Chapter 13
<Gavin Forrester>
I wake up early and throw on some clothes. I grab a water bottle on my way out the door and press the down button so I can go to the garage. I have an early morning meeting with Talon this morning and by meeting, I mean I'm going to break into his office again and steal a few more files. Hopefully, he'll have one on Carter or something I could hold over his and Carter's head.
I smirk at the thought as the elevator doors open, reveling a completely empty garage which is normal since I'm convinced all of my neighbors are retirees who barely get out of the house. I walk to my parking spot and my jaw drops when I see my Ferrari. There's jagged marks running the length of it and spell out 'Jackass'.
Oh Carter, I know who's the jackass is and it definitely isn't the person who owns this car.
I look down and see my hands shaking with anger. I clench my teeth and try to figure out what I'm going to do about this situation. I refuse to let Carter win but how am I going to turn this situation around on him? I could go to the cops with my drug claims but then again dear old daddy Jacobson would save him before any words came out of my mouth. He doesn't want any of this making it to the media.
I roll my eyes and let out an exasperated breath. I decide to call Victoria and tell her about what's happened. I dial her number and sit down on the hood of my now damaged car.
"Hey, Gavin...What's up?" Victoria says in a sweet voice.
"Your satanic fiancée took his cheap little house key to my $200,000 car...Damn it, I will put him through hell for this...He'll pay for this I swear," I let out an angry breath through my nose as Victoria processes what I just told her.
"Carter keyed your car?" Victoria says in a small voice.
"No one else would carve 'jackass' into the side of my car." I state simply.
"Gavin, I'm so sorry. I'm coming over, wait there; I want to see the damage." She mutters quickly and I hear some shuffling on the other end of the phone.
"Bring Carter with you. I want to teach him what real men do to spineless rats like him." I snarl, my anger multiplying as I say his name.
"You can beat him up later. I won't be able to get out of the house if I try to bring him." Victoria chuckles. "I'm leaving now. Don't move an inch."
With that she hangs up on me and I sigh. Part of me wants to stay and the other part of me wants to throw Carter off the side of a bridge. I choose to wait and Victoria drives up a few minutes later. She wraps her arms around my neck and I hold her close as her eyes travel towards the side of my car. Her brown eyes widen as she scans over each individual letter.
"Oh. My. Gosh." She says, straining each word as she walks closer to the car.
Victoria runs her fingers over the letters, the entirety finally sinking.
"I can't believe he'd do something like this...I mean I know he's capable of it but I never thought he'd go through with anything like this." She stands up, turning to face me.
"Victoria, there's a lot you don't know about Carter and before you go through with marrying him I think it would be in your best interest to talk to him about this stuff." I place my hand on her cheek and run my thumb over it affectionately.
"Do you know anything about 'this stuff'?" Victoria asks curiously.
"I can only tell you a little bit right now..."
"Okay, I want to know." She smiles, waiting for me to continue.
"He works for the same man I work for."
"He's in the murder business too?" Victoria only looks slightly stunned.
"Yes, and he was getting those texts because there's a murder in progress that he's very close to."
Gavin, you're so close...Just tell her...
"Who is it?" Victoria asks suspiciously.
"That's classified information." I mutter, finally coming out of the trance where I think I can actually tell Victoria the truth.
"Okay, what should we do about your car?" She holds my hand and stares at my car again.
"I guess we'll have to take it to a repair shop." I sigh, giving my precious Ferrari a sideways glance.
"Let's get in." Victoria tugs on the handle of the passenger's side and I unlock for her.
"I'm not really in the mood to drive the 'jackass' mobile around New York." I roll my eyes and get in the driver's seat anyway.
"Own up to it." Victoria teases as I start my engine and begin driving out of the parking garage.
~~~~~
We pull up in front of 'Bobby's Car Garage' in the Bronx. Victoria said it was a 5 star company but the fading exterior doesn't really give off that vibe. I step out of the car and open up Victoria's car door for her. She grabs my hand and gives my car a pitying look.
"I'll go talk to the manager. You stay here and protect your baby." She pouts and walks off towards the front door of the establishment.
"How cute...You know that ring means she's taken right." My head flips around at the sound of Carter's voice.
My fists clench up and I stalk towards him.
"You little bastard!" I shout and grab onto his shirt collar. "How dare you lay your filthy, disgusting little key on my car? That car costs more than you'll ever be worth." I'm seething but Carter just looks flat out amused.
"Maybe if you left Victoria alone, I'd leave your car alone." He chuckles and I tighten my grip on him, slamming him down on the hood of his car. "This is too close for my taste."
