Chapter 23
CHAPTER 23
CREED
“G entlemen,” I call out as the last of my men enters the room. They quickly take their seats, their expressions guarded. Twelve years in prison for a crime I didn’t commit changed me, and the last thing I can tolerate is failure.
I move to the front of the room and lean forward on the table, my palms pressing against its cool, smooth surface. I lower my gaze and take a slow breath, my words slipping out measured and calm, despite the tightness in my chest. “I don't have to stress how critical this job is. After you let one of our establishments be torched to the ground, I expect results.”
I pause, meeting each of their gazes. Their expressions turn from anxiety to fear, while rage coils in my own gut. They understand what I'm saying - that this is no ordinary job, and nothing can go wrong. This shipment is our ticket to taking down the scourge that is St Jude’s’. I already have all the high-end clubs under my control, this, if all goes well, will bring the establishment to its knees.
I have to stay one step ahead or risk losing my power and influence in this town. The thought sparks a fire in my chest, not fear, but a surge of adrenaline. I stand taller, remembering the Guild’s reach and how they probably still want me for what went down. Let them come. I’m not the same man I was back then and Amelia Yates better stay wherever she is, because this is not over, not by a long shot.
Everyone nods in agreement.
“This plan needs to be executed perfectly or none of you should bother showing your face around here,” I say. “Linc,” I turn to my second in charge to go over the details.
“This is how we're going to do it.” He starts, outlining every detail of the plan. There are people in Washington that are ready to pay billions for the weapons coming in. They expect St. Jude’s to supply them, unfortunately they’ll be in my arsenal come sunrise in forty-eight hours.
My men listen carefully. As Linc wraps up, I feel the weight of their lives in my hands. For a fleeting moment, I wonder if this power is a blessing or a curse, if the constant fight for dominance is worth the control I've fought so hard to maintain. But I push the doubt aside. In this world, it's either predator or prey, and I've come too far to become the latter.
* * *
Sitting on the balcony overlooking the harbor, Linc and I watch as our men disperse. The salt in the air stings my nostrils, mingling with the lingering scent of whiskey.
Linc's turns to me, his voice laced with curiosity.
“I heard you had an unexpected visitor at the club before the fire,” he remarks slyly, referring to Mackenzie Yates. My grip tightens around the glass of whiskey as I take a sip, trying to push away thoughts of her that have plagued me since she walked into my office. I thought I hated her. I thought revenge was all I craved. But seeing her again after twelve years? It sparked a fire deep inside me that I can't seem to put out.
“Nothing to worry about, Linc. I have my priorities straight,” I reply, not wanting to admit how she affected me. Mackenzie still holds a piece of me I can’t seem to get back. For now, I have to focus on the task at hand. She betrayed me, in more ways than one.
Linc grins, “The guys can't stop talking about her. They say she's a beauty and is quite the firecracker.”
I feel a surge of possessiveness at the thought of other men lusting after her. “They better watch their tongues, or they'll lose it,” I growl, my mind flashing back to yesterday. The way she walked into my space with confidence in leather and form-fitting jeans that accentuated her perfect ass, the scent of jasmine and her unique perfume filling the room - it was like I was back there in her pool house, the last time we were together.
Seeing her again messed with my head. Taking another swig of whiskey, I stand abruptly. It's time for Mackenzie and those bastards at St. Jude's to learn their lesson.
“Diego will be here tomorrow, expecting a meeting,” Linc informs me, referring to Diego Santiago, my new business associate and the leader of the most dangerous Mexican Cartel.
I turn to him, my eyes hard as flint. “Make sure everything is set. St Jude’s won’t know what hit them.”