I turn back to the sneering Jackson, my entire body steady and calm.“I mean, the list of your filth is long. So why don’t we start with the mistress you’ve got on the west side? Does Mrs. Jackson know about her? No? How about the three prostitutes you’re paying hush money to? I saw their medical records, and you are a sick, sick, boy.” His face whitens, but he shakes it off. Doesn’t matter. I have so much more.
“So what is your plan exactly?” I ask him, honestly curious. “Frame us for...what? You don’t have a fucking bit of evidence tying us to anything. You’d have to grease a fuck lot of palms to get any traction. And for a man as broke as you are? Not gonna happen.”
He laughs. He has no idea. God, this is fun. “I have all the resources I need to put you away,” he says.
I let my grin loose. “Come now, let’s be realistic here. We’re billionaires, asshole. Even if you had two-point-three million in a bank account in Panama, it still wouldn’t be enough to fuck us over.”
I relish the way the white takes over his face, washing away any hint of his earlier bluster. “Two...Two-point-three million?”
“Caught that, did you? Yeah. I know about that account. I know what’s in it. Or should I say was in it. It’s gone.” I cleaned the motherfucker out last night. I have plans for that money.
Jackson erupts, lunging for me. Not at all surprising and easy to put down. An elbow to the face, and he’s facedown to the hood of the car, bleeding onto the evidence of his sins. I lean down right next to his ear. I want to make sure he feels the rest of this.
“You thought you could destroy an innocent woman’s life to make a point. That’s bad enough. But you went after my woman. So I’m going to destroy you. That wire you’re wearing right now, we’ve hacked the feed. My brother Colt has a fancy little remote in his pocket, and he’s in control of it now. You won’t be using it against us. And with everything you’ve said here, we’ve got plenty on there to tear you apart. And we will.” He chokes at the mention of the wire. I catch Ransom’s raised eyebrow, but I want this done. I’m sick of dealing with this man’s filth. “So, here’s what’s going to happen. Judge over there, he’s going to walk out that door and go back to his life. But I have crawlers on him.” I turn to pin the now shaking Judge with a glare. He’s dirty as fuck, and the out he thought he had is gone.
“You vowed to uphold the law, Judge. You broke that vow. You’re going to pay for that. From this minute on, I own you. You want your family to stay blind to your corruption? You’re going to answer to me. You make any move towards any of us, I’ll know it. Probably even before you think it, I am that far up your ass right now. You will find instructions in your office on where to make a sizable donation...you’re giving away all that bribe money you took. I’ll have more instructions for you soon, trust me. You have any objections, Judge?”
He wraps a shaking hand around the neckline of his thick coat. “No...no.” He darts a glance to Jackson, then hurries out the door, followed closely by Nick, who shoots me a wild grin.
My brothers are all staring at me, game faces on, but behind their steely masks, I see their surprise. I shove Jackson’s face a little harder into the hood of the car. “You fucked with the wrong family, asshole. You should have let it go.”
Soft footsteps approach, Cara’s light lemony smell drifting around me. I’m a little pissed she’s not staying back, but I’m rational enough to realize shit’s under control. And she has a right to face the fucker that’s trying to destroy her. Jackson hasn’t clued in that she’s right here.
“Would you? You fucked with my family. Would you have let it go?” His voice is muffled against the cold steel of the car, but his vitriol is clear.
“Nope. I respect your motives. I even understand them. If anything ever happened to someone I love, I’d be murderous.” I glance back, meeting Cara’s shining eyes. “But your execution is all kinds of pathetic. We never would have involved an innocent. The fact that you did tells me everything I need to know about the kind of man you are.”
“So what? You’re going to own me now?” I gotta give the guy credit. He still manages to sound like a dick, despite the shit sandwich he’s eating right now.
“Nah, I don’t want anything to do with you. I already told you I’m going to destroy you. But I’m not like you. I won’t hurt innocents. So I won’t take everything. Your wife and kid will still have a roof over their heads. But you? I’m going to leave you with nothing. Not your reputation, not your job, not your pride. Nothing.”
I pull him off the car, spinning him to face Cara. Jackson grimaces, teeth painted red from all the blood. Cara plants her hands on her hips and studies him. Her fingers tap against the leather of her skirt. She’s dressed in leather from head to toe, jacket, skirt, and knee-high boots. Fishnet stockings covering her thighs. I’m sure she’s fucking freezing, but she doesn’t betray a hint of discomfort. She looks powerful and dangerous. And judging by the glint in her eye, she’s going to take a piece out of him.
Colt slides up behind her, covering her back, but making no move to stop her when she smiles, steps forward, and with a powerful kick, plants the tip of her pointy-toed boot into Jackson’s dick. He collapses with a wheeze. I let him go as he falls hard on the concrete. I wink at my woman, loving her fire. Of course, she kicked him in the balls. Why wouldn’t she?
“You’re a piece of shit,” she says flatly, face calm and composed as she watches him writhe on the floor. “Your family is going to be way better off without you.” Then, without another word, she backs up to lean against the door of a bright red mustang. My brain briefly short circuits. Against the backdrop of that sexy car, she’s a fucking pinup with her leather, blonde hair, and blood-red lips.
Really done now —the sooner we get this done, the sooner I can get Cara alone— I yank Jackson up and march him to the door, straight outside. His luxury sedan is parked right outside the door, and I shove him into it. “Go now. Drive safe.”
He glares at me, blood dripping from his chin onto his white shirt. He’s confused, not understanding why I’m letting him go. He’ll know soon enough. His eyes are full of hate as he guns the engine. His gaze turns sharp.
I lean in close, still blocking him from closing the door. “Don’t even think about it. Any of it. You do it, and your family will be collecting welfare by the end of the week. Then I’ll make my way through the rest of them until even your mother is living in a tent underneath the train tracks.” Any plans he had of running me or anyone else over die a quick death.
His chin drops nearly to his chest. “What was I supposed to do? He was family.”
“He was a gangbanger, out to hurt all of us. What the fuck did you think was going to happen to him? If it wasn’t us, it would have been someone else. He was never going to live long. I get revenge, but you should have thought about the family you have now. But don’t worry. Cara’s right. They’ll be better off without you. I’m sure some other man will step in and show your wife what a real husband and father should act like.” I slam the door, stepping back as he guns it, backing out of the lot, and screaming down the road.
I listen to the growl of his engine as it fades into the early morning cold. The door opens behind me. A heavy hand lands on my left shoulder as soft, warm fingers rub along my right palm. I curl my hand around Cara's, a relieved breath leaving my chest. We did it.
My brothers fan around me, confusion still written on their faces. “What the fuck just happened?”
I pull Cara closer, tucking her safely under my arm. “I found so much fucking dirt. I just couldn’t let him get away with it. I know what the plan was, but I had a backup. And he talked so fucking much, he buried himself.”
“So what happens next? You just let him drive away.” Maverick asks.
Colt steps forward. “We’ll have all the evidence delivered to the cops. And the media. Everyone will learn how dirty he is.”
“So it’s over?” Cara asks hopefully, eyes shining.
