Page 82 of Together We Burn
“No. No fucking way, Will,” I growled. The thought of that woman having her hands on Jake again made bile churn in my stomach. “The last time he was with her, she was all over him like a bitch in heat, and let’s not forget about the events that followed.”
Jake stood and cupped my face in his hands.
“It’s not like that this time,” he said, rubbing his thumbs along my jaw. “We know she’s going to use me to get to you; we’re prepared for that this time, baby. But Will’s right. If I don’t go as her date, it will tip her off, and we can’t do that. Not now, when we are so close to ending this.”
I stared into his blue eyes, letting their depths calm my angry heartbeats. Once when I’d have thought of using him as an anchor was a sign of weakness, I now saw it as a strength. God knew I was quick to anger, and to have Jake by my side instead of fighting his warmth, it settled the need to punch Will’s stupid face.
“Okay,” I conceded, and Jake dropped his lips to mine, letting me know he was just as pissed off at the asshole on the other side of the desk as I was. “But I don’t fucking like it.”
Logically, they were right. We needed to keep acting like enemies at war with each other as much as I no longer wanted to. I was tired of playing this silly game and pretending Jake didn’t mean anything to me.
“Then I kill her,” I said seriously. Jake laughed, like the thought of a daughter wanting to kill her mother was an everyday desire.
“No,” Will said.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me?” I groaned, throwing my head back in annoyance. “Seriously, what are we waiting on? The bitch stabbed me, Will,stabbed me, threatened to kidnap my sister’s son, and you’re okay with letting her walk around thinking she’s the Queen of the World?”
From the corner of my eye, Alex got up from his position and poured a large glass of something clear into a crystal tumbler. Placing the glass in my hand, he stood by my side so the three of us now all faced our so-called leader.
“Drink, Stevie baby,” Alex said, staring at his older brother. “I’m sure Will is just about to tell us exactly what he has planned for the bitch.”
Gulping down the liquid, I winced as the burning vodka slowly passed down my throat to settle like a fiery stone in my stomach. Unable to keep the grimace from my face, Will smirked and steepled his fingers, utterly unfazed by the three snarling people standing before him.
“For years, our father has waited for your family to make their move, and finally, they are. We need to know what they are doing and what they are after…”
“We know what they are after,” I seethed. “Nate.”
“But we don’t know the significance of him. It might just be to groom him for taking over at some point in the future. But knowing what we do about your mom, we can’t assume that’s the only reason,” Jake said, taking the empty glass from my hand. The tips of his fingers ghosting against mine, sending pulses up my arm.
Will’s lip curled up, watching the exchange with narrowed eyes, before continuing. “I need to know how your mother will affect my business.”
“Money?” I asked incredulously. “You’re willing to wait to see how much money you will make or lose?”
“It’s not just about money, Stevie. Your mother and her father dabble in drug, sex and organ trafficking, gun smuggling, and money laundering, and those are only the so-called businesses I know about. Everything I’ve been fighting to control in Carlin Valley. I will not have my city plagued by the depravity your family wants to unleash here.”
“So? Just kill her already,” I snarled. “I’ve already killed Martinez and Nissaney. Assuming they worked for my mother?” Will nodded. “Then why do you need to wait? You clearly have a list of names you’ve been setting as my targets, so why not cut the head off the snake and chop it into tiny pieces?”
“Because you will do what I tell you to do,” Will roared, flying to his feet in outrage. We stared at each other, heavy breathing and teeth bared.
“No,” I said, and Will’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline.
“No?” he repeated.
“No, Will. I’m done. I’m not going to let you dictate how to handle Emilia. She is a poison that needs to be extracted from this world, and you can’t stop me from taking her down.”
I turned on my heel and walked toward his office door, the sound of Jake and Alex a couple of steps behind me, until Will asked, “Did you know that Chris’s fingerprints were on the gun you used to kill Ronan?”
I froze. Mouth dry, hands tingling as adrenaline surged through my veins. Staring at the door, I questioned, “What?”
“The night you killed your brother, and I covered it up,” Will said, his tone low and dark in a way I’d never heard him speak before. It was chilling. “I took your dad’s gun to get cleaned. As a formality, I asked my guy to check for fingerprints, and imagine my surprise when not two, but three sets came back; Your father’s, yours, and little Christina Matthews.”
I spun to look at Will. His hands were flat on his desk as he leaned forward to tell his story. His face was emotionless, mouth flat in a tight line, but his eyes were so dark they were almost demonic. I struggled to swallow, the taste of acid quickly rising, bringing a burn like any other.
“I told my guy to give it to me for ‘safe keeping.’”
“That’s a lie. I had my dad’s gun the night you shot him.”
“A copy,” he said plainly. “We both know your dad is a moron who would never have known his gun had been swapped for another. As long as it was the same make and model, he would have never known.”
