Checkmate

by Lindsey Powell

  I push my foot down on the accelerator as I tear through the night. The dark, empty streets allowing me to clear my mind. Or try to at least.

  I let out a growl of frustration as I picture her caged between my arms, my body pushing against hers. I don’t feel. I trained myself to block out anything that remotely resembled lust, want, or love. I gave it up years ago, never let myself open back up. But then I didn’t expect Paige to come stomping into my world and rock me to my very core all over again.

  If anyone were to find out about my feelings surfacing for her, they would deem me a pussy. They would challenge me, call me out, and go after the very thing that has always had my heart. I wouldn’t allow it all those years ago, and I certainly won’t allow it now.

  Paige thinks that she is going to dethrone me. Paige thinks that she is going to be the top dog of this world, and I am the one to blame. I broke her, I can see it in her eyes no matter how much she tries to mask it. I made her push herself, come back fighting, and return stronger than before.

  I should be grateful that she’s no pushover, that she can hold her own and take men down that dare to challenge her, but the problem is that I want to take her down, only not in the way that she thinks. I’m playing her game for now, but all I really want is for her to be mine. Always have and always will.

  She’s determined to try and win, but I see the want within her. She still lusts for me, as I do for her. It’s not just about a power struggle in the underworld, it’s a power struggle of our hearts. And the heart is the most fragile part of our dark souls.

  I already know that my threats about taking Paige down are bullshit. I wouldn’t ever hurt her. I couldn’t. She’s stubborn as hell and drives me insane, but that’s all part of the chase. A chase I desperately want to win.

  My father always told me that you could never bring the one that you loved into this world. He knew. His love was killed. My mother taken from him by his biggest rival. He never recovered, but he threw all of his energy into becoming a nastier bastard, day by day. He took out his rival, but it wasn’t enough justice. My father, the great Donald Valentine, died of a broken heart. He never admitted it to anyone but me, and he is the reason that I gave Paige up. If anything had ever happened to her because of me, I never would have come back from that.

  And now she’s in my fucking world anyway, but on her own merit. She didn’t ask anyone for anything. Did it all herself, and I fucking wish that she hadn’t.

  I was ready to get out of here, leave it all behind, was nearly there, just had the last part of the puzzle to slot into place. And then she showed up, changing the game altogether.

  I slam on the brakes at a red light and take a few deep breaths.

  Paige changed the game, and I have to play no matter what.

  The light turns green and I speed down the road.

  I already know that I will spend most of the night driving to calm myself down. Maybe I should just fuck Paige, get her off of my mind, out of my system. I laugh at my ridiculous thought. Fucking her would only intensify what I feel for her. It wouldn’t do a damn thing except consume me. Her body on mine, her moans, her soft skin, her dazzling eyes, her lips.

  The memory of us before, to what we would be like now blows my mind. It was great between us back then, but we’ve had years of build-up. Years of missing one another, years of being mad at one another, years of sacrifice. If we were to ever give in to our feelings, I have no doubt it would be explosive, in more ways than one.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Paige

  “What the hell happened?” I shout as I storm through my house, following the blood line that started at the front door and is trailing down the hallway.

  Tony is stood by the front door, his face pale, his jaw clenched. Rome is on the floor, hovering over Miles, his hands holding a cloth to the blood seeping out of his side.

  Miles is sweating, his skin white, his eyes wide with fear.

  “They came out of nowhere, boss,” Rome says, his focus never leaving Miles.

  “Who did?” I demand. “Who the fuck came onto my property and caused chaos?”

  “The Morgan brothers,” Tony answers, his tone flat.

  “Where’s Donovan?” I ask, the anger building inside of me.

  “In the back office, looking at the CCTV,” Tony replies.

  “Jesus fucking Christ,” I say with exasperation. “Did you call Dudley?” Dudley is my private doctor, gets paid handsomely to keep his mouth shut and clean up whatever messes that come along.

  “He’ll be here in five minutes,” Tony says.