"You listen and you listen well, Carter. I know things about you that could land you in jail for life. Hell, it could probably get you the death penalty if I have anything to do with it but all of that will go away if you just stay away from me." Part of that is bluffing since he can't get the death penalty for drugs but knowing Carter, he's probably done enough to get that lethal injection.
"I want Victoria dead and I will get rid of anyone who stands in the way of me achieving that. Stay away from Victoria and I'll stay away from you." Carter smirks, a dumb move on his part since I'm still holding onto his shirt collar.
"Last time I checked, killing her was my job." I glare harshly at him, lifting him off from the top of his car.
"You're never going to do that." Carter chuckles.
"Just leave me alone or I'll demonstrate what I can do with a gun on your head." With that I begin walking away.
"Nothing but empty threats...You aren't man enough to hurt me." I clench my fists and march back over to him, my fist connecting with his nose.
That's when my anger truly kicks in. I punch the side of his head and throw in a few punches on his stomach, each one getting more intense as my level of anger increases. I finally stop and notice Carter's bloody nose and bruised face.
"That's only half of what I will do to you if you come anywhere near me, my car or Victoria ever again. Be a man and accept that this isn't your place anymore." I crack my knuckles and walk back over to my car.
Victoria comes running out, a look of horror spreading across her face when she sees Carter. She looks towards me and I just shrug.
"He should just feel lucky I wasn't armed." I slip into the driver's seat of my car, unlocking Victoria's door for her in the process.
She slips in soundlessly and buckles up. I drive past Carter and roll down my window.
"Don't even try going to the cops. Remember, I have enough dirt on you to fill a grave."
I step on my gas pedal and speed onto the back road that will take me back to New York City.
~~~~~
"So, Talon, I've been thinking." I say in an all-business tone.
"That's never good." He chuckles, causing me to stop my little speech.
"There has to be a reason you're keeping Carter around and protecting him." I tap my fingers on my side table waiting for him to say something.
"What do you think that reason is?" Talon asks suspiciously.
"Well, I've just been thinking that you do nothing without it benefitting you. You said you got money as a payoff and you got Carter's information and connections but it just seems like it's not benefitting you as much as your other business deals have."
"Well, I'm getting as much benefit as I got from all of my past deals." Talon says in a nervous tone.
"No you aren't...There's always something more with you Talon." I state, standing up from my bed and walking around my room a bit.
"Gavin, if you know what's best for you, you'll stop trying to figure me out." Talon mutters angrily.
"Talon, I have a personal stake in this now. I deserve some answers."
"You shouldn't have a personal stake in this. You should've done your job a long time ago and just put a bullet through her head." Talon lets out a sharp breath, almost as if I'm scaring him.
"Well, I can't really help how I feel." I roll my eyes and look in the mirror, these late night conversations are creating bags under my eyes the size of Texas.
"Gavin, you're entering dangerous territory. Just kill her and forget about it."
"I love her, I'm never going to forget it if I'm the one to kill her." I mumble, still staring in the mirror.
"Yes, you will. You'll move onto other jobs and she'll be pushed to the back of your mind." Talon says quickly, as if he's trying to convince himself rather than me.
"No, that's what you don't get. I love her, Talon Tenebris and I will not be the one to kill her especially if you're going to take all of her life insurance money so you and her mom can start over." I grip onto my bed post angrily.
"You're disposable, Forrester. I can have her killed in an instant but I want you to be the one to do it because I know you can and you'll never forgive yourself if you don't." Talon seems to have calmed down which makes me even more angry and unstable.
"I would forgive myself because she'd still be by my side." I take in a deep breath, hoping that my anger will subside.
"No, she wouldn't. Gavin, whether you kill her or not there will still be the fact that you were assigned to kill her and I don't think she'll ever forgive you if she finds that out."
"You wouldn't dare." I say, knowing full well that that's exactly the kind of thing he'd do.
"There's our new deal...You kill her or I'll have someone tell her that you were assigned to and then there'll really be no point in you defying me."
"Yes, there would be. I don't care if she's finds out, at least then she'd still be alive and able to live her life."
"You're such a sap, Gavin Forrester." Talon mutters dismissively.
"I will never kill her." I clench my fist, ready to fight him tooth and nail.
"Yes, you will or I'll get someone who will kill her without a second thought." Talon chuckles, knowing that he has me trapped. "Have we reached an agreement?"
"I guess you'll find out." With that I hang up on Talon and collapse on my bed, knowing full well that my body will not see sleep tonight.