Page 181 of The Fire We Make

“Much better,” Joy smiled.

Ace kept his hands on Cleve’s shoulders, sending Joy a wink over Cleve’s head.

Joy couldn’t help but giggle, her smile spreading and her stomach fluttering.

Cleve looked up at Ace then to Joy, his eyes bouncing back and forth between them.

Only then did Cleve’s smile fade as he looked up, seeing Ace with double his bulk and significant height on him standing over him.

His adams apple jumped with his thick gulp. “Who is he?”

“Oh him?” Joy asked, “He’s backup.”

She and Ace shared a knowing chuckle.

“What is it, Joy?” Cleve asked with an exasperated sigh like she was bothering him. Like a petulant child having a tantrum and now needing attention in order to be soothed. “You want my attention? You want to come back home?”

Joy scoffed. “That’s above your pay grade Cleveland. If I wanted to come home, you wouldn't be who I came to.”

“Then what do you want from me?” he asked.

“Blood.”

Cleve stilled, looking up at her with wide eyes. “You’re not serious. My fucking hand wasn’t enough?” he exclaimed, anger seeping from his tone.

“No, actually, it wasn’t. Not enough for the years and years of what you put me through. You were getting off easy with that. And you might have. But I have a problem with you changing shit up and talking shit like this isn't mine.”

“It’s not yours,” he gritted.

Joy scoffed. “No?” She sank into the seat – her seat – Cleve had once vacated, crossing one leg over her knee.

“Let me ask you something, Cleve… Who infiltrated the old Cartel and found out where they were getting their product?”

Cleve was silent.

“Answer me. And don’t lie.”

He swallowed. “You.”

“Mhm. Right. And who killed the head of the old Cartel so we could take over their territory?”

“You.”

“Ding ding ding,” Joy clapped. “Last question, and this one is important so think carefully. Who created the distribution process that has kept us off of law enforcement radar and let us distribute product efficiently across the state for over ten years?”

When Cleve was silent for too long, Joy stood from where she sat, sending her fist into his mouth. “Who?!” she screamed in his face.

It seemed she only got an ounce of respect when she was “crazy”. When she was so far gone in her anger that she was unpredictable and dangerous.

Cleve spit the blood out of his mouth and looked up at her with hate filled eyes. “You.”

“Exactly. Me. It was all me. So what the fuck made you think this shit belonged to anyone but me? What the fuck made you think you could change up my systems when they weren't yours to change to begin with?”

Cleve didn’t answer her, just looked up at her with hate shining in his eyes and a bruise forming on his mouth.

“You didn’t deserve it.”

“Really?” Joy barked out a laugh. “The scars on my body would beg to differ,” she said.