Page 48 of Savage Bosses

Even though this big dude had me a little shook, I wasn’t going to go out like a punk. Fuck these fake mafia dudes. I’m from the hood, I know real gangsters.

“Our debt was settled. You tell that pussy muthafucker, I don’t owe him shit.”

“Why don’t you tell me yourself.” The new voice has my attention shifting to the doorway.

My thoughts freeze and my chest tightens. My brain is trying to grasp something I’m not quite ready to understand yet.

“Basille? What the hell are you doing here?”

He chuckles, and for the first time I’m not seeing that quiet prissy pretty boy that I always see around Tiffany. There is a darkness and coldness in his eyes that has me paying attention. My brain finally shouts out the answer that I was refusing to grasp.

“You’re Saint.”

“Ding Ding Ding! You’re correct. Ghost, let my boy Marcus know what he’s just won?” Saint says as if he’s some type of game show host.

In front of me, Ghost pulls out a big ass gun and lays it on his thigh.

“That’s right, you’ve won your exit papers. Your first-class ticket to hell.”

I finally start to see the true danger I’m in. I’m never going to make it out of this basement alive. I realize that now.

“Why?” I ask not understanding how all this happened.

Saint chuckles. “Well, I guess I wouldn’t be a true villain if I didn’t give you my monologue of my motive.”

He walks over to the seat Ghost is seated in. Without words, Ghost stands up and turns the seat back around the right way. Saint unbuttons the button to his black tuxedo and takes a seat.

“Where do we start,” he says tapping his chin. “I guess the first day I saw her. It was your birthday party, right?” he asks but I don’t reply. “I spent most of my teen and early adult life fighting for everything that I have now. Never really cared to settle down. That is until the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen walked into my brother’s club. I watched her all night look absolutely miserable as you entertained your guests. The moment she got up from your table I had to pounce.”

He stops, smiling hard as if he’s reflecting on the memory.

“Ten minutes,” he says in a soft tone. “That’s all it took of being in her presence to know I had to have her. No matter the cost. I was the youngest child so whatever I wanted I got. I took that philosophy into my adult life.” He shrugs nonchalantly.

“My first plan was to kill you. I would’ve had Ghost follow you home, wait until my beautiful angel left for work and then blew your worthless brains out. However, my big brother talked me out of it. Mason is the logical one out of the group. He told me, Saint, if you kill him, she will mourn him, and it may be years before she’s ready to move on.”

He dusts imaginary dirt off his suit pants before continuing.

“After thinking it over I realized my brother was right. I needed a better plan. So, I took a few days to do my research.” He laughs like shit is funny. “Damn, you were easy. There was so much information on you. I could’ve told her about the many affairs you were having. The possible little boy that could be yours two states away. I could have even exposed that little coke habit you’d started.”

My mouth falls open at all the things this man knew about me. Things no one else knew, like the coke thing. I’m not addicted, it’s just something I do on occasion.

“Instead, I decided to let you hang yourself. Which is why I had an associate tell your friend about that private gambling ring.”

Once again, my heart races as it all comes out. “You set me up. You knew I would run up a debt with you.”

“Of course, I did. I needed to let you get in just enough debt that I knew you couldn’t pay it back.”

“You played me, and you played Tiffany” I shout as I yank at my wrist fighting to get them free.

He laughs. “All I did was put the game in motion. You did everything else for me. I didn’t tell you to give up your girl to pay your debt, that was all you. In fact, I assumed you would’ve said no. I just wanted her to see how far down the hole you’d gone.”

“Fuck,” I yell as I realize he’s right. I practically pushed her into his hands. “Wait,” I say as something dawns on me. “Your game didn’t make sense. Even if you got rid of me, how were you so sure Tiffany was going to fall for you?” No matter how much I deserved it, my girl was not going to leave or cheat on me. She’s too loyal for that.

He smiles and it isn’t a pleasant one. “While you were busy gambling your life away and wallowing in self-pity, I was doing everything in my power to win my girl. I showed her I could be her protector when I hired a guy to harass her at her favorite coffee shop. I then showed her I was her biggest supporter when I hired her for my new resort. Although, honestly, she won that role fair and square.”

“Yeah, she’s a talented designer. That resort is looking gorgeous,” Ghost says as if they’re having a normal fucking conversation.

“Isn’t it?” Basille asks turning to look at the guy over his shoulder. “One of the best.” He turns back to me with a smirk. “Where were we? Oh yeah. Her birthday was my favorite. I came in and saved the day again when I got her dinner for her birthday. I knew you wouldn’t have anything planned because I made sure you’d be at the bar. Why else would I make the pay out nearly half a mill.”

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