Heartless People |Book 3|

Chapter 8

"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."

—Winston Churchill

MINA

Ring. Ring. Ring.

ARHG! Answer the damn phone! I paced furiously in the bathroom, brushing the tears from the side of my face.

"Mina," the old voice, smoother than snake oil, finally answered.

"I want out. You told me she wouldn't be back and here she is. I only did this because you promised—"

"Mina, I'm going to hang up now and you are not going to call me again...do you understand? Some of us have work to do. Stand your ground and wait. It's your life on the line, so I suggest that you do not fail and be found out." He hung up and I wanted to smash the phone and scream.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't fucking breathe. I had told him everything about the family, in exchange for Bambam and Ethan. Bambam was going to take over, I was going to have Ethan, and everything was supposed to be alright. Everything was going to be the way it should have been.

Falling against the wall, I slid to the ground. I wasn't sure what to do. Jen was going to find out and she was going to kill me.

"Oh, God," I gasped out.

"Mina? Sweetheart, are you okay in there?" Bambam called from the other side of the door.

My hands went to my mouth trying to stop the building panic as my whole body shook.

"Mina?" The handle rattled.

"I'm fine, Bambam," I finally managed to say.

"Okay."

There was silence for a moment and I thought he had left. Standing, I roughly washed my face and opened the door only to find him standing there, arms crossed, waiting for me.

"I hate when you lie to me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said bypassing him as I walked to my vanity.

He sighed loudly. "Mina, look, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've been so hard on you. I was worried about Lisa, and now that she's back, I remember how much of an ass she is. But I don't have to worry anymore. She's going to take over..."

"Do you want her to take over?" I whispered, as I rubbed my moisturizer over my face.

"Are we going to have this fight again?"

"And what fight is that?"

"The one where you tell me to step up. Be a man—"

"You said you didn't want to 'walk on the dark side,' that you hated it. The last thing I want to be is a snake in your garden. So—"

"Mina." He grabbed my shoulder. "You aren't a snake in a garden. You're a snake in pit full of snakes. And while it lasted, it was nice not worrying about Lisa breathing down my neck."

"What are you saying?" I whispered.

He kissed my head as he met my gaze in the mirror. "I have no idea. I just don't want you to ever think I'm letting you down."

"You could never." I was the one letting him down...he was going to hate me. But I couldn't let Bloody Jen win. She had everything, got everything. She couldn't have it all. I was stuck, there was no turning back, and it was either die by Avian's hands or by Jen's. At least with Avian there was a chance that I wouldn't suffer.

He didn't want to control the drug trade or get rid of it.

He had said the junkies weren't the problem, it was the dealers. The junkies didn't care where they got there next fix. As the head of the FBI, he didn't want drug wars breaking out across the country for control. If Jen and Lisa were brought down, there would be a vacuum of power left that would be perfect for Bambam and me to snatch up. I knew Bambam wanted it, he just didn't know how to get it.

Feeling confident, I leaned into him. "I love you, Bambam."

"Well, I am good looking." He kissed the side of my head before answering his phone.

They all thought I was obsessed with Ethan and a part of me was; he and I had bonded. He would stare at me with those bright eyes of his and it would just pull at my soul.

Jen was just jealous. She was to blame for this situation, not me.

She was just a Prada wearing thug. I was the first daughter. I was Mina Myoi-Manoban. While they worried about me with Ethan, I was going to do everything in my power to bring them down.

They were snakes and so was I. And I was going to do whatever was needed to get everything I was entitled to.

It was all going to work out. It was only fair. They'd had their chance, now it was my turn.

"Mina!" Bambam grabbed my hand and pulled my fist open. I saw the blood that I had drawn myself. I hadn't felt a thing.

The first drawn blood of war.

"Mina, you're really starting to worry me."

"My nails are sharp, babe. Seriously, don't worry about it." I brushed my uninjured hand over his cheek. "I'm fine. I'm going to clean this up and then we can head out."

"Should I hide the razors?" he half joked, testing me.

"Ass," I muttered, smacking his arm.

"There's my good girl," he mockingly called me what my father usually did.

I was the good girl. Now, I was damaged goods, yet that still had to be better than being Jen.

Right?