Page 6 of Mine, Forever

Not sure if he was surprised by my admission, but his eyes briefly widened before he grappled for words. I hadn’t made it a secret, but I also hadn’t been shouting it at the top of my lungs with pride.

“I should thank you. I was able to move my plans up a few years.”

“So thank me, Giordy.”

“Jesus Christ, Jett! Tell me what it’s going to take for you to lay off my turf.”

“Your turf?” I asked, smirking. “I haven’t seen you laying down the law in these parts for years, Giordy. I’ve been doing that while you cowered behind Luca. You have to fight for that turf now, and you have to fight me for it.”

“You don’t own the city, Jett.”

“Yes, I do, including half of the police department. You step one foot out of line, and I’ll blast you away just like your daddy.”

I stood to leave, knowing this conversation had nowhere else to go. The door opened with his men standing there. My men were in position, having sensed something was up. I looked around the place at the old gits Luca had once called family. It was clear Giordy hadn’t tried to hire anyone else since taking over. Big mistake, one that could see him killed if I called for it. As I took in the old men staring up at me, the men who once tried to control me, that’s when I locked eyes withher.

I’d seen her on the way in, but now she stood out for some reason. I could sense she was scared of me, scared of what she knew was going to happen. For reasons unbeknownst to me, I mouthed a warning to her before I pulled my pistol from its holster and shot at his men who were too slow on the draw.

Bam… two down.

I turned to Giordy to take him out, but he was gone. A secret door was open on the wall. That fucking bastard had disappeared like a rat down a sewer. Shots rang out around us. My men were taking down the patrons from outside. I ran for the secret door to catch Giordy, but it led out on to a back street. Skid marks from a car speeding off were visible on the street.

Fuck.

I had just ramped up this turf war without a damn shot fired at his frightened ass. Kicking the bin closest to the wall, I walked back inside and closed the door. My men were feeling for pulses on the bodies lying around them. There had to be at least twenty-five bodies, and that was going to be a serious toll on Giordy’s credibility, especially as he took off to leave everyone to die.

Strike one.

I chuckled as I saw the carnage. “Fuck… that'll take York days to clean up. Call in the crew.”

The men nodded, getting to work on stripping them of their weapons, and finally one of my men, Mark, I think his name was, called in the clean-up crew I only rarely utilized. I texted York to pick me up and looked through the bar. Giordy had put the damn cheap whiskey on the table knowing full well I liked my Glenfiddich. He’d been asking for a fight.

As I reached over, I heard a whimpering sound coming from below. I jumped over the bar and looked down at the girl I’d warned. She was cowering in the corner, covered in shards of glass. One of the bullets had shattered the mirror behind the bar showering her with the rubble.

“What’s your name?”

She didn’t say anything, but she did look up at me with the blackest eyes I’d ever seen.

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“E—Eb…”

She didn’t finish before I heard York pull up outside. I grabbed the Glenfiddich and pulled her up by the elbow. She could barely stand or speak, shuddering with shock.

“Mark… put this one in the car.”

“Why?”

I sighed, closing my eyes before I turned back to him. In a calm voice, I said, “Do you really want me to repeat myself?”

Mark came forward, grabbing her elbow and moving her away from me. All of a sudden she sparked to life, kicking Mark in the shin and ran for the door. I jumped the bar again and caught her around the waist only to feel skin—flesh. She wasn’t skin and bones like most of the whores Giordy had hanging around him. Feeling her slight tummy, I instantly felt myself get hard.

It was always difficult to get me hard. Most of the sluts I allowed in my bed had their work cut out for them, but this woman—this black-eyed beauty—had me hard with a single touch. Jesus, I didn’t like this.

“Be quiet, and I won’t hurt you,” I ground out, angry she could make me feel so damn hot for her with one touch. I’d never allow a woman to make me feel so out of control.

“Fuck you,” she gritted out.

I laughed, feeling her writhe against me to get away which was doing nothing to help appease my raging hard-on.

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