Chapter 12 A Killer Threat
twelve
a killer threat
Hitch
Ifucking loathed War. I fucking despised him.
The man was a stranger, yet I felt such hot, burning hatred for him.
He was a threat, jeopardizing everything I'd built with Fallon. Now, she was once again heavily guarded. But something felt different this time. From the start, there was an obsessive connection between them—a dangerous pull—and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t worry me.
Fallon knew how I felt about her—she always knew.
She knew I loved her—I had loved her since I was seventeen and she was nothing but my stepsister.
But because of the shit I did, she’d put up an invisible barrier around her heart, forbidding herself from ever falling for me.
She was afraid I would hurt her again, but I wouldn't. Though I had to push her away, to protect her from Foley’s grasp.
Yet, it seemed she was caught in his web regardless, and I was consumed by a desperate need to understand their story.
I knew she was hiding something. I just didn't know what.
As I pulled on my black Carhartt jacket, my beanie, gloves, and face shield, my thoughts remained with Fallon.
What secrets was she hiding? What had truly happened between her and Foley, and why was she so terrified of him?
What was War doing stalking Fallon? I was ready to get it all out on the table.
But would Foley be ready to spill his dark secrets?
I stepped into the biting cold, the flurries dancing through the city in the light, persistent wind.
As I began the long walk toward Foley's, I let my mind wander.
Foley was particular; no vehicles were permitted on his property, not even for his employees.
Anyone working for him had to walk to work and down the mile-long driveway leading to his colossal, all-black mansion, shielded by a towering black iron gate that kept the world at bay.
Foley was ruthless, the kind of man you didn't cross.
The kind of man who looked like sin in a suit but had the devil hidden inside him.
I wished escape were simple, but it was anything but. Once you were in with Evander Foley, the Mexican Mafia boss, there was no exit unless you were riddled with bullets and hidden so well that the world would never find you.
I’d met Foley by chance. At seventeen, I'd accumulated a rap sheet of charges: murder, bike gang affiliation, strong armed robbery, sex trafficking, drug trafficking.
I was busted, thrown in jail with a five-million-dollar bond.
I was beyond hopeless. But not fifteen minutes after being booked, a CO came to inform me that my bail had been paid in full, and I was a free man—for the time being.
I was utterly shocked, but I was out of jail, so I didn't ask questions. That was the day I met Evander Foley. He knew who I was. He’d been watching the videos of me on the news.
He paid my bail, provided me with the best lawyers, who eventually got all my charges dropped and dismissed, and then he explained how I could repay him.
He wanted my soul, and I gave it. He wanted my life, but that belonged to Fallon, whether she allowed me to love her or not. Foley had already ruined my life; I wouldn't let him destroy any chance of a future with Fallon.
They say everyone gets one person in this world.
One person they'll fall so deeply in love with, they'll never forget them.
I'd known since I was young that Fallon was the love of my life.
It didn't matter that she was my stepsister; I'd loved her the moment I saw her, and I couldn't walk away.
I knew I had hurt her, but I was trying to make it up to her every single day.
Now War was involved, and I knew she felt something for him.
But I wasn't one to share my things. I absolutely didn't play nice with others.
I was selfish, and I was an absolute fucking menace.
But if having a chance to be with Fallon meant sharing her with War, I'd learn to cope, because I would rather have her with him than not have her at all.
On the daunting walk to Foley's, the snow intensified, and the flakes swelled in the blink of an eye. They sparkled under the streetlights, glimmering like diamonds raining down around me. Of course, I thought of Fallon, for no particular reason, except that I couldn’t get her off my mind.
I replayed the questions I wanted to ask Foley, knowing he probably wouldn’t answer half of them.
I wanted to know how he knew Fallon. I wanted to understand what had happened between them that left her constantly terrified.
I wanted to know War's assignment, and I wouldn’t back down, even if he ordered me to leave.
The wind whipped around me, the cold seeping into my bones despite the layers of protection.
I pushed open the wrought-iron gate, its ornate design so different from the ominous sleek, black mansion that loomed ahead.
