7. Jordan

7

JORDAN

If I thought I felt genuine anger before, it would have only been when I was betrayed. Right now, with Vail’s ex in the fucking wind, I shook with the need to wrap my hands around his fucking throat so I could choke the life out of him. He’d better be dead somewhere.

“And you went through all of our contacts?” I asked, barely containing my anger. It wasn’t her fault. There was no need to take my mood out on her.

Kayli nodded. “Anyone who wasn’t a cop, I’ve talked to. I even found people you haven’t spoken to in years. No one has seen or heard about Gil, outside of his disappearance on the news and in the papers.” She twirled a piece of her blond hair as she glanced at a bookshelf in my office. To look at her and think she was harmless would be a foolish mistake.

“I spoke with Barrett. He said the cops don’t know where Gil is. They want him found just as badly. They can’t hold me. They can’t get him. I keep the streets cleaner than they do.”

“They look more incompetent every day.”

I nodded. “Every minute he’s out there is a threat against Vail and by association, Hartley.”

“And you, but I know you don’t care about that.”

I waved her off. I’d faced much bigger nemeses than Gil.

There were visions floating through my head of Gil falling, cracking his skull on a guardrail or bench, then tumbling into the creek where he would drown if the fall didn’t kill him. Or maybe he found a guy he thought he could control but turned out to be the other way around, and when Gil raised his fist, he got knocked out instead. A train could have hit him too. No, that would have been on the news.

“You’re imagining different ways he could have died, aren’t you?” Kayli asked.

“Of course I am, because I can’t fucking touch him,” I seethed.

“No one can at the moment.”

I growled and leveled her with a glare.

Kayli put her hands up. “Sorry.”

The unease of not knowing drove me insane. At least when he was in the city or when he traveled, I had someone on him. I knew where he slunk off to.

How could I watch a threat if I had no clue where the fuck he was?

Gil had to know I had a man on him, or that Vail did. Something tipped him off. That was why he went missing without them realizing he’d left. He had an alternate way out and took it. Kayli had been to his home, looked for anything the cops could have missed, but she found nothing. Gil was a ghost.

At least Vail and Hartley were moving on with their lives, while I sat in this perpetual state of irritation. Unless we were in bed. That was the only time I let thoughts of the asshole drift away.

Vail was at Untouchable tonight, working with Dana. It was a dancer’s birthday. Dexen always celebrated them with the members of the club. Vail’s birthday was coming up too. What I wouldn’t give to be able to produce his ex, preferably dead before I got to him. It would be Vail’s birthday and Christmas and every other fucking holiday all in one. I’d even stick a bow on Gil’s bloody face. At least in my mind there was blood.

Reporters had tried to talk to Vail repeatedly, asking if he had anything to do with the disappearance, or if he thought I killed Gil because I was jealous of his ex. If they only understood how vile Gil was. Telling the media, it would have been easy to paint Gil in the worst light. In doing so, it would expose Vail’s deep wounds, which I wouldn’t do. Instead, he had to ignore those who tried to talk to him. Oleander had been doing a good job of keeping them back. They still shouted questions though. Still invaded Vail’s privacy when he left home.

Gil wasn’t a nobody in Dremest. Being friends with the right people meant he was noticed. Plus, he had a lot of wealth. There were powerful individuals all over the city wondering what happened to him. I could crush them, but I wouldn’t. I was trying to be better for my men.

Kayli leaned forward, putting her elbows on her thighs. “Tell me what to do next. Whatever you want, consider it done.”

“Except the one thing none of us can accomplish.”

“I left my wand in my other jeans.”

I cocked an eyebrow at her.

“We don’t have the same connection to Vail you do, but we’ve become friends with him. He takes the time to get to know us and is invested in how we’re doing. To think of someone out there that we can’t find, who has hurt Vail… Let’s just say, the line is long of people ready to kill for him. We won’t, but we’re ready if need be.”

“I appreciate you and the others taking care of my men.” Without them, I wouldn’t be able to run things as I did. I wouldn’t be able to do a whole hell of a lot outside of looking after their well-being.

“Hartley’s grand opening is soon. That will be fun.” Kayli loved any excuse to dress up and blend in, so no one saw her coming when there was an issue.

Having the party for Hartley’s opening didn’t ease my nerves. I’d have more guards around than usual. Word had gotten out that he had moved his business. Of course, the reporters were after any tidbit of information they received about Vail or Hartley. They were with me, and I was a hot topic usually. That saying about no such thing as bad press applied to me. Good or bad, people wanted to learn about the man who owned many properties and donated countless funds to the city.

My illegal activities were speculated about, like they always were. No hard evidence because I knew how to handle myself. Now they focused on my men and Gil being gone. I had selected reporters to join the party, who wouldn’t bash me or my men. They would get the word out about Hartley and his venture in a positive light.

“You need to kill someone,” Kayli said. “That will make you feel better.”

I stopped my pacing. “Who? Everything’s running smoothly. No one’s pissing me off.”

Like a call from the universe, my phone vibrated on my desk. Barry’s name flashed on the screen.