  “I don’t think he’s gonna make it that long,” Rome says, a slight air of panic in his tone.

  “Well push fucking harder and make sure he doesn’t die,” I say, nodding to Miles whose eyes are slowly closing. “And make sure he doesn’t black out. We need him alive.” With that, I storm down the hallway to the back office. Not my private one, but the one that all of my boys have access to. I want answers, and I want them now.

  I storm through the office door, slamming it shut behind me. Donovan doesn’t even flinch, doesn’t even take his eyes off the computer screen in front of him.

  “You found anything?” I ask as I throw my bag down on the floor and go to look at the computer screen myself.

  “Not yet,” Donovan answers.

  “Where the fuck were you?” I question.

  “Taking a piss,” Donovan replies.

  “It’s your fucking job to monitor what goes on around here. You should have been more aware.”

  “Oh, so I can’t even take a slash now?”

  “Don’t fucking answer me back,” I yell. “If you taking a piss means that one of my men are down, then you sure as shit better hold the fuck on.”

  “I can’t see into the goddamn future, Paige.” Donovan is just as pissed off as I am it seems. The difference here is that I pay the fucker’s wages, so if I say that he needs to hold his damn piss, then he better do just that.

  My eyes are glued to the screen. I need the cameras to confirm it was the Morgan brothers. I don’t doubt Tony’s word, but I always make sure that I have concrete proof before I act. Just acting on a whim, or on someone’s say so, can get you killed, and I take no chances.

  A knock at the door has my eyes whipping from the screen to see who dares to interrupt.

  “Who is it?” I bellow.

  The door creaks open and Tony pokes his head round. He looks grim.

  “Doctor’s here, boss,” he informs me.

  “Good. Get him anything he needs, and I mean anything. Don’t interrupt again unless it is to tell me that Miles is dead,” I say sharply.

  “Understood, boss,” Tony says as he closes the door quietly once his head has disappeared.

  My eyes return to the computer screen and strike fucking gold. I watch as a car pulls up outside the front of my property. Two men exit, one being Bobby, the other Clive. There is still someone in the driver seat, but it isn’t Larry, and I swear to God I’m going to find out who the fuck it is.

  Bobby and Clive walk straight onto my property, seeing as someone has left the fucking gates wide open. Whoever was responsible for that is going to be getting a serious lesson in doing their job correctly. Either that or they will end up losing their life. Either way doesn’t bother me. People make mistakes, people need to learn. Simple.

  I watch as they stalk towards the front door, calmly, in no rush at all. They wait either side of the door, Bobby hiding behind one of the large flower pots that sit beside the front entrance. Clive is hiding to the side of the porch, his back against the wall.

  Minutes tick by. The car hasn’t moved from the road and Bobby and Clive are looking at the watches on their wrist. Clive’s lips move as he seems to be counting down.

  Not two minutes later and the front door opens, Miles walking out. Clive and Bobby abandon their clock watching and take their weapons of choice out of the back of their trousers. Bobby a gun, Clive a knife. It all happ
ens quickly, but I’ll be watching it back in slow motion many times in the next hour or so. Bobby springs up from behind the flower pot, surprising Miles who clearly loses his ability to detect any fucking danger as he whirls around to look at Bobby, giving Clive the perfect opportunity to come at him from behind.

  Clive pushes the knife into Miles side, Miles collapses, and Bobby and Clive flee the scene, jumping back into the car and driving away.

  It’s that simple. No high end operation, no clever tactics to try and outsmart my guys. It’s all so fucking simple. Too simple. And I have one question on my mind that will need answering within the next few minutes.

  Where the fuck is Trevor? He guards the gates, oversees any trouble being moved swiftly along. With no sign of him, he better hope that he’s already dead because as far as I’m concerned, he’s already signed his own death warrant.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Paige

  I’ve been pacing the floor for the last half an hour, waiting for Trevor. I watched the cameras, played them back several times. Seems Trevor opened the gates just before the Morgan brothers showed up. There was no reason for him to open them, unless of course he is in cahoots with the brothers. I know what I believe.

