7th Circle (Hades Book 1) Read online

  "Fuck me," I groaned when my head swam a bit. "I'm drunk."

  "No shit," Zed replied. "Want me to drive you home?"

  I started to nod, then remembered Lucas was still in my office. "Nah, you’d better deal with our newest dancer. I'll grab a cab and come back for my bike tomorrow."

  Zed just shook his head and indicated for our bar manager, Joanne, to come over. "Jo, there's a new employee up in Hades’s office. Can you please collect his paperwork and get him added to the roster? Thanks, doll."

  The thirty-something woman assured us it'd be taken care of, and Zed slid off his stool then waited for me.

  I sighed, finished the rest of my drink in one gulp, then followed him out to the parking lot. He popped open the door to his low-slung black Ferrari for me, then closed it after I was seated.

  Typical Zed, he never missed an opportunity to play white knight. Some things never changed, and I would never want them to.

  4

  I barely even remembered getting into my apartment, but the aspirin and bottle of water beside my bed told me Zed had tucked me in. He and Seph were the only ones with keys to my place, and I doubted my bratty teenage sister gave two shits about my hangover.

  Groaning, I scrubbed at my gritty eyes, then reached for my phone. It was plugged into my charger, and I smiled at Zed being so thoughtful. He'd even taken my shoes off for me but left my clothes intact. Smart man. He might be the closest thing I had to a best friend, but I wouldn't hesitate to kill him if I ever felt threatened.

  "How much did I fucking drink?" I mumbled to myself, swiping my phone open, then cringing at how bright my fucking screen was.

  Then I remembered all the events of the night—starting with my stupid idea to make a move on Cass, the hotter-than-hell hookup with Lucas at Murphy's, then Zed outing me as Hades like a little bitch.

  My breath rushed out in a huff. I owed Zed a solid junk punch for that stunt because I could have been waking up to an honest-to-god Adonis right now.

  "Cunt-blocking fucker," I muttered, dropping my phone on my chest to rub my temples. It was already midmorning, and I was surprised no one had woken me up already. More often than not, something happened on a Saturday night that needed my intervention on Sunday.

  Maybe Zed was feeling guilty if he was handling it all himself for once.

  My phone buzzed against my chest, and I sighed. There it was.

  Cracking an eye, I sat my ass up and took the painkillers before addressing my messages. Something told me I'd need them.

  Swiping a hand through my tangled hair, I keyed open my phone once more and dragged down the notifications bar. Sure enough, there were a handful of messages from Zed, politely asking me to call when I surfaced. He had specified it was nothing urgent, so I deleted them and moved on.

  Yep, there it was. I knew something in my messages would make my headache a million times worse.

  Cass: We need to talk.

  That was it. Fucking infuriating man. If he were anyone else...

  But he wasn’t, and that was the whole reason he’d evaded my bullet in his brain at least a hundred times in the past few years. Goddamn him and those sexy, soul-fucking eyes.

  Still, I was stinging over his rejection way too damn hard to keep it professional, and I quickly tapped out a reply before I could let my better judgement take over.

  Hades: You know the drill. Make an appt with Zed.

  I closed his thread with my heart in my throat and moved to the next message on my notifications. It was from a number I hadn't saved, which made me sit up straighter. No one should have my number who I hadn't given it to personally. So who the fuck...

  Unknown: I can't stop thinking about you.

  A cold wash of fear rushed through me, closely chased by anger. If someone wanted to play mind games with me, they were about to learn exactly how I’d gotten my damn name.

  Before I could reply to the unknown number, a new message from Cass lit up my screen, and my pulse raced.

  Cass: Fuck that shit. Meet me.

  I rolled my eyes. Meet him so he could tell me again how not interested he was? How he doesn't fuck children? Yeah, if I was being honest, it was that implication that I was a goddamn child that had spiked my temper the worst. Reject me as a woman, sure. Reject me as a valid, extremely dangerous player in the criminal underworld of the West Coast? Fuck that. He was goddamn lucky I hadn't shot him on the spot. Possibly the only thing that’d stayed my hand was my hurt feelings—because I made it a rule not to shoot while emotional.

