***ZANE’S POV***
It is settled, London Jameson will be the death of me.
Fuck! I sit in front of her at the back of the eatery we have gone to. The side booth has this beautiful view of the outside, London can’t help staring at the vehicles as they pass by.
“Zane?” London’s soft voice pierces my ears.
Since we left home, London has been actively avoiding me. I don’t want her to fear me in a bad way, but right now? I guess I will let her be.
“Yes, little girl,” I reply as I pick up the menu.
London had been scrolling the pages, but she seems confused.
“I still want a blueberry pancake,” she musters.
I raise my brow in question before understanding dawns on me.
I was going to make her breakfast this morning. I don’t do that for anyone, but with London, the need to please her is so strong. A low guttural groan leaves my throat.
“Order as many as your stomach can support then,” I tell her smiling sweetly at her.
“Yes! Thank you, Daddy Zane,” she mutters before lifting her hand and waving for the waiter to come by.
I don’t regret having punished London earlier, but if she wants to live, she will have to abide by the rules I give her. She has to obey my instructions.
London settles on a blueberry pancake and ice cream, I take a latte and cookies.
Our meals are served and we eat in silence. When my phone rings, I pick it up and see Reaper’s name flashing on the screen.
“I have to take this call, baby. Give me a moment okay?” I ask making sure London is following.
“Yes, Zane,” she says cutting into her pancake and eating it.
She looks so young, so carefree, so fucking beautiful, and all mine.
I stand from the booth and kiss London’s forehead. She giggles but reserves a small part of herself as she focuses on her meal.
“Stay here,” I tell her and walk outside of the eatery.
Lake Side isn’t a small town as per say, it is big enough to call it a county. But we know one another around here or most of us. I rule the town and I don’t let anyone touch what is mine.
I walk to the parking area, and from here, I have a very clear view of the road and London, from where she is sitting.
If she notices me, London doesn’t pay attention to me. After getting spanked for eavesdropping, I don’t think she wants her ass whooped anytime soon.
I answer Reaper’s call.
“Boss,” he calls out with a stern voice.
“Any issues, Reaper? I was having breakfast with London,” I tell him stressing on the fact that what he has to say better be of high importance.
“Sinner is ready to patrol the club tonight, I believe it is in good hands, and Rio called me saying the shipment will be an hour early,” Reaper says.
“Fuck! That is not good news, and we need to protect it at all costs,” I say into the phone.
My eyes travel back to the eatery and London has her eyes on me, but when she notices that I have just caught her staring, she digs her head into her plate.
From here, she can’t hear what I am saying, but if she wants to stay alive, she must learn how to stay away from my business.
“Send Caleb to the house before dusk, he will keep the house safe and London as well. We should be leaving by eight p. m.” I tell Reaper.
“Alright boss, I will dispatch the information to the men involved,” Reaper says.
I wait for him to disconnect the call and when I turn around, I see London following a man out of the booth she was supposed to be sitting and eating while waiting for me.
I feel blood pumping through my head, I see red. Whoever fucker thought they could touch London and live? Well, they just have a new thing coming their way and I bet they didn’t see it coming.
***LONDON’S POV***
I don’t know what Zane does for work but he scares the living hell out of me. It must not be illegal. Fuck no, he has this big mansion, men who are as scary as him, and the authority he has, talk less of the way he brings it forth.
Zane terrifies the hell out of me.
“Are you alone, honey?” I hear a strange voice ask me and I jolt.
I had been staring at Zane’s magnificent body from the booth I was sitting in, and now, this stranger had startled me. He caught me red-handed checking Zane out though. Why he doesn’t bring it up is above me.
The stranger in front of me has pretty green eyes, his face is handsome, and those fine brown curls on his head are brown.
“No… I am… Waiting for someone,” I say.
The stranger looks outside and then at me.
“Him? He doesn’t look like he has the time of the day for an angel like you,” he tells me.
I chuckle lightly.
“I am fine, I assure you,” I mutter.
I shouldn’t let this stranger think that I am giving him the green light to flirt with me, Zane wouldn’t be happy, and it seems like his eyes keep roaming on my side every minute if he discovers that I have a man in front of me…
Damn it! I am not in a committed relationship with Zane, which brings me to the question, what are we then?
I don’t know, deep down in me, I don’t think I have feelings for him, yet.
Lies. I am a bloody liar.
“Let’s start this over with an introduction,” the stranger says his voice filled with laughter.
I turn to him and his eyes are bright. I nod my head. He seems nice.
“I am Michael Logan, you can call me Mike,” he tells me.
“London,” I say gently.
“Wow! Such a pretty name for a princess,” he says.
He puts his hand into his pocket and comes out with a card.
“Call me if this man of yours becomes any trouble, okay?” he says eyeing Zane again.
I laugh, but the sound isn’t funny. I don’t tell him I am in hostage until my debts are paid though. Still, I grab the card, I never know when I will need his assistance.
“Thank you,” I say.
“Come over to my sit, I will introduce you to my pet dog, Jase,” he says chuckling.
“A dog?” I ask dropping my fork, happiness clouding me already.
“Yes. Let us go if we want to make it to my booth and back,” he says.
I don’t know why this man is being kind to me but I want some companionship if I want my life any better. If Zane thinks that he can go and make a five minutes call, I better have the liberty to do what I want with that time as well.
