Текст книги "Blood & Loyalties"

Автор книги: Ryan Michele

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

Chapter 7

THE BOYS—Val, D, and Matteo—walked in as I stood with Dan and Brett at my side in the rush. I would have liked to have Diego on speaker for this meeting, but that wouldn’t be happening in this room. The glares from Catarina’s brothers and cousin stabbed me like knives, but I would deal with their problems later.

“I got a call from my ex-wife. Apparently, my uncle paid her a visit in California,” I told the men at the table.

“Zan’s on the West Coast?” Matteo asked with puzzlement on his face. I hadn’t told anyone of the meeting with Vinny yet, as I kept that close to the vest. It was now time to get it all on the table.

“He skipped town and headed to my home turf.”

“What did he want with your ex?” Val questioned calmly for once, surprising me.

“That’s the thing. Nothing except to call me and tell me he stopped by.” I tilted my head. “So, he wants me to know where he is, but I already knew because he hit up Vinny to join him, and Vinny told me. I know Zan. He has something brewing there, and I need to get back and find out what it is.”

Fuck, that was the last thing I wanted to do. Even though I knew it was coming, I didn’t realize it would be this soon.

“We’ll look on this end,” Matteo stated firmly.

“Good.” I rubbed my hands over my face in frustration. “Zan appears to be unstable. With that shit with Johnny and now disappearing to California and visiting my ex, I don’t know what his next move is going to be. I need you guys to up security on Catarina and Kiera. I don’t know what the hell he is capable of at the moment, but I need to get there and find him.”

“You staying here tonight?” D asked, looking more self-assured than I had seen in a long time. He might actually be growing up, and the fact he could keep his temper in check was a deep plus in comparison to his brother.

“Yes, Dan and Brett will be with me, and we’ll set the alarms at the house. I know the girls go to work tomorrow. What’s security like there?” I pressed my fingers into my nose and breathed in and out calmly. Catarina was my first priority. She would be safe at all costs.

Matteo, Vino’s oldest, spoke up. “Security is tight, but I’ll put a call in to the head and make sure it’s stepped up. There are two main entrances to the building, and both have guards. As soon as a person steps foot in the building, their face is digitally recorded into the computer software that runs for any recognition, and there is always someone manning those computers. Most of the time, two people. People go through metal detectors and a 3D machine that circles them and can pick up a speck of metal up their asshole. State of the art.”

I expected nothing less with Matteo’s knowledge. Sal and Vino had put most of their boy’s good heads on their shoulders.

“Good. What about meetings offsite?”

“Not allowed. All meetings happen on-site. No exceptions. If Billy Billionaire wants to invest in Lambardoni, he comes to us. We never go to him.” Nice.

“Do Catarina or Kiera leave the office during the day?” One might call this overprotective; I called it diligent.

“They may go out to lunch sometimes, but normally their assistant picks it up for them,” Matteo answered. “I’ll make calls to make sure they keep their asses there.”

I grunted. “Great. This isn’t gonna be pretty, and boys, just because he’s my uncle, that doesn’t mean shit when you break trust. My loyalties are to this family.”

They nodded in understanding.

It was after two in the morning before we broke the meeting. I knew I would have to call Vino first thing in the morning to update him. Scraper and Dune showed everyone out while I stopped Dan and Brett.

“We stay here.”

They grunted then headed to one of the many spare rooms in the place.

“No. She said for you to leave,” Scraper chimed in. The man had fucking balls that was for sure, but at least he was loyal to Catarina. I had to give him that.

I got in his face, our noses almost touching. “I’m staying and so are the boys. Shit’s going down. Even if it wasn’t, you couldn’t stop me from being with my girl.” As I said those last two words, I mentally froze. Yep, fucked. Maybe I could just throw her over my shoulder and take her with me. Yeah right. Sal’d have my ass in a sling for that one.

I walked up the staircase then turned the handle to Catarina’s door. Locked. I smiled and pulled out my phone, sending Dan a quick text. Seconds later he was at my side, handing me what I needed then dashing back off. I picked the lock with ease, opened the door, and my eyes darted to the bed. I blinked.

She wasn’t there. I moved to the bathroom, nothing. Damn hellcat was what she was. She was livid after the call from Maria and she had every right to be. Hell, I was pissed about it. It fucking ruined what was one of the best nights of my life and that’s not even including the sex. I was mesmerized by everything that was her. The way she glowed in the moonlight, her hair shining. The way she fought me at feeding her briefly and I knew why. It was exactly why I did it. I wanted to show her without being balls deep inside of her that I cared about her, that I wanted to get to know her better. That what we had, this connection that I knew she felt, I felt it too. Then one damn phone call ruined it all.

