The man offers me a small smile, then turns all of his attention back to his partner. I cross my arms over my chest andwatch.
Thirty-Three
ROME
Firefly: Hey! I have a quick break and was looking for you. Nothing urgent. Are you in the building somewhere?
That came in twenty minutes ago.
I pick up the blowtorch that sits on the workbench of the cell. Luke’s eyebrows climb. “So soon?”
“She needs me,” I say as I flip it on. “So his time just shortened.”
The man whimpers and shakes his head.
“Come on, boss,” Rocky pleads as blood streams down the side of his head where his ear used to reside. “I swear, I didn’t know.”
“You didn’t know.” I nod, processing what he’s telling me. “You stole one hundred grand of my money, andyou didn’t knowthat was a problem for me?”
“It was fake,” he says, and I shake my head as if I can’tfigure out how he could be so stupid. “And I was going to replace it.”
“How? By printing more frommy fucking printers?”
I set the blowtorch under his bare foot and listen to him howl. The rest of his crew is standing by, watching, to prove a point.
Don’t fucking steal from me.
I let go and look around at the other ten men who work on the printers. They’re stony-faced. A few look a little green like they want to throw up, but they’ve held it together so far.
“This is what happens when you betray me,” I tell them calmly. “I pay you well. If you need more, you come to me, and we’ll talk. Because if I find out that you’ve taken what’s mine?—”
I pull my weapon from behind my back, then turn and shoot Rocky between the eyes.
“You die. Painfully.”
“Yes, boss,” they reply.
“Get to work,” I bark, and they disperse, off to the printing room.
“I thought you’d play longer,” Luke says as he joins me.
“Eloise is looking for me,” I reply.
“I wondered if she was upset,” he says, and I turn all of my attention to him.
“Why would she be upset?”
“Christ,” he says, shoving his hand through his hair. “I thought Julian would have told you.”
My heart thuds faster in my chest. “You’d better fucking explain.”
“The mayor was a slimy asshole,” Luke says, blowing out a breath. “He wouldn’t take no for an answer. Julian stepped in, got the asshole kicked out, and I assume you’ll be revoking his membership.”
“Immediately. Was she hurt?”
“No, he just grabbed her wrist, but she didn’t invite it, and I hear it rattled her for a second.”
Fuck.
