The Mayor’s daughter

The Mayor’s Decision

CHAPTER TWO

BARON

“Show me the child.”

I said again firmly.

“Why has she brought a child to me?”

The question echoed in my head.

I watched Frida step forward.

Slowly.

She looked exhausted.

What had her life become?

Why did she look so pale?

This was the woman I once respected.

The woman I once...

cared for.

“Bullocks.”

I muttered it under my breath.

I needed to pull myself back.

Frida unwrapped the baby slowly.

Cloth after cloth.

And then she was holding her out.

“Her name is Avia,” Frida said softly.

“She mostly sleeps.

I swear she won’t stop me from working.

I only need a little time.

To save.

Then I’ll take her and leave.”

Before I could speak—

Avia opened her eyes.

And I froze.

Behind me, I heard Selene gasp.

Loud.

And I understood why.

She had deep blue eyes.

Just like mine.

Coincidence?

Were blue eyes really that rare?

Or...

why was Frida really here?

Blue eyes weren’t rare.

Plenty of people had blue eyes.

Besides, the child was too young to be mine.

I banished Frida five years ago.

And if Avia was mine...

Frida would’ve told me first thing.

Not begged for a job at my mansion.

“So... you expect me to hire you.

With a child?”

The words scraped out of me unplanned.

They came out harsher than I meant.

“Yes, Mayor,” Frida said quickly.

“I can clean. Your pay is good.

That money...

it’ll help me and my daughter.

I just need to save a little.

Then we’ll leave.

I promise.”

Frida said desperately, lulling Avia back to sleep.

I struggled to come to terms with her now calling me Mayor.

She had never called me that.

But it was good.

This was pure business, and calling me Mayor was best.

“Very well, then. I have just two housekeepers managing this mansion now. Plus you makes it three.”

I said, my eyes still on Avia.

“You’ll have a lot of work here.”

I immediately snapped my fingers.

“Take her, Jamil.”

I always called him by his name.

Jamil.

Everyone else called him Puppy.

But he wasn’t a dog to me.

He was more like a brother.

And I respected his loyalty more than anyone’s.

I slowly turned my head.

Selene was watching.

And she looked anything but happy.

Selene pouted.

A little wrinkle formed between her brows, ruining her perfect makeup.

It was obvious.

She hated my decision.

“What is it, sweetheart?”

I asked politely, rising to face her.

“You don’t make decisions like that without me.”

Selene lifted a finger to my face.

“We’re engaged.”

“I haven’t forgotten, love.”

I took her long, slender finger and kissed it.

Selene pulled back, her eyes sharp.

“I don’t trust her. Not after what she did to you.

Remember?

She broke you.

You shouldn’t let her stay here.

Please.”

Selene pressed her palms together, pleading.

I gave her a small smile.

“Love, it’s not about her.

It’s about the child.”

My voice stayed even.

“Trust me.

You’re the only one I want.”

“I’d be selfish to send a mother and her child to the streets.

When all they did was ask for help.”

My jaw tightened.

“That’s what my father did to my mother.

I was raised on the streets.

Eating from waste bins.”

I cupped Selene’s face in my hands.

“Let her work for her money.

I won’t throw them out.

Not like that.”

I kissed her forehead softly.

She nodded, then stayed quiet.

I smiled back politely.

And walked away.

Atlanta was calling.

There was an emergency meeting.

I opened the side drawer and loaded more bullets.

I’m only a lover boy...

at home.

Once I hit the streets of Atlanta, I’m not Baron.

I’m the dangerous Mayor.

I strode to my Lamborghini.

I pressed a kiss to the hood.

Then I slid into my black SUV.

I always take the Lambo out.

But I rarely drive it.

If there’s an attack, they’ll shoot at the Lamborghini, thinking I’m inside.

Smart?

Maybe.

Maybe I just like telling myself that.

I drove smoothly into Peachtree Elite Motors.

This was our headquarters.

The biggest car store and repair shop in all of Atlanta.

But we ran two businesses here.

Outside business:

Cars.

Repairs.

Customers.

Smiles.

Inside business:

The four of us.

Partners.

And the money we washed clean.

On the outside, people saw the biggest car stand in Atlanta.

Yes, we sold cars.

But we sold other things too.

Something got messed up with a delivery.

That’s why I’m here.

My bodyguards stayed outside.

But I drove in slowly.

D was standing by his car.

He was panicking.

Sweat ran down his big round face.

He couldn’t stand still.

He held cigarette in one hand.

A gun in the other.

And behind him...

I could see two men.

In their late thirties.

They were tied together.

People called him Mr. Declan.

But I called him D.

He was the second most feared man in the city.

Right after me.

He turned slowly when I walked up to him.

“What’s wrong, D?”

My voice was calm.

He dragged hard on his half smoked cigar.

“These fools loaded my WHITE into the wrong cars.

Sold them to strangers.”

He exhaled thick smoke from his dark lips.

“I tracked them.

And found the cars abandoned.

On some lonely road.

But they were empty.”

His jaw ticked slightly.

“My billions.

Gone.

Like smoke.”

D’s eyes said it all.

He was desperate for blood.

He wanted revenge.

This was his second big deal.

40 billion.

Or maybe more.

And now it was gone.

Faded like wind.

He was damn thirsty.

And I knew it.

I walked to the men on their knees.

They were tied firmly together.

Their faces were swollen.

They were covered in blood.

Plenty of blood.

D had worked them over.

Gun to the face.

Again and again.

He’d been waiting for me.

I make the calls.

Now I was here.

And all he wanted to hear was three words:

“Pull the trigger.”

“Where is it?”

I grabbed one of them firmly by the hair.

Yanked his face up.

“Boss, I... I messed up...”

His swollen eyes could barely open.

I slapped him.

Hard.

His head dropped.

“Please, Mayor.

Give us another chance.

We’ll find it.

I swear we will!”

He was begging.

I looked at him.

“There are no second chances.

Not in this business.”

I moved slowly away.

I winked at D.

Two shots.

Fired right through their heads.

Bang.

Bang.

Both of them.

Gone.

D was a man who never missed any shot.

All he had to do was pull the trigger once.

Deal done.

Immediately, he fired those two clean shots.

I saw gunfire.

Everywhere.

We’d been hit.

Someone was shooting right at us.

We had just walked into an ambush.