Chapter 41

JASPER

I ran a hand over my face as I leaned back in my chair.

"Where do these assholes get off threatening me? I may not live the ruthless life my father did but that doesn't mean I won't sink my teeth in and teach those pricks a thing or two." I said the last part through gritted teeth. Max sat across from me and shook his head as he watched his laptop intently at the footage from the Casino.

He spun it around when he finally got a clear view of one of the cameras. Most of the footage was blurred and pixelated.

"Yep, right there. It's those same twat bags we met that first time. Fucking Petrov goons."

Leave it to my father to have low-grade security cameras. I guess when you have armed guards nearby constantly, pixels on a camera aren't really a priority.

Spinning the laptop back around he attempted to clean up the photo, but it was no use.

"I'll send a team to all three locations today to install something with advanced encryption and defenses against unauthorized access and data interception." Max scratches his chin never once looking up from his screen.

Max is damn good at his job and can turn into the biggest tech nerd when he needs to.

I had Joseph and some of his guys posted at the house watching Harper and a couple of guys here at the office with me for precaution. Not that I thought I had much to worry about, but a threat is a threat no matter where it comes from.

I had to place a call to Luka Rinaldi. Following my father's passing, Luka assumed a provisional role as the leader of the Whitlock Empire. He was second in command; he was ready to take the position until I found someone permanent. I wasn't even considering taking over my father's throne, I wasn't ready to hand it over either. I didn't want to live that life of brutality and chaos, I had established a fine name for myself as a ruthless headhunter in the world of legality, but I needed to call in a few orders to take care of these assholes once and for all before they end up doing something stupid.

"So, what's the plan boss?" Max said looking over the top of his laptop screen raised eyebrows. "We take those pricks down."

I retrieved my cell phone from my pocket, and he answered after just two rings.

"Hello sir, didn't think I'd hear from you so soon, is everything okay?" he said in a very professional tone. He was taking his role as seriously as I expected.

Luka was the son of my Father's former right hand before he passed suddenly nearly two months before my father died. There was some talk about overthrowing me since his hand was already in the honey pot but once I was face to face with him, more like a pistol to face it was clear he didn't want the damn position any more than I did. He just happened to be close by and respected his father a bit more than I did mine.

Luka and I grew up together before my pissant father murdered my mother. Our mothers were best friends, which naturally brought Luka and me together. However, once Mama was gone, I became more introverted, and the relationships and bonds that were once strong began to weaken and fade away. I felt like I couldn't trust anyone anymore.

Luka was a trustworthy, upstanding man. As an upstanding as a man-made man could be but when it came to loyalty no question, he was solid, even if it was to a sad sack of shit I called my father.

No one in the family knew what I knew about my father, he and Chester did a thorough job hiding what happened. Outside looking in everyone pitied me. I was the broken boy who couldn't get over his mother's sudden death. Little did they know I was just determined to get the fuck away from my murderous bastard of a sperm donor to do better than he ever did in his entire shit hole of a life.

"Luka, how are things?" My voice bursts through the phone. I had already texted him the stills of the video footage before calling him.

"Those stills I sent; do they look familiar?" He started to tell me what I already knew about my family and the Petrov brothers doing business together. I remained silent, hoping to uncover information that had been hidden, anything helpful to give insight as to what dirt they had on my father to blackmail him into giving up valuable property and prominent territory.

In the underworld life territory is everything. If you give into blackmail, it makes you look weak no matter the circumstances and if I knew anything about my father, weakness was unacceptable. I was eager to get to the bottom of it, but not today, today I needed to do whatever it took to eliminate any danger in the threats that were made, at all costs but as quietly as possible.

I provided him with a summary of the events, sharing only the necessary details he needed to complete the task, and then I entrusted it to his care.

I demanded an update first thing in the morning. Until then I wasn't to be bothered, basically don't fucking bother me unless someone was dead even then I'd be careful with that decision.

I'd have a gorgeous green-eyed goddess on my arm, I wanted my full attention on her. I desperately wanted this black-tie event to go smoothly for my nephew's sake but for Harper too.