He laughs, "Then don't."
My office door opens, and Jagger walks in, his jaw tight. Great, something has happened. "Dad, I've got to go. I'll be at the party." I assure him.
"Okay son..." The line goes silent, and I know he wants to say something, "I'll see you tomorrow." Whatever he wants to say he can't. He no longer has a say in what goes on inside this operation. I'm not opposed to going to him if I need advice, I just won't tolerate him back seat driving.
"Bye." I hang up and give Jagger my full attention, "What?"
He sighs, "We've got a problem."
I give him a hard stare. I gathered that we had a problem.
"Carina, she's fucked up." He admits, and it's about fucking time, he's been keeping everything with that bitch close to his chest.
"I know she's a fuck-up, what’s she done now?" I hate that woman. I'd love nothing more than to wrap my hands around her throat and choke the life out of her. I've been close on many occasions but because she's Jagger's girl I won't.
"Got a phone call from Jax, she's high as a fucking kite." He's pacing my office, his jaw clenched so tightly it's a wonder he's not breaking his damn teeth.
Great, the bitch has been sampling our merchandise, let’s hope she fucking paid for it herself.
"What are you going to do Jag? That woman is a fucking mess." I shake my head in disgust; everything she does is vile.
"I'm done with her. I can't fucking do this." Anger dripping from his words.
"You should have been done with her a long ass time ago. If you had you'd have made sure you tied that blonde to the bed." I give him a pointed look. I have no idea who the woman is; all I know is two women walked into our lives on the same night and fucked with our heads. Both women vanished before sunrise, never to be seen or heard from again.
He narrows his eyes at me, "You think I don't think about that constantly? Sarah was fucking amazing, and now she’s disappeared."
"You ever think having that bitch on your dick could have been the reason why?" I have my suspicions about Carina and the shit she's said to keep Jagger on a hook. She was here the night Jagger and Sarah got together, and I'm betting my left nut she's lying about everything.
His eyes flash with anger, "I'm not fucking stupid Hudson, I know what she's been doing."
I give him a look, one that tells him to watch his tone. "Then what the fuck were you still doing with her?"
He sighs, "Leave it, yeah? We've got a meeting to get to."
“Jag, I get you’re pissed. That bitch has you wrapped around her finger. You became her lap dog…”
His eyes narrow, “Boss…”
I raise an eyebrow, “Jag, you’ve lost the respect from some of the men, as my right-hand man that can’t be allowed. It’s going to take you a fucking long time to rebuild that respect. Carina was yours to control, and you failed to do so. That’s on you.” I tell him, he’s my brother, but he’s fucked up. Women do not feature in our world; they're to be cherished and protected. They do not treat the men as their personal slaves or as someone beneath them.
"Everyone going to be there?" I ask as I exit my office.
"Yes." He replies, walking beside me. "I almost laughed when I got a reply from Ulric telling me he'll be there."
I smirk. This is going to be fun. "He's not going to know what's hit him."
As we get outside the club, there’s a black sedan across the street. Fucking feds, always up in my business. They're trying to find anything on me to put me inside. I'm not that fucking stupid.
"Mr. Brady," Johnson calls out, that guy is really busting his chops to try and pin something on me, he's a rookie fed, and he's hoping that if he can get me in the can, it'll make his career. He'll be a legend, bringing down the biggest drug lord in America.
"Mr. Johnson, don't you have anything better to do? Like going home to your family?" I smirk, the fucker is a loner, his wife left him because he was fucking his co-worker. So he spends his evenings trying to find anything to bring my organization down.
His lips thin into a tight line. "You going anywhere nice?"
I give him a cold stare, "That would be none of your business. I'll see you around, Mr. Johnson." I climb into the back of the Bentley Continental, Jagger climbing in beside me as Martin starts the engine.
"He's got a hard on for you Hudson. He's not going to let up." Jagger grinds his teeth. He does that when he's mad, it's his tell. The one that tells you to run because Jagger's on the warpath.
"Tell me about it. He needs to look elsewhere and fast. I can't have him on my ass." The fucker is way too close for my liking.