I follow Mike to his booth and I bend down to pet his dog Jase. Jase wags his tail.
“He is so pretty,” I say but Mike doesn’t respond.
I hear a loud crash behind me and turn in shock to see Zane pounding Mike on the face.
I scream.
“What the fuck, Zane? Let him go,” I say walking towards them and trying to pull Zane away from Michael.
“Stop! Don’t,” I yell.
The security men had started coming in and eyes were looking at us now.
Zane let go of Mike but his face is bloody, I rush to Mike but Zane’s massive hand grabs my arm turning me to look at him.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Zane?” I bark out snatching my hand from Zane’s grasp.
People were staring already.
“Who is he and why did you leave the booth? I asked you to stay there. Or did your fucking little pussy need attention?” he asked his eyes shooting daggers at me.
I felt my face growing red, I slapped Zane hard across the face.
“Fuck you, bastard,” I shout at the top of my voice.
Fuck everyone here, if anyone is recording, then, this shit is going to go viral real quick.
I rush back to the bloodstained Michael but before I can apologize properly, Zane’s massive grip surrounds my body, he lifts me from the floor and manhandles me, throwing me over his shoulder.
“I will do a shitty job fucking you, London,” he tells me as he passes by the booth, he removes a hundred-dollar bill and puts it on the table.
We haven’t even finished eating breakfast yet, I look back at Michael and his eyes stare at me pathetically.
“Don’t, Zane, leave me alone. Someone call the cops please, I am being kidnapped,” I shout.
Everyone is looking at Zane as he carries me out of the eatery, I pound his back as I wail.
The security men stop in front of Zane and his voice is icy when he speaks to them.
“If you all don’t get the fuck out of my face, I swear, I will destroy your entire generation, plus your pets,” he backs out angrily.
I see the men disperse.
“Michael, help me, please,” I shout out.
I don’t know this stranger, he could help me escape from Zane right now, but I don’t think he would after I have been such a brat.
Zane walks out of the eatery and towards the car.
I start shouting and wailing harder. Zane might kill me if I am left with him alone. He hasn’t said a direct word to me, but I know he will have my grave dug in front of me and kill me slowly.
“Zane, let me go,” I scream out hitting his back harder.
We reach the car and Zane opens the passenger side of the car, he unceremoniously dumps me inside and I fight him. I try to run but this man is so powerful. He doesn’t let me go.
I scratch his face, and his shoulder blades, Zane still doesn’t utter a word to me.
He finished buckling my seatbelt and slams the door heavily on his way out. Before I can unbuckle my seatbelt to run, Zane is on the driver’s side of the car, he closes all the doors and starts the car.
We drive to the outskirts of town, I don’t know where we are going and I start getting scared.
“Call Caleb,” he says aloud and the AI in the car dials Caleb’s number.
After two rings, Caleb’s voice resonates in the car.
“Boss,” he says.
“Meet me at The Clay’s House (TCH) as soon as possible. Come as soon as you can,” he says and drops the call.
I don’t know where that is, but we are still in town, the houses have just reduced.
“That is it then, you have my grave dug up already? Fuck you, Zane, you are going to kill me and bury me? Is that it, you stupid mother fucker?” I bark out in the car.
I know I will have more than a red ass to pay the price, but Zane not talking to me, him keeping me in the dark, fuck it, I can’t think well.
I didn’t do anything wrong, I was just making small talk with a man who walked up to me and decided to be friendly. I loved his labrador of a dog, I didn’t even have the time to pet Jase properly before Zane barged in and set the hall in chaos.
“Zane!” I scream out but the man’s firm gaze remains on the road.
I guess he chose our safety first, over starting a fight with me.
“If you are going to kill me, tell my brother that I love him and that I was stupid enough to get into a fight with a no-sense bastard of a man,” I say angrily.
Zane is still silent.
“That is it, if you are going to ignore me, I will rather jump out of this moving car and kill myself before you can do that for me,” I say starting to move my hands towards the seatbelt.
The car is locked though, but if I stretch my hand real quick, I might open it and commit the most dumbest fall and die real quick.
Zane’s hoarse voice is directed to me and it is not friendly, to say the least.
“I swear, London, if you do not want me to pack this car by the side of the road and fuck you until your brain becomes a mushy substance, keep your hands to your side and think of what to give me as an explanation to what just happened at the eatery,” he says as calmly as ever.
Zane has a suppressed anger, I watch how a shiver runs down my body, and I know I have fucked this up big time. I remove my hand from my seatbelt and pout.
“Well, go fuck yourself, Zane, I am not letting you in my pants ever again,” I shout.
He chuckles darkly. “Well, Little human, I have never asked permission to fuck you before, have I? This time will just be different because I will be planting a baby in you,” he tells me, his voice ever so calm.
I feel the heat travel all over my body, I know better not to let Zane’s words get the best of me, but I just can’t help it.
“Fuck you to hell and back, Zane. Fuck every goddamn hole in your body,” I shout as I hit the car.
Zane doesn’t utter any word as he drives the rest of the way out.
I sit calmly not letting any tears leave my eyes. I want to be strong but I already know I am dead. Zane wouldn’t let me out of this alive.