“What?” It came out more frustrated than pissed.

“Derek showed up at the building. He was escorted inside because we didn’t want a scene on the street, but he isn’t getting past the lobby.” He was one of my regular buyers. We had a typical relationship like I had with the rest of them. They paid, I delivered.

“Why is he here?”

“Apparently, the shipment you sent him didn’t arrive. He’s here to collect either his money or his product.”

“Cameron was supposed to deliver it this morning. Where the fuck is he?” I yelled.

“He isn’t answering, but the GPS on the truck shows him north, near the Poconos.”

“What the fuck,” I growled. “He was supposed to be going west. Why was he going north?”

“I’m not sure, sir.”

“Is he still moving?”

“No, he’s stationary. There aren’t any businesses near him. From what I can tell and from memory, there’s nothing there at all. Just a long stretch of trees.” Barry grew up in the Poconos, so he’d know the area better than I would. While I’d lived here my entire life, I didn’t know the back roads farther north like Barry did.

“Take Vinny and go see what the fuck is happening.”

“Will do.” He hung up. I turned to face Kayli again.

“Do you want me to go too?” she asked. She wouldn’t have heard Barry, only me.

“No, you and I are going downstairs to speak with Derek. We have to smooth things over while I figure out what the hell is happening.”

She stood; her slender legs bare from the mid-thigh down. Kayli was stunning but did nothing for me. My eyes were only for Vail and Hartley.

Her blond hair was pulled back on the sides. Blue eyes glimmered with mischief. Kayli loved to torture people, but that wasn’t what this was. She was there to help convince Derek not to be pissed if need be.

“Do I need to change and flaunt what I’ve got?” she asked. “I won’t sleep with him.”

“You know better. I’d never ask you to do that.”

“I wanted to put it out there.”

“Come on, before you say something else fucking ridiculous.”

We exited my office, striding toward the elevator. Hartley was working on getting his business up and running exactly the way he wanted it. I couldn’t help it when many of the items he needed kept miraculously appearing. He was on to me, of course. He’d chastised me for buying things but wore a huge smile. I’d give him everything his heart desired, if he let me.

There was no need to worry about my partners today, or them seeing me talk to a buyer. I wanted to draw blood. Instead, I had to do the opposite. Although, if Derek was an asshole, he wouldn’t get shit. I didn’t need him.

The elevator doors opened, and I stepped into the lobby where my guards had their guns out. In the center of the room was Derek in a pressed suit and shined shoes. He was a few inches shorter than me, with auburn hair and blue eyes that latched on to me the moment he saw I was walking his way. The guns didn’t seem to faze him.

“Derek, I understand you’re upset,” I said. “I just found out about the shipment and have people investigating what occurred.”

“The delivery was supposed to be to me this morning. Not this afternoon. Not tonight or even tomorrow. This. Morning,” he bit out. “I do business with you because you’re reliable and always deliver a quality product. Today, the opposite happened. I want my fucking guns.”

Most of the time, I let my irritation show. I didn’t care what others thought of me, letting them know exactly where I stood. I would be friendly to Derek once more. If he still had an attitude, I’d take him down a notch… or twenty.

“As you pointed out, this isn’t normal for me,” I said. “I don’t have drivers who go off course or shipments that don’t arrive at their destination. My truck could have been hijacked or my driver could have been held at gunpoint. Until I hear from my people after they locate it, I don’t have an answer. I’m willing to knock the delivery fee off the price and will get the shipment to you as soon as humanly possible.”

“No,” he seethed. “I needed it today. You think you’re the only one with a business to run? I have shit to do and need my guns. Now, I’m fucked. I want a full refund.”

I almost laughed. “You’re not thinking clearly, if that’s your demand. It was said from day one in our verbal contract, no refunds. You buy from me because I provide the best. You’ve had zero complaints for the past five years. Yet one shipment is late, and you drive to my building to bite my fucking head off.” I resisted growling. Just barely.

“I want my money. Now.”

I took a step closer, then another. He didn’t notice Kayli behind me. I heard her knuckles crack. She was gearing up for a fight. “Never demand shit from me. I don’t owe you anything but your fucking shipment, which you will have regardless of the truck’s condition. I will have it to you tomorrow morning. If that’s not sufficient, that I’m one fucking day late in five goddamn years, then by all means, haul your ass out the door before I fucking shoot you between the eyes.”

His lips parted like he was about to speak, but I cut him off before he could utter a single word.

“You’re done running your mouth in my presence. If you don’t want the shipment tomorrow, fine. Cancel it. I’m keeping your money because the products would have been delivered. Consider it your last payment to me. We’re done. So, what’s it going to be? Accept the shipment tomorrow or be out of your money and your product?”

His hands clenched in fists by his sides, and his teeth ground together. “Fine.”

I nodded and gave a quick wave so he could be escorted from the building. Once he had the shipment tomorrow, I was severing ties with him. Fuck him and his demands. One day late in five years and he thought he could pull this shit? I didn’t fucking think so.