"Martin, did you service the car?" That's Jagger's way of asking if Martin swept for bugs and tracking devices.
"It's fine," he's a man of very limited words. Just how I like it. I hate small talk, it's useless and pointless.
The car’s clean, there's no way Martin would lie. Besides Jagger, he’s the most loyal man I have. He's killed men for betraying me. He started out as my driver when he first started working for the family and grew into my bodyguard. I never needed him, I'm more than capable of fighting my own battles, but Dad was boss and what he said went. So a twenty-two year old Martin became my chauffeur and bodyguard when I was fifteen.
"Martin, what's happening with Jorge? Has he given you any information?" I ask, feeling irritated, I hate being kept in the dark.
It's been two weeks and no contact from him. He's been in the Álverez Cartel for over a year, long before we joined forces with Juan, but when my dad left and he found out about my dislike of Juan, he came forward. He told us that he'd feed us information in return for making sure his wife and child who live here in San Francisco are safe while he can't be with them. He doesn't trust Juan, and he had suspicions that his family were being watched. He was right; they were. I managed to get them into a safe house and no one, not even Jagger knows where they are. Jorge was true to his word, and he has fed us vital information. I haven't made any of what he’s said public yet. I'm biding my time. Getting all my ducks in a row, if things go south, I'm making sure there's no blowback on us. Jorge hasn't given anything to us in the last two weeks, and I'm getting fucking antsy.
"Yes Boss. He's given me something, and I'm not sure of its authenticity, so I'm doing some checks before I inform you." He says cryptically, and I raise my brow, does he really believe that shitty response is going to keep me from inquiring further?
I glance at Jagger, who looks just as shocked as I do. "Martin?" I growl, he's pissed me off with the bullshit he's just said.
A heavy sigh escapes him, "Boss, he heard something that didn't sit right with him, he confided that to me, and we're not sure if it's credible."
"Credible?" My entire body vibrating with anger.
Jagger lets out a chuckle, "Marty boy, you'd want to talk."
"Fuck. You're a hot-headed sonofabitch." Martin murmurs, "Jorge overheard a conversation where Juan was discussing your new family."
My eyes narrow, "What about my new family?"
Martin's shoulders lift as he shrugs, "Jorge didn't hear the entire conversation. He thinks it's a threat, but we've yet to verify if it is or not."
I grit my teeth, I know he expects me to fly off the handle. He's right, I'm a hothead, and I do things on the fly. Being the boss means I can't do that anymore. I need to think with a clear head.
"Is Juan in town? Or anyone associated with him? Did Jorge say who he was talking to? Or who may be the one to carry out the threat if it was, in fact, a threat?" I throw out question after question, and there’s a surprised but pleased look on Martin's face. Jagger looks shocked. I ignore them and wait for the answers to my questions.
"Juan is in town," Jagger informs me looking at his cell phone. His eyes narrow as he reads whatever is on his phone.
"How do you know that he's in town?" The more important question is, why is he here?
Jagger shrugs, "I saw him earlier near the club. I assumed he'd been in to see you."
He doesn't answer, instead his jaw tenses. He's pissed. Whether it's at me or himself, I couldn't give a shit. He's my right-hand man, that means he should know if that asshole was scheduled for a meeting today.
"I've been checking on his associates and have yet to find one that's here. Jorge says that he doesn't know the man Juan was talking to, that he has only been seen once or twice in the compound. Boss, I told you what he told me, that's all I know, and that's why I wanted to check it out. I have no idea if the information relayed to me is a threat or just a mindless discussion."
And here I was thinking the man had brains. "There's no need to be discussing my family. Ever." He made a fucking mistake, one that is going to be deadly for him.
Jagger lets out a low whistle, "This meeting is going to be fun." He smirks as he rubs his hands together.
I shake my head. He's a bloodthirsty fucker. He smiles when things go south. He's the only man I know that loves to be against the ropes, he comes out swinging and always wins.
"I'm taking bets that Ulric's going to do one of three things..." Martin begins.