Kiera. She had to be with Kiera. I knew she hadn’t left the house, because Scraper was here. She went nowhere without him. It left either the spare bedrooms that were a possibility, or Kiera’s room. After what happened, I’d put a shit load of money it was Kiera.

I called Dan. “Which room is Kiera’s?” I asked as I moved across the expanse of the house. It really was pretty huge for just two women.

“Second room on the left.” He said and I shut off the phone, putting it in my back pocket.

I opened the door and two figures popped up from the bed as I entered into the room.

“Don’t fucking move,” was growled from the bed as two guns were pointed at me, bringing me to an immediate halt.

As I raised my hands in front of me, showing I had nothing, Catarina wiped her face, seeming to clear the sleepiness.

“Jag?” She paused. “What’s going on?” She lowered the gun and rested her hand on Kiera’s arm, lowering hers.

“Came to get you and take you to bed.” I moved closer to the bed, seeing her hair was tousled from sleep, and her eyes were still a bit groggy.

“That’s sweet. I’m not leaving. Now go. I’m tired,” she barked and lay back down, ignoring me as she put the gun on the headboard of the bed.

Fuck that shit.

I moved swiftly, picking her up in my arms.

“What the hell are you doing?” she snarled, trying to wiggle out of my grasp, but I only gripped her more tightly. She wasn’t going fucking anywhere. No way in hell was I allowing her to spend the night here when I knew I didn’t have much time with her. I wanted her warm body against mine, where I knew I could and would keep her safe.

“We’re going to bed.”

Her movements become fiercer, but I ignored them.

I moved swiftly through the house, shutting the door to the bedroom with my foot and placing her on the bed.

“You can go now.” She glared. All of this fucking shit was because of Maria. I was sure, in her warped woman head, she was placing me in that fucker Antonio’s spot, making me a big fucking cheat. That comparison had to be a bit raw for her.

I locked the door and stripped my clothes off.

“What are you fucking doing? I said leave.” She moved up the bed to the headboard. She was trying desperately to look hard and tough, but I could see her eyes traveling up my body, and the flash of desire in her gaze was calling for me. Only me. But behind the desire was a depth of hurt that I wanted to erase.

“Bed.” I grabbed her then, before she could resist, crashed my lips to hers. The fight immediately left her limbs. Her once scratching hands were now around my neck, pulling me to her.

I moved away from her lips and stared into her beautiful blue-green eyes. “I don’t cheat. I’m a lot of fucking things, babe, but a cheat is not one of them.” Now my ex, on the other hand, couldn’t keep a dick out of her to save her life. Instead of explaining that, I crashed my lips back down to hers because that would seriously fuck up the moment.

Clothes flew, and then I was buried balls deep in Catarina. For once, everything seemed right in the world when she looked at me with those adoring beautiful eyes.

***

“Where the hell are you going?”

Catarina’s sexy as hell ass was swaying in front me, each hip thrust making my dick hard as steel.

She didn’t bother turning when she replied, “Work.” She closed the bathroom door behind her.

I definitely needed sleep, but I needed Catarina more. She was obviously still pissed off and I couldn’t have that. I jumped out of bed and turned the handle, noting it was locked. I smiled and shook my head, reaching over for my tools. Within seconds, I was in.

The bathroom was steamy from the heat of the shower. Through the glass, her silhouette stood in perfection. My dick instantly pointed north and was ready to play.

I opened the shower door to the sound of a gasp from Catarina as her hair cascaded down her back in a flawless sheet, water dripping from every single inch of her delectable body. I took the puff thing from her hands and, without a word, began to wash her body. For once, she didn’t complain.

“Turn.” I moved to her back, washed the butterfly and then moved down to her legs, the water instantly washing the soap from her body. “Hands on the tile.”

“I really don’t have time,” she started, making my hopes of her keeping quiet vanish.

“You fucking do. I need breakfast before you go.”

Her body quivered as she complied, spreading her legs and giving me a beautiful shot of her pussy. I knelt down and sunk my face into the crook of her ass then annihilated her pussy. As I licked every crease, including her asshole, she panted and mewled. It was such a fucking turn on. I raised her leg to get better access, and she gripped one of the bars in the shower tightly, balancing herself.

