The Devil's Game (Rhodes to Hell Book 1) Read online

  I walk closer to her and she watches me carefully with every step I take. Curious about me.

  “I need you to let Jerome know I need my car,” I say harshly, while I stare into her big brown eyes keeping my face stoic.

  She frowns at me and huffs in annoyance while picking up the small black walkie-talkie and speaking into it. “Jerome,” she calls into it and waits for him to respond.

  “Yes, sweetheart,” he coos into the walkie making me want to march outside and curb stomp him into the ground.

  But what she says next takes my attention from Jerome completely.

  “The big tough guy from the top floor needs his car.”

  She has no care when she says the words. A sinister smirk spreads across my face and so many things start to make more sense. She has no idea who I am which is why she came up to my place like she did. Her not knowing is the only reason she wants to know more about me. She doesn't know I’m Hollis Knox.

  “The top floor,” Jerome asks, his voice wavering as he realizes she doesn’t know who I am either.

  “Mm-hmm,” she says.

  “Hollis?”

  She frowns and when the realization hits her, she looks up at me, and curiosity isn’t what I see on her face anymore. Horror is clear as day in her eyes when who I am fully crashes into her mind. She tries hard to wash it away quickly.

  Not fast enough.

  “Hollis Knox,” she whispers more to herself than to me as she touches her fingers to her lips before looking up at me. I nod, letting her know just how real all of this is.

  “The one and only, little one. Still want to be the one to figure me out?”

  Her eyes narrow and I am intrigued by the amount of determination she has. Before she can answer me, Jerome is back on the walkie again.

  “Rue, do you mean Hollis?”

  She yanks herself out of her stupor quickly and grabs the walkie-talkie that fell when she heard my name. “Y-yes! Sorry,” she stutters before laughing awkwardly. “I dropped this stupid thing. Hollis needs his car.”

  “Let him know I’ll be up front in five.”

  She sets the walkie back onto its station and slowly looks up at me again.

  I am surprised when she meets my gaze. It’s not horror across her face anymore but something looking a lot like understanding. She takes the news of finding out I am one of the most deadly men in this city like it’s nothing and I wonder what in the hell she’s been through for her to react so unfazed about me.

  Almost as if me being as terrible as I am isn’t an issue at all and her curiosity seems stronger than before. If what I suspect is the case, she may be off her rocker more than she gives off.

  “He’ll be out front in five minutes, Hollis.”

  The way she says my name makes me narrow my eyes at her. She’s playing with me and I don’t understand why. She knows I’m not someone to play around with, everyone knows, but she is still poking the fire with a big smile on her face.

  It’s driving me absolutely mad.

  “Who are you?” I growl out, frustration and despondence written across my face.

  “Ruby Ta—” she starts, but I cut her off quickly.

  “I don’t mean your name.” I deepen my frown at her, and she finally frowns back at me, but doesn’t say a word. “Stay away from me, Ruby, if you know what’s good for you.”

  “I’m a big girl,” she tells me, mock confidence radiating from her. She thinks I can’t tell how nervous she is, but the shake of her hand and the way her lip is quivering is telling me otherwise. “I can make good choices on my own.”

  “Good choices are made with your mind and it seems like you only know how to make choices with your heart,” I scoff just as Jerome pulls up with my car. I grip the counter and lean in close to her, lowering my voice as I viciously speak to her. “And not one damn thing ever turned out right for me when I listened to mine.”

  The look that flashes across her face pisses me off. So badly I turn around and storm out to my waiting car before she can respond. I steal one last glance at her through the front glass doors of the apartment building before getting in and driving away.

  Chapter Two

  RUBY—TEN YEARS AGO

  “You need to stop pretending you don’t have a crush on her, Si, we all know you want to bone my best friend.” Cece laughs from the doorway of Messiah’s bedroom. I look over at her from where I’m sitting on his bookshelf and laugh at how annoying she’s being.

