Chapter 13
DECLAN
It takes effort not to fucking shoot the man in front of me, but since he’s not affiliated with the family or our lifestyle, I have to go easier on him than I would anyone else that I caught stealing from me.
As it stands, my trigger finger itches as Jadon, the man on his knees with tears streaming down his face, begs me not to fire him. Says he only stole from the casino once because his son needed some kind of surgery.
It’s bad enough that he’s lying about his kid—a kid that’s fit as a fucking fiddle if my intel is accurate—but this isn’t his first time skimming money from the cage during his shift change.
After I saw how fucking paranoid he looked a few weeks back when I walked the floor, I had my tech people install cameras in all my cash-on-wheels carts instead of just in the corners of the internal cash office.
I’ll admit, Jadon was good. Not only did he stay out of view of the cameras I’d had mounted, but he was also able to slide the cash into his pants without looking obvious. It was his own paranoia that raised my antennas.
Jadon isn’t using the money he lifted from me to help his sick child—he’s taking it to other casinos to gamble it away.
He’s close to three million in debt across Jersey, so squeezing me for five mil will allow him to pay his debts and have a lot left over to flush down the toilet with his shitty bets.
After I told Carter what was going on, he told me to just fire him, not make Jadon swim with the fishes.
I swear my brother thinks I’m an idiot.
“P-p-please,” Jadon begs, and I roll my eyes instead of putting a bullet in his brain. “He only has a f-f-f-few months if I don’t pay for this expensive s-s-surgery.”
I push off my desk and walk over to him. He looks at me with pleading eyes, and I backhand him across his lying mouth. His eyes blow wide, fear etching his expression. “I don’t like liars, Jadon. You’re lying to me and it’s pissing me off.”
He swallows roughly, but pushes to his feet, holding his mouth. His eyes dance with triumph, like he has me right where he wants me. “I’ll fucking sue your ass for striking me! I’ll take you to fucking court and—”
Before he can finish his threat, I wrap my fingers around his throat, lift him off his feet, and shove him back until he hits the wall behind him. Jadon cries out, his normally tanned face pale with fear.
Clenching my hand until he struggles to breathe, I say, “Do you know who the fuck I am?” He looks more scared than I’ve ever seen anyone, his eyes popped wide and terror filling his gaze.
“You can try to sue me, Jadon. But know this: I know where you live with your wife of ten years and your perfectly healthy son. I know where your mother lives. And that sister of yours? Yeah, I know she’s selling pussy down on Third.
I can have them all knocked off. And I’ll leave you so fucking broken that you lose your fucking sanity.
Fuck with me if you want to, but I promise I’ll fuck you harder. ”
Jadon’s face pales even more and he opens and closes his mouth like a fish. I keep pressure on his throat, my gaze boring into his so he understands I don’t respond to idle fucking threats.
“You thought you could blackmail me? Me?!” I shout in his face.
Though I have him in a vulnerable position, his expression switches from fear to confusion.
Yeah, he’s good. Now that he knows I know his secret, he has nothing left to do but pretend he’s clueless.
Fucking amateur. He steals petty cash from me but decides to blackmail me with an offshore account? Did he think he wouldn’t get caught?
“Boss,” Austin says behind me and I grunt in acknowledgement, but don’t look away from Jadon. “We got Carter in thirty. If you drop Jadon’s body, he’ll find out about it in fifteen.”
I hate that he’s right. It seems like Carter has ears fucking everywhere, making it hard for me to keep anything from him. I’m surprised he hasn’t heard about the blackmail through the grapevine.
“Yeah, I know,” I grunt.
I give Jadon’s throat one more squeeze and drop him to the floor. He drags in a long breath, then coughs up a fucking lung.
“Get him out of my sight,” I seethe, walking back over to my desk.
My men pick Jadon up and drag him to the door.
“Oh, Jadon,” I say and my men turn the weak fucker around so he can see my face.
