Chapter 48
Chapter Forty-Eight
CHRISTIAN
Walking out of my bathroom with a towel around my waist as I dry my hair with another, I focus on the tasks at hand.
Get dressed.
Destroy whoever is threatening my family.
Make sure Jasmine and my brothers are safe.
The only thing that will ever be important to me is keeping our family safe.
Heading into the walk-in closet, I try to focus on the first task: getting dressed.
“Daddy?” I can hear the worry in her voice and once again hope that by the end of the day, it will be a thing of the past, for now, at least.
“In here, Sweetheart.” Jasmine appears in the doorway, looking panicked, before rushing forward to throw her arms around my neck.
“What’s going on? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Sweetheart,” I reply, pressing a kiss to her head before stepping back from her arms. Letting go of her is the last thing I want to do, which is why I have no choice but to do it; otherwise, nothing will get done. “What has Jason told you?” I ask, heading over to where my shirts are all hanging.
“Just that we needed everyone to leave and for us to meet in the office in twenty minutes.” Slowly, Jasmine steps closer and places a hand on my arm. “What’s happening?”
Grabbing my deodorant, I quickly spray myself before shrugging on a shirt.
“Terry managed to get some images from the security cameras, which show who broke the shutters on your window.”
“Who was it?” she asks, her eyes widening.
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly as I fasten my buttons. “Because I know McIntire makes a point of knowing everything about his competition, including who works for them, I sent him the photos.” Pulling the towel from around my waist, I chuck it into the washing basket and grab some boxers.
“I take it he knows who it is?” Jasmine asks. I don’t miss the way her eyes keep looking down at my cock, until it's hidden away inside my underwear, semi-hard just from her looking at it.
“Like something you see, Baby?” I tease, unable to stop myself from laughing when she realises she's been caught.
I love it when she looks at me like she knows she's meant to be paying attention, but all she wants is my dick buried deep inside one of her holes. Smiling at the warm blush on her cheeks, I quickly carry on before I make us late by taking her against a wall.
“McIntire knows who they are, and he wasn’t happy. He has gone to collect them himself and will bring them here. He told me to ensure the others had left before he arrived.”
Jasmine frowns as I pull on some trousers and tuck my shirt into them.
“Do you think it's one of his guys?”
I stop mid-action and stare at her for a moment.
“I hadn’t even thought of that,” I admit before continuing to get dressed. “You really are becoming the brains of the family, Sweetheart.” I give a teasing smile, but my heart is swelling with pride. She surprises us every single day with how much attention she is paying and how she finally has the confidence to voice her suggestions and observations.
“But why would he want the others gone?” she asks. I think back at the conversation and realise something.
“He asked if Abigail was still here; I think he wanted her gone before he arrived; the others were more of an afterthought.”
“Well, that makes sense; she would know if it was someone who worked for him,” Jasmine points out as she turns around and selects a tie for me as I turn up my collar. “There again,” she loops the tie around my neck before tying it. “It could be that he just didn’t want to see her. Abigail hates McIntire; she has no problem telling him that to his face, either.”
“She’s braver than most of the men I know then.” I smile as Jasmine tightens the knot on my tie, ensuring it's in place. It’s a little thing she’s been doing for the last few months, and I love it. I love how she concentrates to ensure it's perfect every time.
“She’s stupid, and I’ve told her so. He’s powerful for a reason.”
“She doesn’t need to fear him,” I say, hoping to put her at ease.
“I know that; she is just in self-destruct mode and not looking at the bigger picture,” Jasmine sighs, running her hand over the tie to ensure it hangs flat. “I think he cares and wants to help her, and she knows it. But she wants to blame him for her dad's death, even though he wasn’t at fault. So, she’s pushing every one of his buttons to get a reaction. Looking for a way to keep him as the bad guy.” Finally looking up, she places her hand on my chest and lifts to press a light kiss to my lips. Pulling away with a smile, she looks up at me with so much love my heart aches as I place my hands on her hips.
“You have come a long way since you went through something similar, Sweetheart, and we are all very proud of you for it.” I tuck some hair behind Jasmine's ear, which is hanging in her natural curls because she didn’t blow dry it his morning. Once again, she put my needs before her own, showing how big her heart is, even after everything she has been through.
“I had four great men in my corner to help me come to the realisation,” Jasmine smiles. Running my fingers across her cheek, I thread them into the hair at the back of her head and lean in to kiss her, a smile on both our faces as we get lost in each other's eyes.
My phone rings in the bedroom, and I sigh reluctantly, releasing Jasmine's hair. Taking her hand, I pull her into the bedroom, reaching for my phone charging on the side. My stomach drops a little when I see the name on the screen.
“Did you find them?”
“Yeah, we will be with you in ten minutes. Where do you want him?”
* * *
Ten minutes later, I’m pacing around the basement, which is situated under the gym. It was specially built to ensure people never found what we hide or do down here. If people attack our home, this is where they come before they die. No one we bring here ever leaves alive; we can't take that risk. The entrance to it is also our means of escape if we need to in a hurry. It’s a feature we added when we were trying to make the house as safe as possible for Jasmine, knowing people may use her as a way to control us.
