Page 121 of Snitches and Serpents

Just as I thought, he casts an amused glance down at our hands. But to my surprise, he doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he shifts his gaze to Elle.

“Your attempt to sell drugs at the charity event turned into quite the mess,” he says by way of greeting.

“I know,” Elle replies. “That’s not why we’re here. We’re here to pay off the debt. In full.”

His eyebrows rise towards his hairline.

“Plus the money for the bag of drugs that the police took,” she adds.

“And how did you come to acquire so much money in such a short amount of time?” he asks.

A wicked little smile plays over Elle’s lips for a second. “Oh, you know, just a little blackmail.”

Bracken chuckles. Actually chuckles. I don’t think that I’ve ever heard that sound come out of his mouth before.

His eyes gleam as he gives Elle an appraising look. “I see.”

“So, if you would be so kind as to give me your account number, I will make the transfer right away.”

“No.”

My heart stops.

Elle jerks back as well, looking completely stunned.

“What do you mean ‘no’?” I blurt out. Then I remember myself and add, “Sir.”

He slides his gaze to me. There is an unreadable expression on his face. “I will not be accepting that amount of money.”

At first, utter disbelief pulses through me. It’s followed by confusion. Then panic. Then rage. Terrifying, searing rage.

It burns through my veins so intensely that I feel like I’m about to actually catch fire.

I’ve always thought Bracken was, underneath it all, a man of honor. Dictatorial? Yes. Fond of lording his power over people? Definitely. A ruthless employer? For sure. But I always thought that he was a man who kept his side of the deal. A man who honored his bargains.

But apparently not.

That rage whirls through me until I can barely see straight. I’m going to fucking kill him. I’m going to grab that paperweight on his desk and bash it into his skull over and over again until his blood is splattered across my face. I’m going to?—

“I hear that the police tried to get you to sell me out in exchange for saving yourselves,” Bracken suddenly says.

It snaps me out of my murderous thoughts. Narrowing my eyes, I watch him with a wary expression. “Yeah, they did.”

“And that you refused to do it,” he finishes.

Elle and I exchange a glance, neither of us sure where this is going.

“Yes,” I reply when Bracken doesn’t say anything else.

He looks between the two of us, holding our gazes for a few seconds. Then a faint smile blows across his face. “I appreciate that kind of loyalty. And it should be rewarded.”

My heart jerks as hope suddenly pulls at my chest.

“So I will take the money for the tuition, and for the lost drugs,” he continues. His eyes are serious as he looks at us. “You can keep the money for the two years of lost work.”

Elle’s mouth drops open. So does mine. The money for the two years of lost work is half of the total amount.

Bracken’s gaze flits down to our still joined hands, and for a second, I swear I can almost see a hint of longing in his eyes. Then the usual mask is back on his face as he meets our gazes again.

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