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As Charlize ran through all of her options, she noticed a glint of silver beneath the man's jacket—a holstered gun. Her mind raced, weighing her options. She had no doubt these men were capable of unspeakable violence.
Carmen's voice echoed in her mind, reminding her of the lifeline she still held. She had Carmen on her side, orchestrating a rescue operation. Charlize had to believe that help was on its way. All she had to do was stall.
The younger man interrupted her thoughts, his tone taking on a sinister edge. "You’ve really got Brenda on the hook, don’t you? We know what you’re up to.”
“She knows what I’m up to. I’ve been with her all day. You guys have something screwed up. I’m going to help around here. Get Brenda on the phone.”
Charlize's instincts kicked in as she realized she was on her own. There would be a team coming, but it would take time.
“Brenda might think you’re someone she can trust, but we don’t.” That was an important bit of information. These guys had gone rogue. There were fissures in the organization. Some of the mid-level muscle not agreeing with Brenda’s leadership decisions.
“You think you’re going to drag me out of here and I’m not going to make a scene?” She chuckled, trying to bruise their egos. Angry men made rash mistakes and at the moment she needed them to screw up.
"Save your threats. You’ll walk out of here with this gun in your ribs and you won’t say a word. If you think I won’t shoot you because we’re in this fancy building, you’re wrong. I’ll take out as many people as I need to. You’re not going to destroy what we’ve got going here.”
“You don’t have anything going,” she bit back quickly. “You’re just the muscle. They order you around and you do what they say. And you can be replaced by the next bumbling idiots willing to do the job.”
“You’ve already made that perfectly clear,” the man hissed. “And you think we’re going to let you swoop in and shake everything up. We’ve been doing the grunt work this whole time. Living in these slums, keeping the girls in line. Dealing with snot-nosed kids and making sure they disappear if they step out of line. You’re going to go looking for someone else to replace us now? Oh hell no.”
“That’s what this is about?” Charlize asked, shrugging off the idea. “I made a suggestion and Brenda didn’t go for it. She has faith in your team. Thinks the screw up today with Rose was a mistake that was quickly rectified and won’t happen again. She’s got your back.”
“But you’ve got her ear. I’m not waiting around for you to work us out of what we’ve helped build. None of this happens without us. You think these fancy rich folks would be down in the trenches, tying people to beds? Screaming at kids. Bringing these drugs out to the bars and clubs every night. They don’t have the stomach for this shit.”
“Of course they don’t,” Charlize agreed. “That must be why Brenda backed you up today. She knows she wouldn’t do what you do.”
“But we know she didn’t,” the other man replied after being quiet for a long while. “She’s ready to go your way. To listen to whatever you have to say. She’s walking around here talking about you like you’re God’s gift to the future of this place. So maybe you don’t have a future here at all.”
A sense of dread settled over Charlize as the men advanced, closing in around her again. The room felt like a pressure cooker, and she desperately needed a way out. Her eyes darted around the office, searching for anything she could use as a weapon or a means of escape.
It didn’t come in the form of a projectile or blunt object. All she found was the men’s expressions. They were a whirlwind of emotions—rage, exasperation, and, hidden beneath it all, a flicker of desperation. That was what she would have to capitalize on.
“You aren’t wrong. I do have power here. And if I play my cards right, I’ll have a lot more of it soon. You don’t need to shut me down, you need to partner with me. Brenda sees you as fools, but this move right here shows me you have guts. I underestimated you. You and your men aren’t in over your heads, you’re undervalued.”
“We’re supposed to trust you?”
“No more than I trust you. But relationships like this aren’t built on trust. You know that.”
“Then what are they built on?”
“Action,” Charlize answered smugly.
“What kind of action?” She had their attention and she needed to capitalize.
“I’ll prove to you that, as I gain more control here, you will too.” She straightened her back smugly.
“And how are you going to do that?” The man kept his hand on his holstered weapon, looking ready to silence her if he needed to.
“Let me show you. Gather your men. As many as you can spare and have them come to the apartment where Rose was taken from today. I’ll prove to them I’m not like these other people in the office. I’ll get my hands dirty. I’ll make sure every other woman in that place understands what will happen to them if they try the same thing. With blood on my hands, you’ll all know I’m just as deep into this as you, right?”
The men glanced at each other, looking dubious. “I’ll bring the men I can in. But if you want our support, you better be willing to prove yourself. Do what Brenda and these other snobs don’t dare to even attempt.”
Charlize stiffened her back and painted on a devilishly sinister grin. “You better have the stomach to watch.”
CHAPTER 32
HARRY
“I just want my son,” Rose whimpered, covering her face with her hands. “Please take me to Nathaniel.”
