Sailor doesn’t quite understand who I am or where I come from, and maybe that’s where the attraction to her comes from for me.
“Okay, no, that’s unfair.” Joey comes back in. His arms are crossed over his chest and his brows pinched as he stares at me. “I’m doing this for you. We both know if she was just another woman, you would take your money and never see her again, or you would take your money and kill her.”
“My patience is at an all-time low, Joey. Get on with it.”
Joey gets me. With only a year difference in our ages, he could be in my position. He could kill me and take over, but we both know he doesn’t want it. He’d much rather play the role of henchman and carry out orders. And that’s the extent of what he does. He doesn’t have to worry about the logistics of getting shit right. I don’t have to worry too much anymore either, as I’ve learned to delegate, hire the right people, kill the right people to ensure my people keep loyal. His job is as simple as doing whatever the fuck I say to do.
“Why her?” he asks.
Why her? If I fucking knew the answer, I would tell him. Maybe. Then again, I don’t talk about me to anyone, it’s just not something I do. Our father left Joey out of a lot of the business dealings, assuming he was too slow, not smart enough to be the type of man that is required for the top job. My father told me that if I was smart, I would never let Joey join me. But the minute my father died, and I took over, Joey was my first choice as a right-hand man.
We are the mafia.
We aren’t drug lords.
We aren’t just killers.
When we do a job, we do it from start to finish.
We don’t hire out, everything is sourced by the family, stays in the family.
So, when he asks me why her, I’m not really sure what to tell him. Our partners—or I should say our baby mamas—are picked out for us when we are born. Not everyone gets this privilege, though. They make sure that the two top families will reproduce and carry on the family names. It’s one of the reasons we only fuck. Joey even has someone picked out for him.
“She interests me,” I tell him as he wipes his bleeding hand on his clothes.
“My dog interests me, doesn’t mean I want it in my bed,” he bites back.
Grinding my jaw, I glare at him.
He throws his hands in the air. “All I am saying is … she’s nice to look at and all, but are we done yet? You get the money in a few days. Debt is gone, wiped clean, and you chose not to kill her. So, let her go.”
“Should I let you go too?” I bite back.
He shakes his head and moves toward the door. “The others see her as your soft spot because you’ve never had one before. And soft spots are never good to have, Keir.”
“Tell me who,” I demand, smiling.
“I’m not signing their death warrants, I’m not that fucking stupid. But I did want you to know.”
“Keep it to yourself, then,” I growl.
“Fucking hell, Keir, go and see her already.” He walks out, slamming the door as he leaves.
Go see her.
How about no.
Fuck her. Now, that is an option.
Fuck, my cock is hard just thinking about it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sailor
To say this apartment is everything is not a lie. It’s in Manhattan, a place I could never usually afford, yet, here I am, walking around my small but amazing two-bedroom apartment.
When the agent first showed it to me, I thought for sure she was lying about the rent price. Who would willingly give a place like this up? And I know I’m going to have to work out how I can afford to find something else after my year is up. Living here is going to be like no other.
I remember when Dillan and I were looking at apartments, we never even checked out anything this flashy because we knew we could never afford the price tag associated with renting such luxury. The agent said the owner wanted to do something nice for someone, like a pay it forward, but this is more than nice, and I am unsure why someone would do themselves out of so much money. But hey, I am not complaining, I get the privilege of living here, and that’s a gigantic bonus.
When my parents helped me move in with Joey they couldn’t believe what they were seeing either.
The views are spectacular. Every window has floor-to-ceiling views, looking out over the city, and at night the skyline lights up in the most amazing array of colors. The building is well-maintained, security part of the features, which is great because you can’t get into the building without a key card. The place even came with some furniture, which is a bonus, and it’s all high-end beach-inspired and totally unaffordable. The best part is the gigantic television on the wall in the living room—I can’t wait to sit on the sofa, curl up and watch some of my favorite shows.