“Oh, God,” she moaned, throwing her head back.

When I pulled her clit into my mouth and sucked hard, her body set off as noises from Catarina filled the shower. I rose quickly and sunk into her heat. Having her surround every fucking inch of me was heaven.

The noises kept coming as I pummeled fast. My grip on her hips was so tight she would be wearing my bruises for a few days, and damn if that thought didn’t send my hips into a piston. I reached around and rubbed her clit, hard and fast, she tightened around my shaft, setting off again, and I followed.

After cleaning her up a second time, I left her to get dressed. I would love to fall back into bed, but I had shit to do and so did she. I texted Dan for my bag, which he said was by the door already. I quickly changed and headed downstairs.

Walking into the kitchen, I already smelled the hot brew I needed to awaken. Dan and Brett were at the table, gorging on cereal.

“Hey, boss,” they said in unison, continuing to eat, not skipping a beat. I grabbed a cup and sat with them.

“We’ll more than likely have to go after the meeting today, so be ready to pack shit up.”

As they nodded and continued eating, a wave of despair hit me. The previous night was more than likely the last night I would hold her in my arms. I closed my eyes and shook the thoughts from my head. I had known this was coming. It wasn’t a big deal, right? She’s just a woman. Right. Keep telling yourself that, asshole.

“Make yourself at home,” Catarina called from the hallway, looking absolutely edible in her skirt and dress shirt.

“Don’t mind if I do,” I smiled, but even I could feel it was forced.

“Look, I’ve gotta go. Kiera’s running late, and Dune’s bringing her in a bit. I have a meeting, so I gotta run.”

I moved fast, blocking her path. “I’m taking you to dinner tonight. Be ready at seven.” I couldn’t leave without one more night with her, one more way to show her that I’d be thinking about her. I knew I was changing up the plans I told the guys, but they’d deal with it because I wasn’t ready to leave her yet.

“Fine,” she huffed. I could see part of her was still wondering about Maria, but she was at least willing to give me the benefit of the doubt.

“Forget something?”

She looked over her body and at her purse, opening it up and rifling through the contents.

“Nope.” She began to move away.

Grabbing her arm, I twirled her around and kissed her beautiful lips, tasting her strawberry lip gloss, which I kept eating up.

She slowly pulled away. “I have to go.” She gave me one small peck, and then out the door she went.

I slouched down in the chair. Fuck. I could get seriously used to that.

***

“What are you going to do about this shit?” Vino questioned from the head of the table, throwing papers in front of us.

I looked briefly, but it was just more proof that Zan was trying to fuck us over.

“Take him out. I’ll get the boys and do it fast.”

“Good. And Damian?” Vino asked. Damian was Zan’s kid, and while he didn’t work directly for us, he did work for his father as an extension. If Zan was going down, so would Damian.

“Same as Zan,” I replied, lacing my fingers together in front of me.

“Have Vinny or Diego pull up any of Zan’s associates. They’ll need to be dealt with as well,” Vino snapped, obviously pissed.

I nodded, keeping my thoughts in check.

“You leave today, yeah?” Sal asked, raising his brow, and I could tell there were so many questions running through his head. I knew it was coming.

“Tonight,” I answered.

“Good. Everyone out. I want to talk to Jag.” Sal dismissed everyone except Vino.

I steadied myself, readying for what might come next. He knew I’d been staying with Catarina and with me leaving I was sure he had a lot to say.

“You tell my girl you’re leaving yet?” Sal asked as soon as the door had clicked shut. His eyes conveyed he wasn’t happy about this situation at all. That the thought of me hurting his little girl in any way pissed him off. Little did he know leaving her didn’t sit right with me either.

“I’m taking her to dinner tonight, and I’ll tell her then.” Even thinking of telling her gutted me. I wasn’t ready to leave her yet and after what happened last night it was horrible timing.

“I understand you’ve been spending your nights with her. Will there be any problems?”

Problems. Not for the business, but…

“No, sir. Everything will be fine.”

He lifted his chin in response, but I knew nothing would ever be fine again, at least for me. Not if I didn’t have Catarina in my life.

 

Chapter 8

IT WAS AN absolutely great day. The meeting that morning landed me another thirteen million to play around with. I would definitely double, if not triple, it in two weeks. I absolutely loved my damn job, couldn’t ask for anything better. Working with numbers and moving money around to make more was the biggest fucking rush. My company got one, sometimes two percent of any money made, which added up. It was all legit. Kiera and I had our ducks in a row, and we got to do something we loved daily. We played the stock market with other’s money, and we were damn good at it.

