31. Jordan

Reghan was lucky he was off today. If he was on, I wasn't sure Barrett would have lived long. Either that or Reghan would have fucked him into submission.

"Five minutes," Raiden growled low beside me.

I wasn't ready to fly off the handle yet. Yes, Barrett was being a royal pain in my ass and was five minutes late, but I'd learned cops didn't always arrive when they said they would. Barrett knew damn well the kind of man I was. He didn't constantly keep me waiting, which meant he was hung up.

Finally, eight minutes past when he said he'd meet us, the door opened, and he walked through. His hair was a mess, like he'd run his fingers through it one too many times.

He dropped down at the table in front of us. "Sorry, I got a call." Glancing around the room, Barrett took in the space, making sure no one was listening.

I owned the restaurant and knew it was clean. We were in a corner, my and Raiden's backs to the wall. No one could sneak up on us and we were close enough to the kitchen where we could leave through there if needed.

"Talk," Raiden bit out. He and his brother needed to work out their aggression. They were dedicated to me, which I appreciated, but I'd rather they save their anger for when it was warranted.

"After you told me Leeland's ex was definitely sleeping with the officer, I paid her a visit. When I heard a struggle inside, I broke the door down. Too bad I didn't have a camera in my hand because I got a hell of an eyeful. She had her foot pressed to our officer's neck, and a gun pointed to his head. The moment she saw me, she released him, put the gun down, and put her hands up. He tried to tell me she forced him, but he was naked, and his dick was so hard he could have punched through a wall. I told them to get dressed, then laid it out for them."

He took a sip of the water that had been waiting for him and continued, "I asked point-blank what she was after. If she didn't tell me, I was going to arrest her for assaulting an officer and a host of other charges. She quickly sang. Her bills had been piling up and she couldn't pay them. Leeland didn't leave her a dime. She was pissed about that. It didn't matter how long they'd been divorced. She thought if she could frame you, she could blackmail you. She was going to ask you for money to get them to drop the charges."

"I hadn't heard from her or him."

"Well, you wouldn't have from him. He tried to be a clean cop, but he was full of shit. He just did whatever she wanted. His ass wasn't rich either. She was using him too. All to get to you, where the money is. I told them the claims had to be dropped. That she needed to go into the station and tell them she was an upset ex who wanted a piece of Leeland's pie. If she didn't, I was arresting her. I was late because I was waiting for a call. She followed through and the officer didn't say shit either."

I leaned back. "Okay, then I'm good."

"Not so fast. All her crying did was reaffirm their need to find a reason to lock you up. My superiors want everyone to keep digging. Meanwhile, Vail's ex has suddenly become close with the chief. He walks into the station like it's his. I know you want to protect Vail. Just be careful. Gil's a snake who knows exactly where to slither. I wouldn't be surprised if him and the chief were fucking. Gil's slick as hell so I wouldn't put it past him. He has a lot of people to do his bidding. The chief is a big fish to land. Gil's building up to something. My guess is it has everything to do with you."

It wasn't what I wanted to hear, but it wasn't surprising either. I had a man on Vail's piece of shit abuser, following him, watching his moves. But he hadn't done much. I already knew he was going to the police station in East Dremest and he bought a condo in my half of the city. He was in my territory now. What I hadn't realized was how close he'd become with the chief. My guy hadn't caught that. Sure, I had cops in my pocket, but they weren't feeding me everything. A lot of them were for covering shit up or requests when I needed them. Barrett, on the other hand, told me shit I needed to know without asking. Maybe I should trust him more than I did.

That thought quickly fled. As long as he worked there, he wouldn't get on my good side. He was firmly in the middle. Not bad, not elevated. Just there, waiting to prove he wouldn't stab me in the back. Any of the cops I paid could. It was why we had a give and take. I had shit on every one of them. Dirt I could bury them in if they came for me. I still paid them, wanting to show I needed them. It was also building my case for them accepting bribes if they turned.

Lifting a hand, I signaled for the server to get our food. Barrett would only eat if he gave me good intel, which he did. To show my appreciation, I'd feed him.

A server came over a minute later with three plates of filet mignon and sides. Barrett's eyes widened at the meal. He waited until she was out of earshot to speak.

"I didn't expect you to feed me." His eyes met mine. "I've never eaten here. I've lived in the city my whole life, driven by this place countless times since you bought it, and not once came in."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Can't afford it."

