Free Web NovelChapter 378: Chapter 162 The Perfect Bait
Nick’s POV
That stubborn bitch Gemma thought she could ignore me by hiding behind her mafia boyfriend’s protection. I’d been calling her burner phone for days with no response. Where the hell was she holing up now? The Thorne family compound? Some safe house? I needed to teach her a lesson about what happens when you cross someone like me, but my plans had to wait. Stevie, the underboss who controlled our neighborhood rackets, required my attention this week to help audit the books at his gambling operation.
Stevie wanted me relocated to his fortified compound up in the hills outside the city, but I preferred staying at Nancy’s downtown apartment. Better access to the streets, easier to blend in with civilians when needed. Still, when an underboss gives you orders, you follow them. Stevie had given me a short window to handle my Gemma situation before the mandatory relocation.
This week would have to be enough to resolve both my Gemma problem and eliminate Nancy permanently. My patience with Nancy was running thin, but whatever happened to her would need to look like rival family business. She had connections to Stevie’s crew, after all. I’d originally planned to frame the whole job on that degenerate Marcus Frost, but the old man got himself arrested by the feds and was trying to back out of our arrangement. The greedy bastard still wanted Gemma for his own twisted purposes.
Nancy remained useful for now though. She’d somehow managed to befriend Gemma’s mother Willow, which presented an opportunity I couldn’t afford to waste. When she came home recently bragging about meeting Willow at some community center, I saw the perfect opening. My plan was crystallizing: snatch Gemma using her mother as bait, then disappear to Stevie’s hilltop fortress where no one would ever find us.
"Nancy!" I bellowed from the living room.
"What the hell do you want now?" She emerged from the kitchen, whiskey glass in hand like always.
"How’s your little friendship with mama Willow progressing?" I questioned, leaning against the doorframe.
"That naive woman practically worships the ground I walk on! She believes every sob story I feed her. She’s even trying to help me find legitimate work through her church connections," Nancy said with a cruel laugh.
"Perfect! We execute the plan this week. I need to grab Gemma and head up to the hills. I promised Stevie I’d be relocated soon," I informed her.
"About damn time! I was starting to think you’d lost your nerve dealing with the Thorne family," Nancy complained, which had become her constant refrain lately.
"Just waiting for the right opening. And I don’t know why you’re complaining so much. You’re going to miss having me around," I said, snatching the whiskey from her hand and downing it.
"I’ve got my own schemes brewing, Nick, but I’ll visit you occasionally up there. Maybe I’ll even let you fuck me right in front of your precious little Gemma," Nancy said brazenly, shameless as always.
"Now you’re talking! Maybe we’ll even have ourselves a proper threesome once I break her in," I replied, savoring the thought of having both women completely under my control.
"You’re just as perverted as that sick old man Marcus," Nancy laughed.
"Speaking of Isaac, that crazy bastard went way too far. Is everything the newspapers are saying about his arrest actually true?" ƒreewebɳovel.com
"Every disgusting word. He’s a demented pervert who preys on young women, but he especially gets off on stealing what belongs to his own son. The Thorne family uses him for the really dirty work," Nancy’s expression grew distant. "I was so stupid getting mixed up with their family politics. I should have just handed that Kimberly girl over to him back then, but I never thought he’d actually convince the family to give Dominic control of the tech operations."
"Can that old bastard even still perform? Does he have anything left at his age?" I asked, genuinely curious about the legendary Marcus Frost.
"Remember that night when you two had me here on this very couch? The old man’s still fully functional, doesn’t even need enhancement pills. But he’s nothing remarkable. And he can’t begin to compare to his son Dominic. That man isn’t just devastatingly handsome and wealthy—he’s absolutely incredible between the sheets. No wonder your precious Gemma fell so hard for him."
"Watch your fucking mouth, Nancy!" I snarled. "Gemma belongs to me! And I guarantee that pampered rich boy doesn’t come close to what I can deliver."
"Don’t delude yourself, Nick. Dominic was superior to you back when I had my chance with him, and he’s had years of experience since then. Dominic Frost is absolutely unmatched in bed." Nancy was deliberately provoking me, and my already thin patience was evaporating completely.
"Don’t push me too far, Nancy. I don’t have much tolerance left for your games." I grabbed her by the throat, and she immediately began clawing at my grip, struggling for air.
"Let go, you psychotic animal," she gasped, her face reddening as she fought against my hold. I stared directly into her panicked eyes to ensure she understood exactly who was in control before finally releasing her. "You’re fucking insane!"
"Just a friendly reminder about the chain of command around here," I said calmly, finishing what remained of her whiskey. "Contact your church friend and set something up with her this week. You understand the complete plan, correct?" I demanded.
"I’m not a complete idiot, Nick. I’ll arrange to meet with Willow this week, and we’ll use that trusting woman to get access to her bitch daughter. I just want to know what your intentions are regarding the baby, because you sure as hell aren’t going to raise another man’s child, and I refuse to have that bastard interfering with my future plans." Nancy continued her incessant complaining.
"Don’t worry about those details, I’ve got everything handled," I said simply.
I had already developed a brilliant strategy. My lawyer contact in Stevie’s crew had explained the inheritance laws clearly: if the father wasn’t legally married when he died, his child would become the sole heir to everything. If something tragic happened to the child afterward, the mother would inherit the complete fortune. So I would exercise patience, allow the child to be born, then eliminate the wealthy pretty boy Dominic. Once everything legally transferred to the infant heir, I’d dispose of the child as well. Gemma, by then my lawfully wedded wife, would inherit Dominic’s entire fortune—meaning I would control every dollar of the Frost family money. The plan was absolutely flawless! I couldn’t suppress my satisfied smile.
"Whatever twisted scheme you’re plotting, I’d rather remain ignorant. That smile tells me it involves serious bloodshed. Let me message Willow right now," Nancy said suspiciously, reaching for her phone.
"No text messages. Call her directly. I need to know if Gemma’s currently staying with her," I demanded. My anxiety was steadily mounting—I desperately needed information about Gemma’s whereabouts since she’d been completely ignoring my calls.
"You’ve completely lost track of your little obsession, haven’t you?" Nancy mocked me.
"Mind how you speak about her, Nancy," I warned dangerously, but she simply shrugged with indifference.
"I can’t just call out of nowhere, Nick. It would seem highly suspicious and could potentially destroy her trust in me," Nancy explained logically. ƒrēewebnovel.com
"Fine, then send the goddamn message immediately," I huffed impatiently.
As the minutes dragged by with no response from Willow, my frustration continued building. She and Gemma had to be together somewhere, probably planning their next move.
That evening, my patience grew thinner with each passing hour of silence.