“You’re fucking banned from every casino in the city.
Get your family and get the fuck out of this state in the next week, or I’ll have everyone’s head tossed off the pier and your bodies dumped where they’ll never be found. You got me?”
Tears streaming down his face, Jadon nods and rubs his discolored throat as he’s carted out of my office.
I handled that well. I didn’t kill a civilian, which is something Carter keeps telling me not to do. Threatening him wasn’t the worst I could have done.
After Jadon is escorted out, Austin and Donny return, standing around my office like statues.
Maybe they’re not so bad. They’re loyal to the family and follow my orders.
Even Austin, who has more reason than anyone else not to.
I’ll keep an eye on him, but I think these two can take the place of Hendrix, at least in their duties.
No one will ever get close to me like Hen did. I won’t allow it. No one will have my heart like my best friend. I don’t think I’ll make it if I lost anyone else.
Tired of seeing faces of people I only kinda trust, I say, “Wait outside for me. I’ll be ready to leave as soon as I finish his fucking exit interview.”
They nod and take their leave.
I rarely do this kind of work, but after the fuck up my HR did with hiring Jadon without checking his fucking background, I don’t trust them to remove him from the system.
After I’m done, I log off my computer, check my gun to make sure my clip is full, then leave the office, Austin and Donny flanking me as we step into the elevator.
When we get to the garage, I take two steps toward my car, then I freeze. On my windshield, underneath my wiper, is an envelope. Not many people have access to this garage and only certain people know what kind of car I drive on any given day.
“Fan out,” I tell my guards, pulling my gun from its holster. “Look for someone that doesn’t belong.”
They do what I ask without question, moving in two different directions. I cautiously walk to my car, looking around to make sure no one jumps out at me. I look up at the camera in the corner and see a bullet hole through the lens.
What the fuck?
When I get to my car, I snatch the envelope from the windshield and open it quickly. The message contains another threat.
YOUR TIME IS RUNNING OUT.
FIVE MILLION DOLLARS OR YOU’RE FUCKING DEAD.
YOU HAVE FOURTEEN DAYS.
I ball the paper up, anger coursing through me. Who the fuck was in my garage and who the fuck is threatening me?
“What is it, boss?” Donny asks, first checking around my car, then under it.
I almost show him the letter, almost hand it over so he can take a look, and we can come up with a game plan. But I don’t trust him. If I have to trust anyone, it’s Nico because he’s helping me figure this shit out.
Fucking Jadon snuck his bitch ass down here to leave a letter on my car? After I fucking told him what I’d do to him if he fucked with me?
No matter, I’ll handle him. He’ll fucking die for his threats.
“Nothing,” I answer Donny. “Just a thank you note, that’s all.”
I tamp down my anger as I get in my car and head to the address coordinates Carter sent me. He and Kai want to meet about their new casino, so Nico will be there as well. I’ll have to get him alone so I can show him this bullshit.
As I drive, my anger mounts more and more. Jadon picked the wrong motherfucker to blackmail. I won’t fucking rest until he’s in the ground for even thinking he could squeeze money out of me.
What I haven’t figured out is his why. As the supervisor of the cash cages, he got paid more than anyone else and it was well above minimum wage, along with all kinds of insurance and bonuses and shit.
Since he’s not affiliated with the St. Clairs or Whitlocks, I haven’t tortured or killed any of his family, not even by mistake.
His gambling problem was on him, so I can’t put a finger on what he wants me to pay for.
I’ll ask him before I cut his fucking head off.
My temper is flaring by the time we pull up to the grounds where the new casino will be built.
Kai, Carter, Gavin, Nico, and Percy are standing around, talking, and pointing at different areas of the site.
Well, everyone else is pointing. Percy is taking vigorous notes and peeking at Gavin with a blush on his face.
