“I don’t want to learn anything from you,” I said as I pushed back on the gun, trying to get it off my throat.
“That hurts my feelings, Cole,” he mocked me. “But that’s okay, because you’re not coming back tonight anyway.”
He reached to his side, holding me down with only one hand, and he produced a handgun from his pants or suit pocket, or maybe just thin air. I was starting to consider that maybe all the stories about him were true
“Now, before I shoot you, I want you to know that I have really enjoyed being a thorn in your side,” he said as he leveled the gun at my face.
I stared down the barrel of his 9mm.It wasn’t the first time I’d had a gun shoved in my face like that. If he thought that was going to scare me, especially with his smooth talk, he was pretty damn mistaken. I’d had so many guns pulled on me that way before that it had actually become a pretty common occurrence at one point before we established our dominance on the streets.
With his gun in my face, he didn’t realize it, but he’d actually given me the upper hand again. While I wasn’t sure how he was putting so much weight on the rifle at my neck, I knew how to get out from underneath the handgun, but I couldn’t move again. This time it was because of his weight holding my arms down with the gun.
“It’s a shame we couldn’t work together, Cole, but you’ve got to realize the world is changing. There just isn’t room for street thugs like you and your biker gang anymore. Organized crime is going corporate. My business is so much bigger now than you could ever hope to be,” he continued.
“Just pull the trigger already,” I sighed.
“I can’t do that. You know that. It would be too easy to just wipe you out. Besides, I’m trying to pay you a compliment, and you aren’t listening,” he said.
“I don’t need compliments from the likes of you, Fang. Now, blow my brains out or get the fuck off me,” I snapped.
“My goodness. Why are you in such a rush to die, Cole? Is it because your friends are watching and you don’t want them to see you like this?” he taunted me.
“No, but that’s why you won’t do it, isn’t it?” I asked him, laughing at him. “You know that if you go ahead and take me out right now, there are two guns pointed at your head from behind. As soon as they hear the gun go off, they will unload on you.”
I saw his eyes shift then. He realized he no longer had the upper hand, and I couldn’t help but rub it in his face.
“You never actually had the upper hand, Fang. You realize that as soon as you take me out, someone will step right in to take my place. In fact, he’s standing right behind you with an assault rifle pointed at your head. Can you say that about any of your men? Do you have someone to step in behind you and continue your business once you’re dead?” I asked him, taunting him, trying to get inside his head for a change.
“Shut up,” he growled, shoving his gun in my face.
“You’re not even trying anymore, are you? You know that no matter what happens to me now, you’re dead, and everything you’ve worked so hard for will fall into the hands of Hell’s Overlords. That’s right, once we get you out of the picture, we’re taking your business people under our wing, and we’re going to keep your businesses going for you.”
His eyes searched my face, looking for a hole in my words somewhere, looking for something he could grab ahold of to tear me apart, but he knew I was right. He knew I wasn’t just talking shit anymore. He knew we were about to take everything from him, including his life.
“You know, you were right,” I continued. “We would have made a pretty decent team, but your greed is going to cost you everything. Everything. Hell, even if you manage to walk away from here alive tonight, we’re going to take everything from you.”
“Shut the fuck up,” he yelled.
I could feel his grip on the rifle slipping. His gun wavered. I was getting under his skin, and I was about to earn my freedom back from him.
Chapter 27
Sasha
I raised my gun, but Dante put a hand on it and pushed it back down.
“No, wait,” he told me.
“But look at them. Fang has Cole on the ground,” I pleaded.
“That’s fine,” Dante argued. “Just wait. Cole’s got this. I can feel it.”
“But what if he doesn’t?” I asked.
“But he does.”
I lowered my weapon and watched. I couldn’t see what was going on. Fang’s back was to us. All I could see was that he was straddling Cole, and it looked like he was pressing Cole’s rifle down on his throat. I took a couple of steps closer to try to get a better look. I walked carefully, quietly.