  Hades: Trust me, only one of us will walk away breathing today, Cass. Talk business with Zed and lose my damn number. For your own good.

  Rather than wait for his reply, I scrolled back to that unknown number.

  Hades: Who is this?

  Neither one of my message threads replied for a moment, so I tossed my phone back onto the bedside table. I needed a shower, clean clothes, and a lobotomy.

  As it was, I barely managed the first item on that list before my little sister came bursting into my room without so much as knocking. Little shit.

  "Dare, don't forget you said you'd get my car fixed today," she announced, using my old nickname in a way that set my nerves on edge. As if they weren't already. Hayden Darling Timber was my birth name, and for all my legal businesses I was Daria Wolff, CEO of Copper Wolf Enterprises. But only a handful of people had ever been close enough to use a playful nickname like Dare. Seph was one, and she still insisted on using it. Her newest best friend had briefly used it, but only because my asshole sister had introduced me as Dare, rather than Hades. No one had filled the poor girl in until she’d known me a good four months, too.

  Zed hadn’t called me by that nickname in over five years now, not since the massacre. That was the night I’d truly become Hades.

  I tucked my towel tighter around my breasts and glared at her. She looked so much like me we could be twins—even with the five-year age gap.

  "I told you not to call me that, Stephanie." Yeah, I wasn't above playing dirty when it came to my little sister.

  She gasped like I'd just called her a gutter-slut, pressing a hand to her chest in mock outrage. "Wow, someone's in a bad mood this morning. Zed must be pretty shitty in bed if you're this bitchy."

  I wrinkled my nose in confusion as I hunted for fresh underwear in my meticulously arranged dresser. "What the hell are you talking about, Seph? I'm not fucking Zed."

  She snorted a laugh. "Uh, okay, sure. So I didn't see him creeping out of your room at the crack of damn dawn?"

  I whirled around to face her with my satin panties in my fist. "I'm not fucking Zed, Seph. You know we're not like that." Much to my disappointment as a teenager when I'd developed feelings for my best friend. "But more to the point, what the hell were you doing up at the crack of dawn, huh?"

  My sister's face flushed, and her lips worked as she hunted for a plausible excuse. I just rolled my eyes, knowing full well she hadn't been up to anything too dangerous. I had eyes on her pretty much twenty-four seven so she’d never get the chance to get into trouble.

  "Whatever," I muttered, dropping my towel and pulling on my underwear.

  Seph just pouted and glared at my tits as I hooked my bra on. "So not fucking fair," she muttered. "How come you got a rack like that and I'm still stuck padding my bra at age eighteen?"

  I snorted a laugh and ignored her question. She was constantly griping to me about how no guys ever wanted to ask her out because she was too flat-chested. Far be it from me to clue her in that they won't ask her out because I'd fucking kill any punk-ass douche who tried to touch my sweet little sister before she graduated. It wouldn't be the first time, anyway.

  Before deciding what I was wearing, I figured I should call Zed. He could give me an idea whether I could wear my jeans for a casual Sunday or if I needed something to intimidate and hide blood.

  Except before I could dial his number, I spotted two new messages.

  Crap.

  Unknown: L
ucas.

  What in the actual fuck? How the hell did he get my number? Why?

  My eyes went back to his first message, reading it again. I can't stop thinking about you.

  Shit. Shit. Had I just fucked the enemy? Why else would he be messaging me again if not to mess with my head?

  Hades: How did you get this number??

  Ignoring my sister's intense stare—like she wanted to snatch my phone and read the screen herself—I flicked over to Cass's reply.

  Cass: You owe me today.

  I frowned.

  Hades: For fucking what?

  The little bubble popped up to show he was writing something back, but when I had to wait longer than a second, I became annoyed and flipped back to Lucas, who'd just replied.

  Unknown: I found it in your desk drawer. He finished his text with a winking tongue-out emoji that made my brain short circuit. Was he flirting? What the fuck was going on?

  Cass: For wiping the security footage at Murphy's.

  Cass: *video attached*

  Oh shit.