Jagger's brows raise as he interrupts him. "Dude, only one, you can't take three. I'm going to say he cries. He'll weep and call for his mom."
"Ass." Martin mutters, "I've twenty on him pissing himself."
"You’re on!" Jagger hoots.
I chuckle, these two saps have nothing better to do than bet on what Ulric's going to do when I walk in and point my gun at his kneecap. You don't fucking betray me. Ever.
"Looks like we've got a full house Boss," Martin informs me as he drives up to the abandoned lot, it's far enough away from the city lights to give us privacy and yet not too far away that it takes a fucking age to get to.
Getting out of the car, I gaze at the abandoned lot and curse. I'm going to have to find a new place to hold my meetings, somewhere the feds don't know about. Walking into the lot, the chatter that filled the room is now a deathly silence, every man's eyes are on me as I walk in. I have thirty-three men, and I glance around the room at them. The newest members are at the back, they’ve probably heard rumors of what’s about to happen. They’re about to get a rude awakening. The men that have been with me since the get-go, the ones that called me Boss before I had the title are lean, well kept, and smartly dressed. Whereas the men that have been here since my dad and gramps were boss are overweight, balding and insubordinate.
Fucking Ulric has a smirk on his face as he stands with his arms crossed. That look he has further adds fuel to my anger. I purposely stride toward him and everyone between us parts like it's the Red Sea. Only Cage and Darwin stand beside him; they had better move when the shit hits the fan. I'll take them both out too. I have no problem emptying house if need be as long as my men fall in line.
My hand automatically goes to my gun located at my back, my fingers tighten around the butt. "Ulric." My voice cold and I watch as that smirk falls from his face. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out?"
Cage and Darwin take a step away from him. Good, they're making it clear they don't align with him.
"Fin…" He licks his lips as he stands a little taller, his eyes flashing with fear as the gun comes out from behind my back. "Find out what?" He manages to stammer out.
"That you betrayed me." My voice is calm. It's funny, when I'm angry I can go one of two ways: lose my head and go gonzo on everyone around me, or I can be a methodically calm sonofabitch. That's what I'm doing right now.
His eyes widen, "No, I didn't."
I glance around the room. Every single person's eyes are on me, waiting to find out what I'm going to do. "Lying to me as well as betraying me. You really are a fucking idiot."
I hear snickering from behind me, and I know that it's Jagger and Martin.
His hands raise, "I didn't, I swear to you Hudson, I didn't betray you. I wouldn't."
I aim my gun at his knee, "Oh, so the footage I have of you talking with Detective Collins is fake? You had a great discussion with the man Ulric. You talked with him for thirty-three minutes." My finger squeezes the trigger, and I watch with a smile as the bullet rips into his leg, he instantly buckles and falls to the floor. I walk over to him, my gun still raised at his face.
"No." He cries out, tears streaming down his face. Fucking weasel. "Please Hudson, please just let me explain." He begs.
"It's Mr. Brady to you." I tell him with disdain, “You betrayed me, and you’ve betrayed my men, your brothers. Snitching to a fucking cop is going to make us all go down you pathetic moron.”
“Please….” He stammers as tears begin to fall down his face.
“No, no, please nothing. You fucked up, and you pay the consequences.” My tone is even. He’s fucked up and big time. This is something I cannot forgive, and I won’t forgive.
The room is quiet; the only thing you can hear is Ulric’s crying.
"Martin pay up, Jag was right, he's crying like a damn baby." I stare hard at the sobbing mess that's beneath my feet, "Listen up, and listen good." I say, my voice strong and loud, making sure every man in here hears me. "I don't give a shit if you think that I shouldn't be here. I earned my place here. It was always going to be me that was going to take over. Don't like the fact I'm younger than most of you? That's your problem, you either get over it, or you're going to end up like Ulric here." He's squirming, the tears falling down his face but he's no longer begging me, he knows that he fucked up and there's no way he's getting out of here alive. My finger squeezes the trigger once again. This time the bullet goes into his head.
