AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A man steps forward from the other side of the room. By his own presence, I can sense he’s the leader here.
He must be that so-called Handsome Jack.
The man walks with a slow, confident grace toward us, full of implied gravitas. There’s certainly some kind of enigmatic allure to him, something I can already tell would make men follow him into battle and girls fall at his feet.
As he gets closer to us, I get a better look at him. He must be in his early thirties, and I’m surprised by that. I honestly would’ve thought he’d be older, judging from the way Jim and Damon talk about him. Handsome Jack’s deep green eyes contain an entire hidden world of mysteries. His brown hair is short and slicked back. He wears a tailored three-piece suit. Around his neck hangs a gold chain. With his style, I can see him effortlessly navigating both the criminal underground and also the high-society world that is gathered at his art gallery opening below our feet.
Yes, this definitely must be Handsome Jack.
I can see the similarities to Damon so well, but I’m sure the two men would balk at being compared like that.Despite that, they are two wealthy, powerful, confident, and handsome young men at the head of a complex and sprawling organization. It wouldn’t be an insult to compare them, even if they would object to that.
Handsome Jack’s movement seems to control the other men in here - they all basically bow to him as he passes by them.
I suddenly feel very exposed without Damon’s security. Naked.
I really hope this meeting goes well.
“Finally, Damon Penmayne,” Handsome Jack says as he stands at the other end of his long table. “You came.”
Two alpha men ready to meet.
Damon squeezes my hand. I wonder if it’s for support.
Well, I’m here for him no matter what...
“Yes, I did come,” Damon replies to the other gangster.
Handsome Jack smiles.
“Please sit,” he says. “Both of you. There is a lot to discuss.”
44
DAMON
Warily,I take a seat at the long boardroom table and beckon Ava to do so as well with a flick of my hand. Every man in the room is waiting for me as to what happens next, hanging on to every movement I make, sensing for any kind of inclination of what I might be thinking.
They are petrified of what I might do next, even if there are a dozen gangsters in this room and only one of me. My reputation precedes me, clearly. My physicality scares them.
I am used to situations like this, but even then, this feels different.
More dangerous.
And I have every reason to be cautious.
The only man not overtly wary of me in this room is Handsome Jack. He stands on the other end of the table, a smile on his face. This is the closest we’ve ever been to each other. He, too, is waiting for me to make the first move - the opening gambit in our little power struggle.
Iam more than happy to do so.
“This is Ava,” I say, gesturing to my girl next to me.
I want to introduce her first. Mark my claim over her. Make the men in this room realize just how important she is to me.
“I was wondering who this beautiful creature might be,” Handsome Jack replies smoothly, nodding to Ava. A momentary jolt of both anger and protectiveness passes through me, but I quell it. He is a man I have to tread carefully with, even if he is eyeing up my girl.
“Hello,” Ava says.
“My name is Handsome Jack,” he tells her. “It’s a nickname that’s stuck and is not what I think of myself, in case you’re wondering.”