The snow crunched under my boots, each step a testament to my unwavering determination.
I’d dealt with Foley before, felt his cold grip on my life, but this felt different.
This was about Fallon, about the woman who was the very air I fucking breathed.
My heart hammered in my chest, like a frantic drumbeat urging me forward.
I wasn't afraid of Foley, not anymore. Not after the things I had seen and done.
I had to know, for her. I had to tear down the walls she'd built around her heart, find the truth, and protect her, no matter the cost, even if I was still in the dark about what she was hiding.
As I neared the mansion, the heavy front door swung open, and a figure emerged. Tall, imposing, with a gaze that could slice through steel. It was War. His dark hair was slicked back, his eyes like chips of obsidian, and a cruel smirk played on his lips.
"Well, well," War drawled, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "The prodigal felon returns. What brings you to Foley's doorstep, again?" He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, the picture of casual arrogance.
I met his gaze, my jaw clenched. "Other than the fucking fact that I work for him? I have questions... And you're going to answer them."
War's smirk widened. "I think you'll find, my friend, that things don't work that way around here. Foley takes the lead; we merely follow."
"Then I'll talk to Foley myself." I stepped forward, intent on passing him.
He blocked my path, his stance unyielding. "I wouldn't advise that. You're out of your fucking depth, Hitch. You don't want to get involved in this. Stay the fuck away from Fallon. She's better off without you."
His words hit me like a physical blow to the gut. The fucking audacity of it, coming from him, a man I knew to be a wolf in sheep's clothing.
"That's not your damn decision to make," I growled, my hand instinctively clenching into a fist. "You don't know shit about me and you damn sure don't know shit about Fallon."
War chuckled, the sound devoid of humor. "Maybe not. But I'm the one standing in your way of Fallon and Foley." He gestured toward the mansion. "Foley doesn't like surprises. Especially when they involve a certain someone."
I knew then, with a sickening certainty, that this was going to be a battle, and one I might not win. But I couldn't back down. Not now. Fallon's safety, her happiness, were all that mattered.
"Get out of my fucking way, War." My voice was a low threat, barely a whisper that carried on the wind.
He stared at me for a moment, his eyes searching. Then, a ghost of a smile touched his lips. He moved aside, his body language now that of a silent predator, ready to strike.
"Be my guest." He smirked devilishly.
I walked past him, each step heavy with the weight of the coming confrontation.
The heavy oak door swung shut behind me, plunging me into the opulent, yet suffocating, world of Evander Foley.
The air was thick with the scent of expensive cigars and the undercurrent of danger that clung to everything and everyone within these walls.
The game had begun, and I was ready to fucking play.
I sat in Foley's office while War watched over me, as if I wasn't someone who worked there.
He did it on purpose to try and intimidate me, but it didn't work.
I knew people like him. I knew how they operated.
Instead of letting him remain in control, I decided to play the one card I had that I knew he couldn't resist.
"Why is Fallon so afraid of this man?" I asked War, watching his face quickly go from normal to shocked in seconds before returning to normal.
"I don't know," he replied, curiosity getting the best of him. "My job is to watch her and report back. Foley never told me why or even who she was."
I smirked, pushing my luck. "But you're curious, aren't you? What is it about her that has Foley wrapped around her finger?"
I leaned back in the plush leather chair, feigning disinterest, but my eyes never left War's. He was a puzzle, and I was determined to solve it. War’s jaw tightened, and he took a step closer, invading my space.
"You're playing a dangerous game, asshole. Stay out of things you don't understand." He shoved his hands in his pants pockets as he pushed his face closer to mine.
"And you're playing a predictable one," I shot back, meeting his gaze head-on. "The strong, silent type with a hidden soft spot for the girl? Tell me, War, is she as innocent as she seems?"
I relished the flicker of anger that crossed his features, the barely contained fury that betrayed his carefully constructed facade. He took another step, and I didn't flinch.
"You're a fucking dead man if you don't shut your mouth." He glared at me, still threatening me in silence.
But it didn't scare me at all. Instead, I chuckled, a low, deep rumble that echoed in the silent room.