Turning around, I face my men. Each one of them has a blank expression. "Show me respect and loyalty, and I'll give it back tenfold. Betray me, and it'll be the last thing you do. Most of you have been with this organization for decades. You saw what a hot-headed little shit I was and when I gave no thought to anyone but myself. It's time for you to realize that I'm no longer a child and that I'm your boss now. Don't like it? There's a bullet here for you."
A few uneasy shuffles from the older guys, the guys that thought my dad wouldn't pass the job to me until he was in his sixties, hell most thought Dad would be buried before he'd give up the crown.
"You’re pissed because my old man left, be pissed at him. I want my men behind me. I want to know that they trust me and that I can trust them." This is the only time I'm going to have this speech; anyone who doesn't fall in line is gone. I don't have the time nor the patience for this crap anymore. It's ending tonight. I made Ulric an example. They needed to know what is going to happen when you betray me, betray the family.
"Anyone have a problem with that?" I stare each and every one of them down, waiting to see if any of them will have the balls to go against me. Some are glancing at their shoes, others are focusing their gazes beyond me. My boys, the ones that have been calling me Boss for years are nodding in agreement. I turn to face Carmine. He’s one of the men that’s glancing at their shoes.
"Good, get rid of him and this gun." I glare at Matt and Carmine Jr. They were both my father's soldiers. They thought they'd move up the ranks, but they never did. It's because they're lazy and that shit isn't going to fly anymore.
"Cage, find out where Detective Collins is, and see if you can find out what the traitor told him. Then get rid of him." I instruct, he gives me a sharp nod and leaves.
"Burn this place to the ground," Jagger tells Matt and Carmine as I begin to walk out of the lot. "Not with him inside." He adds, knowing just how fucking lazy they can be.
At least this shit is done now. It's time to focus on making sure that Juan doesn't try and fuck me over. He's already on borrowed time. He comes after my family, he's going to suffer.
Six
Mia
"God, we really need to work out more, we're both so unfit." My breath comes in pants as I p
lace my hand against the wall and try and suck in some much-needed oxygen. I actually can't remember when I ran so hard. It was refreshing, but I'm going to pay for it later.
I am, however, faring a bit better than Lacey is. She's sprawled on the floor, her face bright red, and her entire body is shaking. "I'm dying." She whispers and I laugh, such dramatics.
I was awoken at seven this morning by a smiley Lacey who demanded we go for a run. Looking at her now, I'd say she's regretting it, and it's going to be a while before she's wanting to do it again. Once I'm able to get my breathing under control, I reach down and help Lacey up. "Come on, we need to have a shower. I can hear movement in the kitchen, here's hoping that Harrison's good at cooking because I'm starved."
"That man is a lot of things, but I doubt he's a cook. I did a bit of digging after dinner." She begins, and I just know where this is going to go.
I shake my head. "This isn't the place. We'll talk about this later." I wouldn't be surprised if Mom was listening. That woman has ears like a bat, and she's always around somewhere.
"Okay. Did you speak to Sarah?" She asks as we walk towards the door.
"Yeah, we spoke about her contacting Jagger." I spit his name out. I despise that man. "The private investigator she used got her an email address for him. She's going to send him an email and attach a picture of Allie. It's about time he manned up. He may not have wanted Allie, but he needs to know that she's alive. He helped create an amazing child. For Allie's sake I hope he reads the email and contacts Sarah. Allie needs her dad in her life."
Lacey links her arm through mine, "She really does, can you imagine her little face lighting up when she sees him? How is Sarah?"
"Lonely and busy, I was thinking of arranging for us to see them sometime this summer, maybe toward the end?" She's not really made any friends since being in New York. Having a baby alone in a new city with no support was the hardest thing anyone could have done, and I admire her so much for doing it. She's thriving as a mom and as a designer, she's finally starting to have her designs noticed by Leila Del La Core. She's the best designer in the world, and she noticed Sarah's designs on Instagram of all places. Since then they've been working together to get a fall range designed. It's being showcased in September for Fashion Week, so she's busy.
Forbidden Lust (The Kingpin Book 1) Page 5