AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m in charge!” I rush forward, bringing us nose to nose.
He doesn’t even flinch. “And I am your best friend. Me, JP, Tommy. We are your brothers. Which means you may be top dog, Nick, but your bark don’t work on us.”
The blood-red haze previously clouding my vision starts to subside, though my chest continues to heave. Sensing he’s making progress, he continues. “We all know how Daph can be. Girl’s a firecracker. I bet JP had to drag her kicking and screaming to the car. But he’s got her. She’s safe. He’s taking her home.”
“He treats everything like a joke.”
“That jokester took a bullet for you once. Say what you want, but the boy shows the fuck up when it counts. You know that. You would’ve never left him alone with Jonsie if you didn’t trust him entirely.”
My mind flashes back to the night he got shot. How we were raiding a rival’s compound, and my dumb ass didn’t clear one of the closets in a room before passing through. JP dove right in front of me without a moment’s hesitation. Had that bullet been three inches to the right, he wouldn’t even be here to mouth off to me in the first place.
Rico’s right.
Fuck. I owe him an apology.
JP: DAPH’S HOME.
JP: DICK.
ME: THANK YOU, MAN. I’M SORRY.
JP: OH, SURE. WAIT TIL I CALL YOU A NAME BEFORE YOU APOLOGIZE SO I FEEL LIKE SHIT.
ME: I DESERVE IT.
JP: SAY JP’S MY BEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WORLD.
ME: YOU ALREADY GOT AN APOLOGY.
JP: JP’S BEST FRIEND SAYS WHAT.
ME: WHAT?
JP: HEY, BESTIE.
ME: GODDAMN IT.
Shaking my head, I swipe out of the text thread with JP and over to Daph’s. This girl is going to be the fucking death of me. What the hell was she thinking? Since when is she picking up guys on nights out with J? Why is she picking up guys at all?
My mind conjures images of her body grinding against some faceless fuckboy, and it’s several seconds before the tremors in my hands subside to the point where I can begin typing. This last year it’s as though she’s been hell bent on driving me insane. Maybe I’m just being hypersensitive, but lately everything she does puts me on edge.
That pouty mouth with her smartass comments, goading me every time we share a space. Prancing around in those obscene little sleep shorts when she stays over. Licking my fucking face the other day when she was at the house after I reprimanded her. Perhaps she’s been running around unchecked for too long and needs a reminder of who’s in charge.
ME: WHAT PART OF ‘BEHAVE’ DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?
DEMON: SORRY, IT’S PAST THIS TEENY BOPPER’S BEDTIME. NO TEXTING ALLOWED.
Ah, so that’s what this is about. A couple of days ago Daph stopped by the house to drop something off to Ma. Two of my guys were there grabbing keys to the warehouse and they were all too eager to make her acquaintance. Those god forsaken yoga shorts didn’t help. Seriously, one of them had to basically pick his jaw up off the floor when she walked in. He practically tripped over his tongue trying to introduce himself.
I shut that shit down immediately. There is no way I’d allow one of my dealers anywhere near Daph. So, when he inquired as to what she was doing later, I was quick to step in, asking why he was seeking out the company of my baby’s sister’s teeny bopper friends when he could pursue one of the endless supply of real woman eager to claim a Duke.
I shouldn’t be surprised she’s still raw over that comment. It was a fucked-up thing to say. But I needed him away from her. Because every second he flirted with her was another second closer to me shooting him in my parents’ kitchen.
“Nick.” Rico’s voice snaps at me once more. “We’re on the fucking clock here.”
Holding up a finger, I thumb out a reply with my other hand.
ME: IS THERE A REASON YOU WERE SO INCLINED TO RUB AGAINST SOMEONE?
