Page 17 of Jordan

The room fell silent once more. You could hear a fucking pin drop. Or the sound of a knife clattering to the floor because my stupid ass left it teetering on the edge of the counter during tonight’s pour your soul out session between Jordan and JJ. Of course it fell. Luckily, it didn’t pierce my shoe and sever my toe in the process.

I didn’t need to look to know all eyes were on me. I could feel them.

“Vail,” Jordan said, a command but not as stern as I imagined he could be.

“Ignore me,” I told him and bent to pick up the knife. “I shouldn’t have listened but didn’t want to interrupt by leaving. It was wrong of me. I’m sorry. What you said, I won’t tell a soul. I promise.”

The sound of his shoes on the floor brought my gaze up. Jordan stood before me as I rose with the knife in hand, which I quickly put on the counter.

His voice softened. “I know you won’t, because you understand what the consequences would be if you did.”

My lips wouldn’t move, no sound would come out. The threat had me frozen, but surprisingly, I wasn’t shaking in fear like I should have been. Maybe it was because I’d heard the lengths Jordan would go to for his son. There was good in this man, even if there was plenty of bad. I should fear him, yet I simply stood frozen, my body warring with my mind.

“All right,” Dexen cut in. “You don’t need to threaten him. Vail is a good guy who doesn’t need to get involved in your shit. He’s here to do me a favor. Being dragged into family fun night wasn’t part of the plan.”

“You just laid everything out there about why you’re not as I always thought you were, and now you’re threatening Vail,” JJ said, coming into the kitchen. “Knock it off.”

Jordan’s eyes didn’t go all the way cold, but they went close. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

“We’ve been on this ride too many times. I say shit you don’t like. You tell me to knock it off or else. Blah-blah bullshit. I don’t care. Vail is a great guy. Leave him be.”

“Besides,” Greer added. “He still has to serve dessert.”

Dexen shook his head, but a smile teased the corners of his lips.

JJ slung his arm around Greer’s waist. “That’s right. We haven’t had the best part of dinner yet.”

“Actually, you haven’t eaten dinner at all,” I said. “I was trying to get ahead by making dessert.”

“Can you reheat a rack of lamb?” Greer asked.

I fought a grin. I didn’t want to smile given what was revealed tonight, but I was damn glad the mood lightened a bit. “I’ll put it in the oven to warm it.”

8

JORDAN

My buildings were spread throughout East Dremest. Some were empty spaces I owned in case I needed a quiet room to torture someone in. Like today.

“Is he ready?” I asked Kayli, the person in my organization I went to when I needed someone bound, gagged, and brought to me for interrogation.

At five foot eight with shoulder-length blond hair, Kayli had the look of an innocent while keeping her skills hidden. She could slip through the night like a ghost, taking anyone from their home who had thought they could go behind my back. After shit went down with Malik, I upped my game, and put new people in place. She had the strength and skill needed to do the job, with the grace to match it. “He is, sir. Just in the other room.”

“Thank you.”

“If I may ask, could you cut off his cock or balls? When I went to grab him, he tried pinning me to the bed while he pulled at my clothes. If this would have been for anyone else, I would have killed him then and there, but I know you like them intact for questioning.”

“Of course.” Her words made me want to kill him even more.

This was one of my buildings in the more remote side of town, where empty structures waited for new ownership. Until this part of the city was rebuilt and had new life brought in, I’d keep the buildings in my name and use them as I saw fit. The prices on them weren’t high. Not everyone wanted to move their operations into East Dremest, where I was at the helm.

Tied to a chair in the corner of the room was my target, shaking with his mouth gagged as he sat in piss-stained jeans. I enjoyed keeping them in the corners of the room. This way it took me longer to get to them and built the anticipation of what was to come. Raiden followed me and stood near the door. He wouldn’t step in. None of my people would unless I asked them to.

“William, so kind of you to join us,” I said, keeping my tone light. “I wish it were on better terms, but you’re the cause and I’m the effect of what happens when you cross me.” In my pocket, I found a knife, one that was sharp and short. I didn’t need a long blade to get the job done, just one I wouldn’t have to saw through tendons with, though that kind had its purpose from time to time.

He whimpered as his eyes filled with tears.

“I’m going to remove the gag. If you scream, I’ll cut out your tongue. If you spit on me, I’ll slowly burn you while I cut off every part of your body.” I would still cut him, but if he did what I’d asked him not to, I’d make it worse.

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