  “You’re late Crys, I already did,” Messiah says, standing from his bed, his sweatpants hitting low on his waist as he crosses the room, closing the door in her face.

  “You’re such an ass,” I tell him, laughing again as my best friend bangs on her twin's bedroom door, demanding he open it immediately.

  He doesn’t, because he never listens to anything she says. He’s too big for her to do anything about it anyway. She hates it, but I love their bickering. No matter how much they fight, they never give up on the other and it’s what I love the most about them.

  “Messiah Ren Clark! I swear on your life I will chop your fucking balls off and feed them to you if you don’t open this damn door,” Cece yells from the other side and I just shake my head as he continues to walk toward me.

  “She’ll get over it,” he tells me. “And anyway, she started messing with me first.”

  “You and I both know it doesn’t matter to her.”

  “Letting her squirm doesn’t matter to me,” he tells me as he stops in front of me. “She’s a brat.”

  “Y'all spoil her,” I laugh.

  “Not me, my granny,” he says, shaking his head. “She’s always trying to overcompensate.”

  “At least she tries” I shrug and Cece’s banging finally stops.

  “You two suck,” she says from the other side of the door and we laugh. “I’m giving you ten minutes and then I’m coming back and please open the door for me because I really do have something to talk to you about, asshole.”

  “Fuck off Crystina.”

  I shake my head at him, but he just smirks darkly, coming closer. He’s gotten bold with her over the last few weeks about us, but it only means Cece does nothing but badger me about what we are to each other anytime she has me alone. It’s not a bad thing, because in all honesty I don’t think she cares but she just hates being left out, and us not telling her is leaving her out.

  “Why don’t you just—”

  “What,” he asks quickly, cutting me off. “Why don’t I just tell her I fuck you any chance I can get? Or how any time she leaves us alone I never stop touching you and you love it?”

  He’s in front of me now with his hands all over me just like he’s talking about, and I do love it, but I wouldn’t care if Cece knew it. He’s the one who hasn’t wanted to tell her. I think it he’s just being stupid. “Yeah why don’t you tell her?”

  He smiles and those dimples, they melt me. I hate how perfect his face is and when his blue eyes lock on my lips I close the distance between us before he can. I kiss him hard and he pulls me closer to him by my ass and I slide off the bookshelf. He grips under my legs and turns us around and we land on his bed with a knock and we both laugh, knowing Cece will be even more pissed now.

  Almost on cue Cece yells from the hallway, “Fuck this, I’m not waiting!”

  The door opens with enough force to make it bang against the wall and I lay under Messiah as her eyes finally find mine. I’m smiling at her and her eyes are tiny slits as he looks at her too. He has the biggest smile on his face, and I know she won’t be able to hold her ground for long. Her eyes are narrowed as she stands in the doorway with her hands on her hips but her angry facade is already cracking when she takes a step in our direction.

  “So are you two official now?” she asks, stopping just inside the room and putting her hand on her hip. “I do deserve to know.”

  “This is why we haven’t said shit to you,” Messiah tells her with a laugh. “You put more pressure on us than we do.
”

  “Well, my best friend isn’t going to be your little fuck toy,” she tells him, and I laugh loudly and close my eyes as I shake my head. “Don’t laugh, Ruby, I don’t care how bomb his dick is, we don’t let boys use us, we use them.”

  “Oh my god,” Messiah booms, pushing off of the bed and sitting back on his heels. “I’m not fucking using her, but neither of us give a fuck about labels.”

  “Well, I do. So, if you’re fucking her, you better understand no bitch will touch you now. I’ll get the word out saying you’re completely off limits,” she tells him, and I sit up with a disgusted look on my face.

  “Fucking hell, Cece. What if I don’t want him off limits?” I ask her.

  “Then you’re stupid, these girls out here are wild, Rue. You have to protect yourself," she scolds but I just run my hand over my face.

  "I swear you act like I'm just like all the dicks you choose to date," he snaps at her, and the vibe in the room shifts to a more serious one. "I am not like them."

