"What is it?" I asked, a bit of nervousness leaking into my voice.
"It's your slave, sir," one of them stumbled out. "You should come see for yourself."
My heart pounded harder as I followed them down the hallway toward Isabella's room. What the hell had she done? When we arrived, the light was on and another guard stood inside. There didn't appear to be a mess, and confusion fogged my mind, until my eyes took in the light in the bathroom, and the pink tinted water leaking from the tub.
I stepped closer, bracing myself for what I already knew I'd see. She'd left the water on, and it still flowed past pale skin. A razor blade rested on the tile beneath Isabella's hand that no longer dripped blood. I waited for the emotion to come. My brother's wife had died this same way, and I wondered if Isabella had chosen it just to spite me.
It hadn't worked. As much as I wished the regret would confirm I wasn't a heartless monster, it never came. I stared into the lifeless eyes of the woman I'd spent the past six years with and felt relief. Relief that at least she wouldn't have to be sold to another man, and I didn't have to live with doing it.
"Clean it up," I said to the men as I walked past them.
One less thing to worry about.
I stopped short of the bedroom door and leaned against the wall as my eyes closed. I hated myself for having that thought. Why was I like this? How did Kevin turn out so different from me?
Oh, right… genetics.
My eyes popped open as the phone vibrated in my pocket. I sighed as my father's name flashed on the screen.
"Hello?"
"Do you know what time it is here, Jacob?"
I did the math. "Three a.m., Sir."
"Right," my father seethed, sending goosebumps down my flesh even with him being hundreds of miles away. "Three a.m. and still I haven't gotten the update Dravin was supposed to give. Care to explain?"
His voice slurred, and I cringed. He was at his worst when he was drunk. "Sir, the situation has been handled. I can give you the update."
"Did you fucking kill Dravin?" He spoke the question as if he already knew the answer.
"As well as the mole, yes." I didn't bother defending myself. The explanation wouldn't matter to him as long as it was taken care of.
"And the woman cop?"
Oh shit.
I searched for the words to say but hesitated too long. My father's voice sounded in my ear just as my mouth opened to speak.
"She's alive, isn’t she.” It more of a statement than a question.
I swallowed and knocked my head lightly against the wall. "Yes, sir."
"Why am I not surprised?" He huffed, and I could just see him shaking his head in disappointment. I'd seen that expression so many times, I'd lost count as a child. I didn't dare answer, and I prepared for whatever slur of comments he'd make next. He surprised me though.
"You're coming to New York."
"What?" I asked, not believing I'd heard him right. I couldn't leave my post. Every year, I went to company headquarters in New York, but there wasn't a big meeting planned for weeks. I wasn't prepared to leave my work here.
"Someone else will run the branch in Utah. You'll be here tomorrow night. Is that clear?"
I waited for him to add on to his statement. Someone would run the branch for now or until you get back, but the clarification never came.
"Yes, sir… It's clear."
"Great, and Jacob?"
"Yes?"
"Bring the girl."
My father hung up, and I was left standing there with a lump in my throat. I opened the door to my bedroom, allowing the hallway light to illuminate Laila's sleeping form. She looked so peaceful in her slumber. Even after today, she didn't appear to have a care in the world.
It seemed so strange to think about everything that’d happened since meeting Laila. Our first kiss. All that fighting, all her resolve. The feel of her ass in my hands, the sound of her strangled cries.
And what were we now? Enemies? Lovers? Who the hell knows. They’d stripped my power because of her, and I should’ve hated her for it. But I didn’t. I couldn’t pinpoint the emotion I felt as I stared at Laila while she slept in my bed. It felt a little like desire, maybe some intrigue, respect.
Her earlier question floated through my mind. What happens next?
I had a feeling neither of us wanted to know.
To Be Continued…
Finish Jake and Laila’s story in Demolished
Demolish.
The word brought so many things to mind. My enemies. My friends. Anyone who’d ever stood in the way of my position in the crime organization. I was damn near Kingpin, until it was stripped away by a detective who couldn’t keep her nose from sniffing around.
I thought I could rid myself of her and every informant she’d managed to recruit, then I’d have redeemed myself and all my problems would disappear. But she ended up in my bed, and I couldn’t seem to pull the trigger.
Now there are bigger fish to answer to, and by the end of it we might all be… demolished.
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Thank you
I’d like to take a moment to thank you so much for reading DETHRONED. I hope you enjoyed this story! If you would be so kind as to leave a review on Amazon, I would be eternally grateful.
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Also by Nicole Cypher
The Darker Places Series:
DESIRED
DEPLORABLE
DETHRONED
DEMOLISHED
About the Author
Nicole Cypher is an author and avid reader of dark romance. She began her writing journey in college and hasn’t looked back since. In her books you can expect a yummy anti-hero, plenty of action, and a happy ending.
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Dethroned (Darker Places Book 3) Page 18