  Miles is still being monitored by doctor Dudley. It was touch and go several times, but Miles has remained stable for the last hour. Doctor Dudley will monitor Miles until I deem it unnecessary. He’s on my books and he knows better than to argue with me.

  I hear the front door open and then close, and I know that Donovan just walked in here with Trevor. Trevor, as far as I know, remains unaware that Miles nearly died. No one has said anything to him, and Donovan won’t have given Trevor any warning of what is to come.

  I crack my knuckles, shake my head from side to side and walk towards the front door. I’m dressed in a pair of jogging bottoms, a tight black T-shirt, and a pair of trainers. I want to be comfortable for what I am about to do. It’s not my usual attire, but it’s my outfit of choice for ridding the world of one more asshole.

  I walk calmly whilst inside of me is like a furnace waiting to explode. Bray and Tony are standing by the front door, their expressions neutral. I know they want to get their hands on Trevor just as much as I do. Rule number one, never shit on your own doorstep. Trevor obviously thought he was above this rule. Fucking fool.

  “Don, Trevor,” I say with a nod of my head. Donovan nods back.

  “Boss,” Trevor says, looking completely unprepared for what lies ahead.

  “I want to show you both something,” I say, turning around and making my way to the meeting room where I was with Joey not even twenty-four hours ago. I don’t usually bring my boys in here to give them a dressing down, but today I will make an exception, because Trevor isn’t going to be able to read what is coming next.

  I hear Donovan and Trevor’s foot steps behind me. I enter the meeting room and stand by the door, waiting for them to walk in. When they do, I shut the door and turn to face them. Donovan knows what my plans are. He is fully prepared for what is about to happen.

  I don’t even have to tell him to come and stand next to me, leaving Trevor stood on his own.

  “Trevor,” I start, my voice even. “How’s things been around here today?”

  “All good, boss. Nothing to report,” he says, standing tall, his hands clasped behind his back.

  “You sure about that?” I question.

  “I haven’t been made aware of anything that needs reporting,” he replies, and I see him gulp, the Adam’s apple in his throat bobbing.

  “I see,” I say as I take a step forward. “So, tell me, why did you open the gates earlier today?”

  “The gates?”

  “Yes, Trevor, the gates, the great big fucking gates that lead onto my property,” I say, losing my cool slightly.

  “I opened them for you, when you left this morning.”

  “I am fully aware of that, Trevor, but why did you open them at twelve thirty-five?”

  I see the moment he realises what I already know. I see the panic flash across his face, and I relish in the fact that he is a few short minutes away from squirming and begging for his life.

  “I… I…” His stuttering shows his guilt. He clearly didn’t think through how he was going to get away with this.

  “You know, Trevor, you’ve worked for me for the last two years. I thought you knew better than to betray me,” I say, each word spoken slowly so he doesn’t miss the fucking point.

  “I thought that you had respect for me, and for where I came from, and for where I have gotten to. What I didn’t expect was for you to go behind my back and bring violence to my doorstep.”

  I expect violence in the world I live in, but not on my property. Not at my private residence, and certainly not brought to me by one of my own.

  “I swear, I didn’t––”

  “Don’t lie to me, Trevor,” I say, cutting him off. “Don’t even waste your breath, because all it will do is piss me off further.”

  Trevor has the decency to clamp his mouth shut at this point.

  I only have one question to ask, because I wouldn’t trust anything else that came out of his mouth right now.

  “Why, Trevor? Why the fuck would you give the Morgan brothers an opening to come after one of us?”

  The question hangs in the air, Trevor knowing his time is running out. He’s seen me in action. He’s been part of the action, and now he’s going to be on the receiving end.

  “They took Grace,” he answers, his head going down.

  Grace is his wife, his pregnant wife. They’ve been together since they were sixteen, been together for twenty years, and now the Morgans have her.

