Page 5 of Resisting Royal

It was a mocking blow, I knew it. But when someone owed you two hundred and forty thousand dollars, there was no real low blow. Frank slurped, no doubt sucking up the spit and blood that pooled along the inside of his lip and dripped out of the corner of his mouth. “It was a gift.”

I thumbed the leather; it was an excellent quality gift. I opened up the wallet, noting his initials inscribed in gold, before flipping it open. Forty-three dollars. I pulled the money out and put it in my pocket. Then I started pulling out credit cards. “Any of these have money on them?”

He swallowed heavily, a wet sound filled the air. “Maxed.”

“Fuck, Frank. I didn’t want to do this, but you’ve quite literally left me nothing to work with.” I looked at Troy. “Have the twins take care of him, tell them to make it quick, we have a fight in less than an hour.”

Troy nodded once, then yanked on Frank’s arm, pulling his body up with little effort. He struggled, pulling against the hold Troy had on his bicep, refusing to walk like a man owning up to his mistakes, instead choosing to be dragged like a toddler not getting their way. “No. Stop, please. I’ll do anything. I can work, I can work off my debt!”

I nearly rolled my eyes. “Do you realize how long you would have to work for me to even make a dent in what you owe? No, I prefer loyalty, not forced labor.”

I nodded again to Troy, and he continued dragging him again, meanwhile leaving a trail of blood on my floor. Just as he got to the door, Frank screamed, “I’ve got a daughter. I’ll give her to you, she’s all yours.”

“Stop,” I yelled. “Do you honestly think your daughter would appreciate being gifted away? This isn’t the eighteen-hundreds any longer.”

He licked his lips. “No. But she would do anything to save me.”

“Do you think your life is worth that much?” I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling the pull of the tight material against my bicep.

“No.” He looked ashamed to admit it, but honestly, just this conversation alone proved this man was scum. “I don’t think my life is worth it, but she will.”

“What exactly are you proposing?”

“That I trade her, in exchange for my debt.” He stood up straighter as he said it like he knew he piqued my interest.

“You are so sure she would agree to this, that she would agree to fall into the hands of a monster like me?” The whole concept suddenly had me intrigued.

“She would do it. She’s my only family.” He looked sad about that fact, but I suspected it was partially his doing.

“What does this daughter look like?” I asked curiously.

He relaxed some. “In my wallet, the third picture in, that’s the most recent one I have.”

I picked up the wallet off my desk again and flip through it, finding a pretty girl with chestnut hair and piercing green eyes. Familiar, I thought, like I had maybe met her before and not put much thought into her afterward. “This picture is a bit dated, am I correct?”

“Yes, sir. But nothing has changed.”

I groaned, annoyed for a second that I even entertained this thought. “I can’t, it wouldn’t be right to trade her life without consent.”

Troy cleared his throat. “Um, I’m not trying to speak out of line, but I do believe Mama Russo would be thrilled.”

I stared at him a moment, not understanding what he meant until he held up his ring finger and wiggled. I nearly choked, but once my heart rate calmed down, I saw his reasoning. A wife? What better way to please my aging mother than bringing home a daughter-in-law. It wasn’t something I planned, obviously, but I thought I could make it work.

“Okay, new plans. Troy will fetch . . .” I paused, waiting for Frank to fill in the name of his daughter.

“Bianca.”

Hmm, I liked the sound of her already. “Troy will fetch us Bianca, and if she is willing to marry me in exchange for your life, then you have a deal. If this is not a deal she wants to partake in, then we go back to the original punishment, no guilt falls on her. Deal?”

He cleared his throat again. “Deal.”

I turned to Troy as he released Frank’s arm. “Troy, get me this Bianca, then meet me after the fight. Contact an officiant to be present just in case.”

I turned, dismissing them both without words, and continued with my work.

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