Jem's POV
It had been a pretty shitty day so far.
I woke up from a nightmare to find that Charlie had ripped apart one of his toys and had strode the stuffing all over the house which made me miss the majority of the sun set. By the time Andrew left for work I had only downed half a cup of coffee and by that time I had to head to the warehouse so there wasn't time to drink another cup.
The warehouse had been a whole different problem.
We had a weapons shipment come in last night but who ever had been working last night hadn't stored them right. They just threw thousands of dollars of guns on a shelf at random, not caring about how much weight the poor shelf could manage. Needless to say, I came in the morning to men picking up guns from the floor in a hurry; in attempt to get it clean it up before I got there.
Luckily there hadn't been significant damage. A few of the guns on the bottom had chips and knocks on the barrels and stocks but nothing that couldn't be covered up and sold at regular price.
Still, the fact that it had happened was enough to piss me off.
Ramsey had assured me that I didn't need to worry about it and that he would deal with punishing the ones who made the mistake but considering his job was to make sure this didn't happen to begin with, I was a little pissed off with him too.
I tried to remind myself that this was the night shift people and that Ramsey's crew wasn't to blame but I could feel myself getting more pissed off as the day went on and little inconveniences continued to happen.
Usually on days like these, Dev and Barrett were here to keep me in line with a well placed joke or a reminder to take a smoke break but now that they were babysitting Patrick and Andrew, there was nothing to stop the anger from rising.
Orders were barked instead of told. Suggestions sounded more like nagging than helpful words. Praise and approval for good work turned into sarcastic side comments until I finally couldn't stand being at the warehouse anymore.
"Heading out already?" Ramsey asked as he looked down at his watch. I looked down to mine too, noting that I had worked everyone through lunch and dinner now that it was 9. Since we work 12-hour shifts, these guys still had a good two hours left of their shifts and I couldn't help but feel bad for them.
"Yea and you are too. Call Donavan. Tell him to get his crew down here, they're working over time to fix the fuck up they caused this morning. Tell your guys to go home but don't let them worry, they'll still get paid their normal wage."
My voice carried around the warehouse like it always seemed to do and when my words hit their ears, you could almost hear the collective sigh of relief.
"Donavan's not going to like that," Ramsey sighed.
"If he tries to tell you no, tell him to call me but warn him that if I have to go all the way back to the house to drag his ass down here, I'm going to be fucking pissed."
"Understood. I know you aren't about to stop working for the day so where are you headed," he asked as we started heading to the exit, being followed by a hoard of over worked men.
"I have a meeting with Ask Dunham tonight. He's supposed to have some information for me."
"I know Barrett and Dev," he spat Dev's name out like a curse but I couldn't help but chuckle at his hatred for my friend, "are busy, do you need me to come with you?"
It was a good offer and I would take him up on it most days. Without Dev and Barrett when I was in a mood like this, this meeting could get out of hand quickly. Ramsey wouldn't be as good as the other two but it would be better than nothing. Still, I could see how tired he was. I didn't just work his men to death today; he got a good bit of the action too.
"No I'll be fine. Enjoy your early shift while you can, you know they don't come around often."
"Considering what it takes in order to get an early shift, thank god for that," he teased as he stood outside his car. "You sure you don't need me though?"
"I've handled this without those two idiots before, I can do it again without your help. Besides, it's Ash Dunham, the day I can't handle him is the day I'll let you take my spot," I soothed as I opened the door to my car and shut it behind me.
The drive to the club was faster than I would have liked but the second I got there I headed to the VIP area. It was roped off and empty like it always was when I wasn't here but the second I stepped over the velvet line, men hoarded to my side.
The area that was once void of any people was now practically overflowing.
I didn't bother hiding my second gun today and I didn't place one on the table as a sign of peace. The second Ash waked in here, he needed to know I wasn't playing games with him today.
I sighed to myself as I pulled a pack of cigarettes from my back pocket before placing one between my lips and lighting it.
My throat burned at the feeling but as the nicotine filled my body I could feel tension in my shoulders relaxing with every drag I took.
It wasn't too much longer before Ash was in front of me while my men pat him down.
"I take it you did what I asked," I said once he sat down.
He was just as tense as last time but a small smirk was plastered on his face as he stared at me.
"Joseph Cain," was all he said as his smirk grew in size.
