Page 60 of Destroyed

“Okay, I'll bite,” he says. “What’s your proposition?”

I blow out a breath before saying my following words. “I also know you are one of the Triad.”

He quickly schools his face, glaring at me. “Be careful what you say next, nephew. That is not an open topic for discussion.”

“I don’t want to be involved in either of those things. I will sign over any rights to inheritance of any stocks and business. All I ask is that you leave Sasha and me alone.”

I handed him the paperwork Jamison drew for me, which contained my signature and Sasha’s.

“She signed too, huh?” he says, reading it over carefully.

“Yes, she won’t need the inheritance. I will make sure she is taken care of,” I respond.

“I'll think about this,” he says, glancing at the papers.

“One more thing,” I say, handing him a second set of papers. “A show of good faith to sweeten the deal.”

He looks at the paperwork and laughs so loud that the other guests look at us curiously before returning to their conversations.

“You want to buy Lock & Key?”

“It has sentimental value,” I respond to him blankly.

“Five million dollars in sentimental value? The club isn’t worth half that. It’s just a means to funnel money through. You cannot be this stupid,” he says, still waving the paperwork.

“Do we have a deal or what?” I ask him, gritting my teeth. I’m already on edge while he sits here with me, acting so calm that itfeels like we are at just another family barbeque. I just want this meeting to be over with.

“You know what, Xavier, I might just take you up on this offer. How can I possibly turn down all that money? You are the least of my worries right now anyway.”

I look at him, perplexed, but he ignores me and keeps talking as he stands from his chair. “I’ll have my lawyers review all of this and get back to you.”

He exits out the front door, whistling without a care in the world. As soon as he walks out, two men I hadn’t noticed sitting in the coffee shop also follow him. He walks across the street, stopping next to Jamison before continuing. By the time I make it outside and across to where Jamison is, Lockhart is already in a car and speeding away. Jonathan pulls up beside us, motioning for us all to get in.

“What did he stop by you for?” I ask Jamison.

He looks at me, confused with scrunched brows. I’ve never seen him have that look before; there’s never a puzzle Jamison can’t figure out.

“I don’t know,” Jamison replies. “He motioned to my cigarette and told me, ‘If those don’t kill you, the devil herself might.’

“The devil herself?” Sebastian scoffs. “That man belongs in a fucking Looney bin.”

“It was probably nothing,” Jonathan says as he drives us back to my place.

“Yeah, probably,” I respond, leaning back. “But I can’t help feeling like there’s something more I’m not seeing.”

Chapter 44

Xavier

The next evening I’m sitting on my balcony when Corrine joins me.

“Hey Butterfly, you're not going to fly away on me out here, are you?” she jokes, smiling at me. She’s wearing a loose T-shirt and a tiny pair of shorts. Her hair is shoved into a messy bun, and she already has a glass of wine. She might already be a tad bit tipsy. She looks absolutely edible. Before she can sit on her own chair, I grab her by the waist and haul her onto me, positioning her legs on either side so she is straddling me. Her eyes go wide and she bites her bottom lip when she feels me press her down against the bulge in my shorts.

“Where would I fly to when I have the most perfect little flower here to pollinate?”

She laughs and smacks me, “Oh my god, Xavier, you are so weird.”

“You love it,” I say as I lean towards her and nibble her neck. She moans softly while wrapping her arms over my shoulders to pull me closer. As I grind her against me, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I grumble, shifting to pull it out when I see the notification from Sebastian.

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