Page 87 of A Very Daddy Christmas

“Yet highly profitable. It’s my chance to get some of my cash resources back to where they used to be, and with a pissant sheriff like Foreman in charge, I’ll thrive in the next twelve months.”

“It’s a conspiracy, then. You’re bringing more crime into the city, and you’re using my bakery as a front. What is it? Drugs? Guns? What?”

He shakes his head again, half-smiling. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you. Let me give you a bit of advice, Miss Levine. Sometimes it’s really a good idea to not ask the questions you’re itching to ask.”

“I’m zip-tied in a dingy motel, my life is in dangerandin shambles. Forgive me if I give zero shits about which questions give you discomfort and which ones don’t.”

“You’re really quite the little spitfire, aren’t you?” He looks at me with a bemused expression.

I shrug. “Just calling it like I see it. Why are you even here? Why small town Colorado? Why not stay in Chicago where the market is much bigger?”

“You just answered your own question,” Denaro replies.

“Ah. Too much competition. Small towns are easier to control,” I say, understanding.

Denaro laughs. “You’re sharper than Orson suggested.”

“How does Orson fit into this? And George Hamilton?”

Denaro takes a deep breath and leans back into his chair. “They’re both idiots. Idiots who made some terrible investments then curried favors with me in order to recover some of their losses. Naturally, because they’re idiots, they ended up digging themselves into a deeper hole. Unlike the banks and their other creditors, however, I always find a way to get what I’m owed. And they owe me a lot.”

“Why do you need George’s name on the property deed?”

“Because he owes me more than just money. And I need a fall guy for my business associate in case it all goes to shit. Hamilton also meets a tax-cut threshold I’m going to need in the long run. So, it’s more of a double benefit for me.”

“And Orson?”

“Orson facilitates various sales and negotiations for me.”

I nod. “Why do they owe you and why are they so afraid of you?”

“I have dirt on them. The kind of dirt that would bury both of them and their families.”

“Now you’ve got my attention,” I say, almost smiling. I’ve yet to find a way out of this place, but I can at least take advantage of Denaro’s moment of candor to gather intel. Should I reach safety again, I’ll have ammunition against those bastards. “What kind of dirt does a man like Orson have? Or George, for that matter?They’re both churchgoing, God-fearing, community-supporting businessmen, according to just about everyone in town.”

Denaro belts out a hefty laugh, throwing his head back for good measure. “You really have their numbers, don’t you? They underestimated you.”

“I’m not sure it matters anymore.”

“It should. Please believe me when I say I don’t wish you any harm. I’m hoping your people will get my message and stand down until George Hamilton takes over the building. I will let you go. That, you have my word on.”

I give him a hard look. “You’ve told me an awful lot about your business and this new associate. I’m a liability, aren’t I? How can I trust you?”

“Because I come from a long line of men who stand by their word. My word is my bond. Besides, killing you could get messy, and it could potentially lead to unpleasant twists farther down the road. I assured my partner from Texas that the takeover would be clean and smooth.”

I decide to press my luck and see how much more information I can get from him. “So what exactly do you have on Mr. High and Mighty?”

He regards me for a minute before saying, “Miss Levine, do the smart thing for once and just sit tight. With a little bit of luck, you’ll be home by New Year’s Eve.”

“I won’t have a home by New Year’s Eve.”

“Right, your apartment is on the upper floor,” he sighs. “Well, at least you’ll have your health.”

He gets up and walks out. I can hear his muffled voice as he leaves instructions with his two goons. My wrists are sore, and dark bruises are blooming underneath the zip-ties. My back hurts. My head’s spinning.

On my own, drowning in an eerie silence, I fall prey to the worst among my thoughts. I close my eyes and lay back on the bed, trying to imagine what Eva will do when she realizes what happened. What Sebastian, Waylan, and Riggs will do.

I pray to every god in the universe to help me find a way out of this place.

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