AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Fuck you,” he snaps, turning back to the door. I pull out the handheld taser and press it to the back of his neck. He jolts and drops the gun, which I kick out of the way. He goes to his knees, and I grab his arms, pulling them behind his back and securing them with pull-ties.
“You’re not being very nice, Archer. I came here to speak to you about my friends, and you’ve been very disrespectful,” I tell him, moving around to his front so he can see me. “I could have killed you, you didn’t even see me waiting for you, but we’re in the same line of work and I figured I’d try talking first. So, can we try that?” He nods even though he looks annoyed. “Great.” We hear a scream from down below. “Start the timer,” I joke. “You were hired by Jolene Hall. My friends, Amelia Maverick and Albert Taylor, are on your list.”
“So, if you’re in this line of work, you know a job’s and job. I don’t get involved in the details.”
“You can’t go ahead now I know who you are.” I slap my forehead. “Christ, you didn’t even deny it. You’re one of the worst hitmen out there.”
“You’ve done your research, so what’s the point in denying it?”
“Jolene Hall’s been arrested. If you go ahead, you’re not going to see a penny of what she owes you because I’m gonna make sure she goes down. So, you can go ahead for free and then I’ll kill you, or you can walk away and call it quits.”
“You’re good,” he mutters. “Fuck. Look, let me be straight with you, I need the cash. The jobs aren’t coming in and I’m about to lose everything.”
I groan. “I’m a fool for a sob story. What if I could get you work? It would take some convincing, my boss isn’t good with new faces.”
He nods. “Deal. I’ll drop the work for Hall if you can get me some with your boss.”
I go behind him and cut the binds. “We need to leave.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
ARTHUR
“Rosey was like a possessed demon,” Meli says, cuddling into my chest.
“She’s a little unhinged,” I say with a laugh. “Wonder how she got so messed-up.”
“I hope her lead works out and we can put all this to an end.”
I kiss her on the head. “Me too. Until then, I’m happy we can all stay under one roof.”
“It must feel good to have your mum back.”
I nod. “She’s the glue to our family. I don’t know what we’d do if she got hurt because of us.”
“Did she know what you were up to when you were running in bad circles?” asks Meli.
“I think she suspected when I was handing her thousands of pounds each month to help with the bills.”
She laughs. “And she wasn’t worried? Did she try to stop you?”
“At first. But we needed the money, so she started to turn a blind eye. I hate she worked her backside off to provide for her kids and still couldn’t quite feed us properly. It’s crazy people struggle like that in this day and age. That’s why I employ mainly women in my factories and hotels. Most of them are single mothers who just need a decent wage and an understanding boss.”
She arches a brow and glances up at me. “Understanding?”
I grin. “I am. They get paid leave, emergency days for childcare issues, bonuses . . . I’m a good boss.”
She kisses me. “Good to know.”
I push her onto her back. “Which reminds me, you promised me kids,” I say, laying over her. She cups my face in her hands, but her expression tells me I’m not going to like what she’s about to say.
“I love you, Arthur Taylor, and what I said stands. But I’m having a hard time with the whole you and Jolene thing. I know you did it to protect everyone, but it still hurts.”
I flop down beside her and nod. “I get it. Take your time.”
The door opens and Rosey barges in. “Mav wants us in his office so I can update you.”
“Did you get him?” I ask.
