Page 1 of Cherished Union

PROLOGUE

HAYDEN

Six years ago

“Does Da know you’re here?” I ask Jade as we walk into the club.

“What do you think?” she says with a raised brow. “When does Da ever know what I’m doing?”

I shake my head. “You know damn well that if Ma knew what you were doing, she’d lose her damn mind.”

My sister just smiles sweetly at me. “That, Hay, is why we keep our mouths closed. What Mam doesn’t know, can’t hurt her.”

Ain't that the truth. Our mam is a little neurotic when it comes to Jade and what happens to her. It stems from Jade being kidnapped when she was seven. Even then, my little sister could talk her way out of anything she wanted. She made her kidnappers realize just how badly they had fucked up by taking her. They ended up leaving her and running off. She was unharmed and thankfully not traumatized. Our ma and da, on the other hand, were. Da went on a killing spree, taking out every cunt that had a hand in his daughter’s abduction.

“Whatever you say, Sissy.” As I make my way through the crowds of people I throw the comment over my shoulder. “Do you know what we’re doing here?”

She rolls her eyes. “Of course. Colin Thomas owes Da money and he’s been working with the Masters, two things that are a surefire way to get yourself a one-way ticket to a cemetery.”

The Masters are a crime family here in Chicago, they’re our enemies. They came after us when we started making waves about taking over Chicago and moving into Indianapolis. The Masters believe that they are superior and have tried everything in their arsenal to fuck with us. Unfortunately for them, they have no idea who they’re fucking with.

I chuckle. Jade’s as smart as a tack. Her mind works differently than the rest of the family’s. She’s always two steps ahead of everyone else, working out what happens in every situation, so she knows how to get the hell out of it.

“Alright, Sissy, you can take the lead.”

Her smile widens. “Damn,” she says low. “I should really come on more jobs with you.”

She’s bloodthirsty, just as the rest of us are.

It doesn’t take us long to make our way to the back of the club, where Thomas’ office is. The club belongs to a businessman by the name of Karl Nottingham. The man is stupid for hiring Thomas to be the manager as Thomas is in bed with the Masters, and there’s not a fucking chance in hell that he’s going to live to see fifty.

I push open the door, and he jumps to his feet, a cigar hanging from his lips. His eyes widen when he sees me, and then narrow slightly when Jade steps in behind me. “I’ll get you the money, Hayden. I just need a little time.”

Jade shakes her head. “You see, that’s not going to work, Mr. Thomas. You owe the boss money, and he really doesn’t like it when he’s made to wait.” She tuts at him. “You know what else he really fucking hates?”

The bastard scowls at her.

“Oh,” I say with a chuckle. “Little Colin here doesn’t like females.”

Jade carelessly lifts a shoulder. She doesn’t give a fuck about what others think. “Maybe, Colin should lay off the drugs. If he did, he may just be able to get his tiny pencil dick up. But until then, he’ll be the Masters’ fuck boy.”

“What?” he whispers, his face ashen.

Jade laughs. I fucking love when she becomes ruthless. “Told you, Colin, my da really fucking hates that you’ve become a traitor. We all know about how the Masters are using you as their errand boy.” Her smirk is taunting. “You’ve become their fuck boy, Colin. They use you, just as they do their whores. The only difference, at least, is they have some respect for the whores they fuck.”

I bite back my laugh. Damn, she’s fucking brutal, and I love it.

“Now,” she tells him as she steps closer to him. “You will give me the money you owe the boss, along with twenty percent.”

His mouth drops open. “I can’t—"

She shakes her head. “Every day you don’t pay, the percentage goes up by ten percent.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “So, we’ll try this again. The money?”

He scowls at her but opens the drawer in his desk and pulls out four stacks of twenties.

“Try again,” I bark out, knowing that’s not even half of what he owes.

He takes out another six stacks, and I can’t hold back the chuckle when Jade starts to count it. It’s the ultimate disrespect, showing the man that his word isn’t good enough.

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