“Meaning?” I snap.
“You need to do something to show you aren’t against us, Jaxon.”
“And how the fuck am I supposed to do that?”
“It’s simple, really…”
“You have me on the edge of my seat,” I say sarcastically.
“Find your mother. Kill her.”
I stare at him, unblinking and un-fucking humored, though the smile on his face tells me he’s loving this.
I’m not so naive to think Vincent was just going to be my best friend and give me all this help without wanting something in return, which is why I was careful in what I took. It was never anything big and never anything too important. Yet, here he is, turning on me already. I was sure I had a few more months before he tried to pull this shit.
“You’re a fucking prick,” I spit out.
“Yeah, well, I have a job to do.”
“You think I’m not already trying to find her?”
“Of course,Iknow that, but they don’t.”
“And what do I do in the meantime? How the fuck am I supposed to prove I’m looking for her?”
“I’m sure if they heard something about you asking around, traveling… we have eyes everywhere.”
I narrow mine, unsure he’s giving me the full story.
“Is this really just them, or is this your way of getting me under your fucking thumb?”
He shrugs, getting to his feet and straightening his tie. “You know I have responsibilities, Jaxon, and you know where my loyalties lie. You know I’ve wanted this position for a long time and would do just about anything to keep it.”
“So basically blackmailing me?”
“Sure, you can call it that.” His hands shove deep into his pockets, his stance cool and relaxed.
“Let’s not forget you offered it to me.”
“And you denied it. Multiple times. I did my due diligence of going through the channels. Now I need to act the part and take care of my people.”
Staring at him for a long moment, I finally say, “What did she do?”
Obviously she did something to piss them all off. He’s said as much before, but hasn’t gone into detail.
He doesn’t answer, so I add, “She must have done something bad if everyone wants her head. If she took off quietly, no one would care. And no one cares about the Mindy thing because she’s going to pin that on me, not on you. So what is it?”
If we fought it out, I’m not sure who’d win. Not that killing him would do any good; it would only prove what I’m trying to disprove.
I get to my feet, standing chest to chest with him.
He chuckles. “See, and knowing that is a perk of being on the inside.”
“Well, lucky for me, I’m not, and I don’t give a fuck what happens to her either. I was doing this anyway, but you want to call me here to light a fire under my ass? Do you really want me against you, Vincent? Because I’m sure you don’t. Whatever the fuck is going on, you need me, or you’d tell them to fuck right off and mind their business. And you know what? I don’t give a fuck what it is, and I don’t give a fuck about your threats. I’ve been dodging them from my cunt of a mother my entire fucking life. I’m going to do what I want to do, and it just so happens to be the thing you need me to do, so you are fucking welcome.”
I turn on my heel and head for the door, yanking it open.
“Don’t make me use her against you, Jaxon,” Vincent calls out behind me, but I ignore him and keep going.
