Page 34 of Mine, Forever

“No one. He’s quite capable on his own.”

“What’s he doing over there?”

York didn’t respond. “You know what you have to do?”

Nodding, I slid into the backseat of the Lincoln and waited for him to drive me there. He hesitated before starting the engine.

“You want this life, don’t you?”

What kind of a question was that? Unable to find words, I nodded.

“Good, because once you do this, you’ll never get out.”

I felt jittery at the thought, and yet there was a sense of my loss of life. What if Jett became overbearing, and I needed to get out? Would he hunt me down and kill me?

York pulled up at an old building I knew connected to one of Jett’s more famous clubs. A door I had never noticed before stood out, and York opened it using a pin code on a keypad next to it. He held the door open for me and followed me down a long hallway until it opened into an open area with a big table. Men were sitting at the table talking with each other. When they noticed me, they fell silent.

“Sit.”

They all followed York’s orders as if he were Jett himself. I wondered how York came to be Jett’s confidante. He didn’t seem like a killer, but I honestly didn’t know a thing about him.

“This is Ebony. She’s in charge until Jett gets back from business in Rome.”

Rome?He wasn’t even in the country. I remained neutral on the outside, but inside I was screaming. The men looked at me, most with sneers on their face as if I was about to explain myself.

York continued to talk while I listened intently for any information I may need to know since I was apparently ‘in charge.’ What did that even mean? All I knew was that Jett was a gangster, one of the most feared in the city, who had connections to politicians and cops.

“What we going to do about John Lambert?”

My ears pricked up. I knew that name. How did I know that name? He must have been someone from my past, but I couldn’t seem to remember why I knew it. Had this been a memory those shock treatments had wiped? Is that even how shock therapy worked?

“Jett’s taking care of that.”

“He’s stirring up the competition, and we don’t know if we can maintain our lines of business if he continues.”

I zeroed in on the man who spoke. He was young. I guessed about the same age as me, with a crew cut and a nasty looking scar that ran from his top lip to his chin.

“Are you questioning Jett?” York coolly asked.

“Well, no, but—”

“Good, I’d hate for him to think of you as a threat.”

The man shrunk in his chair with no response. I looked to York who shook his head briefly to tell me this wasn’t the one that needed to be taken down. I focused on the men again trying to pull out any suspicious behavior, but I hadn’t a clue. York continued with the discussions they obviously always had while I kept watch. A few of them were aware of what I was doing which had them on edge.

Did they know who I was?

“That’s it, get back to work,” York said. I looked around for any that were too quickly trying to get away. None.

“Did you pick it?” York asked me.

I shook my head. “I have a few suspicions but honestly I have no idea.”

“Boss doesn’t want me to tell you, so I won’t. Sneak around, go to the clubs, and check up on them. Be theBoss, and you’ll catch on sooner or later. Just don’t believe everything they tell you.”

I nodded, letting him lead me out of the open area and into a smaller office with a desk cluttered with paper.

“Does Jett not believe in paperwork?”

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