I applied liner around my eyes and dabbed pink gloss on my lips. Looking in the mirror, I gave another fluff to my hair, allowing the smile to fill the mirror.

While at the office, I had thought a lot about the man who’d slept in my bed last night. Not just that I was deliciously sore from the thoroughness of his workout, but the little things. The kiss he demanded before I left for work. The glint in his eye when he saw me after I’d gotten dressed and came to the kitchen. Hell, even his eyes on me watching every move I made so nothing bad happened to me.  Everything.

It might be the stupidest thing ever, but I believed that woman he talked to on the phone was his ex. It was in his eyes when he had told me. Jag’s eyes didn’t lie and I trusted that. For some reason I truly did. When I had first heard her name I was too pissed and fired up, thinking of Antonio, to think clearly. After having time to sort through everything, I was a bit more clear-headed about the situation. Bottom line was, he was leaving and I needed to enjoy my time with him, because I didn’t know when it would come to an end. I trusted that he was a smart man when it came to me. If I could just get my heart to follow that logic, I’d be in a better place.

I took one last look in the mirror then slipped on my heels and headed to the main room of the house. All voices ceased as I entered, their eyes pointed at me.

“What?” I asked as I looked down at my body. I didn’t go fancy or anything, choosing skinny jeans, a tight wrap-around sapphire top, and heels. Nothing looked out of place.

When I glanced back up, Jag was stalking toward me with a predatory gleam in his eyes. His arms wrapped around my body, crushing me to him. His face instantly fell into my neck where he breathed in hard as I wrapped my arms around his neck. Automatically calm and peace washed over me as I closed my eyes and reveled in the moment. I took the opportunity to suck him in as well and I loved the smell.

“God, your eyes. You look fucking beautiful,” he whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my body and growing that special place in my heart that he’d weeded into.

“You don’t look half bad yourself.” I pulled away, eyeing him, a slight smile on my lips.

His black jeans hung low on his hips; his button up, black shirt was unlatched for the first couple of buttons, revealing sleek muscles. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, showing a hint of the tattoos that lay underneath, and his hair had some sort of gel in it, but that wouldn’t stop me from running my fingers through it later.

I smiled up at him. With a gleam in his eyes, his mouth came down on mine; fusing itself to mine and igniting that fire that burned beyond recognition every time I was around this man.

He pulled away, panting, his eyes closed. When they opened, something flittered across them that I was unable to recognize yet wanted to understand. It made me uneasy. I wanted—no needed—to know more about this man.

Then, like a wrecking ball slamming into a building, reality washed over me, and I shook my head to clear my mind. I didn’t need to know anything. That would be my downfall. It would lead to that connection, and like a row of dominoes falling, that connection would only lead me to heartache. Like picking up the fallen tiles, I would have to pick up the pieces of my heart. Yeah, two things I didn’t need were connection and heartache.

I straightened my spine, digging in to find the will to close my heart. That was what I needed: strong will.

“Ready?”

His soft smirk suggested that he could read the inner turmoil I was going through. It couldn’t be. He was good, but not that good.

“Absolutely. I may have to put you up on the table and eat you first.”

I flushed, wanting that, too.

“Don’t tempt me. I may just spread nice and wide for ya.” I winked then looked around the room. Shit. The guards were staring and listening attentively to our back and forth.

“Go on. We’ll watch,” Hulk said, completely enthralled.

I rolled my eyes and cocked my hip out with my hand on it. “You wish.” The sarcasm in my voice had me smiling. Jag punched him in the shoulder.

The drive to the restaurant was electric. The inside of the car had a magnetic pull that was sending every single one of my nerves into overdrive. Again, I had to wonder why was he making all of these gestures? Why was he trying to pull me deeper into him? He had to see that I was falling hard for him and the pain that was inevitable would be crushing. So, why more? Why keep trying to knock my socks off when they were so far away from my body they were in another state?

Not to mention that my body wanted him with everything inside of me.

I cleared my thoughts when Jag’s hand gave mine a small squeeze. I turned to face him.

“Baby, I can smell your pussy from here.” I jolted, my body instantly flushing. “You ready for me?”

“God, yeah,” I whimpered, cursing myself for the show of weakness. He did it to me every damn time, though. If I was standing, my knees would have buckled.