What is his fucking deal? From what I overheard Kai saying, Percy’s father was Charlie’s right-hand man. How could someone like that have a son that’s a fucking mess of a person? Every time I see Percy, I’m reminded of a nerd that wants to get in with jocks but is too shy to open his mouth.
Carter spots me and waves me over. My shadows flank me, but I tell them to hang back. While I’m considering them to stay on full time, I don’t want them in my business.
When I step up to them, Carter asks, “How did the firing go?”
I huff and stuff my hands in my pockets. “Fine. It’s done.”
He stares at me for a few long moments, then says, “Dammit, Declan. What did you do?”
“I ain’t do shit!”
“Liar,” he practically roars. “Did you fucking hurt that guy?” I’m silent, making him curse.
“Listen, I like to tighten people up when they fuck with me just like you do, but that fucker is in debt. He’ll look for a reason to sue you.
Fucking assault? That’s ground to sue.” He shoves a hand in his hair. “Just when I think you’ll—”
“I’ll what?” I ask, going toe-to-toe with my brother. “I’ll be more like you? Newsflash motherfucker, that ain’t happening. Stop trying to make me fit into your fucking box!”
“I’m trying to get you to be fucking smart, Declan. One day, someone is going to show you that you need to.”
“Someone like you? Not fucking likely. Anyone that crosses me knows what I’ll do to them.”
Carter glares at me, his chest heaving.
He opens his mouth, but Kai puts a hand on his shoulder. “Chill, Car. It’s not that serious.”
I round on Kai. “Did I ask for your fucking help?”
Kai blusters, his face turning red. “Don’t start your shit with me, Declan. I’ll put you on your ass like Carter should have years ago.”
“Yeah? Then fucking do it.”
Carter grabs me by my arm and drags me away, almost making me trip over my feet.
“I’ve already told you about starting shit with my husband.
Keep it up and I will knock you the fuck out.
” He shoves me toward my car. “Get the fuck out of here. When you fucking chill out and act like a fucking adult, we can talk.”
“Fuck you, Carter.” I look over his shoulder at Kai. “And fuck you too, St. Clair.” Straightening my jacket, I turn and head to my car.
When I’m near Austin and Donny I tell them, “You’re done for the day. I’m going home.”
“Boss,” they both say and get in their car.
I peel out, no destination in mind. I don’t want to go home, and I don’t want to go back to work either.
Angry energy surges through me, both at that fucking letter left on my car and toward my brother and his stupid fucking husband.
I drive recklessly down the street, weaving in and out of traffic. More than a few horns blare at me and I give them all a middle finger salute, fucking daring someone to have goddamn road rage today so I can unload a clip in them.
When I pull up to a red light, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and scowl when I see Nico’s number pop up.
I answer the phone via my Bluetooth and bark, “What?”
“Someone’s testy,” he says in that teasing, singsong voice I fucking hate.
I swear, if his dick and ass weren’t so good, I’d be fucking done with him.
Nico gets under my skin and not in a good way.
But I need his help and I need his closeness until I get over my pain of losing Hen.
Then I’ll drop this motherfucker and never look back.
Growling, I bark, “What the fuck do you want?”
“What’s up?” His voice turns serious.
“Got another letter.”
“Ah. Come by the mansion in like an hour.”
“No fucking way. My brother—”
“Your brother heard me tell you to come spar with me sometime. You’re in a mood and he’ll just think you wanna throw some punches. It’s cool. Go get changed and come over. We’ll be alone. We can talk then and figure some shit out.”
“Yeah, whatever.” I hang up and pull a U-turn in the middle of the road, not giving a shit that I’m cutting people off.
Beating the shit out of Nico—mainly because of his slick-ass mouth, but also so I can calm the fuck down—will be good for me. It’ll help clear my mind and I can think of a game plan.
We can think of a game plan.
As much as I want to play the whole I’m an island card, I’m not stupid. I need help to get to the bottom of this.
As soon as I have Jadon in the ground, Nico and I are finished.