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“No?” The guy with a million tattoos cocks his head to the side. “Your little girlfriend here should know. Or are you denying having a video of your father and Xander Rossi doing business?”
Business? The way he says it. In an instant, everything comes crashing into me. Just when I thought I couldn’t get any more scared, the name Xander Rossi is mentioned. Shit. That is who sent these men. That is who is looking for me.
Somehow finding my voice, I say, “I- I wasn’t threatening him. I just wanted my father to leave me alone.”
Scar face smiles, and maybe it’s meant as an actual smile, I don’t know. But it’s menacing like if a lion showed you its teeth right before ripping you to pieces.
“We don’t really give a fuck what your motives were. Fact is, you have something you shouldn’t have, and we are here to collect it.”
“That’s all you want? The video?” I force the breathless words out.
“Yup, that’s all, sweet cheeks,” tattoo guy winks, and I hear Oliver grunt next to me, making the two men chuckle.
“You can have it,” I tell him, “it’s on my laptop in my room.” I point up the stairs. “And there is a copy on a thumb drive on my desk too.”
“There is a copy in my dresser as well, bottom drawer on the right,” Oliver admits.
Scar face nods toward his friend, who gets up and heads up the stairs.
“You sure it’s not anywhere else? Some place online, maybe? On one of your computers?” His gaze sweeps over Sullivan and Banks.
“No, that’s all we’ve got,” Banks snarls, and I can see from the way he’s sitting with his back ramrod straight, his muscles straining, and his fists clenched tightly that he’s barely dealing with these guys without losing his shit.
“Look, we won’t release it,” I assure him, surprised at how strong my voice sounds. “We really weren’t going to use it to hurt your boss. I just wanted something against my father, that’s all. I can see now that we made a mistake. We don’t want any trouble, we told you where it is, and we’ll even help you destroy all of the files.”
The guy in front of us nods and strokes his chin as if he’s thinking about something intently. A moment later, tattoo guy returns, holding three laptops in his arms.
“That’s all I could find,” he tells his friend.
“And the thumb drive?” Scar face pins me with a look.
“It was on my desk, and I haven’t touched it since I put it there.” Terror starts to take root again. It has to be on the desk, that’s the last place I put it. The thought of it not being there, oh, god. I can’t think about that…
He turns back to his partner, who gives him a head shake.
“Okay, let’s go for a walk, blondie. You can find the drive for me, and we can get the hell out of here.”
“No, you can’t take her…” Banks shoves from his chair but is immediately pushed back down when scar face crosses the space and presses the barrel of his gun into his chest. A gasp catches in my throat. Time seems to stand still. My entire body starts to shake, and I already know the image before me is one I’ll never be able to forget.
Leaning into Banks’ face, the crazed man whispers, “I didn’t ask what you want. I said I’m taking her with me upstairs to find the drive. As long as I find it, no one gets hurt. I’ll return her back to you without a single hair out of place.” He gestures to the other guy to come over by us. “You just sit tight and don’t make any more stupid choices, and she’ll be just fine.”
Banks doesn’t say anything, thankfully. I’m not sure that I would be able to protect him, to save him if he did something stupid right now.
When scar face moves the gun away and points it back down at the floor, I finally start breathing again. Sucking in a ragged breath, I push from the chair and slowly come to stand. My legs wobble, and Oliver wraps an arm around my hip to steady me. I don’t dare look at him. The thought of something happening to them because of me… I would never forgive myself.
On shaky legs, I walk out of the kitchen without looking back. I don’t have to turn around to know the man is walking behind me. In that moment, all I can hear is my thundering heartbeat and the sound of his heavy footsteps against the wooden floor.
Grabbing onto the railing to steady myself, I climb the stairs, but the crushing fear makes my head spin, and I have to stop once I reach the top step. A wave of dizziness overcomes me, threatening to pull me under and into the maddening darkness.
