Page 4 of Havoc

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Naomi scoffed. “You know this organization needs to be run by a man. Deacon is perfectly capable.”

“What?” I said. “You want to hand over the reins of the organization to someone else’s children, cutting you off?”

Naomi rolled her eyes. “I’ll never leave this house.”

“Yes, you will,” Deacon, the idiot, responded. “I’m not letting the woman who outed my own mother stay here. You and your children will- on their arses.”

Naomi’s eyes bulged. She thought she would get him on her side, what she didn’t bet on was ever having to lose her protection and her house. It didn’t last long when another well-wisher came upon us. I waited and waited for Sonora but she didn’t show up. I was about to go and find her when my uncle Dunstan and cousin Wilder walked through the doors as if they owned the place. Dunstan came up to me first, and I tried not to roll my eyes in front of him. He hadn’t been built for this life, only because of my father did he stay in the underground world. Wilder, on the other hand, was built for it and truth be told he controlled his father.

“Presley, it’s been far too long, unfortunate to have such a circumstance occur to see you again.”

Wilder moved in front of me with that cocky grin as he took me in, up and down. “Presley…you got older.”

I knew what he meant and it disgusted me. “And you are more disgusting than when we were growing up. Move along, arsehole.”

He laughed as Naomi scolded me. Wilder and Deacon were good friends. Everyone assumed either Dunstan or Tannis, my father’s second in command, would take over. I could see Tannis making his voice heard in the corner of the room already, but Dunstan just didn’t have it in him. If he did want to throw his hat into the ring, it would be because of Wilder. He would be pulling the strings. Dunstan had the connections, but Wilder had the brains, as much as I hated to admit it. He could really put a dent in my plans if I didn’t watch him closely. At present, Wilder ran the hot nightclub in the city,Obelisk, which was famous for its exclusivity. A new rule not implemented until Wilder came of age and now everyone wanted to be on the list.

Tannis had his eye on me; he’d been watching me since last week when I returned, like a hawk. He made his way over to us, to sweet-talk Naomi and Deacon. He would have known where I was and with whom. He would also have figured out Jett would have let me go, so he was probably trying to work out what the deal was as I knew he was a real threat. Tannis had watched my father for years, decades even, and now he wanted to claim the seat. But he wasn’t going to. He could try, but he’d be dead before his arse hit the chair.

“Presley,” he smiled at me. “So lovely for you to be here.”

He took my hand in his and placed a kiss on the back of my hand. I resisted the urge to punch him in the face and make a scene.

“Tannis.”

“What are your plans now your father has passed?”

“Take over, of course.”

Tannis laughed, nervously because he knew I wasn’t playing but he didn’t want to show how scared he really was. “I see your wit hasn’t left you.”

He moved off, toward Naomi who was chomping at the bit to get his attention. It was no secret they were screwing, even I had known that all that time ago, before I left. I’m assuming Gideon knew as well. It’s just how it was in this business.

I was about to make a move when I saw a familiar face come through the door. Three familiar faces.

Jett Black.

He was accompanied by his wife Ebony and his second in command, York. My tormentors, but also my saviours. It’s funny how the two can be so closely related when you didn’t even know you needed it.

“Presley.” Jett came over and took my hand in his, placing a kiss on my knuckles. The very knuckles he once caned for pure fun. I didn’t hate him for it, actually, I was glad for it. He made me a better person, one who was capable of doing what I had.

Ebony moved up to me, a smile on her face. We’d become quite close in the last couple of years, and she’d taught me a hell of a lot when it came to torture. “Lovey, you look amazing. Nothing quite like a funeral to bring out the vultures, hey?”

Naomi gasped. “My husband is dead!”

Ebony turned her head to focus on Naomi who swiftly shut the fuck up. I didn’t blame her; Ebony’s icy glare could silence even the toughest men. That’s why Jett and Ebony were so fucking scary. They were crazy for each other, and would do anything for each other.

York moved to my side. “Nice work. I heard it was particularly gory.”

“I did what I could with what I had,” I told him, levelly, keeping our voices down. Ebony was keeping Naomi and Deacon entertained enough so they couldn’t hear us. “He lasted long enough to know it was me.”

“You got what you wanted, did it feel as good as you thought?”

“It was satisfying, yes.”

“Good, savour it. They don’t all come as refreshing as that.”

They all moved off into the living area with everyone else. That was it. No one else would be coming, so I moved off, deeper into the house.

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