Fourth Debt - Pepper Winters Page 0,6

cut-throat mentality, I wouldn’t be able to continue.

He’s dead.

He’s dead.

He’s not coming back.

The grief threatened to wash me away again.

“She’s mine. I’m the oldest.” Jasmine spun her chair, dragging me to face Bonnie and Cut. “You agreed. Tell him.”

I looked over my shoulder at Daniel, hating the fact he was behind me. I didn’t want to take my eyes off the little creep.

You’re a dead man walking, Buzzard.

My mind raced with images of my pilfered dirk sliding between his ribs. Of slashing his throat. Of cutting off his balls.

“You have a valid argument, Jasmine.” Bonnie nodded. “And we’ll discuss it further when the mess of today is over with.”

I swallowed a gasp. The mess of today? She talked about the murder of her two grandsons as if it was an inconvenient mishap.

Who are these people?

“No, I want to hear that she’s mine. Right now.” Her fingernails dug into my flesh, breaking my skin, imprinting crescent moon cuts.

I didn’t flinch.

Jaz’s eyes met mine. They were just as lifeless and cold as me. A switch had triggered in both of us, leaving us lost in this new world.

“You belong to me, Nila Weaver. You’re the reason my two brothers are dead.” Yanking me down to her height, she hissed, “You’ll pay. I’ll make you pay so damn much for what you’ve done.”

What?

A cloud worse than numbness consumed me.

She’d lost everything back in the parlour. She’d even lost herself.

Who was this woman? Sure, Jasmine had never been ultra-friendly with me. In fact, she’d asked me to die the last time I’d visited her to save her brother. But I’d never seen someone so remote and vastly changed.

Then again, what did I expect? Why would she soften toward me now that the worst had happened?

Cut jumped in. “We’ll discuss it at greater length. But I do agree; Daniel doesn’t get full rights to her. You are my daughter and the successor matriarch. You know our empire inside out, whereas Daniel is yet to be trained. It’s only fair that you have joint ownership of the final debts, and the pain she is required to pay.”

I bit my lip, unable to tear my eyes away from Jasmine.

What did this mean? Would I have to dig four graves instead of three? I never wanted to kill Jasmine. But I would if she gave me a reason.

It was me versus them now. I wouldn’t back down again.

I’m done being tortured.

It was their turn.

Daniel stomped forward, throwing his hands up in a bad boy tantrum. “But, you fucking promised.”

Cut sniffed. “I promised nothing. You will still inherit, but as I’m tearing up all the rules lately, there might be a dual inheritance. Primogeniture is over. I’m looking at all bases now.”

“But that’s not fair! There are rules, contracts!”

“Yes, and if I’d followed those rules, you wouldn’t have her either, you fucking ingrate,” Cut snapped. “I need a few days to unscramble this shit-storm. Then we can proceed correctly once the documents have been amended.”

Wait. Documents? What amendments?

Daniel laughed, slipping beside me and wrapping his hand in my hair. The long strands tangled around his wrist, providing a perfect rope to jerk me away from Jasmine.

Only, she didn’t let go. Her nails dug deeper into my wrist, keeping me pinned between the two fighting siblings.

“Let her go. She’s mine!” Jaz slammed on her brakes.

“You can have her when I’ve taken what I want.” Daniel yanked me toward him.

I cried out, tripping and swaying, two parts of me caught by two Hawks.

Oh, my God.

I was a piñata in the middle of a feuding family—tugged and devoured and ultimately beaten until I’d split open and die.

I laughed out loud at the insanity stinking up the room.

Jasmine was as bonkers as the rest of her bloodline. She would have to go, too.

He’s dead.

He’s dead.

He was good where they’re all bad.

“Quit it!” Cut roared at the same time as Bonnie screeched, “Behave yourselves!”

The Hawk siblings quit squabbling like brats. We looked at Cut and Bonnie, panting hard, trapped in a cycle of idiocy.

“For fuck’s sake.” Cut dragged a hand over his face. “You’re acting like two-year olds. I have a good mind to take the strap to both of you.” His gaze fell on his children, searing and intense. “She’ll be locked up until we have a family meeting. Then we can decide who has her first and what punishments shall be divided.”

Jasmine sneered, “See, Dan. Let her go.”

“You let go first.”

“God, you’re such a moron.” Jasmine relinquished her hold. Instantly, blood seeped