I punch him hard before he can finish that sentence. He spits out blood as he hits the floor. Someone screams from behind one of the other desks, but Max keeps everyone else at bay.
“Please remain calm,” Max says. “This is a private matter.”
“Call 911!” one of the legal aids tells somebody else.
My eyes remain on Jeremy and the pain imprinted on his face.
“Don’t!” William Bancroft rushes out of his office. “Everyone get back to work. I’ve got this.”
“But sir?—”
“I said go back to work!” he snarls.
Jeremy tries to get up. “You son of a?—”
I punch him again, my knuckles causing a satisfying crack.
“For fuck’s sake,” Jeremy cries out. Blood trickles from his nose. “What is the matter with you?”
“You know why we’re here,” I tell him.
Vincent looks at Bancroft. “We need your help.”
“Whatever it takes,” Bancroft replies. “You didn’t tell me much over the phone, but it sounded serious.”
“Kidnapping is serious,” Vincent says.
Jeremy startled expression is almost convincing, but I’m not buying any of it. “Kidnapping? What are you crazy bastards talking about?”
“Do not take us for fools,” I roar and kick him in the gut with the tip of my boot.
He curls up in pain, the fetal position making him look downright pitiful. But I have no pity for this worm. I don’t even care if he lives or dies, as long as he tells us what we need to know. I grab him and lift him off the floor like he weighs no more than a sack of feathers.
“You’re going to talk, Jeremy. One way or another, you’re going to talk.”
“Bill, we need to go somewhere private for this,” Max tells Bancroft.
Glancing around, I see the fear and the hesitation on everyone’s faces. Most of them are young and wide-eyed. In their line of work, they don’t see much violence.
“The basement,” Bancroft says. “Take my private elevator. I’ll make sure no one disturbs you down there. I’ll notify security, too.”
“And keep a lid on your people,” Vincent adds. “We’ve got this. You know what’s at stake.”
“You’re sure it’s him, then?” Bill asks. He looks at Jeremy like he can’t quite believe it, though deep down, he knows already.
“Positive,” I reply.
“Then do what you have to do.”
Just as we shove Jeremy into Bancroft’s private elevator, Vivian comes rushing out of her corner office with a pale face. “What’s going on here?” she asks. “I heard the ruckus, but I was on the phone with a client and?—”
“Raina was abducted,” I tell her. “We got a ransom request video.”
“No!” She gasps, the horror imprinted on her face.
“So whatever you can do to help us connect Jeremy to this, it would be much appreciated. We know he’s responsible?—”
“I know he’s responsible!” she snaps and gives him a sour look.
