My gaze narrowed. “By discretion you mean–”
“This cannot go in that book ,” his lips curled, “your family keeps.”
“Not happening.”
“I’ll pay extra.”
“Not. Happening.” Everything went into the book. Everything. It was our insurance as well as our destruction and no amount of money would buy exception.
Some have even gone as far as to offer money to destroy it.
No one needed to know that the single piece of evidence that could destroy families, careers, and end lives were no longer in our control.
“I do this job with a ten percent increase. Take it or leave it.”
He didn’t respond. The door opened behind me, and I immediately moved to protect my back even though I was unarmed. Three of his personal guards walked in—one carrying a briefcase—and formed a circle around me.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to insist, son.”
My fists curled hearing him call me son, but otherwise, I didn’t move. I didn’t need to. The tension in the room spiked and his twerp of a son was back to smirking. I winked, and his face paled. I was outnumbered, sure, but I was still in control.
As much was proven when red dots appeared on every man’s head.
I made a mockery of their attempt to strong-arm me. Fear was palpable, and I basked in it.
“Let’s make that a fifty percent increase.”
He sputtered and stumbled to collect himself while trying to evade the target on the back of his skull. He couldn’t see it, of course, but he was smart enough to know it was there. His son did the same while his guard remained in place. They eventually figured out there was no escape.
“Call them off.”
“Give me the name and all the money upfront.” Before his stupidity got the best of him, he would have only needed to pay half up front.
“But that’s ridiculous!”
“Not as ridiculous as you thinking you can threaten me. You’ll be lucky if I don’t decide to kill you even after you pay me.”
“But—”
The picture of his wife suddenly flew off his desk and landed a few feet away from my feet. Her face was completely obliterated from the shot.
“My money,” I warned.
He stumbled to the phone and spoke harshly and quickly to the poor bastard on the other line. Not five minutes later, a man in a gray suit with thinning hair and specks bustled in with another briefcase. The senator nodded to one of his guards who was holding his briefcase, and they immediately sat them at my feet.
“The name.”
“Mian Ross.”
Time stood still as I replayed the name he spat in my head. It couldn’t be. What would Mian have to do with the senator? I begin to consider that I was being set up until I reasoned that the senator might know Theo, but no one knew of Mian. Theo made sure of that.
“You want her dead, I assume?”
“The sooner, the better.”
“Why?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking the million dollar question.
He paused and shrewdly studied me. “You never cared before.”
“You never threatened to kill me before,” I answered smoothly. “Any pretense of trust is gone.”
He seemed to accept my answer and said, “My son couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. At least for girls of legal fucking age.”
My heart ceased to beat, and the blood in my veins froze. It took every ounce of willpower to keep my gaze calm.
“He got her pregnant, and now she’s causing problems.”
“You want me to off a pregnant chick?” I played stupid even when I’d already pieced together every piece of the goddamn puzzle.
“She’s already had the bastard.”
Don’t kill him.
Don’t kill him.
“She wants money even though my son denies paternity.”
“So. What’s the big deal? Get a DNA test.” I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. He cut his eyes at the little fucker lounging without a care in the world.
He was definitely hiding something.
“I don’t believe my son didn’t father that child no matter what he tells me.”
“So because she’s telling the truth, you want her dead?”
Don’t kill him.
Don’t kill him.
“She’s threatening to go public. I can’t have some girl and her bastard son messing up my campaign. Besides, she was underage and still in high school. Even if she was old enough to consent, it would still hurt our image.”
“And what happens to the kid?”
“I told you… I want this clean.”
Meaning no loose ends.
Son of a bitch…
*
I took Lucas by surprise when I returned from the meeting. I stood still while he avoided my gaze and buttoned the jeans he hadn’t bothered to remove. Unwillingly, my gaze slid to the bed and the girl he’d just been balls deep in. I tried to keep my irritation under lock and key but failed.
“Fucking seriously?” I spat when she whimpered and scrambled up against the headboard while pulling the sheets up to cover her body. I looked away to give her privacy and regarded my best friend.