Page 28 of Ruthless Son

“No no no no…” Millie groaned, covering her face. “Mickey was always bad with money, that’s why he gave it to me to hold for him so that he didn’t spend it. So I… I hid it.”

“Where did you hide it?” Millie looked at him with fear in her eyes, her lip trembling. “Millie!”

I grabbed her hand, her fingers shook in mine as her tears spilled over. “It’s at the flower shop… in my drawer, tucked in the back behind a bunch of tissue paper. I thought it’d be safe there because Margot didn’t like Mickey coming over so I knew he wouldn’t be able to spend it,” she whispered, shame rising within her. “Margot is going to hate me, she’ll fire me and?—”

“Sshh, it’s ok. Rex will just go there now and get it, everything will be fine, right?” I turned to Rex and looked at him pointedly. “Right?”

He pulled his phone from his inside pocket and shot off a text. “My brothers will head there right now.” He glowered at the phone before sliding it away. “Tell me, Millie, do you remember Mickey ever meeting with a guy in a suit? Seen him talking to someone that looked off to you?”

Millie’s gaze turned inward, thinking about the past. Her brows lowered and she thought back to her time with Mickey. “There was this one time, a guy came over but he didn’t come in. It was late at night and they seemed like they were arguing, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. They stayed outside and I remember peeking out the window to see.”

“What did he look like? Can you remember?” Rex prodded.

“Um, he looked… a bit slimy. Like a lawyer,” she continued, trapped in her memories. “He had dark hair and it was slicked back. He had a long nose, and he had a briefcase.” She shook her head, wiping the bad memories away. “I’m sorry, that’s all I know.”

Rex looked disappointed with the measly description, but he didn’t say it. “That’s ok, you’ve done well. Do you think you’d remember him if you saw him again?”

She nodded enthusiastically, his small praise enough to boost her spirits. “Mhhmm, yep, definitely.”

Before Rex could reply, his phone vibrated, and he answered it, not greeting the person on the other end, just listening. I could hear the deep baritone murmuring of the caller, and with each word, Rex’s face hardened even more. Fire sparked in his eyes and his jaw clenched at whatever he was being told.

“I’ll be down there shortly,” he muttered, before ending the call and staring at me, scowling.

“Get your shit, we’re leaving.” He stood up so abruptly, and started grabbing Millie’s things, chucking it into her bag and shoving it at me. “I’m going to get Millie’s discharge papers, you get her ready to go.” He pointed at me sternly. “Don’t ask questions or get stubborn with me right now, princess. I don’t have time to deal with that shit, just do what I say.”

Millie shook beside me, and a jolt of fear slid its insidious way through my veins. Something was happening. Whatever that phone call was, it wasn’t good news and it definitely wasn’t a “we’ve got the money, no worries” call either.

“Mia,” Millie said softly, “this is all my fault?—”

“Sshhh, don’t say another word.” I started piling her things into the bag, not that she had much, just the stuff that I’d brought her myself. “This is Mickey’s fault. That lying sack of shit. When I see him again, I won’t let him get the first hit in, I’ll kick him in the balls and stamp on his fucking head,” I ranted, packing hurriedly for what seemed like the millionth time in a week.

But this time, I had no idea what I was packing for.

Rex

It didn’t take long before the girl was discharged and I had them heading outside to where my brother had the cage. Sonic had swung by with the pickup to get the women, and I followed behind them on my bike.

The night had taken an unexpected turn and it wasn’t in the Street Kings favor. Right now, princess and her sister were in the middle of a shitstorm and they had no idea what was coming for them. Fuck, I didn’t even know what—or who—was coming for them. Which is what frustrated me the most. We had an invisible enemy, which meant we couldn’t fight them, couldn’t take them out and couldn’t protect them.

I pulled in behind Sonic outside the flower shop, dismounted and opened the back door for the women to climb out. They had looks of confusion and fear, with Mia holding her little sister to her, her arm around her shoulders. She looked far younger than her 22 years, and if I didn’t know better, I’d suspect she was much younger.

Sly stood at the entrance to the shop, the night time settling across his features, adding to the gloom of the situation. “Are you sure about this?” he muttered, as I walked up to him.

Looking at the women, I second-guessed my choice to bring them here. They were innocent, but they were now a part of this, and I didn’t want to sugar coat it for them. “I’m sure, Sly. Open the door.” He stepped aside, and I walked into the little shop which had changed since I’d been there not a few hours earlier.

Before, the scent of every flower hung in the air, and each species of plant had its own place, a rainbow wall of color. But now, chaos had visited. Crushed flowers and petals scattered across the floor, and the center table was in pieces.

As the women entered behind me, I moved to the side so the anarchy could be witnessed. A gasp of despair left the younger sister, and she stepped free of Mia’s arm, shuffling forward on unsteady feet.

Kannon stood in the entryway of the rear room, staring daggers at me. “Move out the way, Brother.” He stood in front of the worst carnage, protecting Millie, but he shouldn’t be. I needed her to take this seriously, especially as she was the only one that could identify our enemy at the moment.

“Rex,” he warned, “this isn’t a good idea.”

“Let the girl through,” I stated roughly. He must have noticed the gravity of the situation, the importance of bringing them here, because he slowly shifted his big body to the side. Millie walked through the open entranceway, and my brother stayed glued to her side. When her wail of distress permeated the air, he was the closest to catch her. Her knees shook and she collapsed in Kannon’s arms, her crying ringing in my ears.

Mia rushed to her sister’s side, and I didn’t stop her from seeing either. In her profession, she was used to death.

Margot’s body lay in the center of the little back room, a perfect hole in the middle of her forehead—exactly like Nag.

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