“They’re here.” I straighten my shoulders. We need to get this done. Because I have somewhere else I’d much rather be.
When the fucker steps out of his car, followed by three of his goons, he makes it one more step towards us before gunshots rain down on the deserted area.
“What the fuck?” I duck and shove Colton behind our SUV. Retrieving the pistol from behind my back, I look up. “Motherfucker!” I yell at the asshole on the roof with a semi-automatic in his hand.
I take aim and return fire. No fucking way am I dying here. Not tonight. I manage to hit his shoulder and look around when the shooting stops.
He’s alone? What kind of idiot comes alone? The same idiot trying to take out a cartel boss, apparently.
I run towards the building. It takes five minutes to make it up the several flights of stairs, with the heavy boots of Colton and a shit-load of Mexican henchmen behind me. I kick the door open and step out onto the rooftop and then I’m shoved against the wall. Something sharp pierces my left arm.
“Fuck.” I push at the asshole, and then a shot’s fired and he’s falling to the ground, after his fucking blood and brain matter splatter all fucking over me.
“A friend of yours?” I ask Daniel Reyes. He’s my current distributor.
“Friends don’t usually try to kill you,” he says spitting on the body between us. “Now that that’s settled, let’s talk business.”
“I need to triple my supply,” I tell him. “We’re expanding.”
“You got the capital to front it?” Reyes asks.
I don’t answer him. Because one, the question is a fucking insult. And two, he already knows the answer.
“Okay, how do you plan on getting that in?” He cranes his head to look at me. “I had a boat seized last month. From what I hear, they’re tamping down on the portsin your city.”
“I’ve eradicated the problem. The port authorities just underwent a change in management and have a new rotation of staff.” I smirk. I made sure my people filled all those vacant positions.
Reyes considers the offer. It’s not like he doesn’t have the supply. “Okay. We’ll try it out. If everything runs smoothly, we can revisit terms.” He holds out a hand.
I return the gesture. “Okay. But at the three-month mark, I want five percent taken off the price,” I tell him, gripping his palm a little tighter.
“Do you now?” Reyes lifts a challenging brow.
“I’m giving you three times the profits, Reyes,” I remind him.
“I’ll consider it.” He slaps my shoulder. “Sorry about the fireworks. Occupational hazard.”
“Nothing I haven’t seen before.”
Colton and I leave the rooftop. Neither of us utters a word until we’re back in the car. I throw him the keys.
“Drive,” I grunt.
“You want me to get the doc to come stitch that up?” he asks me.
“Nah, I’ll do it myself.” I don’t want anyone else at the penthouse. I just want to see her. Hayley.
When I get home, the place is eerily quiet. Like it always is. I don’t know what I was expecting. I guess just more… noise.
I find out why it’s so quiet when I walk into the living room. Hayley is asleep on the sofa. I stand and watch her for a moment, taking the opportunity to really appreciate her beauty.
The girl is fucking stunning.
Then I pivot and head for the bathroom. Specifically, the shower. I need to get this fucking mess off me. When I glance in the mirror, I’m glad she’s asleep. I look like I just slaughtered someone. The moment I step under the water, it turns red and swirls around my feet.
I scrub myself twice. Once to get the blood off and again for good measure. The slice on my arm stings like a fucking bitch. I inspect the wound. Luckily, it’s not as bad as I thought.
I get out of the shower, dry off, and then grab the first aid kit. Settling for some butterfly stitches and a gauze pad. Once I’ve patched myself up, I slide on a pair of sweats and walk back into the living room. Hayley is still fast asleep.