I watched as his hand moved to my thigh, and he squeezed hard. I opened my legs like the hussy I was, giving him access to my ache. His hand teased up and down my jeans, and I could feel every touch on my pussy. Needing more, I gripped his hand and pressed it to my body.

His lips met my ear. “Greedy,” he whispered, and I melted.

I moved my hand as he continued to rub with the occasional pinch in the perfect spot. I moaned and moved my hips in tune with his rough movements as my body heated to overload. His hand then moved quickly away.

“What!”

He smiled at me and winked, fucking winked.

“We’re here.” He leaned in close. “That’ll get you primed for me later.”

“You’re not leaving me like this all through dinner,” I whined, but I didn’t care because my body needed release. Bad. I couldn’t concentrate on all that was Jag when my body was humming for him.

“Oh, I can and will. Come.” He held out his hand to me, which I tentatively grabbed and he pulled me out of the car.

In front of us was an old mom and pop shop that made wonderful Italian food. I had been there several times, and the place was always packed. My stomach growled, and Jag’s deep, throaty laugh had me blushing.

“See, I need to feed you first.”

I cut my eyes up at him, giving him my fuck-you stare, but when my stomach growled again, I relented and followed him into the place.

“Ah, Mr. Maratelli, so glad you could be with us tonight.” A short, balding man with a white, button-up shirt and black pants greeted us a bit too cheerfully. I knew he owned the place, and my dad had talked to him many times, but I didn’t really know him. “And, Miss Lambardoni, it is a pleasure.” When he lifted his hand, I extended mine to his. He kissed it softly, and I smiled. “Come!” He clapped his hands energetically.

Hulk and Scraper waited by the door, not following us, which I thought was odd.

I looked up at Jag who silently shook his head. Then his hand came to the small of my back, setting it on fire as we walked through the doors and into the restaurant where I gasped loudly. Oh, my God. Shock resonated through me as I took in the room around me.

Not a soul was in sight. No one. The only thing in the large room was a small table in the center with two chairs and a bottle of wine.

I turned to Jag, my jaw a bit slack. “You did this?” I couldn’t help the surprise in my voice. Really? This man kept turning me inside out. As if dinner with him wouldn’t be romantic enough, he had to clear the entire place out so it was just us.

“I did.” He led me to the table and pulled out the chair for me to sit in then took the chair next to mine.

A single lavender rose was placed in front of me, and I had no idea where it had come from. It wasn’t on the table two minutes before. My heart clenched as I took the rose from Jag’s extended hand.

“Thank you.” I smelled the rose, the scent invading my senses. I loved this smell. Part of me wanted to clutch the rose to my chest and hold onto it for dear life.

His hand brushed my cheek, and his thumb tugged at my bottom lip. “You are more than welcome. You deserve this and so much more.”

My heart fluttered. I wanted to tell it to stop, but I was too far gone, too lost in his eyes to care that my heart would be shattered into bits. I loved every second of this.

I reached up and pulled his face to mine, kissing him with all the thank you I could muster. When I pulled away, his face was lit up with lust and there was a spark in his eye, one that I’ve caught myself having in the mirror as I thought of Jag. I wanted to pull on it, drag it out of him, but I didn’t. I just enjoyed that small moment.

“I ordered ahead. Are you ready to eat?” I nodded silently, afraid of the words that would leave my lips at that moment.

Jag glanced over at the waiters who came out from behind closed doors with food in hand, setting one plate down of salad and a bowl with soup. “The soup is vegetable minestrone, and you have Caesar salad.” As the waiter moved quickly away, I looked down and quirked my brows, wondering where the hell the other food was.

“Is there a reason there is only one plate and one bowl?”

Jag grabbed my hand, his eyes penetrating mine. “How else am I going to feed you?” His smooth voice slid through me. I shivered, remembering the last time he had fed me. That warmth in my body spread like wild fire.

“Do you have a thing for this?” I raised both brows in question, trying to play it off. I liked this, really liked this. The fact he was taking time to care for me, again, was almost too much for me to take.

“Doesn’t your father feed your mother?” He already knew the answer.

“On occasion. Not so much anymore.”

“That you see. You no longer live there. I bet you he does it very often.” Jag picked up the spoon and blew gently on the soup, cooling it slightly. Then he extended the spoon to my mouth, and I opened willingly as thoughts swirled in my head at the ramifications of his previous words. Did he really feel this way toward me?

