Page 23 of As the World Falls

Chapter Nine

James

For fuck’s sake.

I rub my eyes as I watch the security footage of Cecilia at the shop, talking to one of our sellers. I was alerted to her presence twenty minutes ago, and upon watching, it’s clear she’s already jumped straight to questioning my employees there.

Does she genuinely have nothing better to do? At the same time, it makes me wonder what her life was like when she had to deal with her brother's addictions. Did the pain run that deep to make her act out this way? I knew he had his problems back then, but I guess I never thought about what he may have done to hurt others.

I take the elevator downstairs and enter the waiting car, which will drive me straight to Labyrinth’s storefront. I can’t hide the delight on my face when I walk into the store and into the back office, where she’s sitting with a frown, her hands in her lap and her wrists wrapped in cuffs.

Her head pops up when she hears me enter, and her scowl deepens when she sees it's me, which only makes my grin grow.I kneel in front of her, which exasperates her expression even more because it is clear who holds all the power here.

I carefully lift my hands to her glasses and slide them up to rest on her head, revealing her glare. “I can’t deny the sight of you in handcuffs is all too pleasing for me,” I boast, locking my eyes with her murderous ones.

“I can’t believe you actually had me arrested,” she grumbles.

“I warned you, did I not? You want to play games, babe, but you don’t know who you’re playing with.”

“This isn’t a game to me. I am worried about my brother.”

“He is a grown man, Cecilia. You need to go back to your little library and leave my business alone. I won’t tell you again.”

“You might as well not because I won’t listen to you. I’m going to find out what he’s really doing. The harder you try to keep me away, the more reason I have to believe something is wrong around here.”

I sigh in annoyance and stand now, nodding at the guard to uncuff her. She rubs at her wrists, which have red welts around them, and I glare at the guard, Todd, I think is his name. “A little tight, no?”

“She wasn’t cooperative,” is all he says.

A small beat of anger flares inside me. “So, the next logical step is to inflict pain?” I ask him, and he has the nerve to look at me like I have no right to question him.

“You said to cuff her, and she fought me. I only tightened them so she knew her place,” he relents. I hear Cecilia scoff next to me like it was ridiculous to her as well.

I walk towards him, my gaze never leaving his as I press the pager button on the phone. “Marco, come back to the office, please,” I call over to my other guard, who is currently manning the storefront. He’s here in a minute, and I gaze at Todd as I acknowledge Marco. “Marco, you can run things alone tonight, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Great. Todd, you’re fired.”

“Are you kidding me?” he barks out, and I step towards him again, tilting my head as I glare straight into his eyes.

“Why are you still speaking after I’ve already dismissed you?”

His expression only hardens, but he decides to make the correct choice by keeping his mouth shut and leaving. Marco follows after him without my telling him, settling the decision of why he’s the better one out of the two.

“Wow, for a split second there, I think I admired you,” I hear Cecilia say in wonderment from her chair.

I glance back at her and fight the urge to chew on my lip because I am feeling an overwhelming mixture of things right now. Annoyance, anger, and a little bit of remorse for having her handcuffed because I didn’t realize he wouldn’t be gentle with her.

“Let’s go,” I tell her, turning away and walking to the door.

“Uh, where?”

“I’m taking you home.”

“I can do that myself, thanks.”

I turn back towards her and move closer, staring only inches from her face. “You’re like a cockroach, Cecilia. I don’t trust letting you leave and having you find your way back in somewhere. I’d rather dispose of you myself.”

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