Page 28 of Fatal Scheme

“I don’t like this alliance, not one bit. You and Ty need to pay a few visits to the lower level members of this new crew, remind them who the Masseria’s are.”

“When?”

“Tonight.” With that command, Jasper sits all the way up, kissing me on the cheek as he lifts me off his lap, placing me gently back into the passenger's seat.

“That’s short notice. We don’t even have recon yet,” Jasper argues, but his father cuts him off.

“Then it’s going to be a long night. I expect you to get this done, Son. It’s our family legacy on the line,” he asserts, and I practically wince, having been on the receiving end of that specific line too many times to count.

“Anything else, Dad?”

“No, that’ll be all. Loop Ty in and get a move on,” he says, ending the phone call without even saying goodbye.

The energy in this car has been completely sucked out, the tension at an all time high, but I can’t think of anything to say to help him work through this.

“Fuck!” Jasper shouts, punching the steering wheel as I nearly jump out of my skin, his outburst the last thing I expected.

“Are you okay?” I whisper, reaching out to touch his arm, attempting to ground him back into reality.

“I’m sorry, Carter. My dad brings out the worst in me,” he answers, dragging a hand down his face, the most stressed I’ve ever seen him.

“I thought that was me,” I joke, and a slight smile breaks across his face as he reaches over the middle console, pulling me back into his arms.

“No, not even close. I think … I think you’re forcing the best out of me, like some little witch that cast a spell. You’re good for me, or we’re good for each other,” he confesses, staring down into my eyes, and I know he believes every word he’s saying.

“You’re good for me, too, Jasper. Good in bed. Good at driving me crazy. Good at stalking young college girls,” I tease, and he tilts my chin, placing a quick kiss on my lips before pressing our foreheads together.

“All I heard was good in bed, my perfect little cock slut,” he whispers, lightly biting the tip of my nose as I tangle my hands in his hair, tugging hard at the roots.

“But you’re leaving tonight? For … work, I assume?” I change the subject, not squandering the fact that I just heard some seriously damaging inside information.

“Work, sure, you could call it that. I’m probably going to spend a few hours staking out some men, scare the fuck out of a few more, and then to top it all off, I’ll end up killing them, delivering their heads on a silver platter to ruin some fucking boss’ morning,” he tells me, the irritation growing in his voice as he continues to describe the gory details.

“I thought you liked slicing people open?” I giggle, masking my curiosity with a seemingly innocent question.

Over the last few weeks, Tyson and Jasper haven’t tried to hide what they really do from me, answering my questions with ease, and even though I learned a lot about them from the files I studied, Jasper tends to tell stories, clueing me into just how sick in the head he really is.

Thankfully, I match the darkness that lives inside of him, and can stomach the tall tales of gore and torture.

Although, I’ve found that the most difficult task has been to bite my tongue so as to not to share my own horror stories, like a twisted version of what normal people call bonding.

“I do, but … it’s complicated, Carter. I don’t want to work for my father, or further my family legacy. I just want … to live a normal life. I’d be content if I never watched the light drain out of someone’s eyes again. I’ve taken enough bodies off this Earth,” he says, the pain in his voice ever-present, and I press my lips to his, tears threatening to fall down my cheeks at his words.

Before I got to know this big, macho mafia prince, I never would’ve imagined that I’d relate to him so deeply, but we’ve lived the same life, walked in the same pair of shoes, and in this moment, all I want is to confess that I feel the same fucking way.

Sometimes, I want to run and hide from my own legacy, to let it all burn to the ground while I watch from somewhere far enough away from the carnage, but I can’t.

Similarly, I can’t say what would bring Jasper and I closer together, what could link us in ways nobody else understands, because I’m lying to him.

Admittedly, I haven’t felt an ounce of guilt about that fact until this very second, and it hits in a way I never imagined because it actually bothers me.

It hurts all the way down to my bones to lie to him, to feel guilty about my deception, and my head is fucking spinning.

“What’s the matter, Carter?” Jasper asks, concern painted on his face as he strips me from the inner workings of my mind.

“Nothing. Nothing, I just wish that dream could come true for you.” I stammer, hoping to distract him from my emotional moment – another lie I had to tell – and for now, it works.

“One day. Ty and I have thought about it since we were kids, and one day, we’ll make it a reality. With you by our side now, anything’s possible.” He kisses me once more, with a little extra passion this time, replacing the guilt with lust, my belly fluttering as he parts my lips with his tongue.