I stood on the balcony, looking down at the street. I couldn’t make out any details from so high up, but I knew she would be leaving the building soon. I imagined that every little movement I spotted down there was her, and it fucking felt like someone tackling me directly in the chest.

I knew what I was getting into. From the beginning, I knew she was a journalist, and that she was probably using me for a scoop. Instead of guarding against that, I found myself slowly letting her into my world. I told her things I’d never told another journalist, gave her more access than anyone else before her. I introduced her to Calvin, for fuck’s sake.

I’d been beginning to feel safe. But when Marta caught her, I knew it was over. I had to kick her out of my life.

Maybe if I had caught her, we could have talked about it. Maybe if someone else wasn’t involved, it could have been different.

But no. I knew that was bullshit. It never was going to be different. This was how it had to end from the very start. She was going to betray me, and I was going to blame myself for it.

It was my fault. I knew what she was and yet I hadn’t stopped myself. How could she help her nature? She was a journalist, and I was a big story. Still, I had hoped we could just be two people and not our fucking jobs.

The world didn’t work that way, apparently. I shook my head, angry and disappointed. I wasn’t going to admit to myself that I was hurt, because Bull didn’t get fucking hurt like that, but I definitely wished things could have been different.

It was over. I didn’t have to be a fucking pussy about it. I finished eating the little shrimp things, because they were fucking good, and kicked my feet up on the table.

As I sat there, enjoying the view, my mind wandered to better times. I remembered the way her body felt against mine. I remembered her eyes staring up at me as my cock pressed between her lips. I could feel my cock getting hard all over again just thinking about it, and I had to shake my head.

And I remembered her mentioning the mob.

What the hell did that bastard Rafa say to her? As far as I knew, he was leaving her alone, but I shouldn’t have been so fucking naïve. I knew that bastard would get his claws into anybody who could hurt me. They were always looking for a new way to force me to use their services, and I was willing to bet that making Charley write her article was part of his plan.

He probably thought I’d see it and pay hundreds of thousands to get it taken down and destroyed. Well, fuck that, and fuck him. If she wrote it, I wasn’t going to do shit about it, and Rafa could go ahead and choke on his own fucking balls.

That pissed me off, thinking about him intimidating Charley. Sure, she fucked me over and misled me, but I still felt this weird fucking protectiveness. The thought of Rafa even talking to her made me absolutely insane with anger.

Those cunts couldn’t just fuck with me whenever they wanted to. I needed to get out from under the mob, and it needed to happen sooner rather than later.

I pulled out my phone and dialed, not really thinking about it. He answered after three rings.

“Bull, my man,” Rafa said. “How are you?”

“Been better,” I grunted.

“What’s up?”

“Remember that journalist? Charlotte something or other.”

“The girl from your party. Sure, I remember her.”

“Seems she was a problem after all.”

There was a pause from his end, which I assumed was him holding back a laugh. That motherfucking shit.

“How’s that?”

“Caught her taking pictures in my apartment earlier today.”

“That’s not good.”

“No, it’s not good. And you know what? She knows about you guys.”

“Oh, I know.”

I paused. “What?”

“I know she knows about us. I had a little chat with her, made sure she understood that if she didn’t write her article, I was going to destroy her.”

“You did what, motherfucker?” I growled.

“I didn’t put it quite that way of course. I told her I wanted money, but I knew exactly how she was going to try to get that money.”

I fumed, shocked and enraged all over again that he was coming out and telling me like this. I had assumed all of that shit already, but the man must have had such big balls if he was just telling me about it.

Or the mob was done with me. At least, he had to know that I was going to be done with them if he pulled this shit. No amount of blackmail was going to keep me paying them off. He had to realize that.

And yet maybe he didn’t. Maybe he thought he really had Bull Dixon by the fucking balls and that I was just going to sing any tune they wanted. He probably thought I’d pay him off, pay her off, and everyone would go home happy.

Everyone except me, and I liked being happy. I hated getting betrayed.

“You can buy off her debt, you know,” Rafa said. “Let’s say fifty thousand. How’s that?”

“That sounds great,” I said.

“Does it? I don’t know. Maybe seventy-five would be better.”

“Make it a clean hundred.”

“Okay.” Rafa laughed. “You’re really fucking yourself here, Bull.”

“No,” I said softly. “You’re getting fucked here. You’ve been trying to hold this shit over my head for so long. You think this is going to make me pay up again? I’m done with you. I’m done with your organization.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Rafa warned. “We can give the girl some seriously incriminating shit. We can ruin your life, Bull. You live very, very well. You’ve got more money than you need. Spread it around a little.”

“No,” I said simply. “You went too far, Rafa. You made an enemy instead of a friend.”

“Come on, Bull, don’t be stupid.”

“Fuck off, you sorry cunt. Have a good life.”

I hung up the phone and tossed it onto the table.

I took a deep breath and sat there, waiting for the full magnitude of my decision to come washing over me.

Nothing happened. If anything, I felt a little bit lighter and freer.

I was finally done with the mob. No more worrying about what they thought and what they wanted. No more buying their hookers and paying for their services. No more sending a little extra as a kickback every once in a while just to keep the bosses happy. I was done, plain and simple.

The thought didn’t scare me. They could definitely destroy me if they wanted to, but that didn’t matter at all. Maybe I was ready to be destroyed. Maybe I was ready to find out what I was really made of.

Maybe I was ready to burn it all the fuck down and start afresh.

I laughed out loud and grinned, looking out over the city.