Chapter 4

The moment those words left her mouth, dozens of black-suited bodyguards at the entrance stepped forward in perfect sync. Their eyes were sharp, and they gave off a cold, military vibe that crushed the thuggish energy coming from the Gray Snake gang members.

The crowd watching didn't dare make a sound, but everyone was shocked inside.

Avery, New York's top beauty CEO and the untouchable ice queen, had just admitted in public that this ordinary-looking young guy was her man?

James collapsed on the floor. When he heard that, the fear in him twisted into pure rage and hate. Why? He'd tried everything to get close to her, and now she was throwing herself at some random nobody who'd just shown up?

Rhode raised an eyebrow and tossed James to the ground like a dead dog. He glanced at Avery, crossed his arms, and smirked. "Avery, sending people to tail me this morning was one thing. Now you're showing up at night with a whole crew to wreck the place? What's the plan—ditching the CEO job to be my backup?"

"Ungrateful." Avery snorted, lifting her chin. "All you have to do is say yes, and in New York you can kill whoever you want. If things go south, I'll cover for you."

"Save it," Rhode said with a crooked grin. "Last night someone got drugged, crying and begging me to help 'clean up' the poison. And now she's acting all high and mighty?"

"You—shut up!"

The second he brought up last night, Avery's cold, pretty face turned bright red. She stomped her foot, furious and embarrassed. She took a deep breath, forced herself to stay calm, then pointed at James on the floor. "Enough talk. James tried to drug me last night—he deserves to die. You're looking for your sister, right? Kill him. The whole Gray Snake gang is yours to deal with."

Rhode didn't listen. Instead, he lit a cigarette on purpose and blew out a smoke ring. "Avery, you tell me to kill and I just do it? That'd make me look weak. I hate it when people try to boss me around."

"You—!"

Crack.

Before Avery could blow up, a sickening sound of breaking bone rang out.

While talking, Rhode had casually stepped on James's neck. He didn't even look down. He just pressed a little harder with his foot, and James—the boss of the Gray Snake gang—died without a single sound, his neck bent at a weird angle.

"The boss is dead! Fight them!"

A few of James's close guys saw it and lost it. They pulled out knives and rushed forward.

Avery's eyes went cold. She waved her hand sharply. "Kill them."

Her bodyguards charged like tigers. These weren't regular guards—they moved fast and struck hard. In seconds, the bar filled with the sound of blades and bones breaking.

Two minutes later, every single one of the hundreds of Gray Snake members who'd been shouting about chopping up Rhode was lying in a pool of blood. The whole first floor looked like hell.

A group of young guys and hostesses huddled in the corner, pale and shaking, too scared to even breathe loud.

Avery didn't even blink. She waved again, voice flat. "Pull our people out. Let the bystanders go."

The bodyguards moved quick. In under a minute they were gone, taking all the weapons with them. Only bodies and stunned onlookers remained.

Rhode checked his watch, brushed dust off his clothes, and turned to leave.

"Stop," Avery called out.

He paused and looked back with a teasing smile. "What, Avery still thinking about last night's 'service'? You like the size and the skill, so you want round two?"

"Shameless jerk!"

Avery clenched her teeth but forced her anger down. She stepped closer and lowered her voice so only he could hear. "I heard what you asked James about the 'Black Robe.' I'll be straight with you—the Black Robe group is hard to track. In all of America, I'm the only one who can find their real leader."

Rhode's eyes sharpened. "You threatening me?"

"Not a threat. A deal." Avery looked him straight in the eye. "You want info on the Black Robe? Tomorrow, bring your ID and come with me to get the marriage license. I want you as my official husband."

Rhode blinked, then laughed. "Avery, going this far over one night? It's just sex. No need to throw yourself in."

"Shut up!" Avery bit her lip, a flash of humiliation and determination in her eyes. "Last night was my first time. I'm not that kind of woman. Since I gave myself to you, you have to take responsibility. Besides, I need a husband on paper to deal with my family pushing me to marry."

Rhode dropped the joking tone and thought for a second. "Marriage is a big deal. I need time to think."

"Give me an answer before I get off work tomorrow. Miss the deadline and it's off." Avery was decisive. She dropped that line, then turned and walked out in her heels like a queen.

Outside, the luxury cars sped off into the night.

Rhode stood by the road, watching the taillights disappear, lost in thought.

The Black Robe was his only lead on finding his sister Mary. He couldn't lose it. But selling himself to some ice-queen CEO just for that lead? The King of the Abyss felt a little trapped.

Meanwhile, in the lead Rolls-Royce.

Avery crossed her long legs and spoke coldly into her phone. "Tell the church people to stay on standby tomorrow, all twenty-four hours. If I bring someone over, they register us right away."

She hung up and looked out at the city lights. For once, her cold eyes showed a hint of something else, and the corner of her mouth curved up slightly.

Rhode Stark, you won't get away from me.