Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 108988 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108988 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
I smiled. “Jake Worthing. Yes. Let’s talk more about Worthing.” I leaned forward and lowered my head, as if I were sharing a secret with them. “Blake did a DNA kit on me for school, and guess who I found. A whole family I had no idea about. My cousin, Jake Worthing.”
Walden’s jaw clenched.
West kept glancing at his friend, but he responded, wryly, “Yes. We’re aware.”
“Ah. Good. Good.”
I was younger than these men. They were in their mid-thirties. It was still a couple years before I’d hit thirty. West was married. Walden was about to be. West had children. Walden soon would. Both of their women had full lives themselves.
West’s woman used to be a parole officer, a cop in my mind. She was now retired and had opened her own gallery to showcase her paintings, masterpieces that did very well, according to my investigator. Walden’s woman continued to run her own bowling alley, and there were plans to expand. They already filed for a permit.
I leaned forward to study Walden. “You’ve banished Worthing from coming back to this city. Why would you do that to him? I thought you had a friendship, correct? You know his woman has family here.”
I was fully aware that I was poking at him, trying to bait him.
Walden was still simmering, the violence building. He was like a volcano getting ready to blow. I was enjoying watching this. I wanted him to explode. I wanted to see what would happen then.
He bit out, “Funny. You talking about Jake like that. Acting like such a concerned, loving cousin. You just found out you’re related to him.”
I shrugged. “Family love can be instant.”
“You’ve killed half of them. You took a hit out on Jake.”
I waved that away. “It was a misunderstanding. I thought he was in the way of something I wanted.”
“Which brings us back to here. You having a foothold in my city.” Walden managed to gain control over some of his emotions, a concrete wall falling down over his face, but his eyes were still seething. He couldn’t stomp out the rage there.
“Your city,” I chided, amused. “I think I’m going to make it my city.”
Walden lunged, hitting the table.
West cursed, also lunging but reaching for his best friend.
It happened in an instant because as soon as he went for my throat, I flicked my wrist and he froze, feeling the pointed edge of the dagger that I had under my napkin. Levi had left it for me when he first slid through the booth. Such a thoughtful gift from him.
I had it pressed against Walden’s throat, and if he’d gone one more inch forward, he would’ve embedded it inside of himself. His eyes rolled down, but he could only see the side of the knife before meeting my gaze again.
I nudged him to the side. “Look.”
He resisted.
“No.” I tsked. “Look.”
He did, slowly, and when he saw what I was referencing he drew in a sharp breath.
Levi had raised his gun, pointing it at the side of Tristian West’s head. Only a few inches separated him from the gun’s muzzle.
Walden cursed before slipping back to his seat, going at a slow pace. “You think we came alone? That we didn’t send men earlier to infiltrate inside?”
“No.” My body was buzzing by now. I loved this shit. “I know you did. I assumed you would, so we had each of them collected and disarmed. You’ll find them outside, behind the closest dumpster. Some might still be alive.”
Walden’s eyes turned to ice. “You have the advantage inside. We have it outside. Thirty of our men have surrounded this place. One gunshot and they’ll storm in shooting. You have civilians here. Customers. You’ll be the reason why they’re murdered. I’ll make sure the police blame you for their deaths.”
“Yes. I imagine you would be able to do that.” I agreed with him.
Walden had quite a few police and administrators on his payroll. It was just one of the many strongholds they had that I was chipping away at. The last count I knew that he had was over a hundred, but thirty of them were now mine. If they weren’t mine, they weren’t breathing anymore. I considered that a win because those were thirty openings for someone I paid to fill.
I motioned for Levi to put his gun away and leaned forward, my smile never falling from my face. I looked between the two friends. West was watching me warily. He was the one who wasn’t able to understand me. Walden wasn’t even trying. He was too emotional. There was too much baggage still fresh in his mind.
Yes, it was true that I put a contract out on Jake Worthing. But I’d rescinded that contract, allowing Jake, his woman, and all of her family members to remain alive. What I got from that deal was Blake promising not to run from me. It’d been the precursor to our current agreement because she’d been the one to advocate on behalf of Jake and his woman. There were other details that surrounded those events, but it was more important to note that Jake Worthing had been someone Ashton Walden considered a friend.