“I got the mayor’s protection.” He looks at me pointedly as he speaks.
This has me stopping short.
“The mayor?” I clarify, because I’m certain I didn’t hear this fuckhead right. He thinks the mayor has any say in business matters such as this? Better yet, the mayor himself thinks he has a big enough dick to be swinging around like this?
My head falls back and I laugh.
Dumbass Paulie starts nervously laughing with me. For being in his mid-twenties, he sure looks like a kid playing grown-up right now.
Behind me, Torrin isn’t laughing, which should give this asshole a clue.
The fire is back in my eyes the moment I cut off the noise and snatch him up by the front of his thin, dirty shirt.
“You are selling poison on my streets. There’s a price to be paid.” There is not a single trace of humor in my tone.
Torrin and Andre step up. They each take a side and pin Paulie to the brick wall behind him. My eyes are locked on his as I take a step closer to him.
I pause, only because something doesn’t feel right.
Is this whole thing a trap? I wish I could take a minute and ask Torrin his thoughts. His intuition is so much better than mine. But the last thing I want to do is look weak or make my actions seem questionable in front of Paulie. I have two choices here: go full steam and end this fucker’s life here so I never have to deal with his shit again, or… back off and send less of a message but not play into whatever game Mayor DuPont thinks he has going on.
I really need to get back on top. I’m slipping, and I don’t like it.
With a quick glance at Torrin, the decision is made. Torrin does his best to hold Paulie steady. The fucker is squirming and crying and yowling like a damn cat getting its tail pulled by a toddler. The sound grates on my nerves. My head tilts to the side as I crack my neck. I was pissed off before, but now I’m just fucking annoyed. Andre wraps his arm around Paulie’s head, throwing a meaty paw over the asshole’s mouth in an attempt to stop the noise. At most, it muffles it, which is only slightly less irritating.
I’m not in the mood for this shit. I’m tired and grumpy and can’t figure out what the fuck is wrong with me. Even as I wrap my fingers around the handle of my knife and pull it free, I know I won’t enjoy this like I usually do.
And that irritates me more than the wailing this piece of shit is doing.
I pinch the top of his left ear. I have to bite back a smile as his eyes go wide in panic. For being so scrawny, he sure puts up a fight. Andre scrapes his elbow against the brick so hard that it’s bleeding. I see him wince, but he doesn’t let up on his hold.
“Since you didn’t hear me the first time you must have no need for your fucking ears,” I say calmly as I bring my knife up and rest it on the tender flesh where his ear connects to his head. The blade slides through the thin skin like butter, even though I’m not putting pressure behind it yet. I’ve barely cut him, but out of the corner of my eye, I see the blood start to bead up and then run down his grimy, patchy beard.
He tries to stand tall and take it with little emotion, but the water welling up in his eyes gives away his pain and fear.
Losing an ear is better than losing his life, right? I’m giving him one more chance, something I don’t give a lot of people. I don’t like the way his words spook me a little.
It hits me that I might be missing something here.
The mayor is connected to Aubert. Everything always leads back to the fucker. He’s up to something, and I hate that I can’t see what it is. I can’t plan for what to do next or know what to look out for.
I shake the thoughts from my head, wondering if this curse shit is fucking with my mind. Am I being paranoid?
“This is my city. You got that?” My eyes stay locked onto his until he nods. “You will not sell drugs in my city. Do you understand me?” Another nod. I dig my blunt nails into his ear as I pinch it tighter. He whimpers, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. If he’s looking for sympathy, he won’t get it from me. “You will not get another warning after this. The mayor cannot protect you fromme.”
I’m seething. Mayor DuPont has the goddamn audacity to think he holds any kind of authority over me. He hasn’t been so bold until now, which means he’s just made the top of my shit list, right under that fucking asshole, Greely Aubert.
Fucking Aubert… I know he’s behind the whole thing. This has his name written all over it. The mayor wouldn’t have the backbone to say such a thing if he didn’t have Aubert backing him. The good ole mayor is Aubert’s puppet.
I’m going to find a way to kill Aubert. It just became my life’s mission.
I’m half tempted to gut Paulie. Slice him from hip to hip, and dump him on the mayor’s doorstep with his innards spilling out.
My nostrils flare as I take in a deep breath.
No. I’ll wait. I’ll be smarter than them. I’ll save my moves for the right time. And now is not that time.
I pull the shell of Paulie’s ear tight as I slice down. He jerks, and I end up getting everything but the lobe and the gold hoop hanging from it. He wiggles away from the hand Andre has over his mouth and screams his pain to the sky as he bucks, trying to get free. The ear is bleeding, but not much. I look down to see if I’ve made a mess of my suit, but I’m wearing ink black, so it’s hard to tell. I fling the ear to the side, not giving it a single glance as it lands on the pavement. Torrin steps on it, grinding it beneath his heel as he fights to keep Paulie still. I need to remember to make him remove his shoes before he gets in my car.
