It felt like all I was doing lately was going around warning people away from Joanna. But that was love, wasn’t it? I couldn’t tell anymore, I was so driven by anger at anyone that would threaten her. I didn’t think her uncle was one of those people, but I knew without a doubt that David was.
That’s why I’d made it a point to go into the office today, take a day away from the factory and put myself into as close a proximity as possible to him. I needed to speak to him. To let him know that I was on to him, and that under no uncertain terms would he continue to visit Joanna. He wouldn’t threaten her or I would kill him.
I was going to kill him anyway, but it wasn’t the time.
Not now that he was on my father’s good side. No, his death was going to be slow in coming, but it would be sweet. We had business to run in the meantime and dealings that were legitimate and illegal to oversee. I couldn’t compromise that for pride.
But I could tell him exactly what I was thinking.
“Can I see you in my office?” I asked him at the end of the meeting. I still, technically, outranked him, and when I wanted an audience I got one.
“Sure, what time?” The look in his eyes only served to further piss me off. It was like he knew something that I didn’t and he was teasing me. Flaunting it over me.
Did he know I knew about his little rendezvous with my woman? I’d heard about his meeting in the coffee shop with her. I had eyes and ears all over the place.
“Now.” I ordered, walking away. I had the suit, the pedigree, and the position. No one was going to get the best of me in my city.
Especially not my vile little half-brother.
“What is it?” He might as well have added “dick” at the end of the sentence because that was exactly how he said it.
“I think you know what this is about.”
“Your absenteeism?” he said, the snark in his voice palpable.
“I’ve been busy running other aspects of the company, so sadly, no. It’s about my fiancée.” I glared at him.
“Oh, Joanna? Your forced bride?” He said as he crossed his arms.
I walked up to him, getting as close as physically possible. I was not going to let him intimidate me. No.
“You better stay the f*ck
away from her, you understand?” I said the words as slowly, as deliberately as possible. I wanted him to understand exactly what the stakes were. I wasn’t going to back down from a man like him.
“Oh I understand, I understand that you have something you want to keep safe, and I have a bargaining chip.” Another f*ck
ing answer I didn’t want to hear.
I did the unthinkable.
I punched that motherf*ck
er right across the face in the middle of the office.
He turned away like it was nothing then he looked at me, a smile on his face while blood dribbled off his bottom lip, the scarlet red of the blood filling in the gaps from between his teeth. “She’s a pretty little thing, your Joanna. And she seems to be a sweetie. I met her, you know, before you did. I thought about taking her home too, but a more forceful piece of ass distracted me and now I’m curious. Does she taste as good as I imagine her to?”
I swung again but this time he grabbed my arm and pulled me into him, deflecting the blow and bringing me into a close distance.
“You better watch yourself, boy. You might be the heir to this throne, but you have a contender on your heels, and I’ll gladly take your woman and your life.” He grabbed the folded square out of my pocket and dabbed his split lip with it. “You understand?”
Red. That was all I saw as I slammed my head into his, shoving him aside. I’d had too much training not to know what to do on instinct. So did he. We went back and forth so quickly that no one would understand what was happening if they looked at us. We were well matched to one another and after a few futile motions and movements we disengaged.
“Stay the f*ck
away from her,” I repeated. “Or I will kill you.”
“I don’t think our father would like that very much, in fact, I think he has taken a liking to me. Our relationship has grown over the past year when you f*ck
ed up the first attempt on my life.” He glared.
I had meant to kill him a year ago. I’d even gone as far as attacking him, but when I saw his eyes staring back at mine, I couldn’t. We had the same eyes, my father’s.
It made me hesitate once, but it would do no such thing a second time. I would have his life.
“I’ve got work to get back to, but I won’t take your threat lightly, Greyson. As to Joanna, I think she is capable of making her own choices.” I could see the defiance in his face. He didn’t give a shit about what I had to say. He didn’t care at all.
“She already did. I’m just here to enforce them.” I growled. “Now get out of my sight.”
“Whatever you wish, prince.” He bowed in mock gesture then turned and left.
I waited until I was sure he was down the hall to throw all the shit on my desk off of it and scream. That piece of shit had no idea how dead he was.
He had no idea what he was risking.
Joanna
I did it. I came home from UMBC and pressed my body against the door. I resigned, I picked up all my stuff, and I was officially on leave.