  Biting my lip and barely breathing, I clicked on the video link. Sure enough, there was a security camera in the supply room at Scruffy Murphy's. Cass had just sent me my very own sex tape with Lucas.

  Crap.

  "Is that porn?" Seph squealed, sitting up on my bed and snatching for my phone. I dodged out of her reach, hitting the close button on the side of my phone to cut both audio and video, just in case. "Dare! Show me!"

  "Hell fucking no," I exclaimed, dancing away from her and pointing at my door. "Now get out of my room; I need to call Zed."

  Seph stood up, her fists on her hips in outrage. "Zed was here all night; you could have talked then." Her brow creased, then she gasped. "Oh my god, is that home porn? Did you and Zed—"

  "Seph!" I barked. "Quit it. Zed and I are not fucking. Now get the hell out of my room before I lose my shit." I totally ignored the heat in my cheeks at how close to the truth she was and let my eyes flash with anger.

  She glared back at me for a moment, then let out a frustrated huff. "Whatever. Don't forget to fix my car today, or you're driving me to school tomorrow."

  I just rolled my eyes and ushered her out my door, then slammed it after her. "Fucking brat," I muttered under my breath, crossing over to my bed and flopping down on my back. My phone wasn't leaving me alone, though. It buzzed again in my hand, and I groaned.

  "What the fuck now?" I whispered at the universe, then peered at my screen with dread.

  Unknown: Don't be mad.

  I blinked at the message a couple of times before saving his number and replying.

  Hades: You went through my desk? I didn't peg you for suicidal, Lucas.

  The invasion of privacy should have made me more irritated, but there was nothing particularly confidential in that desk—aside from my mobile number, apparently, which I'd be having words with Zed about later.

  Lucas: I want to see you again.

  Huh, okay, he was bolder than I'd thought. Then again, this was the same guy who hadn't hesitated to fuck a girl he'd just met in a bar supply room, so maybe bold was just in his personality. Or maybe it was a trap.

  And yet, now that Cass had sent me that unexpected sex tape, it was all so very fresh in my mind... and other places. I let my fingers tap out a reply faster than I could talk myself out of it.

  Hades: Did you sign the paperwork?

  There was a pause before his reply came.

  Lucas: Yes.

  My stomach sank. Dammit. Why'd he have to sign the fucking paperwork? He'd be great for business, no question, but fuck if I didn't regret not getting a second round out of him first.

  Hades: I don't fuck employees.

  His reply came quickly enough that he had to have thought about it in advance.

  Lucas: Jo couldn't get me on the schedule until Tuesday. I'm not technically employed by you until that shift starts.

  My lips parted in surprise at his forwardness, then curved into a grin. Fuck it straight to hell, I was tempted. So goddamn tempted.

  Lucas: Please? You owe me, anyway…

  I scoffed a laugh, my thumbs flying over my screen as I wrote my reply.

  Hades: You think? I seem to remember getting you a damn good job offer from one of the hottest clubs in town.

  Lucas: That’s mutually beneficial; you know I’ll be great for business.

  I rolled my eyes but couldn’t disagree on that point. If his moves on the dance floor at Murphy’s were any indication, he was quickly going to become a main attraction on the stage at 7th Circle.

  Hades: So, what do I owe you for?

  Lucas: You used me to make someone jealous.

  My brows shot up. Before I could reply to Lucas, though, another message popped up on my screen, and my stomach clenched.

  Cass: Noon. Dogwood Lake, south side.

  Anger burned away my anxiety, and I narrowed my eyes at his message. Who the fuck did he think he was talking to?

  Hades: My office at 22. Eleven AM.

  That barely gave me half an hour to get there myself, but it would be more of a push for Cass to make it in time. If he was at his home—and I was banking on the fact that he was—it was a solid forty-five-minute drive from Club 22. And he knew how much I despised being kept waiting.

  Part of me expected him to argue that fact, so I was surprised to see his reply ping through a second later.

  Cass: Done.

  I groaned. Now I really did need to get dressed and sort out some makeup. I needed my whole game face on to deal with Cassiel fucking Saint so fucking soon after being coldly rejected by the sexy bastard.

