AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Thebell for The Oak rings. Someone new has entered.
My eyes flicker up to the door absentmindedly.
And that’s when I see him - the man entering the coffee shop.
My ex-boyfriend.
Oh.Fuck.
10
DAMON
I wakeup with thoughts of Ava Matson flooding my head.
Those sparkling, expressive eyes. That cascading silky blonde hair. That infectious smile. That poise. That playful sass.
That indescribable, inimitablebeautyof hers which makes me so fuckingweak.
I cannot get her out of my head, no matter how hard I try. She has been a constant presence in my life, refusing to be ignored like some kind of ghost haunting my house, ever since I first saw her and she shouted my name in my office.
Fuck.This is not good.
I turn over and reach for one of my many phones by my bedside. It is a necessity, in my dangerous and clandestine line of business, to have multiple devices always on standby.
And I call Jim.
He sounds like he hasn’t even fallen asleep. I’ve joked with him before that he is such a workaholic, that he is clearly a half-robot who works through the night. He doesnot like that comparison in the slightest, but I swear it’s true. The man just keeps going and going and going and going.
“Damon?”
“I want you to arrange someone to keep track of that Ava girl,” I say.
Jim and I converse fast and short to each other, always have. We’ve worked together through enough hardship and trouble that we’ve developed a kind of shorthand between us. There is no need for any lovely little pleasantries between us when there’s business at hand to deal with.
To my early morning request, there is one of Jim’s stereotypical sighs in response. “You’re being possessive, Damon. Ava Matson does not need to be followed.”
“I just want to know.”
“You should not be doing this,” Jim says. “It’s not logical.”
“Fuck logical,” I reply. “Find someone good and trustworthy.”
Jim sighs one more time and then hangs up. I would not tolerate such rudeness from anyone else apart from Jim, but I know that right now, qualified men are immediately being summoned to Crystal River to obey my request, and that’s all because of his speed and professionalism. Jim will always be loyal. He will always follow my commands, no matter how possessive they might sound to him.
I quickly shower and change into one of my black suits that has already been brought up by my bodyguard.
There’s a knock on the door just as I’m running a hand through my messy jet-black hair. I answer it to one of my men with a letter in his hand for me. I know the envelope has already been scanned for suspicious substances by my team downstairs. They do it with all my mail or anything else that comes within my orbit. I can’t be too careful when being paranoid is a positive trait in my profession.
In the privacy of my large hotel suite, I open the letter. I recognize the handwriting immediately.
It’s Jack Ricca, also commonly known asHandsome Jack.
My rival in this city. A man after my assets. A man who would kill me in a heartbeat.
I don’t like to admit that I have adversaries, but Handsome Jack can certainly claim such a position. He and I have dirty business that goes back years. He’s the head of his own gang that wants to take over New York City, always biting at my heels like some dog.
He has eluded my attempts at dousing out his fire too many times to count. He’s a wry one, I’d give him that.
