“You can be sure whatever he said about me is a lie,” I say mildly. “Where’s your mother?”
“She left,” Aurora says matter-of-factly.
“All right, then. Pack up anything you want to keep. You’re coming with me.” I see Duffy about to protest and hold myhand up again. “I’m not going to allow you two to live here by yourselves since I’m going to kill your father as soon as I get home, so you’re coming with me. You’re going to meet my father and then take a shower and sleep. And no one is going to hurt either of you ever again.”
That is one promise I intend to keep even if I have to go against my father.
He let this happen and there have to be consequences.
But when Duffy stands on shaky legs, he surprises me as much as Aurora has when he demands. “I get to kill him.”
“We’ll see,” I murmur, then turn to walk up the stairs.
It’s beena tense half hour at home.
On the quick drive over I found out that Aurora and Duffy are fraternal twins and just thirteen fucking years old. I brought them right to Da’s study and basically just gestured at them then asked himwhat the fuck?
He told me to show the kids to the guest bedrooms then come back, and when I did, he didn’t say a word, just led me outside to the bunker.
On the walk over I interpreted his silence correctly and told him everything that happened from the time I arrived at the brothel til now, and I even included Duffy’s wish. Tohis credit, I can tell how hard it hit him to know how much damage James has done to his children and to our business, but that’s easily fixable.
“You’ll get the brothel sorted,” he says when we reach the trap door to the bunker.
“Of course, Da.”
“Good, now let me do the talking.”
That’s the usual way things go, so I don’t know why he has to remind me, but I nod anyway and follow him down.
Blake is standing before the two naked men tied to metal chairs, and he nods at Da who doesn’t spare him a look, just mutters, “Leave.” And Blake follows the order immediately.
That’s the way it is with Da. That’s why this is so fuckingwrong.
He grabs the bucket set off to the side and dumps the cold water over both men to wake them up.
They startle, shout, ask questions, though James clearly knows Da better because a look of resignation mixed with fear settles in his eyes after only a minute.
Da only speaks when the other one finally shuts up too.
“I’m going to ask you questions.” He points at the stranger with his gun then looks at James. “For every sound youmake you get a bullet.” James nods quickly—he understands he’s in deep shit. “What’s your name?”
“Alejandro.” The man’s voice trembles, and I get an insane amount of satisfaction from seeing him cowering now.
“Who do you work for?”
“The Juanes cartel.” He wouldn’t tell us that if he thought he was going to get out of this alive.
“Why did James sell you his daughter?” We don’t need to ask what he was doing, the situation I walked into speaks for itself.
“To pay his debt.”
“What did he owe you for?”
God, I’m really glad he didn’t ask how much, because that would probably just send us both into a fit of violence we wouldn’t come out of until these two motherfuckers were in pieces.
“Cocaine mo-mostly,” Alejandro stutters.
“What did he do with the cocaine?”