  Lucas: So? Can I see you today? I keep replaying last night in my mind…

  Biting my lip, I shook my head and tossed my phone on my bed without replying. Lucas was a distraction of the worst fucking kind, and I needed to get my head back on straight before dealing with Cass. I still needed to call Zed back and chew him out for that bullshit he’d pulled as well, but he could wait. My ever-loyal second wasn’t going anywhere while I got my shit together.

  “Dare!” Seph called out, making me grit my teeth in frustration. “I’m heading out to meet MK for brunch. Don’t forget my car, yeah?” She shoved my door back open and gave me a pointed look with her arms folded under her breasts. Fucking kid had way too much damn sass. It was my own fault for spoiling the crap out of her over the five years since I’d slaughtered almost our entire family. A guilty conscience does crazy things.

  I nodded, rubbing moisturizer onto my face at my dressing table. “You already reminded me, Seph,” I muttered as I started my makeup. “Have fun; don’t get into trouble.”

  If it were any other friend, I’d send a protective detail with her. But Madison Kate Wittenberg was one of the only people I trusted to actually keep my little sister safe. It helped that she was surrounded by three of the most dangerous bastards in the western states… aside from me and mine, that was. They wouldn’t let a lick of danger touch Seph and my sister was a happier person for that true friendship, so I was happy for her.

  “Whatever.” Seph rolled her eyes. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you when I wake you up for a ride to school tomorrow.”

  I flipped her off, sassy brat, and she blew a kiss back at me. That in itself summed up our dynamic. She was all sweetness, innocence, and light, and I… well, I was a borderline sociopath with more blood on my hands than most convicted serial killers.

  For that reason alone, I should steer clear of Lucas. Even if he had been considering a career as a male prostitute, he seemed… innocent.

  5

  I arrived at Club 22 right at eleven o’clock, knowing full fucking well I’d beat Cass there. More often than not, I turned up late to meetings because it gave me the upper hand. When they had to wait for me, it put me in the position of power. There was never any question about who had the biggest dick in the room, regardless of anatomy.

  But this time, I deliberately arrived on time so I could make t
he Reaper’s leader sweat it out over how bad my temper would be at being made to wait for him.

  I breezed through the staff entrance, pushing my dark sunglasses up onto my head and using them to hold my wavy copper hair back from my face.

  “Morning, boss!” the bar manager of Club 22 called out as I crossed the club floor toward the door to my office. He was an older guy with a generous streak of gray in his beard, and fast becoming one of my most valuable employees within the bars. He’d been with 22 since it opened and has never done wrong by me or my legitimate company—Copper Wolf.

  Some people might assume that just because I also ran the Timberwolves, all my staff were involved in that aspect of business too. They weren’t. As much as possible, I liked to keep my legit businesses exactly what they seemed: Legit. Sure, there were crossovers. There always would be, as my illegal business was conducted on the same premises for the most part.

  “Good morning, Rodney,” I replied, deviating over to the bar where he was taking inventory on his liquor. “How was last night? The bachelorette parties all have fun?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he confirmed, inclining his head, then tucking his pencil behind his ear. “Cass is waiting in your office for you; he got here about five minutes ago.”

  My brows shot up in surprise. Motherfucker must have already been nearby. No wonder he’d been quick to accept a meeting here.

  “Thanks, Rodney,” I murmured, then sighed. “Actually, can I get a drink before I head in there?”

  He gave me a wry smile but nodded and pulled out a cut-crystal rocks glass for me. “Usual?”

  I nodded, but he was already pouring a healthy nip of Writers’ Tears Red Head whiskey into my glass. He dropped two ice cubes in, then handed it over with a smile.

  "Buzz when you need another. He looked like he was in a foul fucking mood when I let him in." Rodney jerked his head in the direction of my office, and I shrugged.

  "It's Cass; he's permanently grumpy." I took a gulp of my liquor—Dutch courage—then crossed the club to my office.

  With my face carefully schooled into the perfect, ice-cold mask of Hades, I shoved the door open with the toe of my shiny black Louboutin pump and made my dramatic entrance.