"I pay you well."

"Yeah, and I have other shit to take care of." That he did. It was his story to tell, not mine.

Raiden ate his food but kept his eyes on Barrett, like at any moment Barrett was going to pull out a gun and kill me. He had many chances to do so in the past. Just like I did. I could have killed him long ago.

Barrett put his fork down and leveled Raiden with a glare. "Seriously, what the fuck is with you? I get your brother. He and I have this enemies thing going on where if we hate fucked at least once, maybe ten times, we might get over it. But you and me, we've got nothing."

"You piss off my brother, therefore, you piss me off too."

I ate while the two of them talked, content to let them handle it. Shit, maybe I was getting soft. I'd have to find someone to kill soon to make myself feel better. Leeland was dead, so I couldn't go after him. Vail told me not to touch his ex. Did Hartley's landlord ever do what I told him to? I could always threaten him. That didn't feel right, either. Fuck, I was losing it.

I slammed my fist down on the table, rattling the dinnerware. Both Raiden and Barrett snapped their attention to me. "What the fuck is happening to me?" I growled. "I'm not soft."

"No, sir," Raiden immediately said.

Barrett grinned. I wanted to stab him in the eye with my fork. "Everything else aside, you're in love, Jordan. I could see how in your world what a bad thing it would be. You have more vulnerabilities now. But it's also great. Not only are you getting two times the dick on the regular, but you've also met and kept men who know what you do and don't care. Or they do and just accept it." He shrugged and went back to eating his steak.

"I can't be soft. Soft people get killed. I have businesses to run, shit that needs to be handled. I can't deal with this… this…" Fucking hell.

I picked up the steak knife and threw it end over end across the room until it lodged into the wall. No one was in its path, not that I cared. Albert, who had been seated near the door, stood, and walked over to the knife. He wiggled it free from the wall, wiped the dust from the sheetrock on his thigh, and sat back down. The man didn't flinch. He used it to cut his fucking steak.

Barrett chuckled and shook his head. "I've seen and done a lot of shit but being with you is never a dull moment. Do you play darts? I bet you're good."

I stabbed a piece of steak with my fork and angrily chewed.

Soft. I'd show the world I wasn't soft. The only place I would allow myself to be was with Vail and Hartley. They didn't deserve my anger. They were good and sweet and so fucking hot in bed.

My phone vibrated on the table. I peered down at the screen to see my son texted me. I couldn't remember the last time that happened. It was usually Dexen giving me shit for something I'd failed to do.

Jordan: Dinner tomorrow night at our house. Just the six of us and whatever guards you bring. Leave Sheldon at home. He gives me the creeps.

My knee-jerk reply was that I had plans. But I was trying to build a better relationship with my son. We'd made strides. If I turned him down, it would put us ten steps back.

Me: Any particular celebration?

Jordan: Yeah, I want to see my old man.

There I was, at a loss for words. I really needed to get my shit together.

Me: Time?

Jordan: 7. Casual dress, although I know you'll wear a suit. The mention of clothes was for Vail and Hartley. Vail has been here before but Hartley hasn't.

I hadn't taken them on dates. That needed to be rectified. Tomorrow would be dinner with my son. Next week would be a date I needed to plan. Maybe Irene could help me. Or Romeo since he was in a relationship now.

For a few minutes, I felt every one of my sixty years. I hadn't led an easy life. Nothing about what I'd done, what I'd built, or what I'd accomplished was easily earned. But I did it.

Finally returning to the present, I told my son I'd see him tomorrow and sent a text to Vail and Hartley to let them know.

Barrett eventually finished his meal, told me he'd keep in touch, and was out the door. No one would have seen him inside here talking to me where we were seated. There were no customers yet either. When I wanted the space to myself, I had it. A perk of owning the restaurant.

Raiden shook his head as he focused on eating the rest of his steak while keeping his eyes on the door. Always on the lookout. Always watching my back.

"What?" I asked him.

"Nothing, sir."

"Speak freely." Sometimes I didn't want to hear a word from him or his brother. Others, like now, I wanted to hear what he thought.

"I don't know why you put up with him. He's a smart-ass who thinks he's untouchable. He goads Reghan."

"They need to fuck and get it out of their systems."

"That would seem like a simple solution, but I have a feeling it would make things worse."