  “They sent me photos of her, tied to a chair, blindfolded, gagged. They asked me to open the gates. I had no idea what their plans were, but they said if I didn’t open them then they would cut the baby out of her. I couldn’t take the risk, I couldn’t just––”

  I hold my hand up to silence him. I’ve dealt with my fair share of assholes, but this is a whole new level.

  “Why didn’t you just come and tell me?” I say.

  “They said that if I told anyone then they would torture her, record it, force me to watch it before they killed them both,” he says, tears forming in his eyes with each and every word.

  “And you doubted that I could stop that from happening?” I ask.

  “I didn’t doubt you, boss, I just couldn’t take the risk,” he admits looking defeated. I take a second, watching his six foot frame bent over, his face showing the pain that he is feeling, and his dark brown eyes looking lifeless, the hope slowly seeping out of them.

  No matter what he is going through, I can’t help myself, and I walk up to him and punch him on his jaw. I hear my knuckles connect and his head snaps to the side. He won’t retaliate, he knows better than that.

  “You fucking idiot,” I say, teeth gritted as I try to reign in my anger at the situation that we have found ourselves in. I was ready to end Trevor, make him pay for betraying me, but with the news about Grace coming to light, I don’t think I can bring myself to do it to him, or to her.

  “I’m sorry, boss,” Trevor says weakly.

  “I don’t want your apologies, they mean nothing. What I want is for my fucking boys to stop hiding shit from me and bring me into the goddamn loop!” First Miles and now Trevor. Granted, Miles’s behaviour was his own doing, but Trevor? Trevor simply did what he thought was right at the time to keep his family alive.

  Trevor doesn’t say another word, and Donovan stays silent behind me.

  “Where is Grace now?” I ask, needing to know that she is safe. Grace may be Trevor’s wife, but she’s also my friend. I know that I don’t let people close, but Grace has always been pleasant, friendly and has told me that she considers me part of her family. Grace has always known the stakes of Trevor working for me, she has always known that one day it could be his last, but fuck, I thought he had betrayed me and then she would have been l
eft alone. With a baby. Motherfuck.

  “The Morgan brothers still have her,” Trevor answers. “They won’t let her go yet. I presume they are waiting to make sure that there are going to be no repercussions of their attack earlier.”

  “Fuck,” I say out loud. “Do you know where they are keeping her?”

  Trevor shrugs, shaking his head. He must feel fucking useless.

  “Where do they take their victims, Don?” I ask, keeping my eyes on Trevor and my back to Donovan.

  “We don’t know,” Donovan answers.

  I whirl around at his reply. “We don’t fucking know?”

  Donovan nods and I feel like my control has slipped a little. I pride myself on knowing the ins and outs of everyone that I have had, or have, dealings with. The Morgan brothers slipped beneath my radar, and after our chat earlier this week, I should have done more digging. I presumed that my visit to them would have been enough to send a clear message to them about not fucking with me, or my boys. I guess they didn’t get the memo.

  “Well, go and do some digging, find out everything that you can. We need to get Grace back,” I tell Donovan.

  “On it,” Donovan answers and then exits the room.

  I turn back to Trevor. “What you did was fucking stupid, but we’re going to get Grace back,” I tell him.

  His eyes glaze over as he looks at me with desperation.

  “Thank you, boss,” he says.

  “Don’t thank me yet, thank me when she’s home safe, and never, ever, go behind my back again. Do I make myself clear?” I say with authority.

  “Yes, boss.”

  “Good. Now, go and splash some water on your face and then get your ass back in here. We’re not leaving this room until we find out where they are.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Joey

  “You have a visitor, Joey,” Raymond announces as he walks into my office.

  “Oh? And who might that be?” I respond, wondering why I have been interrupted when I told my men that I didn’t want to be bothered whilst I was in here. I’m at Club Valentine and have a shit load of paperwork to sort through, and interruptions just delay the mind-numbing boredom of making sure that my extra-curricular activity money is hidden.