Better When He's Bad (Welcome to the Point #1)(77)
“Officer King, it’s been a long time.” Novak sounded so sure, so cocky about thinking he held all the cards. My jaw clenched shut as Titus’s gaze snapped from his betrayer to the city’s most feared criminal.
“How many dirty cops you got on the payroll, Novak?”
“Enough. How does it feel to be on your knees, in your own handcuffs, in front of me, Titus? Your mother sure knew how to foster illusions of false hope in you boys.”
Titus’s gaze swung to me and I felt my knuckles crack even harder as my fists turned into steel balls at my sides.
“Shut him the f**k up, Shane.”
We both swore as Benny got to his feet and used his knee to crack Titus’s jaw shut. My brother’s head snapped back at the impact and a spray of blood shot out of his mouth. I narrowed my eyes at Benny when he laughed as Titus groaned and let his head roll loosely on his shoulders.
“When I’m done with you, I’m going to make you wish the only bone I broke was your nose, ass**le.” I made sure Benny knew it was a promise and not a threat.
Benny snickered and shoved Titus over onto his side with his foot.
“You always had a big head. You’re nothing special, Bax. If you weren’t his blood, you would’ve died in the joint just like every other worthless thief we’ve put there over the years. You always got a free pass and you should appreciate it.”
I cut a nasty look at Novak and motioned to Titus. “What’s that supposed to prove? He locked me up, let me rot for five years, just like you did. I owe him even less than I owe you. You think you’re going to drag him in here, threaten him, and I’m going to roll over and play nice? You don’t own me, Novak, and you never will. Kill him, I don’t give a shit.”
It was a lie, a bald-faced lie, but I refused to give Novak the upper hand. Blood was going to paint the Point in rivers of red, and as long as Novak was one of the ones bleeding at the end of the night, I didn’t—couldn’t—care about anything else.
Novak shook his head and moved around me so he was standing in front of Titus.
“You thought you had me, cop. Just like Race thought he had me five years ago. A legend doesn’t die that easy.”
Titus worked himself up into a sitting position and spit out a mouthful of blood.
“Good thing you’re just a man, then.”
“I am the man who runs this town. I’ve known what you had cooking up since the second Bax got out of prison. Race is a smart kid, but he’s just a kid and he doesn’t have what it takes to see things through to the end. Not like he does.” Novak hooked a thumb over his shoulder and I growled. I didn’t want this man’s admiration or praise in any way.
“So what now? You threaten Titus, you gloat that you knew about the video all along, you shoot us both? What’s the plan? Because only one of us is leaving this building still breathing.”
He laughed. “So arrogant. So sure of yourself. It’s a shame you had to waste all that passion behind bars for so long. It gave you too much time to think, broke down some of that armor living the life had built up around you.”
He lifted a hand and Nassir came around the side of the bar dragging a very unhappy, struggling redhead with him. I couldn’t look her in the eyes. This was the very thing I had been trying so hard to avoid.
“They shot Gus and Race.” Her voice broke, and out of the corner of my eye I saw her settle down and sort of just fold in on herself. “They hurt him so badly, Bax. I don’t think he was breathing.”
Nassir shoved her in Novak’s direction and I couldn’t stop myself from cringing when he grabbed her by her throat and shook her. I heard Benny laugh and it took every ounce of self-control I possessed not to murder him with my bare hands. He put his arm around my shoulders like we were pals and I went stiff. I finally clapped my gaze on Dovie’s and something inside me shattered into a million pieces that were sharp enough to make all of us bleed.
“She’s a fiery one. I can see why you like her so much.” Benny’s words landed heavy on the cement surrounding us and I could hear Dovie’s panicked breathing and my brother swearing and struggling, but I never took my eyes off of Novak.
He pulled a knife out of one of his pockets and the blade snicked out with a hiss that made fury boil so hot under my skin, I was surprised I wasn’t melting into the barren ground under my boots. Dovie’s green eyes widened a fraction and flicked from me to the blade. I wanted to scream at her that this is what my life looked like. This is what had ultimately been waiting around the bend for me, and for her, by association, because beyond all odds I cared for her . . . so much. I could see that knowledge and the power it gave him glowing out of the soulless pits of Novak’s eyes. If there ever was such a thing as bad blood, I was full to the brim with it because of this man . . . my father.
“What are you willing to do for the sister, Bax? You went to jail for the brother, defied me, walked away from all I had to offer you. Something tells me you would give anything for her to be safe.”
As long as I lived, as long as Dovie and even Race drew breath, Novak knew he would have a way to control me, a way to make me do whatever he wanted. Like a bolt of lightning from the sky, I realized the only way to take the power out of his hands was to eliminate what he desired. He was right that I would do anything to keep her safe, and there was only one option and for once it didn’t feel like making the hard choice at all.