As the spoon slid into my mouth, I closed my eyes, and the taste of the soup exploded on my tongue. I opened them to see him watching me intently. He took a bite himself and then gave me another. The sexual and emotional tension was so thick I didn’t think a damn hacksaw could get through it.

He continued to feed me bite after bite of food, and each time the fork or spoon touched my lips, sounds escaped my throat that I hadn’t known existed. The food was impeccable, and the company was even better.

“I want to know more about you,” I whispered quietly.

“What do you want to know, dolcezza?”

I quivered at the endearment.

“Mother, father, siblings?” Might as well start simply.

“Mother is back in California. Father—well, you know about him. My mother is a wonderful woman, very straight forward and doesn’t take a lot of shit from anyone. She’s an amazing cook, and I love her to death. No siblings.”

I smiled, feeling the same way about my own mom.

“Let’s try this. What’s your favorite movie?”

“Ah, dolcezza, now the hard questions.” His smile filled up the room, and my heart exploded in my chest. This one was gonna hurt; there was no stopping it. I inwardly cringed and jumped for joy at the same time. It was like I had a little flag inside me that read Bring on the Pain.

The light conversation continued to flow, and more than once we laughed. It was one of the most enjoyable meals and nights, excluding last night, I had ever had. Relaxed. Calm. Fun.

“Are you ready for dessert?”

I raised my brow. “What are we having?”

He grinned. “You if I had my way.” His finger swiped over my lip, fire igniting. My body did a full shiver. “Instead, I have tiramisu for you.” He snapped his fingers and a waiter brought out the dessert.

My mouth watered. Maybe I would just have a little.

“Ah. You like? I can tell by your flushed face.”

“Yes.”

The fork was right at my lips, the taste of the confection on the tip of my tongue, when all hell broke loose. The side door burst open, and everything happened so quickly it blurred.

“Floor. Now,” Jag barked.

I immediately listened, climbing under the lonely table for minuscule cover. Jag stood in front of me, and all I could see through his legs was a man with designer loafers and pressed dress pants stepping in front of him about four feet away. My thoughts flickered to Scraper and Hulk. Why the hell hadn’t they warned us? Shit. I hoped they were all right. Thoughts of blood seeping from Scraper’s body crept in my head, and I quickly shook my head to clear the mental images, listening intently to every word.

“Jag, boy, how’ve you been?” The low voice was one I recognized yet couldn’t place. Then the distinct sound of the cocking of a gun had my ears perking up.

“Damian, nice to see you again. To what do I owe this pleasure?” Jag’s calm voice spread inside of me, easing a bit of the tension I was feeling. Jag sounded as if he were talking to his best friend and not a man I assumed had a gun pointed at his head.

I racked my brain, trying to come up with who the hell this Damian guy was. Then it hit me. I had two of his accounts over at Lambardoni Enterprises. I had actually spoken to the fucker several times. I had never seen his face, but the voice was now unmistakable.

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine. My father paid a little visit to your ex-whore. I don’t know how you put up with that stupid bitch.”

Damian’s head peeked around the table, and I made eye contact with him. “See, you have a better piece of ass now, the boss’s daughter. Hi, Catarina. Nice to talk to you again.” He laughed, the disrespectful little shit. Fuck that.

I reached for my purse, pulling out my .9mm—Dad’s present to me about three years ago. Men seemed to underestimate me as a woman, thinking I couldn’t do shit. I called bullshit.

“Make your fucking point,” Jag growled low, his fists clenched so tightly all I could see was white. I bided my time.

“I can’t let you go back to California.” Damian sighed. “Can’t have the boss man there, after my dad. I’m not fucking stupid. I know that’s the first order.”

“You think I’m gonna just let you kill me? You’re fucking delusional.” Jag moved his hands from the side of the table until I could no longer see them.

I moved behind Jag’s leg and aimed my gun as discreetly as possible, unlocking the safety, ready to cock and fire at a moment’s notice. Then something behind us clattered loudly, taking everyone’s attention, and I took that as my opportunity.

My shot blew a hole in Damian’s shoulder, causing him to drop the gun. As it skittered across the floor, Damian started reaching behind his back, and I was afraid he had another gun, so I shot again, hitting Damian’s kneecap and sending him to the floor, landing on the other knee. His screams were deafening as blood leaked from his knee and flowed across the floor.

I slowly rose from the table and took in my surroundings. Scraper’s body was lying on the floor, but no blood was coming from it. The asshole standing over him had a gun cocked, ready to shoot.