Christmas Captive - Isabella Starling Page 0,15

his chair, almost too eager in his efforts to make me feel welcome. “Oh, Mr. Kline… Welcome. I’m so sorry for my rudeness.”

I waved my hand dismissively, my eyes scanning the place to find Skull.

“Are you looking for someone, Sir?” the bouncer asked.

“A man named Skull,” I told him. “We’ve got some unfinished business.”

“Of course. I’ll find him for you.”

“We’ll wait for him behind the club,” Florian said, and the guard nodded before disappearing into the backstage area of Le Cabaret. We made our way toward the back exit, and on the way, a woman draped her arm over my shoulders, giving me a seductive look.

“Care for a dance, handsome?” she purred.

“Get your hands off him,” Florian hissed. “Don’t you know who he is?”

The girl, a pretty young thing with a pale pink wig and dark blue eyes, smiled at me before a look of recognition crossed her face. It almost made me sad that she’d recognized me. It meant she knew too much about the corrupt, dark side of London.

“Now now, Florian,” I said gently, suddenly empathetic toward the girl. She was so young. “It’s alright.” I gently pried her arms off me, and she gave me a sheepish look. “Why do you work here?”

“I need the cash,” the girl muttered.

“What for?”

“My… my grandma,” she finally managed. “She’s sick. And she can’t work. So it’s just us.”

“Are you eighteen?” I demanded, my hard gaze drilling into hers and demanding she tell me the truth. After a moment’s hesitation, she shook her head no.

Anger pooled in my belly at the thought of the poor girl exposing herself like this when she wasn’t even legal. I pulled out a wad of cash from my pocket, and the girl’s eyes widened as I gave her the whole lot.

“For your grandma,” I told her.

“Thank you, Sir…” She pocketed the money hastily, as if she were afraid I’d change my mind. “What do you w-want me to do for it?” Her voice was shaky. I could tell she was afraid of what I’d ask of her, but I had no intention of making her work for my cash.

“Don’t come back here,” I told her firmly. “And forget all about me. What’s your name?”

“Remington,” she whispered.

“Alright, Remington,” I said gently. “Go home. Don’t come back. Say hello to grandma from me. And don’t even think about doing something like this again.” I motioned to Florian, and he handed her my business card begrudgingly. “Call me if you need anything else.”

The girl’s eyes were filled with tears as she looked at me. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because,” I said firmly. “I’ve been where you are, and I wish I’d had someone to help me like I just helped you, before it was too late. Now go. Go!”

She scrambled to her feet, leaving the main room of Le Cabaret in a rush. Florian didn’t comment though I could tell from the tension between us he was eager to say something. My look of disapproval was enough to shut him up, though.

We made our way to the back alley. Florian blended into the shadows while I stood right in the middle of it, my eyes focused on the back exit and waiting for Skull. He appeared moments later, his gaudy tattoo standing out against the stark paleness of his skin. When he saw me, his eyes darkened, and his hands formed fists at his sides. The stupid bastard was gearing up for a fight. How foolish.

“I hear you haven’t done what I asked of you,” I hissed at him.

“Why would I listen to you?” Skull grunted. “You have no authority. This is my corner.”

“This is London,” I told him. “My city. You do as I say, or you pay the price.”

“What price?” he laughed at me. “I can take you, pretty boy.”

“We’ll see about that. Before we do, I’ll give you one last shot to make things right between us. Will you return the money you stole and apologize to the girls you work with?” His response was a grunt, which made me sigh in disappointment. “I have to say, I didn’t have high hopes for your intelligence when I first saw you, but you manage to disappoint me more and more every time we speak. It’s your call, Skull, but trust me, you’re about to regret saying no to me.”

“We’ll see about that,” the guy snarled before lunging at me. I ducked, avoiding his punch narrowly. My hand wrapped around his neck the next second, squeezing the