Page 101 of Bad Kind of Love

“You look confused darling.” His Boston accent rings in my ears, and the laughter from behind me causes my body to tense.

“Why… what is my dad doing talking to you?” I stumble over the words along the way.

Rising out of his chair, I notice the uncanny resemblance between the two. Both tall, with dark hair and devilish ways about them that were terrifying.

“Where do I begin…” He rubs a finger along his jawline before circling his desk and stopping directly in front of me. “Your father and I have known one another for quite some time now.”

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I peer up at him watching as he pulls a large knife from his side and drops it onto the desk.

“Are you two friends?” I question as the knife rattles on the desk before falling still.

“Not exactly.” He scratches at the stubble on his chin as a menacing smile forms across his lips. “Something was stolen from me years ago.”

“Stolen?” I glance between the both of them, when suddenly he leans forward.

“Surely you remember that night.” His stare cuts through mine. “The night you met my son.”

Oh my god.

It was them, his men that came to my house that night.

“He stole those drugs from you, didn’t he?” It comes out barely audible but the satisfied gleam he gives me causes my body to recoil.

“Smart girl, O’Connor.” He winks at my dad who snarls in response.

But what I didn’t understand was why my dad was here? Surely he wouldn’t be that stupid to visit the people he stole drugs from.

“So what is this? Some drug cartel?” I keep engaging him and he seems more than interested in talking.

“I guess you could call it that.” He nods. “But, I like to refer to it as an empire.”

Thoughts jumbled through my head, when the realization that Jack was a part of this delusion hit me. He was the leader’s son, most likely next of kin but what made him leave?

“And, Jack...” I swallow. “He was a part of it?”

Smiling, he drops his head with a chuckle. “My son was loyal to a fault, you see. In the beginning he wanted this life, embraced it even but as time passed his heart got in the way of his job.”

“What do you mean?”

“The night him and my men went to your house, neither your father or you were supposed to come out alive.”

My breathing hitched as I stared at him in horror. Jack wasn’t the devil after all, his father was.

His face turned angry as a scowl replaced his grin.

“Instead of following orders, his heart got in the way of the mission.” He pushed off the desk, and began to circle around my chair. The man behind me was shoved away and in seconds, a cold body was thrust up against my back. “He met a little girl with fire in her eyes that saved both of their lives.”

My heart wouldn’t stop pounding, it was on an endless loop as realization and memories of that night came flooding in.

“You wanted us dead?” I whisper as my eyes fluttered.

“I wanted to prove a point.” I felt his words vibrate down my chair.

“Then why are we still alive?”

I wanted to turn in my seat and gauge his reaction but the feeling of his hands on my shoulders stopped me.

“Because of my son.”

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