Jake

“Tell me you got your in, boy,” my father’s voice demands as I sit in the chair opposite his.

“Oh, he got in all right.” Gabe whistles and it strikes a nerve inside me. “Look at his face, he fucked her.” I move faster than my younger brother can register and I slam him against the wall, my hand fisting his shirt.

My father doesn’t even flinch at my act of anger toward my brother. He only remains seated at his desk, with his glass of whiskey in one hand and a smug grin on his face.

“I’m just messing with you, Cy.” Gabe tries to backpedal. “You don’t have to get all fired up over some girl. She’s just a job.”

I want to tell him he’s wrong, but I choose to release my hold on him and step back. I’m afraid if I unleash on him, I won’t be able to stop. I have to refrain from showing that anything regarding Blair bothers me; they can only use it against me later.

“Enough wasting my time,” my father complains, finally tiring of us. “Tell me you got some information for me.”

“She trusts me,” I assure him as I once again take a seat in the chair opposite his desk. “I’m in, and the place isn’t big so if there is something there, I’ll find it.”

“You told me you could handle this. Should I doubt you?” My father is a prick. He doesn’t give a shit about his boys; we are just a means to gather money and clean up his shit for him.

“I said I got it.” I stare back at the man I strongly resemble yet despise.

“That boyfriend of hers had to leave some kind of trail behind. He stole from us, Cyrus.” I hate hearing that name. He is the only one who calls me by my first name and I cringe each time. He leans forward and places his elbows on his desk, linking his hands together. “I want him found, and I want what he took from me returned. Either you find me those answers, or I’ll send Gabe in to finish the job. And we both know his antics are a lot less gentle than yours.”

I chance a glance in my brother’s direction only to find him smiling proudly. I want nothing more than to wipe that smile off his face. He’s dirty, morally corrupt, and there is no fucking way I will give him the chance to get near Blair.

“I said I got it.” My nostrils flare with anger from the visions that are running through my mind. “Me sitting here shooting the fucking shit with you ain’t getting the job done, so are we finished?” I try to rein in my irritation and tuck away my desire to break the two of them; it would only get in the way of keeping Blair safe.

I hate nothing more than being tied to these two men. I hate that I’m trapped in this family. I’ve been able to lay low, keeping my nose clean in the past, intertwining myself as minimally as possible, but this time my father failed. Gabe failed because it was his fault Nate got as close as he had in the first place. Now I’ve been called in to retrieve what he’d stolen so easily.

My father threatening me with my weasel brother was just his way of ensuring I’d come through. The bastard knows I have a conscience; it's my worst enemy. He knows I wouldn’t want my brother to touch Blair, with or without me being involved with her.

But as I stare into my father’s eyes, I slip up and I know the moment he notices. A grin covers his lips as he lifts his drink and takes a slow, drawn out pull of the amber liquid. A sucking sound follows as he drags out the torture. I do my best to recover, but if there is one thing about him, he doesn’t miss an opportunity to prove he is in control. He can see right through me; the asshole knows without a doubt that I hold feelings for her. He also knows that he now has me by the balls.

“By all means, son,” the smug look on his face is like a knife to the gut, “don’t let me keep you any longer.”

I leave the warehouse where my father does all his shady operations and pull my phone from my pocket as I walk toward my car. After tapping out the number I pause next to my Charger waiting for the call to connect.

“Gunner.” I can immediately sense the surprise in Sadie’s voice.

“Looks like I’m gonna need your help once again,” I confess, feeling guilty that I have to take it to this level. But my time is running thin and I’ll do what I have to in order to keep Blair away from my family.

“But you said that if I got her to the bar and helped convince her to take the job that you’d do the rest. You told me that’s all I had to do.”

I did tell her that. But things just changed, and I know I can use her for what I need and there isn’t a damn thing she can do about it.

“Yeah, I did. But you also told me you were gonna get your shit straight and steer clear of my brother, but I think we both know that you lied. So, as I said, I need your help with something. You either cut the shit or I’ll make sure that Blair knows just how involved you were with Nate.” I hear her deep intake of breath and know I have her.

Blair has no idea that one of her best friends is a junkie. Or the fact that she had been screwing her boyfriend for free drugs for the last year of their relationship, either.

So using those things to get what I want doesn’t make me feel guilty in the least.

Sadie doesn’t deserve Blair and her friendship. When this is all said and done, I’ll do whatever I can to make sure Blair realizes what her friend truly is. But for now, I have to make her believe her secrets are safe until I get what I need from her.

“Answer your phone when I call. I’ve got to work some things out first.” I hit end without waiting for her reply.