AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What do you know about the drugs?” Vince snarls as he grabs my arm.
“Annie has been stealing drugs from someone and giving them to you.” It's funny how stepping out of my life highlighted everything I couldn't see before.
“Well,” Vince sneers, so close now his bitter breath hits me right in the face. “I guess it took you long enough.”
“To do what? Show an interest in my sister's life?” To realise how tightly I had the wool pulled over my eyes. How everyone has been using me for their own gain? Vince’s hand closes around my throat. As he leans in close to my ear.
“She gives me the drugs, and I give you an exceptionally good wage. Did you think all my pretty dancers get paid that much? No. I gave you half of your sister’s take. You took half the money home and your sister the other half. Leaving you enough to live on with your druggie mother. It was her way of providing for you and your worthless mum.”
My mouth opens to protest, but no words come out. There is nothing to say to that.
His hands close around my arms, but I have to get away. And yes, I realise it's too late, but I'm not backing away from a touchy-feely boss, I'm escaping Knox's enemy.
Or trying to, anyway.
forty-four
Knox
MrsMarley'deathwasthe right outcome; Dad is quite chatty over a midday brandy.
Caeo's face as he creeps around the door dampens all of that.
“I need a quiet word, if you wouldn't mind.” His voice is a hard whisper, this is serious. Before this Tiffany incident, I had nothing to lose but my reputation. Now I have Porter. I feel a cold dread inside for the first time since my sister went on the run. I haven't felt afraid for someone else since that day; I made it my mission to avoid any connection that could make me feel like that again. Now that feeling has returned with a vengeance. This is the cost of opening my heart to someone. This is the cost of letting him go.
“Father, excuse me. I won't be gone for a moment.” Only long enough to send every man who works for me out to find Porter and bring him home, willing, or not.
“Nonsense, anything that concerns my son can be discussed here.” Dad is firm with Caeo. As much as he is my man, my father still runs this operation. Caeo has to obey him.
“It's fine,” I reassure Caeo that I understand the situation.
“It's about the phone. You had a call. It sounds urgent.” Caeo does his best to play down the urgency but a phone call from Porter means my heart has a reason to be racing the way it is. I'm not ready for Dad to find out about him yet.
“You deal with it,” I splutter. “Deal with it quickly. You know the outcome I want.”
“Well, now I have to know.” Dad sits forward with interest. “Come on. Spill the beans.”
My dad knows Caeo well, my number two was part of the family before I was born, and he always has to do my father's bidding.
“Go ahead.” If I don't give my permission, he'll do it anyway. I have to salvage this situation as best as I can.
Caeo nods gratefully and holds up the phone I gave Porter the number for. I couldn't give him my main phone number, no matter how hard I hoped for him to come back.
I get to listen to the whole thing on speaker phone in front of my dad. Porter sounds distant, talking with another man about Tiffany. I had hoped letting her go would draw the dealer from the woodwork, but this wasn't how I imagined it would play out.
“Who is this kid?”
“I told you.” Or I had been in the process of telling him. He needed to know the reason for my sudden interest in drug accounting. “His sister stole drugs from me and he's helping me trace the dealer.”
“What's he getting in return?”
My eyes shoot to Caeo, a pleading glance at a man who can't help me.
“You like him?” Dad concludes. I sigh.
“Yes, Dad, I like him. But no one gets to join the family without proving themselves first.”
“You're thinking of finally settling down?” Dad accuses sternly. In moments like these, it's hard to read what he wants from me.