Joseph Cain. It made sense, he has a decently big gang but he wasn't experienced. He had this thing for killing small time gang leaders and taking control of the men they left behind. I had never met him but I couldn't stand him.
I always knew it would be a matter of time before he came after my gang since it would give him a big advantage but I thought I had a few years before I had to worry about that. I guess he was stronger than I thought he was. Or he was dumber than people made him seem.
"That smirk on your face tells me you know more than just who it was. You want to let me in on the little secret?"
"I know a lot more than just his name but why should I tell you? You told me to find out who did it, nothing else. I'll tell you nothing else for free."
"You think it's smart to play this kind of game with me," I sighed, trying my best to keep the aggravation out of my voice.
"I think I'll take my chances considering the things I know. Starting with the fact that you have a cop living in your house."
A scowl formed on my face before I had a chance to stop it.
"So not only are you playing a dumb game, you're threatening me? You are so much dumber than I thought you were."
I didn't say anything else as I grabbed the gun from my hip. A bullet was already in the chamber as I took it off safety and pointed it at the dead man walking.
His smirk was gone in a second, his eyes focused on the barrel.
"You won't kill me," he scoffed. "You would have done it already."
"You're right. I won't kill you," I said with a forced chuckle as I put the gun back down by my side. I watched as he visibly relaxed until I stood up from my seat. "Yet, at least and definitely not here."
My hand took his shoulder roughly before hauling him up and forcing him to follow me as I waved my men away. I all but dragged him through the club until we reached the back entrance. The door slammed shut behind us, leaving us completely alone.
My hand moved to his neck as I shoved him against the wall while my hand tightened. My free hand dropped down to my gun before bringing it up to his forehead. He tensed when the cold metal was pressed against his skin.
"You want something in return for telling me what you know? How about I give you the gift of remaining alive for a few more minutes. Does that sound like a fair wage?"
I could feel his pulse from his neck going out of control but it did little to satisfy the anger in me.
If he decided to run his stupid mouth about this I became an even bigger target. Every gang in the state would be after me if they knew I had a cop living with me, they would think I was trying to rat them out for protection.
Forget other gangs coming after me; my suppliers would leave me stranded with nothing to sell. I'd be left high and dry and that was the best-case scenario. It would be worse if after my dealer's left I couldn't get rid of anything. A warehouse full of drugs and a failing gang was just asking to be raided.
"He's under orders from someone else!" He said quickly. "It's some mafia or something. He doesn't even want your gang; he just wants your land. They made some deal that Joseph could have your men as long as the mafia got the land. Joseph likes money and power, I don't know what the mafia paid him but if you offered him something better I'm sure he would double cross for you!"
Out bid a mafia? Yea, like that was realistic. Not only would I have to match the Mafia's bid, I'd have to pay for extra to get the guy to double cross someone that dangerous and that alone would be a pretty penny.
"You got anything else for me? It'd be smart to go ahead and tell me."
"I don't know anything else I swear!" His heart rate had managed to slow back down but the panic was still clear in his eyes.
"And who else did you tell about the cop?"
"I didn't tell anyone! I knew they wouldn't believe me anyway."
I could feel the pressure in my chest disappear at that. The grip I had on his throat gave me a good read on his heart rate, his heart never spiked or jumped and from what I could tell he hadn't done any visual tells. He was telling the truth.
"Well that's a relief," I sighed as I took my hand from his neck but kept the barrel of the gun glued to his forehead.
His eyes drifted up to it as if he was expecting me to move it.
"Can you move the gun now?"
"Not for another minute or so." Confused creases formed over his face as he gave me a questioning look. "Well our deal was pretty clear. You tell me everything; I give you a few extra minutes of life, you've already wasted a minute, so I'm giving you a few extras."
He opened his mouth to protest but my finger pulled the trigger before he had a chance to say another word.
His blood splattered over my face and clothes but with the silencer on my barrel, the shot barely made a sound.
His body fell to the ground with a small 'thud' while I took a few steps back with a small sigh.
He could have been so much more helpful but I couldn't afford to have him out on the streets running his mouth like he knew everything. Not only could it ruin everything I've worked for but it could have also gotten good men- my men killed. I couldn't allow that and if I had to get my hand's dirty to insure that, it was worth it.
I opened the back entrance to the club without much of a care before walking back to the VIP area where my men were waiting.
"There's some trash in the alley, someone take care of it." I said boredly, making men immediately rush out the back door. "Also, I need new clothes."
Last updated January 6, 2022
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