A small window with a view of the next building’s brick wall and fire escape.
This was all mine. I couldn’t contain my smile.
Chapter Three
Creighton
“They’re here, Boss.” Levi pushed to my side, his gaze hooded, but I knew he was alarmed as he was focused on who was coming up the steps in my nightclub. Tristian West and Ashton Walden.
Best friends from childhood. Both came from Mafia families.
Their families used to run this city, along with a third Mafia family. The Worthing family. Then war happened between the Worthings and the other two families. People died. A lot of people died, and in the end, the best friends ran the city. They were the current kings of New York.
The entire place noted their arrival, moving aside to let the two heads pass through. One of my men led them up the stairs, and when he spotted me, I motioned to a booth in the corner. His head dipped down, a slight movement to let me know he understood.
I’d seen pictures and videos of both of these men, and I’d viewed each of them from a distance, but this was the closest I’d been to both. I was good at reading people. The closer I could get to them in person, the better my read was. I wasn’t normal. I’d been diagnosed with having psychopathic tendencies, and I agreed with that psychiatrist to a degree. I didn’t feel what others felt. I always knew this growing up. Not having normal feelings and emotions should’ve confused my ability to read into people. It didn’t. It was the opposite. I was really good at identifyingwhat others were experiencing, and I enjoyed assembling the puzzle of why they were feeling that way. When West reached out for a meeting, it’s the reason I insisted they come to one of my establishments.
I wanted them here. Close. Slightly confused. It would be the best way for me to read them up close and personal. I was in their city, and I knew they did not want me here.
I was going to enjoy this meeting.
I began to go past Levi but paused to pat his chest. “I’m not only your boss, Levi. Don’t call me that again.”
He groaned, falling in line behind me.
I was tall, but he was even taller and bigger, lumbering almost like a giant. I knew what a picture we both made as we led the way to where I wanted to have this meeting. Levi once considered becoming a professional wrestler. In the end, he decided to stay by my side. He was one of our foster brothers, Blake’s and mine. A few of our brothers were still with me, choosing to “work” for me instead of going legit how Miss Marcie wanted all of us to go. She never had hope for me, recognizing a lost cause the second she saw me, but the rest—there’d been a struggle for power between us. Miss Marcie ruled inside the house, and I ruled outside. It was up to the others to make their own choice. Some went to college, which was the route Blake chose to take. But some joined me.
Levi was one of those. Lassiter was another, who grew up as our neighbor, but because his dad was an abusive piece of shit, he mostly lived on Miss Marcie’s couch.
Blake.
Though I would never love anyone, even Blake, she was the closest to someone that I could love if I was going to be able to have that feeling. As for my brothers—I wouldn’t kill them as quickly as I would kill others.
Levi was aware of my sentiment.
The booth was in the far corner overlooking the club’s entrance. It was set away from the rest of the club so other customers would be kept back. The music was loud so no one could overhear us. Thelighting was also dark enough that no one could read our lips. I liked that as well, but mostly I just liked sitting in odd corners where I had the vantage point.
I liked watching, but not being watched.
Blake would say that was a control issue.
Of course it was.
I said to Levi, “Blake moved into her new housing today. Go and see her. Make sure she’s okay where she is.”
He instantly began shaking his head. “No. No way, Creight.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. Most found this look from me unnerving.
It didn’t work on Levi. “I amnotgetting between the two of you.”
Tristian West and Ashton Walden had arrived, but Levi cut in front of them. There were three sides to sit in the booth. Levi shoved all the way to the inside of it. “You go and see her yourself. Of the two of you, make no mistake—I’m more scared of Blake than you. You’re on your own Bos—” He cut himself off, then corrected. “You’re on your own, Creight.”
I didn’t understand why I didn’t like my foster brother calling me Boss. I shouldn’t care, but I did. It made me want to shoot someone.
I motioned to his gun. “Give me that.” I didn’t have one with me because I had assured West that I wouldn’t be armed when I sat down with him and his best friend. Of course,theyknew my men would be andIknew they had sent their own men into the club earlier, all armed. They would have other men outside as well, but at this moment, I wanted to kill someone.
Levi went still before inching farther away in the booth. “No. You just want to shoot someone because I almost called you Boss again. You can’t kill someone because you’re annoyed.”
