Page 22 of Mob Knight

“What the feck, Pablo?” We often use feck just to irritate others. “Why is she running from you if she’s supposedly into you?”

I hate that I’m following him anywhere like I’m a little bitch, but my ego’s more interested in what’s between Pablo and Joey than it’s concerned about appearances.

“She’s not running from me. She knows I’ll be up when I’m done with my conversation with you.”

“She really believes you and I are going to discuss business out here in the open?”

“We’ve just been chit-chatting so far.”

“So why does she feel like she can’t be here for that?”

“Because she’s got better things to do up there. You know who owns that building, right?”

I do.

It’s his bag of arse cousin, Javier. That shouldn’t matter, but it does the moment he speaks.

“Did you know he keeps an apartment there he doesn’t rent?”

I did know that. It’s where he tucks away his subs since we’re all into a kinky lifestyle. It’s not that this is a horrible neighborhood that’s unsafe. It’s just an unlikely place. He believes his relationships are private. Amongst all of us, there’snothing private about the Four Families’ sex lives. We know far too much about each other.

“She might have been looking me up and down yesterday, but who do you think she’s going to up there? Who do you think she’s been with each time she goes back inside?”

“If it’s Javier, then her taste is even worse than I thought when it was just you. She went from wanting a sociopath to a psychopath. I wouldn’t say she’s making any improvement in taste if that’s who she wants.”

I hate speaking about her like that. But if it is true, then I’m not lying.

“You went to see her at her office. You were very chummy together.”

That makes me go rigid as I square my shoulders. “Are you following her?”

“I could ask you the same question.”

“You could, but I’ve already asked you. What’s the deal? Are you following her? If she’s with Javier, then why are you getting in the middle of things?”

“I’m not the one who followed her. But that doesn’t mean we don’t know what she gets up to.”

“Is that how little Javier trusts her? Is he following her? Has he finally gone full-blown psychopath and is a stalker? Worried he can’t keep her satisfied? That she might run off with someone else?”

“Fuck off, dude.”

“Dude? You’re getting soft in your old age.Pudrete. You and yourpatético primo.”

I’ve been telling him and his pathetic cousin to go fuck themselves for twenty years. I grin and waggle my eyebrows at him.

“None of us are worried any woman would pick you over one of us.” Pablo attempts to appear disinterested, but he’s the one who started this.

“That’s because there’s no point in worrying about something you can’t change. But whatever. If she wants to be with somebody in your family, then that’s on her. I have shite to get done, Pablo. All you’re doing is delaying me, so the men I’m here to see today have time to run like little bitches. That’s fine by me. It means they keep their stores unguarded. I’ll just get what I need and be on my way.”

“You’re not taking shit from this neighborhood, Cormac. I’m warning you. This neighborhood’s off limits.”

He steps up in front of me, and we’re almost equal in size. Except I have about ten pounds and a quarter inch on him. I know I’m still stronger than him from the last time we got in a fight, which was three weeks ago today, actually. I push my shoulders back even more, and I make it obvious just how big I am.

But I see no fear flash in his eyes. Not that I expected it since we’ve known each other nearly our whole lives.

“What’re you going to do to stop me, Pablo? Get your arse beaten in front of your men and half the neighborhood? Seems like that’s what always happens when you challenge me. Certainly, what happened last month.”

“You’d really risk a fight here in the middle of the street?”

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