you say something, I will kill you." I threatened him, giving him my most serious look, telling him that I wasn't playing when it came to this. Sebastian closed his mouth with his fingers and threw the key out—implying that he would keep his mouth shut.

When I arrived in the school parking lot, I noticed a swarm of girls outside. "Stay in the car," I warned him. The last thing I needed was for Sebastian to get mixed up with a Catholic schoolgirl. I exited the car, closing the door behind me while I texted Quinn.

Me: I'm here.

Her reply came back quickly, letting me know that she was coming. I leaned against the front of my car, noticing how several girls snickered and winked at me. They had to be older since only sixteen through eighteen were allowed to leave school grounds without a parent. They all had blonde hair and blue eyes, and a few had brown hair and brown or green eyes. When I turned around, Sebastian, the fucking asshole, was winking at a few of the girls giving them his signature panty-dropping grin.

Fuck!

I closed my eyes. Fucking prick. Why couldn't he listen for once in his life? "Alexander," her voice sounded silky and smooth. My gaze was drawn to her, like a moth to its flame. My attraction only burned for her. Her warm, reddish-brown hair was done up into a messy bun with a few strands of hair on either side of her face. Her freckles were softly placed on the bridge of her nose and along her cheekbones. I pushed myself off the hood of my car and made my way to her. She smiled softly as I handed her backpack over to her.

"Thank you. You're an angel, Alexander," she gushed, and then her arms were around me. Oh, Princess, I was no angel. I was the devil. She hugged me tightly, and I wrapped my tattooed arms around her, pulling her closer. We heard gasps and whispers coming from around us, but I didn't care because I loved having Quinn in my arms.

She looked up at me; our gaze connected for a second before she pulled herself away. "Thank you. I'm headed home now. My art professor had to cancel class because she wasn't feeling well. So, I'm free to go home." She mumbled out relatively fast.

"I'll drop you off," I instructed, hoping she didn't put up a fight. But, like always, Quinn declined. "No, that's okay. But thank you," she argued.

"Get in the car, Quinn." I barked out, giving her no room to argue. "Okay," she said instantly. I turned my head to look at Sebastian and signaled him to get out and sit in the back. Sebastian stared at me with wide eyes. And for once, he listened. He opened the door and got out. "Can Sophie come too," Quinn asked, bringing my attention back. My body tensed as I felt another presence beside me. I looked down and saw a smirking Sophie.

"My car broke down," she stated with a smug expression on her face. My jaw tightened at the sight of her face, I then looked at Quinn, and she gave me that fucking smile that could bring any man to his knees.I nodded my head, and they both rushed towards the car. Sebastian continued to stare at me in utter shock.

He knew.

I swallowed the lump stuck in my throat as he approached me. "What the fuck Alexander?" He hissed, his voice laced with anger. He was pissed, but at this moment, I didn't give two fucks.

"Enough," I snapped.

He sighed.

"Alexander, brother. What are you doing?" Sebastian dragged his hands down his face. I didn't answer. I knew if I answered him, it would only confirm what we already knew. I turned to see Sophia and Quinn laughing in the back.

"There might be a chance," I whispered, pleading.He looked at me, and I could see his eyes softening momentarily. He shook his head and scoffed.

"No, there isn't. We both know what that doctor said, and you know that." Sebastian made his way back to the car and instructed Quinn to sit in the front. She got out of the car and headed towards the passenger seat. Sebastian got in and slammed the car door. I ran my fingers through my hair. "Alexander," I heard a soft voice from behind me. "Can we um… would it be possible to… umm—can we possibly stop at the farmers market so that I could get some cranberries? Please," she pleaded.

"I want to make my chocolate bars," she added with a slight smirk.

"Alexander, could we go to the one with the book stand? Please," she pleaded, giving me her best puppy dog eyes.

Anything for you, Princess .

But before I could answer, we both turned our attention to the bickering Sebastian and Sophia were creating. The back window was opened slightly so we could hear those two arguing. "I'll take you to the farmers market." I walked her toward the passenger door and opened it so she could slip inside. I gave Sebastian a look, but it was obvious that he wouldn't be listening, nor would he be backing down.Quinn settled in her seat and plugged her headphones in, taking out the book she got that night from the library.

Stopping at the nearest farmers market, we exited the car, and the others followed. She gave me a tight smile as we all made our way towards the entrance. Quinn and Sophia headed towards the produce section, and I could see Quinn grabbing a handful of cranberries from the corner of my eye. I smiled and shook my head. That girl did love her cranberries.

"Fuck, that woman is infuriating," Sebastian growled angrily. I gave him a smirk and laughed because he was right. Sophia can be damn right annoying, but she loved Quinn and cared about her, which was why I made an effort to like her. "You're just pissed because she won't let you have your way and wants the last word." I corrected him, which caused him to give me the bird.

"Hahaha," he said mockingly. "Fuck you, asshole. You're supposed to be on my side," Sebastian growled. I chuckled and focused my attention back on Quinn. I looked back towards the cranberry section she was at and noticed she was no longer there. My eyes immediately scanned the area, trying to find her. I started to panic when I didn't immediately see her, my instinct kicking into gear as I turned around to gaze north, south, east, and west, trying to find any sign of her.

I pulled out my phone and hacked into the city's security system, pulling up the cameras from the farmers market. As I made my way towards the cranberry stand, watching the security feed closely, I almost bumped into something—more like someone.

I looked down, and the serious, almost deadly expression I had moments ago was no longer there as I looked into her eyes. Fuck, she nearly gave me a heart attack. If she only knew that, she scared the shit out of me. I didn't even fucking notice her standing there because I was too consumed by this need to find her that my first instinct was to kill whoever took her from me.

"You okay?" She questioned, looking at me all innocently. I looked down to meet her gaze and nodded my head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Find everything you need?" I asked her, looking at her basket full of stuff.She gave me a wide smile and nodded her head.

"Mhm," she hummed and began to walk towards the man at the end of the stand.She handed him her basket, and he bagged her items. I noticed a jar of cranberries, five tomatoes, two garlic cloves, four onions, a pack of cheese, a loaf of bread, and at least five books.I slipped my wallet out of my trousers and tapped my card against the reader before she could. She gasped and turned her face to look at me. "I should have smacked your hand. I'm not broke, you know," she scolded, giving me the stink eye.

"You could have, Princess, but I'm a lot faster and stronger than you. Plus, I never said you were broke." I argued. Then I leaned down and got closer to her, inhaling her scent before my lips brushed her neck and then earlobe. "But if I remember correctly, I told you that when I'm around you, Princess—" I paused and dropped my voice even lower than before. "I'm your ATM," I whispered, my voice dripping with desire.