Chapter 1314
Natalie gave the needle a slight twist. A jolt of agony shot through Douglas, tears and snot streaming down his face. He froze, gritting his teeth. "Natalie, you win! I give up! Just let me go! We'll call it even!"
"Oh, I don't think so. I just promised you five million dollars and a roll in the hay. I can't go back on my word now, can I?" Natalie's smile was pure ice.
She let go. The entire needle disappeared into his urethra. The four-inch sliver of metal was one of her secret weapons, usually concealed in her hairpin. It was designed to kill, leaving no trace. Earlier, when Douglas and his crew had jumped her, she'd managed to drop two with her taser, but Douglas had overpowered her before she could get to the needle. If he hadn't been so blinded by lust, she wouldn't have had a chance.
A dull ache spread through Douglas's groin, numbness creeping up his abdomen. Fear mingled with the pain. He trembled. "Ms. Flores, you win. Just…let me go. I'll…I'll work for you. I'll take care of anyone you want taken care of."
"Don't give me that crap. I wouldn't trust you to walk my dog. You betrayed Jasper. What makes you think you wouldn't betray me?" She tapped the exposed end of the needle with her fingernail. Another spasm wracked Douglas's body. She'd never intended to keep him around. He was ambitious and stupid. Keeping him alive was just asking for trouble. Besides, she was going legit, moving into the business world. She couldn't have a loose cannon like Douglas hanging around.
Douglas's face went ashen, sweat beading on his forehead. He regretted ever trying to take Natalie. It had been a fool's errand. If Jasper couldn't control her, what chance did he have?
"Okay, you just stay here and think about what you've done. Oh, and you might want to get that needle looked at." Natalie calmly buttoned her coat, smoothing it down. She walked towards the door, her movements fluid and elegant.
Douglas let out a shaky breath. He stared at the tiny silver tip protruding from his penis. After a moment, he gritted his teeth and yanked it out. Pain exploded in his groin. The needle was barbed. Blood spurted. He collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
Natalie glanced back at him, a cold smile playing on her lips. The needle might not kill him, but it would definitely make sure he never touched a woman again. He'd brought it on himself.
She slipped back into Douglas's room through a hidden door. Just then, Kevin and the police arrived for another sweep of the factory. Kevin, spotting Natalie, rushed towards her, relief washing over his face. He ignored Audrey and pulled Natalie into a tight hug. "Natalie! Are you alright? This is all my fault."
"I'm fine. It's over." Natalie managed a small smile. She had been scared. If Douglas hadn't been so easy to manipulate, if he'd…succeeded…she didn't know how she would have explained it to Kevin.
Audrey watched them embrace, a flicker of something that wasn't quite resentment in her eyes. She knew that without Natalie's intel, the rescue wouldn't have come so quickly. She might have…she shuddered to think what Quentin might have done.
The police searched the factory again, but found nothing new. They hauled Quentin and Douglas out to the waiting cars.
Quentin, seeing the blood soaking Douglas's crotch, pissed himself. His dreams of taking over were gone. He was looking at some serious jail time.
Kevin, Audrey, and Natalie, all bearing various injuries, were taken back to the rehab center for treatment and debriefing.
Meanwhile, at a villa overlooking Fairy Lake Reservoir, Jasper sat across from Levi, the new head of the Southside.
"What do you want, Levi?" Jasper's voice was tight. The Southside had been hitting them hard. Levi had brought in some serious muscle from down south, ruthless, experienced fighters, far better than Jasper's usual crew. And Jerome had been paying off some of his men. With Douglas gone, the Northside was in chaos. Smaller crews were breaking off, other gangs were moving in on their territory. Harmony County was a powder keg.
He'd managed to hold them off by activating some hidden resources he'd been quietly building for years, seemingly unconnected to the Northside. It had caught Levi off guard. Now, Levi wanted to talk. After a lot of thought, Jasper had agreed.
Levi sneered. "You killed my father, Jasper. There's nothing to discuss. You kill yourself to atone for his death, and I'll let the rest of your crew walk. Otherwise, I'll bury you all with you."
The Northside men paled, but Jasper laughed, a harsh, bitter sound. "Levi, this is a gang war, not a playground squabble. If everyone started taking revenge for every death, where would it end? Who would avenge the men your father killed? I have loyal men too, Levi. You think they won't come after you, day and night?"
Levi's face twitched. The Southside was winning, but the Northside wasn't as weak as he'd thought. He'd lost a lot of his expensive hired guns. And Jasper's hidden assets were popping up everywhere. It was a headache. He'd called this meeting hoping to convince Jasper to surrender.
"I'll let you live, Jasper. But you hand over the Northside. You leave Harmony County. That's my final offer."
"Surrender?" Jasper's voice dripped with contempt. "I've run this town for twenty years. I've never bowed to anyone. If that's all you have to say, then we're done here. We'll keep fighting. Goodbye."
"Wait." Jerome stepped forward from behind Levi, his prayer beads clicking softly in his hand. He smiled. "Jasper, hold on. Negotiations are like business. Everything's on the table. Levi didn't want to negotiate, but I…I've always respected you, Jasper. Levi does too. What's Harmony County anyway? We join forces, Jasper's reputation, Levi's…drive…we could own this whole city, the whole state! I'd even step aside, if that's what it takes."
The room was silent. Everyone knew Jasper had been hunting Jerome since the Southside fell. Jerome had been in hiding for years, barely surviving. He had more reason to hate Jasper than anyone except Levi.
And now he was offering to give up everything to bring Jasper in. It was a grand gesture. Even Levi looked surprised, touched. Jerome had suffered, protecting his father's legacy. When Levi returned, he'd handed over what was left of the Southside without a second thought. He'd never shown any desire for power.
Jasper looked at the old man, his hair now gray, and thought of all the years they'd spent fighting. He felt a pang of something…he wasn't sure what. He'd been on top of the world after he'd taken down the Southside. King of Harmony County.
Now, the Northside was shattered. His trusted men were dead or gone. Even Douglas had turned on him. It had shaken him. He'd started to think maybe Natalie had been right. Maybe he should have gone legit, like Lawrence. Gotten into business, politics. Instead of this endless fighting.
He thought of Natalie, and a wry smile touched his lips. He'd dismissed her, a woman, as not understanding the way things worked. He'd been so attached to his crew, his loyalty. Now he saw she'd been right. This life…it was a dead end.
"Jerome, it's enough." Jasper sighed. He'd thought about it long and hard. He couldn't do it. "We've known each other a long time. You know me. If I joined the Southside, would you ever really trust me? Wouldn't you always be looking over your shoulder, wondering when I was going to make my move? Or are you planning to get rid of me as soon as I'm no longer useful?"
Jerome and Levi's faces hardened. They'd come to him because they were afraid he'd fight to the death. Even if they won, they'd be weakened, unable to hold off the other gangs. They wanted his men. They didn't want him. Letting him walk was their second choice. Killing him was their first.
Of course, that wasn't how things were supposed to be done, but honor didn't mean much these days. Power was all that mattered.
Jasper saw it in their eyes. As long as he was alive, the head of the Northside, they could never truly absorb his crew. He smiled, looking around the room at the faces of his men. "You've all been loyal to the Northside. We've been through a lot together. If you want to leave, go. I won't hold it against you."
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