“What?”Damien barked.“Why the hell didn’t we know that?”
Marcus slid a look to Montgomery.“I knew.I didn’t think it was something important to share.Marcus said it looked like a turf war between the gangs inside,” Montgomery said.
“What does it look like now?”Damien snapped.
“Look, I get it,” Montgomery said.
“Do you, boss?Because I fucking love this woman, and she’s in the hands of a murderer because we didn’t know how fucking bad all this was, and now you’re telling me you knew?”Damien got up in Montgomery’s face.
“Step back, Joseph,” Montgomery said in a low voice that offered no room for negotiation.
Damien took a step back.
“We will find her.What about the third guy?”Montgomery asked Marcus.
Marcus shook his head.“We found him this morning.Didn’t know who he was, but he was found in the same park as the woman who followed Harmony.Looked like a robbery gone wrong.No wallet or anything.He was cellmates with our first dead guy.Both of them used to work with Kiernan Smith.”
“They’re a step ahead of us,” Damien breathed.
“Then we better start fucking running,” Rhett said.
Harmony’s ears were ringing.The sound was loud and drowned out everything else.She tried to move, wondering what was going on, and felt a tug on her wrists.
Her eyes flipped open and found Grant Pickens smiling at her.
“Welcome back, Ms.Gibbs,” he said with a smirk.“Glad you could join us.”
Harmony tugged at the ropes that held her wrists together.They were behind her and tight.Tight enough that if she pulled too hard, she would likely dislocate her shoulders.
“You’re not going to be able to pull out of those.Not that it’s going to matter.”
“What do you want?”she asked, hating how small and scared her voice sounded.
Grant Pickens shrugged.“I don’t really want anything right now.What I wanted was for you to keep your fucking mouth shut.I gave you plenty of money, but you couldn’t do that, could you?”
“Why would I keep my mouth shut about someone breaking into your building?”
Grant Pickens laughed.“Still playing dumb, huh?We both know you’re far too smart for that, Ms.Gibbs.You are working on your Ph.D.People don’t go that far in their education if they aren’t capable of doing the work.”
“And people don’t stage a break-in to their own building unless they have something major to hide.”
His punch was quick and unexpected.Her head snapped back, something cracking from the blow.
Harmony tasted blood, then felt the sudden gush as her broken nose erupted.She spit out the blood and pressed her lips together to stop the blood from getting in her mouth.
“Yes, well, none of that matters now.If you’d come clean when we first met, maybe we could have avoided all of this drama.Instead, you’ve cost me a buyer and a clean escape.”
“Oops, sorry,” she said with no sympathy for the son-of-a-bitch who was holding her hostage.
“You’re going to be sorry.For a few minutes.Then you’ll be dead.”
Fear washed over Harmony in a rush.She figured he wasn’t going to just let her walk away, but she hadn’t processed that far.
“Not so bold now, are you?”He grabbed her hair and yanked her head back, forcing her mouth open.
Blood filled the back of her throat.It was going to make her sick if she swallowed too much.She closed her mouth and let it well up inside, then spit it in his face.
“You fucking bitch!”Grant Pickens shouted, shoving at her as he wiped a hand over his face.
