Page 59 of Business or Pleasure

“I was going to say ‘fun stuff,’ but that works too.” Snake reached out and patted my cheek. “I enjoy it either way.”

“Don’t touch her!”

The back of Snake’s hand collided with my cheek, the sharp sound registering a millisecond before the pain exploded across the side of my face. I rocked back in shock.

“Fucking bastard!” Franklin shouted.

“No one but the boss tells me what to do.” Snake’s voice was low, dangerous. His gaze ran down my body and back up while I fought not to cringe. “Here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m going to give you three days to clear the debt. What’s owed, plus five percent for the extension. I don’t care how you get it. Just get it.”

“It’s not her problem.” My father coughed, then spat some blood on the already-grimy floor. “I’ll get you what’s owed. Tell Lucius I’ll get it.”

Snake turned from me to Franklin. “She’s here and she knows who I am. That makes it her problem too. I don’t give fuck which of you gets it, only that you do. So get gone.”

“We’re lettin’ ‘em go?” Len looked confused.

“We’re letting them go get what they owe the boss,” Snake said. “And if they don’t get it to us in three days, we’ll take Franklin apart, a piece at a time.”

“And her?” Remy asked. “What happens to her if they don’t pay?”

A smile curved Snake’s lips, one that I really didn’t like the look of. “She can work it off. Mr. Alesini has lots of uses for pretty girls like her.”

“No!” My father made to get up, but the gun in Remy’s hand stopped him. “I won’t let you do that to her.”

“Don’t worry,” Snake said. “If you get the money, nothing bad will happen to her. And if you don’t, you’ll be dead and won’t care.” He motioned to Remy and Len. “Let’s go.”

Snake went first, with Remy and Len following, the guns in their hands leaving no doubt that they were both still prepared to shoot us if either of us tried anything stupid. I was still too stunned by what was happening to do anything. But as soon as I heard the closed door, I walked to Franklin.

“How bad are you hurt?” I asked. I made no move to touch him, to help him, but I needed him if I was going to get out of this.

“I’ve been worse,” he said, gingerly touching his split lip. “You gotta get out of here. Run far away where Alesini’s guys can’t find you.”

“I’m not running,” I said. “That’s more your style than mine.”

He winced, but I wasn’t sure if it was his injuries or what I said. “This is all my fault.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “It is.” I crossed my arms. “This is why you wanted me to steal from MIRI for you. To pay off these guys.”

He nodded. “I needed a big score and I thought I could either sell it off or trade it.”

“It wasn’t enough then?”

His head jerked up, confusion in his eyes. “What?”

“What you got, it wasn’t enough? Or they didn’t want it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “You never gave me anything.”

I frowned. “But someone did. Right? I mean, those papers you or someone else dropped off at my place. They’re meant to frame me when MIRI realizes someone got into their system, right?”

He slowly shook his head. “I don’t have any papers. After you told me that you wouldn’t help me, I looked for something else to steal. I knew I wasn’t going to get into that place on my own.”

“You wrote me a note.”

“I’m telling the truth, Harlee. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Shit. I believed him. I’d been able to tell when he was lying since I was a kid and he wasn’t lying about this. But if he didn’t know who stole the information or why it was given to me, I didn’t know who could have done it.

“We need to get you out of here,” he said, struggling to his feet.

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