“Why do you insist on making me hurt you, Narumi? Do you remember what I said? If you don’t give me back the money, I’ll be forced to take something else you care about.”
She didn’t want to guess what that might be. He’d already ripped out her heart today. What more could he do?
“I can give you what I have. Eighty-seven-thousand dollars. The rest of it—”
“Every. Fucking. Penny,” Slater said. Then he started to laugh. A maniacal sound that chilled her veins. “Every penny of mine in exchange for yours, Narumi.”
Her breath caught. “What?”
In the background, she heard commotion followed by a young girl sobbing hysterically.
“Bring her here,” Slater ordered.
The cries got louder as the girl came closer to the phone. She sniffled and choked on her tears. “N-Naomi?”
“Oh, my God.” Penny’s jagged, fear-filled sobs shredded her. “Penny, don’t worry. We’re not going to let anything happ—”
The sound of a hand striking a tender cheek split the air on the other end of the line. Penny shrieked, then started bawling, begging Naomi to help her.
“Bring the money. All of it,” Slater snarled. “Or sweet little Penny here is going to have a terrible accident too. Unless I decide to take my debt out of her flesh.”
CHAPTER 24
“Holy shit! I just won a thousand dollars!”
“Jackpot! Oh, my God!”
“Twenty-five-hundred bucks! I can’t believe it!”
Asher strolled about twenty paces behind Naomi as she made her way through the large pit of slot machines at Casino Moda. As she walked, she casually traced her fingers over every machine she passed, lingering just long enough to finesse the mechanism inside into hitting a payout on every spin of the wheel.
The din of excited voices in the casino grew like a swelling tsunami in her wake, along with the nearly deafening sounds of the whirring, chiming, dinging machines as they vomited out thousands upon thousands of Leo Slater’s profits.
It didn’t take long for the shouts and cheers of the twenty, thirty, fifty and more winners to incite a stampede of new players to elbow their way in for a chance at the money that seemed to be flowing nonstop from the slot pits. People on the street began pouring into Moda now, too, as word got out that something unusual was happening inside.
“Cash grab!” someone shouted. “Cash grab in the slots!”
Asher couldn’t help marveling at Naomi’s steely resolve as she set off pandemonium right under Slater’s nose.
The plan to go on the offense had been hers. Instead of dissolving into paralyzed hopelessness at the threat he’d issued a few minutes ago, the news that he was holding Penny hostage had galvanized Naomi.
“No amount of money’s ever going to satisfy him,” she’d told Asher in the truck as they considered their few options. “Even if I had the one-point-three million plus the two-hundred grand I owe him, he’s not going to let me walk away. Now, he won’t let Penny walk away, either. This isn’t going to end unless I end it.”
She was right, Asher had no doubt.
So, she’d returned to Slater’s domain like a warrior on the march. Utterly courageous, armed with her spine made of iron and the power of her unique Breedmate gift.
And him.
Asher stayed out of the line of sight of the casino’s various eyes in the sky. His best means of helping her at the moment was the element of surprise. For now, this was her show, and he’d never been prouder of anyone in his life.
As the uproar grew, the pit bosses all convened in the middle of the casino, five guys in black vests and white dress shirts standing around with their dicks in their hands and shrugging in useless confusion.
When the chaos had reached a fever pitch, Naomi glanced at Asher. He gave her a nod and moved in close enough to listen as she took out her phone and dialed Michael’s number.
It took Slater a moment to answer, and when he did, it was in the midst of apoplectic distraction.
“—And tell Thompson to get his ass up here with some answers and I mean now! What the fuck do I pay you people for? Narumi,” he snarled. “You’d better be calling to tell me you have my fucking money.”