  "You have a dick," she says with a shrug. "Y'all all think the same."

  "You're a bitch," he laughs, shaking his head before standing up, "but are y'all trying to get into anything tonight?"

  "I hear there's a party out by the warehouses, but sounds pretty sketchy." Cece tells us, chuckling as she turns to look into the mirror on top of Messiah’s dresser. It’s right in front of his bed and she can see me in the mirror as I’m stare back at her. Her golden skin is darker thanks to all of the time we’ve spent outside this summer. She’s had this special glow lately.

  "What do you mean?" Messiah asks, walking over to his closet and sliding the door over, revealing most of his clothing.

  "You know how those killings have been happening more and more around the city?” she asks, twirling around to face him. “Well, from what I've heard there's this new guy in town and he has some gang or something and he's literally just taking over people's shit left and right," she explains and I look over at Messiah who is completely invested in what she's saying.

  "There's been like ten killings in the last month," I say with a questioning look at Messiah, "isn't that what you told us earlier?" He nods.

  "Yeah, so anyway the party is sketchy because the guys who work for this new dude are the ones throwing the party," Cece tells us and I watch Messiah's smile grow and I know in this moment there won't be much anyone can do to keep him from the party.

  Messiah is funny and sarcastic with us, but to everyone else he isn't someone to mess with. I’ve never been scared of him, but I know plenty of people who are.

  “So, I take it we’re going?” Cece asks, turning around to eye me.

  I look over to Messiah who’s already changing his shirt and once he has his dark sandy blonde curls through the top of the pale orange shirt he looks at me with a big smile before turning to Cece. “I’m going, whether y’all go or not. I’ve heard wild shit about the one named Hollis and apparently Elijah is fucking dominating drugs right now and they’re only a few years older than us.”

  “There’s no way someone bigger isn’t behind them, no one our age in this town is big enough to take down Benzo,” I say, shaking my head.

  “I agree,” Cece says, sitting on the bed next to me and looking over at Messiah with me.

  “There probably is and whoever he is needs to put me on,” Messiah tells us, laughing as he claps his hands to his last three words.

  “Boy, shut up,” Cece tells him, rolling her eyes. “Ain’t nobody ‘bout to put your crazy ass on.”

  His shoulders fall. “Why not?”

  “Because I say so,” she tells him. “No brother of mine is getting involved with stupid gang shit. We are the only gang you need.”

  “You two aren’t a gang, you’re like two little chihuahuas,” he says with a laugh. “All bark, no bite.”

  “Um,” I say holding my finger up in the air, “actually the only dog I’ve ever been bitten by was the stupid ass chihuahua who used to live next to me.”

  He narrows his eyes at me. “You’re always trying to ruin my jokes with facts.”

  “I’m just pointing out even as two chihuahuas, we could be a pretty badass gang.” I laugh and so does Cece.

  “Okay, whatever,” he says, laughing too. “But I still want to go to this party and see how these dudes work and see if I could vibe with them.”

  “I’m not agreeing to go to any party for those reasons,” Cece protests, but Messiah just laughs and heads out of his room and we follow behind him all of us knowing good and well the night is going to be the biggest shitstorm ever.

  Chapter Three

  RUBY—PRESENT

  Tasha saunters back over to me and the smile on her face is definitely one of conquest. My face matches hers as I look over to Lucky, her own grin sitting proudly on her face, too. We both know what’s coming.

  “Tell us how much you got,” Lucky laughs, speaking loudly over the booming music in the club.

  Tasha wraps me in a side hug and laughs as well. “Let’s just say, our rent is paid this month, ladiessss!” She is slurring her words, so the drinks she had with some random guy—who is apparently giving her all kinds of money—has kicked in.

  “Your ass is so drunk,” I say, hugging her to my side too. Tasha is crazy, but her and Lucky are all I have, and I can’t afford to lose them, nor do I want to even think about not having them in my life. We are the three musketeers and have been this way since elementary school. They’ve been by my side through everything.

