reason why I should let you live after attacking my nephew.”
Nothing I say will be a good enough reason in his eyes, so I don’t bother trying to placate him.
“I don’t answer to you, but if I were in your shoes, I’d be smart enough to know that just because someone is family, it doesn’t necessarily make them loyal to you,” I warn him, feeling the eyes of the devil on me once more.
“Why you little—” Jasper starts.
“Enough!” a voice roars from behind me. I fight the urge to whirl around even though my body is so tense, it practically vibrates.
“You guaranteed his loyalty to me,” the voice continues, lower than before but pissed way the fuck off.
As he speaks, he steps around me and over to Jimmy, who is somehow still conscious. I take in the unknown guy and know instantly—he’s the man the devil calls boss.
He’s shorter than the devil, with once black hair that’s now heavily threaded with silver and an air of authority and entitlement about him. He’s in an expensive-looking custom-made suit and wearing a Rolex, both items likely costing the same as some peoples’ rent for a year, but I know his type. Dripping with cash, sporting a tan he probably got from sunning himself on his yacht, yet I guarantee you he would walk past a dozen homeless people and not offer them a dime.
“He is loyal, and the fact you’ll take some cheap, two-bit whore’s word over mine is insulting,” Jasper remarks, but I can feel the difference in the air and hear the tremble of his voice. Jasper fears this guy.
“Reid, bring her here.”
I need not question who Reid is as the devil’s hand clamps down on my arm. I bite my lip and slip my free hand into my pocket, gripping the knife that started all this.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. Yet, as I picture Megan’s terrified face, I know if I were given a do-over, I would do the exact same thing.
He walks me over to his boss and I don’t resist, gripping the knife tighter, feeling an odd mix of anger that after everything, this might be the end and relief that… after everything, this might be the end. Being on guard all the time is bone numbingly exhausting. And what’s more peaceful than death?
The boss grabs Jimmy and yanks him up as if he weighs nothing, throwing him over the chair so his stomach is pressed flat to the seat and his head hangs low to the ground.
The boss shoves Jimmy’s black T-shirt up, revealing two blood-soaked gauze squares, one just above his right kidney the other just below his shoulder blade.
“Two stab wounds and no bruising anywhere else,” he tuts. “I have to say, Jasper, out of the two of them, I’m leaning toward the street rat’s version of events.”
“Even if what she says is true, it holds no bearing here. In fact, it’s likely her fault they took the product. How can a man defend himself from thieves if he is unconscious and bleeding? Or perhaps you took it? It must be easier to spread your legs for your Johns if you’re off your face on H.” Jasper leers, making my skin feel like it has bugs crawling all over me.
“You’re not very smart, are you?” I tilt my head.
“Shoot the bitch,” he snaps at the goon to his left, but before he can blink, a shot fires out, the sound muffled by a silencer, and the goon falls to the floor. A second later, the other goon follows.
“One more word and you’ll be next. You’re giving me a fucking headache,” Reid growls at Jasper.
The boss sighs and shakes his head before looking at me. “Jasper is the boss around these parts. Tell me why you, a nothing throwaway, thinks he’s stupid?”
His scathing words are designed to cut me, but I don’t care what this man thinks of me, or what any of them think. All I care about is getting out of here in one piece, finding Megan, and helping Poppy set up her stall.
“He knows his nephew is a flake, hell I know that from spending five minutes in the room with him, but he took the risk using him and guaranteeing his loyalty. When he realized he fucked up, he could have saved face by eliminating the problem. Instead, he went to bat for the nephew who fucked him over and then switched the blame to me. If the nephew was telling the truth,