Page 51 of Mine, Forever

“Who is this Drew Cole person?” Erin asked, shocking us all. I looked over at her trying to register what she was doing. “Can he be seduced?”

Looking up at York, I asked him, “Could she do it?”

He shrugged, the blade pushing into her skin a little more. “She’s enthusiastic, but Drew isn’t easily distracted. I’d say it’s a fifty-fifty chance.”

“He won’t let his guard down unless he’s off duty.”

“Would he do that now he has Ebony in custody?” York asked me.

My war with Drew Cole went all the way back to high school. If he knew who Ebony was to me, he’d never leave the PD long enough to be seduced. I’d worked so damn hard not to give him anything over me. This was part of why I was so fucking successful here in the city, and now he had the one person I would give anything for—including my life.

That realization burned right through me. I would do it too. I’d give fucking anything for that woman. Is that why my business was struggling because I couldn’t function without her?

“He has something against you, right?” Erin spoke up. “What if I went to the station and lodged a complaint against you?”

York was as surprised as I was. Finally, he put the blade back in his pocket letting her sit up.

“Could work as a distraction for us to get to Ebony.”

“You betray me—”

“I know, you’ll kill me.”

Laughing, I put my pistol away. “No, I wouldn’t kill you. I’ll kill your family… your friends, and when you’re so desperate for me to end your suffering, I’ll do worse to you forcing you to live through life knowing you caused all of it.”

She visibly gulped realizing the amount of shit she was in. I’d learned it was the only way to control people. They needed to fear you, and just the mention of my name did that now. I’d worked damn hard to get to this point in the first place.

“I’ll get him,” she promised.

“Erin,” Joe called out to her. “You can’t trust him. He’ll use you and kill you.”

We all turned to him.

“Shut up,” she said, making her way past him and toward the foyer stairs leading up to the second floor of the house. “If you’d done what you needed to in the first place, I wouldn’t have to clean up your mess. Again.”

This woman had guts, the kind of guts I needed in my organization. If all went well, she might well be the next female senator I needed, but until she proved herself, I’d keep her on her toes. I couldn’t have someone thinking they had more power than me.

York pulled the trembling Joe up off the ground and pushed him into the kitchen to tie him up. We couldn’t risk him calling Drew and fucking everything up for us.

Erin appeared shortly after in a tight blue dress, one that looked like it was strangling her tits, sky-high strappy shoes and a face full of makeup.

“What are you going to say to him?”

“That you tried to get fresh with me.”

“Nope, won’t work. He knows me better than that.”

She seemed a little offended. Obviously, men didn’t say no to her often. I knew the type—my father had dated plenty of them while I was growing up. The kind of woman I avoided. They were nothing but trouble.

“Okay, what would you do that he would believe?”

“Threaten. Kill your family. Try using a little creativity.”

“What about, you have my husband and are threatening to kill him?”

Truth—always worked. Especially with Drew.

“Yes, but you fucking better make it believable, Erin. If not, you know what’s at stake.”

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