Page 16 of Red

“What can I do for you?” Erik rested his fingertips on the edge of the desk.

“Well, I heard a rumor, and I’ve come to see if there’s any truth to it.”

Straight to it, then, good. Beating around the bush only resulted in fatigue. And after dealing with Melinda, he could bet the rest of his inheritance he’d need every ounce of strength to combat her.

Erik tilted his head. “What rumor?”

Bertucci sucked in his cheeks as though he were chewing on them, making a smacking sound when he finally began to speak. “I heard you were rounding up the girls your uncle was supposed to be collecting as payments.”

“My uncle left very specific requirements in his will that force me to collect some debts before his estate is fully turned over to my family.” Erik tapped his middle finger on the desk.

“That’s what I heard.” Bertucci cleared his throat and gripped the rounded edges of his chair. “I also heard Melinda Manaforte was one of those debts.”

Erik’s ears twitched. Her name on Bertucci’s lips was a sacrilege.

“How does this concern you?” Erik moved to the offense. Melinda came from an average family in a normal suburb. She had no ties to anything more than a gambling-addicted grandfather.

“I’ll make this easy. I want her. I’ll pay off whatever the debt is outright and 10 percent for your trouble.” Bertucci’s knuckles whitened.

Erik stared at him for a long moment, processing the offer.

“Why?”

“Why what?” Bertucci asked with forced casualness, like a man wanting to hide his excitement over the prize coming his way.

“Why would you want to buy Melinda? Have you met her?” Erik moved his fingers from the desk to his knee.

“I don’t see how that matters,” Bertucci said.

“What will you be doing with her if I agree?”

Hints of pink blossomed on Bertucci’s cheeks.

“Do you want specific details, or will general descriptions be enough for you?” Bertucci put a hand in the air. “My intentions aren’t any more sinister than yours. I know you have a distaste for your uncle’s business practices. Hell, most of us did. I can help you with this. I’ll take her off your hands.”

“And make a larger profit on her resale.” Erik took a deep breath. Did Bertucci understand they were talking about a person, or were these women simply product to him? Try as his uncle had, he’d never succeeded in training Erik to see women as less than human. To Kristoff, they’d been product, playthings—fun to screw around with until they were broken and then tossed aside.

Bertucci’s lips spread into a wide grin. “Exactly.”

“It’s a generous offer, and I do want to get all of this over with as quickly as I can.” Erik stood from his desk. “But I can’t accept just yet. I’ve had other offers, and I need to weigh them all.”

Bertucci’s grin faltered. “How much are the other offers?

“The amount isn’t the only issue.”

Bertucci’s cheeks wobbled. “Okay, then.” He stood. “I’ll go 25 percent over the debt amount and offer you a 5 percent return on the selling price once it’s done. A finder’s fee of sorts.”

Erik slid his hands into his pockets and shrugged.

“An even better deal, but again, I need to weigh all the offers and options.”

Bertucci’s ears wiggled, his composure lessening. He wanted Melinda badly enough to pour money out of his checking account to have her.

“When?” Bertucci asked in a hard tone, the time for pleasantries apparently past.

“Day after tomorrow,” Erik stated.

“Fine, then. I can wait that long. Not like she’s going anywhere.” Bertucci forced a laugh. “I’ll expect to hear from you no matter your answer.”

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