Fuck.

I shouldn’t have done it. I shouldn’t have walked out there and put my mouth on her sweet pussy, but I fuckin’ did. And because of that, I complicated shit. Now she’s no doubt thinkin’ about it as much as I am. I should have stayed away, kept my guard up and let the relationship go, but it was impossible after she threw herself onto my lap in that basement and kissed me.

And fuck, did she kiss me.

I let out a low, feral growl. I can’t be doing this; not after Ingrid. That was enough to teach me that emotions are fucked. Anything besides sex is just a dangerous game to play. Jaylah isn’t just a fuck-and-leave kind of girl. I know that, I knew that before I did it, but I fuckin’ did it anyway. She might act like she’d just take a piece and leave, but I can see it, even under all her spunk, that she’s not going to be a mere sex toy.

Stay the fuck away, Mack.

I focus back on the road, and how I’m goin’ to deal with Gregor. I hope to fuckin’ God he lets it go, but there’s a chance he won’t, and it’ll start yet another fuckin’ war we don’t need. With everything goin’ on in the club, and Benito around, I don’t have time for any of this shit.

When I reach the old warehouse where we organized to meet, I pull the truck over and get out.

I reach around, checking my gun is secure in my back pocket before walking in past the old creaking gates. Dust flies around, a result of little rain in the past month or so, and my black clothes quickly become dusty. I see Gregor standing beside a sleek, black car. Why the fuck anyone would bring a car into this dust pile is beyond me. Especially a car like that.

He’s crouched over, even though he’s trying not to show it. He took a solid blow to the gut with that bullet. I have no doubt he’s livin’ in some pretty serious pain right now. I stop in front of him and scan the area around us, making sure I’m not about to step into a set-up, then I turn and mutter, “Gregor.”

“Didn’t think you’d come along,” he says, his voice tight.

“Said I would.”

He nods. “You and me, we got problems, Miakoda?” he asks.

“That depends,” I say, my voice dropping. “You gonna go after Jaylah?”

“I was shot.”

“Not by her.”

“By her boyfriend.”

“Ex-boyfriend, who she no longer has anything to do with.”

Gregor’s eyes flash and he straightens. “I’m a fair man, Miakoda, but I don’t take kindly to being set up.”

“You think I set you up?” I growl. “Gregor, if I was having you fuckin’ set-up, I would have pulled the gun and shot you myself, not given you fuckin’ cash. That boy came in like a screamin’ loon, and thought he was savin’ Jaylah. We didn’t ask him to. We didn’t fuckin’ want him there, and he’s a fuckin’ idiot.”

“You expect me to believe you?” he hisses.

“Yeah, I fuckin’ do, because if you don’t, we got problems, and I don’t have the fuckin’ time or effort for problems.”

“I’ve heard Benito is back in town.”

I flinch and give him a hard stare. “Benito has got nothin’ to do with this.”

“He wants that baby; he wants you to suffer. He’s even been talkin’ about the girl . . .”

I step forward, blinded by rage, and I curl my fists in his shirt and snarl, “We’re not here to talk about Benito. He’s my fuckin’ problem. We’re here to talk about you and me. Now, if I wanted to fuckin’ kill you, I would have. You believe me, we walk away and you can do whatever the fuck you want to that little bastard who shot you. If you don’t believe me then we start a fuckin’ war, here and now.”

He holds my eyes, his gaze intense.

“I can do whatever the fuck I like to Samuel?”

I jerk my head in response. “I couldn’t give a fuck about that piece of shit and Jaylah might care, but she’s not goin’ to step in the way. He put himself in this mess; he can get himself the fuck out of it. Now, how’s this gonna go down?”

He studies me. “Hands off me, Miakoda.”

I drop him, shoving him back slightly. He winces in pain but rights himself quickly.

“You assure me there’ll be no interference from you or the girl, and we’ve got a deal,” he growls.

I reach out my hand, “Deal.”

He takes it and gives it a quick shake before letting go.

“I mean it, Miakoda. If I hear of her being involved again, I won’t be so nice.”

I shoot him a glare so hard he flinches, but he holds his ground.

“And I mean it when I say we’ll have a big fuckin’ war if you touch her.”

He nods.

I nod.

And it’s done.

For now.

~*~*~*~

JAYLAH

“Hush, sweetheart,” I soothe, bouncing Diesel in my arms as I pace the room.

I know he can feel my tension because he’s upset, crying and won’t calm down. I’m trying to soothe him as much as I can, but my heart is racing and my head is pounding. Mack went to see Gregor this morning, and I don’t know how it’s going to end. Something really bad could happen, and it would be all on me.

I could be the reason Diesel is left without a father.

The sound of a car pulling in has me spinning on my heel and rushing to the window. I see Mack’s black truck and he slides out. He doesn’t really drive it much, he’s usually on his bike, but he looks equally as sexy in a truck, I must say. My breath whooshes out as he nears and I see he’s unharmed. I put Diesel down in his bouncer, and try not to act too desperate when Mack enters the house.