Page 1 of We're Not Strangers Anymore

Grayson

As I make my way to the old, unfinished bunker, I hear the bastard screaming like he didn’t just have the balls to steal from the most powerful men in Chicago.

“Twenty grand, ofmymoney?” I hear my brother, Luciano drawl.

“It was a fucking mistake! It was only supposed to be a few but I got caught in a messy situation. It will never happen again!” He screams.

“Oh so you just meant to steal alittle bitof our money.” I hear Luciano reply sarcastically, landing another punch to Frank’s jaw.

Frank McCarthy is an older Irish man, his only love being for whiskey and gambling. He’s also a well known businessmanin the city, and partner to my family and I’s dealings. He knows why no one fucks with us, he’s seen it firsthand. Playing with our money is a death wish, but he owns the majority of businesses we launder money through, as well as nightclubs where we do most of our deals. Needless to say, I have to play this one more strategically than most. If I kill him that would cause a lot of inconvenience over a mere twenty grand.

“How long have you been skimming money off the top, Frank?” I ask, entering the back room of the basement where Frank is chained to a concrete wall. I know the answer, but I want to see if he’s going to lie about the amount, just like he lied about being a traitor.

“Only a few months I swear! Grayson, come on man we’ve done business together for years. Your family knows me, we’ve spent Christmases together! It was a mistake, it won’t happen again!” He cries desperately.

I scoff at how pathetic he sounds. Frank is a weak man. Always has been. Weak men will always discard their loyalty and then beg for mercy when consequences follow.

“See, here’s the funny thing about mistakes, Frank– mistakes are made by accident. You knowingly stole from us,” I lean down, close to his face. “Now your lack of accountability is starting to make meveryangry.”

I motion Luciano back over to uncuff one of Frank’s hands from the cement wall. The hope in his eyes quickly disappears when I take a pair of needle nose pliers and gripthe nail from his index finger, his middle finger, and his ring finger with the pliers, tearing them off one by one. Frank’s screams echo through the soundproof bunker as his nails lift, the skin underneath still attached to them. His face turns red and beads of sweat form on the deep creases of his forehead. I shove the cold metal barrel of my gun inside his mouth.

“Listen, I’m only going to say this once. I’m going to kill you. End your fucking worthless life,” I take a moment to watch Frank panic, his eyes wide looking like he’s going to shit himself. “Or, I can be generous, and allow you an opportunity to make things right.” I pull my gun back with a smirk, allowing him to respond.

“Grayson, I’ll get you your money back. You have my word. Just give me a little time–”

“Fuck yourword.In case you haven’t noticed, you’re on borrowed time, motherfucker. I want my money and I want you to make it worth my while to keep your worthless flesh alive.” I snap, my hand closing around his throat.

“Take my cars, take my house, whatever you want it’s yours!” He chokes out.

I take the barbed wire I have set aside on a small metal table, wrap it around my knuckles, grit my teeth, and drive my fist into the side of his face with it for even insulting me with that offer. Blood spills from the fresh, open cuts on his face, trailing down his neck. My knuckles are split open, but it’s a feeling I’m used to.

“All your shit is financed.” I take my hand off of him and step back, grinning. “Your daughter, Frank, I want your daughter.”

Frank starts laughing hysterically.

“You’re kidding, what would you want with Rowan?”

“I could show you better than I could tell you.” I tilt my head to the side, a smile quirking my lips just thinking about what it is that I want with her.

“Grayson, I can’t let you take my daughter, she’s all I have-”

“You don’t have a choice,” I cut him off. “Don’t act like you give two shits about your daughter, Frank. The only choice you have is I can kill you and take her anyway, or I can take her and you can consider your debt paid.” Of course I’d love to put a bullet between the fucker’s eyes, but there are people he recently got clicked in with that are even more powerful than me, that would come after my family and I for it.

“Fine,” Frank says coldly, “take her.”

His words utter a subtle undertone. Of course Frank is the type to sell out his own kin. He only cares about covering his own ass.

I dug into Rowan's background for months before discovering Frank's embezzlement— okay maybe a year, but it was for business purposes.

She's stunning, unlike the typical Chicago women—a natural beauty reminiscent of a '90s scrapbook. She has light brown hair that falls down her back like a waterfall of caramel. Her ocean eyes alone could bring any man to his knees– any man except for me. I like to look at her because she’s art in human form, but the thought is always better than the reality with any woman.

Despite limited information on her social media, I learned she resides in Detroit, Michigan. To fill in the gaps, I enlisted my tech guy, Austin, to uncover her address and workplace last year. I’ve kept tabs on her since. She works at an animal clinic during the day and some sports bar in the Metropolitan area at night. I always love watching her leave her job at the sports bar with her hair in a messy ponytail and her black work shirt that hugs her small curves in just the right places. The world is a dangerous place, especially for a woman like her.

Rowan

I stride over with a bright smile to my high top table of four drunk assholes. approaching them with a tray of draft beers, setting them down one by one. The dark fluorescent lighting in here has my eyelids feeling heavy. I pulled a double tonight to cover my electric bill and then I’ll be all caught up.

“Hey sweetheart, why don’t you bring us a round of Jameson shots too.” The one younger man says. He looks about my age and he might even be attractive if he didn’t open his mouth.

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