I nodded, adjusting the thin purse strap on my shoulder. We got to the hostess stand and Frank gave his name.
I looked aroundLa Noir, a high end restaurant I was sure didn’t have anything under a hundred dollars on the menu. I had never been here before since it was way past my budget but I had to admit it was nice and classy looking inside. The people we passed to get to our table screamed money which made me shift slightly. This scene wasn’t me, but whenever I was on a job I always put a mask on and acted the part I was being paid for.
“Ah Frank, there you are,” a larger medium brown man said, standing. He and Frank shook hands.
“Gregory, good to see you again. I hope you two weren’t waiting too long.”
Gregory waved him off and his attention shifted to me. “Who is this beautiful young lady on your arm?” Although his wifewas sitting next to him, drinking a glass of wine, he ogled me shamelessly.
“This is my date for the evening, Belle.” I faced the man, giving him a stiff smile. I refused to give these guys my real name, instead using my middle name whenever I took a job.
“It’s nice to meet you, Belle. The name fits you well.” His eyes raked over me again. My stomach twisted. “This is my wife Janet.”
His wife barely gave us a second glance as she waved then reached for the wine bottle on the table, refilling her glass.
“Shall we sit?” Frank suggested, pulling my chair out.
“Of course.”
I knew tonight was gonna be a long night. The wife was already through her second glass of wine and just seeing how her husband was in our quick introduction, I didn’t blame her. Part of me felt like I would be following her lead at some point during the night. The only thing that would make this night bearable was the nice payout I would have sitting in my account at the end of the evening.
(Ky-rus Na-var-row)
I nodded for one of my men to remove the sack from the guy’s head and crossed my arms over my chest.
Excitement rushed through my veins and one corner of my mouth ticked upward. The moment the sack was snatched off, the man’s head moved wildly from side to side. His eyes were frantic and bulging. He attempted to move, but he was strapped to a chair in the middle of the warehouse. When his eyes finally landed on me, the blood drained from his face and his body went rigid. He attempted to speak but the duct tape over his mouth had his words coming out as muffled sounds.
“The tape,” I demanded.
The tape was snatched off his mouth and he flinched.
“Mr. Navarro!” he called out with a tremble in his voice.
“Roger. Roger. Roger,” I repeated with a smile on my face, but nothing about the situation was humorous. “You’ve been a hard man to find.” My eyes cut into slits.
Moments like this made my pulse race. The smell of fear always lifted my spirits.
“I was gonna come see you today,” he rushed out.
I tilted my head and my frown deepened. “Is that right?” Uncrossing my arms I scratched the side of my face. His head bobbed up and down quickly.
“If that’s the case then why did my men find you with your car packed up like you were leaving town?” He looked like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. His body trembled.
“It wasn’t even like that,” he blurted.
My jaw clenched. One day people would learn lying to me wasalmostas worse as not repaying your debt.
My eyes connected with Rock, one of the men next to him, and I nodded.
Rock knew what that meant without me having to say anything. He stepped in front of Roger, balled his fist, and sent it across his face. I was sure I heard something crack, which made me grin.
“You know, when you came to me asking for a loan, my rules were clear. Pay back the money loaned with interest or I come collect in more rigorous ways.” I reached back for my gun and tapped it against my side.
Roger’s head lulled. He lifted it and blinked a couple times. Blood now dripped from his nose and swollen lip. When his eyes finally focused again and landed on the gun, they grew. He withered in the chair and his body shook. He struggled, trying to free himself but it was useless.
“For two weeks I’ve been on the hunt for you. That means for two weeks my time was wasted. I’m not a patient man, Roger.”
“I was gonna pay you, man. I just need a little more time to get all the money.”
