“Beane. Diego Beane.”
“Okay, Mr. Beane. What the hell are you doing with my coke? This hasn’t even been chopped up yet for distribution. I suggest you give me some answers right now if you and your boys want to make it out of here in one piece,” Joe’s tone left no room for argument, his blood boiling at the fact that someone had hijacked his coke.
“Oh, you won’t be chopping up any of this precious gold. You see, I’ve got your shipment. In fact, I’m going to be running all your shipments from now on.” Diego spread his arms wide and turned in a slow circle, smiling as if they were all old friends.
“The fuck?” Fab spat out, not wanting to put up with any shit. He raised his gun and took aim, ready to teach the lowlife prick that fucking with the West 9th gang was not a wise choice.
“Ah, I thought you might have that reaction to my announcement,” Diego replied. He was way too cocky, a fact none of them liked one bit. “You see, by the end of this meeting here, you’re going to be begging me to take over your business.”
“I doubt that,” Joe said. Without seeming to move at all, he gave the silent order and one of his best men, Floyd Castillo opened fire, his aim true in taking out two more of Diego’s men. Chaos ensued in a flurry of bullets and shouts, men scattering across the wide dance floor. Joe never flinched, never so much as moved a muscle as bullets whizzed by him. When he finally called for a halt, there was losses on each side, but he and Diego were still left standing.
“Put your cards on the table,” Joe demanded. “You started this shit, we’re gonna have the cops crawling all over this place.”
“Fine,” Diego conceded and tossed a large manilla envelope to him. Joe snatched it out of the air and tore open the package, spreading several glossy 8x10 photos out on the bar.
“What the hell is this?” he asked, gesturing to the photos.
“I know who she is. I know who she is to you.”
Joe stared at him, bewildered. “You’ve made a mistake, brother. I don’t know this woman.”
Diego shook his head repeatedly. “No. No, you can’t fool me, old man. My intel is good, I know it. I know who she is to you and believe me when I tell you I will make her suffer considerably unless you back down and turn your business over to me. My men here are dying to line up and have a go at that bitch. Probably more than one,” he threatened.
“Fucking bullshit,” Joe muttered. Without another word, he drew his own piece and put a bullet between Diego’s eyes. The whole room seemed to freeze and then in a flash, all out war erupted as Diego’s men reacted.
Taking cover, Joe felt the burn of fire in his right side and knew he’d caught one. Twenty-five years. Twenty-five years he’d been in the game and never caught a bullet. As he crouched, one of the photos drifted down onto the floor in front of him, smeared with the blood of some motherfucker. The smiling photo of the young brunette stared up at him as he started to lose consciousness.
Some things...some things were so precious and innocent not even death could erase their value.
The sacrifice of life was the most beautiful gift of all.
Chapter 2
Atticus Ellison wasn’t a man that took responsibility lightly. As mayor of Glen Abbott, a position he obtained at the age of thirty-four, he faced a unique set of challenges. Elders who believed he was unfit to lead undermined him at every turn, while other members of government thought he was in it simply for the accolades. The few that really knew him understood his intentions were pure; his ambition without a personal agenda.
When the pandemic hit a few months prior, he’d had to step into the role of leader much faster than he’d planned. The weight of heavy decisions pushing on his shoulders on a daily basis. Keeping Canadians safe was his first priority, even if people didn’t agree with the rules and guidelines he put in place. At the end of day, if what he was doing saved a life; all the criticism and grief over the imposed lockdowns would be worth it.
Pulling his black Acura into one of the only available spots outside of Just a Scoop of Sugar, the town’s most popular coffee shop, he flipped the visor down and took a good long look in the mirror. His light brown hair was sticking up in odd tufts all over this head, a telltale sign that he needed a haircut badly. Behind his black-rimmed glasses, his light green eyes all but screamed how exhausted he was. Hence the desperate need for a good cup of coffee. Fitting his mask over his face, he exited his car and headed towards the shop’s double doors. With any luck, Shea would be working and maybe he could finally convince her to say more than three words to him.
He’d been coming to the coffee shop for as long as he could remember, and she was still as beautiful as the first time he saw her, with her shoulder-length dark hair and light blue eyes. Eyes that were somehow made more luminous by the bright mask covered with yellow and pink polk-a-dots she wore.
Approaching the counter, he had a few rare moments to observe her unnoticed. The grace she carried herself with was so appealing, while at the same time being damn sexy. The gentle sway of her hips, and bounce of her tits beneath her fitted t-shirt as she moved with urgency caused his mouth to go dry as he studied her. Realizing he was openly gawking, he gave himself a mental shake and screwed his head on straight. No need to be caught as some kind of fucking creepy lunatic.
“Good morning,” he called out, raising his voice to be heard over the glass barrier separating the counter from the line of customers.
Shea’s head swiveled in his direction and her smile came easy as their eyes locked on each other. The spark of chemistry even with all the barriers between them was impossible to deny. It was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. His skin came alive; his body yearning to be closer to her. He’d give anything to snatch her into his arms and find out if her skin was as soft as it looked.
“Mayor,” she greeted him. “The usual?”
Atticus inwardly sighed. It appeared their exchange wasn’t going to start off as anything but normal as he’d hoped. “Bran muffin instead today, please. And better add an extra espresso shot in my coffee. Lord knows I need it.”
Shea merely nodded her understanding and moved away to fill his order. He kept his eyes glued to her perky ass, fantasizing about her flesh turning pink under his hands while he made her moan in pleasure. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed another man in line also appreciating Shea’s attributes and sent a glare in his direction. Don’t even think about it, bud.
She returned with his order, and with nothing more than a smile, cashed out his order. Not wanting to let another day go by without moving things forward, he took matters into his own hands.
"Thank you, gorgeous. Shea,” he stopped her as she started to move on to the next person. “One of these days, I'm going to ask you out on a real date.” Her eyebrows shot up at this statement. “Well, as real as it can get these days. And you're going to say yes. Not because I asked, not because I'm the Mayor, but because you want to. And sweetheart, I definitely want you to say yes."
Shea blushed and glanced away, not sure how to respond. He was handsome enough and certainly charming. But a date? With the mayor? Not something she ever saw as a real possibility.
"Ummm...Mr. Ellison..." she began.