As much as I hate killing, there are certain things that make it a little easier; one of those is if I’m killing someone who hurt our girl or attempted to. I have no issue making those people disappear, so they are never seen or heard of again.
Looking around, I see Jason and Maximus are just as tense as I am; neither of them is saying anything, just watching the door and waiting for Terry’s signal. I needed as many hands as possible, but I left Sean with Jasmine upstairs, so she wasn’t alone in case anyone comes looking for her. They are staying in the sitting room with Mrs Brown, ready to go if necessary.
“Do you have any idea who it could be?” Maximus asks, walking over to me. I shake my head, looking at the door, not wanting to miss the signal.
“Jasmine thinks it might be one of McIntire's men, which would explain why he is bringing them in himself.”
“Fuck, I hadn’t even thought of that,” Jason curses as he joins us.
“I didn’t either; she makes a good point, too, as it would explain why he wanted Abigail gone.” I continue trying to decide what to do if she's right.
“She would be able to identify him,” Maximus mumbles more to himself than any of us, but I nod anyway.
“Jasmine said that, too.”
“Shorty really is becoming the brains of the family.” Maximus grins as Layton laughs.
“Or you lot have taken one too many blows to the head.”
“That’s more likely it,” Jason winks. I shake my head, but I can't hold back my smile. We like to tease her, but Jasmine has always been an intelligent woman; she just didn’t have the discipline to put it to any use. But now she’s coming out of her shell; she is surprising not only us but others as well. Her teachers are full of praise, giving her the boost to continue working hard and exceeding everyone's expectations.
Seeing her artistic side while organising the wedding was an eye-opener. I have a feeling that if being a professional dancer doesn’t work out, she won’t be short of options. The florist would snatch her up in a second if she ever went there to ask for a job.
A red light flashes above the door, catching everyone’s attention, signalling they are close. Terry had left to meet McIntire and escort him and his prisoner down the tunnel.
“I know I say this a lot, but don’t you think we give McIntire a little too much information? He knows our businesses, our relationships, and now our one route to escape if we were to come under attack.”
Turning to Maximus, I try to keep a straight face and not show how conflicted I am right now.
“Trust me, I know, but the alliance we have formed benefits others, and he knows that I never ask him to do things for me; he is offering without expectations.”
“At the end of the day, he’s been more than happy to help and obviously thinks highly of Christian. Otherwise, he wouldn’t do all he does,” Jason adds.
“What are we going to do if it is one of his guys who’s been causing all this shit?” Maximus asks. I don’t miss the way Jason and Layton turn their attention to me, as I have no doubt they’ve been trying to work out the same thing.
“I don’t know,” I admit, shaking my head. “It’s something that we will have to decide when the information is presented to us.” I look back to the door and watch as the green light flickers. “Let’s just hope this helps us put an end to this shit,” I sigh, walking over to the centre of the room as the others step beside me, and Layton heads to the door to open it.
I hold my breath and wait for the door to open, unsure of what to expect on the other side. Before the door opens halfway, a person with a sack over his head, dressed in a yellow t-shirt and ripped jeans, flies into the room, landing on the concrete floor. I hear a muffled yelp, sounding like he’s been gagged. A furious McIntire storms into the room and grabs the guy's arms, which are tied behind his back and yanks him up so he’s kneeling on the ground.
“His name’s Edward Grey, but he goes by Eddy. He’s a fucking waste of space with no job, lives in a shithole, and likes to think he’s smarter than he is.” I have seen McIntire angry before, but nothing like this. He grabs the sack and rips it from his head. Eddy already looks like he’s taken a beating. Judging by the way he flinches away from McIntire, he’s the one who dished it out.
“Don’t fucking look at me, you piece of shit. Look at the ground, and if I see you looking up at me again, I will carve your eyes out.”
I look at him with an arched brow, but McIntire doesn’t see me; all he focuses on is the arsehole in front of him.
“How do you know him?” I ask, wanting to see if someone will come looking for the shit.
“I’ve been watching him for a couple of months, waiting for him to fuck up and give me an excuse to take him out.”
“I told you, I don’t know-” he gets cut off mid-sentence by McIntire grabbing a fist full of hair and slamming Eddy’s face into his knee. Eddy screams out in pain as blood gushes from his broken nose.
“I already have all the reasons I need to finish you, but first, you are going to have a little chat with the O’Reillys here and explain what your intentions were when you attempted to climb into their fiancée’s bedroom.” McIntire looks up and gives me a nod.
“He’s all yours; if you decide you don’t want to kill him, don’t worry; I will be more than happy to.”
“What's he done to piss you off?” Maximus asks behind me. McIntire glares down at Eddy, who is still kneeling on the ground, holding his bleeding nose.
“He has been seeing someone who doesn’t belong to him,” McIntire answers.
“Who?” I ask, almost sure I know the answer. When he turns his attention to me, I can see why people are so scared of him with one look. I have to stop myself from stepping back, wanting to put as much distance between us as possible.
“Abigail Young.”