  “If you’re saying those whiney words, bitch, then you need some more Patrón in you!”

  Lucky hops up from her seat and pours more alcohol into my cup from the bottle Tasha’s mystery man bought and I quickly throw it all back. Tasha releases me and they both break into loud cheers as I laugh and wipe my mouth with the back of my free hand and flip my long dark hair over my shoulder.

  When I notice him watching me from across VIP, a jolt of adrenaline pumps through me, and I wonder how long he’s been there observing me. His dark eyes bore into me, but my smile remains. I’m glad he’s here, because for some reason I feel safe with him around. I don’t know why though, because he is scary as hell.

  When the girls stop cheering, I turn back to them and we all joke around, taking pictures together on the plush couches of the VIP section. We like it up here because we always get to have space to have fun without being overcrowded by other people. Tasha can always get us into VIP with ease, especially lately.

  Whenever we go out I never know how we were going to get up into VIP, but it always seems to work out in our favor. Although Lucky and I have had our few nights of success, tonight it was Tasha who got us up here. Well, not Tasha, but her new sugar daddy or whatever got us up here quick, fast, and in a hurry. We didn’t even wait in the line outside.

  I have a feeling she’s going to hang on to this one, he’s practically already proposed to her, but she says she’s just playing him like a fiddle. I’d told her so many times it wasn’t smart to do guys that way, but she never listens to Lucky or me when it comes to men, no matter how much shit we talk.

  I’m not one to judge, because trust me I’ve done my dirt too, but guys who get too attached aren’t good for the lifestyle we like to lead. I can easily see her mystery sugar daddy flipping his shit if she ever told him no and I haven’t even met him. From the stories she’s told us about him, he’s batshit crazy, controlling, and to me screams turn around and run away.

  I also think it’s super weird he’s yet to introduce himself to Lucky or I and we are practically Natasha’s sisters.

  They both stay seated down on the couches around the heavy metal table in the center of the couch, but I have other plans. I figure if he is going to continue to watch me so blatantly from across the room, I’ll give him a show.

  So I dance.

  I climb on top of the table and move my body to the booming music. Lucky and Natasha erupt in profanities and I smile wildly as I meet his stare with
my own, my hair whipping around me as I move. His serious face isn't as serious as before and for a split second I notice a tiny smirk play across his lips.

  I close my eyes again and throw my arms in the air, dancing to the beat, continuing to hear my friends cheer me on as I turn.

  “My baby is doing her thang,” Lucky screams loudly, at the same moment she slaps my ass. “Aye Mami! Baile!”

  His presence is known before I turn around to see him because when I open my eyes the looks on my friends faces quickly change from happy to startled in the blink of an eye. I turn around and my smile doesn't falter at all as he continues to make his way over to us slowly.

  Lucky and Tasha don’t make a move as he gets closer, and I only step towards the edge of the table, still swaying to the loud music. When I stop at the edge of the table just in front of him, his smirk is back. He speaks first.

  “You seem to have wanted my attention,” he says to me, his deep voice over entwined into the music, sending chills all over my body.

  “You seem to have a lot of attention to give tonight,” I tell him grinning back and still swaying my hips back and forth. His eyes travel down my body and they follow my hips for a few seconds before he looks me directly in my eyes. I feel like he is combing through my soul and it’s spooking the hell out of me.

  I look away first, unable to allow him to make me feel so bare and he grunts in response. “If you wanted to give me a personal show, you should have come to me to get into VIP not a lame ass mother fucker like Benzo.”

  “Wait, what?” I whip my head back around and cut my eyes at Tasha and she shrinks into the couch even more as I hop off the table and march over to her. “Are you fucking insane, Natasha? Benzo?”

  “See! I knew you’d react like this! I can’t help who I love, Rue.”

  “I thought you were done with him,” Lucky remarks, making me scoff in response.