Page 75 of Kill Me Sweetly

Surprisingly, no one tied my hands or feet and once the van stopped, one of the men got out. I was simply waved at to exit.

I didn’t know architecture. I referred to houses as big, decent-sized, and small. This one I’d say was big. It sort ofreminded me of the Amityville Horror house, and yeah…that wasn’t sitting well with me.

There was a large porch that appeared to wrap around the entire house, but I couldn’t be sure. Two boys, and I do mean boys—they couldn’t have been older than fifteen—stood sentry by the door.

“This way,” one of the guards said as he opened the door. And that was when the place no longer looked like a home. It was as if I’d stepped into a laboratory or hospital. White gleaming floors and walls. Stations, not desks, with people in scrubs, others in suits, and some in regular clothes, much like the men who’d tossed me into the van and dragged me here.

I was led down a hallway and through another door. This room was not friendly. All white, no window. There was a twin-sized bed that didn’t scream luxury. A toilet in the corner and a sink.

“Is this a cell?” I asked but received no answer.

I was pushed in and the door shut. There was no handle on my side so yep, this was some prison shit right here.Fuck.

If anyone was going to be able to find me and save me, it was going to be the Saint brothers with Four’s help. I knew I just had to wait it out.

I walked to the bed and sat. Yep, lumpy. I took a few cleansing breaths and figured I’d be in the room of solitude for a while.

I was wrong. The door opened, and in walked an answer to a question we all had.

“Is it really Clark Columbus?” Harper Reese asked. He was in a three-piece dark suit with a crisp white shirt and deep-red tie. His salt-and-pepper hair was perfectly styled, and his gorgeous face was smirking.

I narrowed my eyes at him and didn’t say a word.

“Hmm…I heard you were quite the talker over at Alicia House, but not now…interesting.”

“Is it?” I folded my arms across my chest and stood.

“When I did the background check, it was exactly what I’d assume someone who wanted in on my more nefarious businesses would look like on paper. Almost too good to be true, if you ask me. However, I liked you and your husband. Then Penny called and told me what happened, and things sort of began clicking into place.”

He motioned to one of the guards, and another came in with a chair. They brought it to where he stood, and Harper sat. “Please sit.”

I didn’t want to, but I also believed in picking your battles. Once again, I was on the lumpy mattress.

“I’ll tell you my theory. I believe you’re one of the Saint brothers—that, or you are at least linked to them. I think you have something that belongs to me, and you and your posse of nosy bodies have it in your heads that you can tear my establishment to pieces.”

I couldn’t keep quiet—it was an illness. “First of all, I get that you’re sort of old, but don’t say nosy bodies; no one says that anymore. My grandmother did, but just no, Harper, have some self-respect.”

He snorted. “Noted, and what else?”

“I don’t have anything that belongs to you.”

He sighed. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. I know for a fact that you have Four somewhere.”

“Ha! See, that right there. Harper, don’t worry, I’ll get you through this thing called humanity. Repeat after me: You. Can’t. Own. People.”

The happiness drained from his face. “Four is mine. I do own him.”

“Oh…ohhhhhhhhh. Okay, let’s start over. There’s this thing called the Thirteenth Amendment; what that is?—”

“Enough,” Harper snapped.

He’d cracked sooner than I’d thought he would. “Sorry, I thought maybe you didn’t know how the world worked.”

“Do you think I won’t find Four, bring him here, and have him fall in line?” He regarded me with a grin. “Your family also has Two, and that was foolish. He’ll fight to the death, and if you think he won’t tear through everyone you love there, you’re sorely mistaken.”

Okay, I’d play. “Seems to me like you haven’t done your homework, Harpy. It’s you who have no idea who you’re messing with.”

“Foolish man.” He rose from his seat, and one of the guards immediately picked it up and removed it from the room.

---