I rode in the backseat of my car to the location where Thomas had instructed my driver to take me.

“I’m impressed by your little daredevil.”

“What do you mean?”

“I gotta say, had you not told me to keep a close eye, I would’ve been tricked by her.”

I didn’t respond, waiting for him to continue.

“She was selling on the market, and honestly, her products sold pretty well-”.

“Get to your point.”

“Yes, yes, here’s the thing. Most of her customers stopped to talk to her before they picked up their products, except for one. He grabbed a bag from her and walked away.”

I thought for a moment, and asked, “A bag of money?”

Thomas whistled. “Bingo! Impressive, boss.”

I frowned. Why would Rosalie give him money? “You got the guy? What did he say?”

“His name is Derek. He admitted that he had blackmailed her.”

The driver pulled the car to a stop, and I took a few deep breaths, trying to keep my cool.

Whoever that person was, it wouldn’t do for him to see just how agitated I was, not to start with anyway.

I got out of the car, tugging on my cufflinks as I went. I straightened my tie and had a quick look around.

Thomas had picked a great location for this. We were on the outskirts of town, away from houses, in an old warehouse.

Where no one would hear him scream.

A few of my men walked in front of me, others behind, as we approached a side door. The scent of old cardboard hit my lungs as the door whipped open, one of my men holding it for me. It was dark inside, only a bare bulb hanging over the head of our captive.

He stared up into my eyes, and I could see the fear gleaming back at me from his dark orbs. Our footsteps echoed off the concrete floor as we made our way over to where Thomas and a few others stood around him. He was tied to a folding chair, but his mouth wasn’t bound. The stench of his sweat burned my nostrils and stopped me short of the circle of light that illuminated only him.

His lip was bleeding, and his eye was swollen. Other than that, he looked like he’d gotten off easy. This time.

He’d already lost a hand.

Today, he might lose even more.

I observed him for a moment, letting him squirm a bit, letting the anticipation for who I was and what I wanted build.

When I finally stepped into the light, I saw the recognition on his face. An eyebrow raised slightly, his eyes widened a bit.

You and I have a little matter to discuss. Your name is Derek?” I began, keeping my voice even, my tone calm. It was more frightening that way.

“W-we do?” he asked. |… I don’t think so….”

“Oh, I think we do,” I said, “It seems you sent a little note to a friend of mine. And I don’t like it when people like you send

notes to friends of mine. Especially when those notes aren’t very nice.”

His eyes widened as he realized what I was referring to. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know-”

“Now, now, Derek,” I held up a finger and wagged it back and forth. “Don’t start making excuses. It’s best not to start making excuses. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t know that she was my friend, or you didn’t realize I would find out, or any of the other excuses you want to spout off to me.copy right hot novel pub