a pile of money and sniffing it. His low, slow inhale was almost erotic in nature. I could even see from where I was standing a few feet away that his pupils were dilated with sensual glee. He was a conceited man that got off on the smell of cash, and a fleeting thought flickered through my mind: He was Mama’s type.
When Boss was done inspecting the cash, he set it back in the briefcase before standing and stalking over to me.
My teeth chattered. Beside me, Decker went hard with tension, every muscle in his body was flexed and ready for action. I could feel the wave of protective energy flowing between us. Decker was still holding my hand, but he kept his vice-like grip on my nimble fingers. My bones could have cracked from the pressure. “I thought I told you not to tell anyone,” Boss said while looking Decker up and down. He seemed unimpressed with my bodyguard.
“I didn’t tell anyone. He found me and refused to let me go alone.”
“You must be pussy-whipped or stupid. I’m not sure what’s worse,” Boss said to Decker while looking him up and down with annoyance.
“Why are you doing this?” I found the courage to ask. Boss turned his attention back to me, his smile disarming as he took a step closer.
“We don’t tolerate deserters in my gang,” Boss began, “If we offer you protection on the inside, then we demand that you work for us on the outside. Your father broke our code and had a debt.”
I wanted to stare at the watch on his wrist, mostly to gauge how much time had passed. How long would it take the police to show up? I noted once more that we’re in the penthouse suite, which occupied the very top floor of the hotel. Whenever the police arrived, these men would have plenty of time to know if we had ratted them out. We were stuck.
I wanted Boss to keep talking, to waste as much time as possible. The longer he was rambling, the longer the police had to get to us. “I paid his debt,” I gritted.
The man laughed. It was a sinister sort of sound that felt chilling and cruel. “If I’d known you’d bring it so willingly, I would’ve asked for more. Maybe I should ask for more.”
“I’m not bringing you another cent until I see my father,” I said in a louder voice full of false bravado. Boss must not have liked my snarky words, because he snapped his hand out to wrap his fingers around my neck. I tried to jerk away, but he squeezed, locking me in place with his steady grip. I tried to heave in gulps of air, but my lungs couldn’t expand. Grinning at my struggle, Boss then pressed even harder while staring me in the eye.
“The way I see it,” he began as Decker took a step closer. He was on the verge of beating Boss to a pulp, despite the men surrounding us with guns. I could feel the angry energy hammering throughout the room. “You’re not in any position to be making demands,” Boss said. Decker lifted his hand up to yank him away, but a man clutching a pistol aimed at him, halting Decker in his tracks. Meanwhile, my vision was fading to black.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. I felt my legs go numb. My chest was on fire. When he finally let go, I gasped for air and fell to my knees, coughing and sputtering the moment I hit the ground. Oxygen had never tasted so sweet. My lungs flexed as tantric air filled me up like a placebo for dopamine. I’d never felt so thankful for the ability to breathe.
The relief was short-lived though, because Boss then threaded his fingers through my hair and yanked me hard. I felt clumps of my blonde strands disconnect from my scalp at the jerking movement. Tilting my head up to look at him, the man called over his shoulder while keeping his eyes on mine. “Bring me, Frank,” he ordered in a bored tone as if all of this was a regular occurrence.
Three men disappeared into a side room, and within moments, I heard shuffling behind the door. Grunts and moans then erupted from the room, and moments later, they emerged from the shadows while dragging my father’s broken body. Dad’s hands were tied behind his back, and his shirt was coated with fresh blood. There was a