AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sitting in Carmine’s chair, I lean back and close my eyes, relaxing my mind and tempering my anger so I don’t put a bullet in the center of Owen’s broad forehead when he walks in.
The doorbell rings, and I swear I hear Holy rubbing his hands together like he’s some super-fucking-villain.“Calm the fuck down,” I hiss at him, spinning my chair so that when our guest walks in, he doesn’t immediately know it’s me he’s dealing with.
Checking my watch, I realize he’s thirty minutes late.Maybe Holy is right.Perhaps I do need to take a little souvenir for myself.It could be a reminder to him, as well, not to fucking cross me.However, a man like Owen James thinks he’s above everyone else; there’s no chance he believes we forgot about his dastardly betrayal.
“Mr.James!”Holy’s voice is too friendly, revealing to me his own hatred for this man.The Cavanaugh sisters are family to us, always have been.Any slight to them is a slight to us, and I’m glad to see my brother hasn’t forgotten that.
“Holy.”Owen greets my brother, his voice hesitant.“I assumed your father would be here.”Twisting back around as I hear the lock click on the door, Owen is facing my brother, so I only get his back.He’s gained weight since I last saw him.He’s balding, too.
Holy nods his head back towards me, and the man turns slowly, sweat glistening on his forehead as his eyes take me in.“Malice.”He whispers the word, fear in each syllable.
“How are you, Owen?”I don’t move from my relaxed position.Scars from our last meeting stand out against the pale skin on the side of his face.
“Good.”He swallows.“Good.Be-been well,” he stutters, and I don’t hold back the smirk at his nervousness.“Wh-where are Carmine an-and Jermaine?”His unsettled gaze flicks between Holy and me.
“Carmine asked that we take the meeting with you,” I answer.Holy lights a cigarette by the window as he perches on the high bench seat.He doesn’t smoke, but for some reason, the mere thought of being burned by the butt of something always makes men more nervous.“How much are you looking to borrow?”I get right to the point; I don’t have the energy to fuck around.Not when Odette is in the house where this sick fuck might see her.
His skittish eyes again dart between my brother and me before answering, “Things haven’t been great for a while now.I need fifteen grand to get back in the red.”Eyeing him up, I let him squirm.
We’ve ensured that his little bodega began to fail because of what he suggested with Odette.At first, it was just me being vindictive.Carmine wouldn’t let me kill him then, so I did what I could to damage his reputation, and now he’s back, begging for more money than the place is likely worth.
There’s a light knock on the door before it swings open, and right there in a crop top and tiny-ass fucking shorts is the object of my desire and frustration.“Don’t,” I warn Owen when I notice he’s about to turn his head to learn who’s entered the room.
“Hey, hot stuff.”Holy grins at her as the cigarette continues to slowly burn in his fingers.
She scrunches her nose at him.“When did you start smoking?”
His eyes drop to the offensive object before he stubs it out and smirks, “I didn’t.”
“Mmm.”She hums her reproach, and I find it hilarious that my formative brother is uncomfortable with her disapproval.“We need to talk, Malice.”Her narrowed gaze pins me where I sit as she comes around to face me.
“Kind of busy right now, Odette.”Those piercing eyes turn to slits at my use of her name.Good to know she likes when I call her my little rabbit.Slowly, she glances over her shoulder to see Owen sitting there, sweating his balls off, and her back stiffens.
“What is he doing here?”The tone of her voice has me on my feet, ready to kill at her discretion.
“A loan,” I specify.Odette is not an idiot, she knows what her father does.Whatwedo.More specifically, what I typically do.Issuing loans has been new for me within the last year because Carmine demanded it.
“No,” she snaps, crossing her arms and glaring at me.
“Excuse me?”She’s issuing a challenge.“Last I checked, you’re just a girl.”Who could bring me to my knees, but I leave that out.
“Just a girl,” she grits out through clenched teeth.I’m so going to fucking regret this later.Her next words hit their intended target, though.“How is Margo’s nose, Mr.James?”
I swear the fucking room stills.No one breathes or moves.My eyes slant down at Odette, and on her face, I see everything she’s feeling.All her agony over everything the other girl has done to her, and this son of a bitch is at the root of it all.
“Did you know?”I hiss at him, pulling my knife from the sheath in my back.
Owen’s eyes stare down at my hand.“Know what?”
“That your daughter had two boys ready and willing to rapemygirl.”Putting the emphasis on the word my has his eyes widening.Leaning forward, I wrap one hand around Odette’s thigh, where she’s propped herself up on the desk, and the other slides closer to Owen, the knife glinting with the sunlight poking in through the window.“They were nearly successful, too.I haven’t killed them yet, but they’re on my hit list.”He swallows roughly.“Your daughter is, also.”
“I didn’t know,” his voice cracks.“I’ll talk to her.You don’t need to kill her.”
“Except I spoke to her yesterday, and Odette broke her nose today.Margo has a very thick skull that doesn’t seem to understand you don’t fuck with what belongs to me.”Standing straight, I cup the back of Odette’s head, dragging her in until our lips are a breath apart.I’m surprised as fuck she isn’t fighting me on this right now.“And make no mistake, Odette Cavanaugh belongs to me.”Slamming my lips across hers, I feel her hands ball into fists on my chest, and she presses her mouth deeper into mine.
Her tongue teases me, drawing me into her mouth like a spider’s web trapping a fly.And just when I think she’s giving me her submission, just this one fucking time, she strikes.Biting my tongue until I taste blood.I hold her tighter, waiting for her to release me, and when she does, I draw back, piercing her with my gaze.“You fucking test me, woman.”Her eyes flash with lust, and I know she did it on purpose.She wants to know how far she can push me.
Holding her to my chest, I tell Owen, “You want my money, it’s going to cost you a pound of flesh.”
