Daniel stepped back, dragging me with him. “No chance. Get out. The lot of you. The door was locked for a motherfucking reason.”
Bonnie growled, sounding like a grizzly bear about to teach her cubs a lesson. “Drop her. Don’t make me say it again.”
Drop her? Like I’m some dog’s chew toy.
The bubbling darkness inside wanted to strike and rip out her voice box. I wanted her bleeding at my feet.
Just like him.
Jethro’s blood stained this house.
Hers will, too.
“This is bullshit,” Daniel spat, shoving me away from him. The moment I was free, Jasmine rolled toward me and captured my wrist with cold fingers.
My stomach churned.
I didn’t like this turn of events. I didn’t want any more confusion. Daniel was black and white.Iwas black and white. Death or life—those were my two choices. This scuffle was a grey area and if I let myself lose my cut-throat mentality, I wouldn’t be able to continue.
He’s dead.
He’s dead.
He’s not coming back.
The grief threatened to wash me away again.
“She’s mine. I’m the oldest.” Jasmine spun her chair, dragging me to face Bonnie and Cut. “You agreed. Tell him.”
I looked over my shoulder at Daniel, hating the fact he was behind me. I didn’t want to take my eyes off the little creep.
You’re a dead man walking, Buzzard.
My mind raced with images of my pilfered dirk sliding between his ribs. Of slashing his throat. Of cutting off his balls.
“You have a valid argument, Jasmine.” Bonnie nodded. “And we’ll discuss it further when the mess of today is over with.”
I swallowed a gasp. Themessof today? She talked about the murder of her two grandsons as if it was an inconvenientmishap.
Whoarethese people?
“No, I want to hear that she’s mine. Right now.” Her fingernails dug into my flesh, breaking my skin, imprinting crescent moon cuts.
I didn’t flinch.
Jaz’s eyes met mine. They were just as lifeless and cold as me. A switch had triggered in both of us, leaving us lost in this new world.
“You belong to me, Nila Weaver. You’re the reason my two brothers are dead.” Yanking me down to her height, she hissed, “You’ll pay. I’ll make you pay so damn much for what you’ve done.”
What?
A cloud worse than numbness consumed me.
She’d lost everything back in the parlour. She’d even lost herself.
Whowasthis woman? Sure, Jasmine had never been ultra-friendly with me. In fact, she’d asked me to die the last time I’d visited her to save herbrother. But I’d never seen someone so remote and vastly changed.
Then again, what did I expect? Why would she soften toward me now that the worst had happened?
