Page 67 of Mine, Forever

“I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you,” she viciously yelled at Ebony. “Just like Aubrey, you’re absolutely useless.”

“How about you tell us who is after the girls?” I asked her.

“Just let me go. I’ll find somewhere safe for them until it all blows over.”

“Bullshit,” Ebony spat. “You came here for a reason, and you know it. So spill it.”

“Adora,” I turned back to her. “You won’t leave here until we find out who is frightening you. That sort of fear should be reserved for me and what I can do to you.”

“Just let me run.”

“You are an absolute bullshit artist.” Ebony walked back to the bedroom.

York put Adora back on the chair and tied her down, tighter this time.

“Who was it?” I asked her. “Tell me now, or I’ll start shooting at limbs.”

She didn’t speak.

Goddamn it, now I know where Ebony got her stubbornness. I moved over to the coffee table near where she was tied up and sat down, facing her. “You’re scared. I can see that, but you know of my reputation. Do you really want to piss me off by not talking?”

“You won’t be able to do anything to him,” she told me. Her eyes beginning to water again.

“Him? Okay, now we’re getting somewhere.”

York applied pressure to her neck. She hissed at him in pain before trying to move away with no luck. He’d tied her down tight this time. I could see her skin around the binds bunching with her movement.

“We’re just getting started,” I told her, sitting back. “Take your time.”

Adora’s eyes went wide as York applied more pressure. “Okay, ok—ay.”

It’s a shame she was so weak. To be honest, I was hoping for some torture to get me through the day. Ebony was pissed off, which meant I’d cop the brunt of it later just because I was taking charge. It was true what the others said. Ebony had seized my balls and claimed them for herself, but when it came to her mother, I was more than happy to take on the evil mastermind I used to be to ensure Ebony’s happiness. This bitch had tortured her, left her to men at a young age, and ruined her adolescence. If it had been anyone else, I’d never care about it, but this was Ebony. Ever since I first laid eyes on her, I knew she was special, and now she was mine. The mere fact she was forced to help her mother and sisters was causing her pain, and I knew it even though she told me otherwise.

That’s why I needed to do what I did best.

I needed to torture until I got my answer.

If Adora was scared of someone and that someone wasn’t me, I damn well wanted to know who was encroaching on my city. The only way to stay at the top was to take charge of any upcoming threats.

“The man I owe everything to is…” she paused, looking up at me with fear. “John Lambert.”

EBONY

I woke up to the sounds of screaming coming from the spare bedroom down the hall. Obviously, the sedatives had worn off, and my sisters thought they were kidnapped. Well, technically I had kidnapped them, but this was for their own damn good even if they couldn’t see it for themselves. I looked over at the clock on the wall and saw it was now in the afternoon. How long had I been napping? Sliding my feet over the edge of the bed, I moved down the hall to shut my sisters up. The apartment was quiet which was strange since I had fallen asleep to my mother screaming.

Had they knocked her off already?

“Jett?” I called out.

No response.

He wouldn’t leave me hanging like this which meant he wasn’t here. I kept walking, leaving my screaming sisters to continue their little act behind the door, as I headed into the living area. The chair was gone as was my mother and York. There was no blood which meant he hadn’t harmed her. I looked around for a note but found nothing.

Goddamn it.

I grabbed my cell from the shelf and looked for Jett’s number before shooting him a text.

Me:Where the fuck are you?

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