Page 74 of A Heart So Savage

“Who hired you?” Kingston asked.

“I don’t know his name.”

“Franco—a third, if you please.” Kingston’s demeanor remained eerily calm, even while Hopkins screamed in pain. “We’ll run out of fingernails eventually. Then we’ll start on the fun stuff.”

“I-I just got released on bail last week. Upstate in Bitter Springs. Someone from the judge’s office called me. Asked if I wanted to make a few bucks. If I did what they said, Judge Vanderhoff would dismiss my drug charges. Said the job was risk-free.” The words ran from Hopkins’ mouth like a stream of vomit.

“Does this seem “risk-free” to you?” Kingston smiled. “You scared my girl. Do you know that? And I get very angry when someone other than myself frightens her.”

“Dude, I took their money and did what they asked. That’s all I know.”

Jack stepped forward and punched the guy hard enough to snap his head back. “Show some respect. That’s ‘Mister Winter’ to you. You know who this is, don’t you? Even a low-life criminal like yourself can’t be that ignorant.”

“Mister Winter?” Hopkins groaned, spitting out fresh blood. Dread and recognition drained his face of any color. “I’m fucking sorry. I didn’t know. They didn’t say whose limo it was. And it was just a piece of paper. Thought maybe it was a joke they were playing on you. Or some kind of frame job.”

Kingston sat back. The urge to kill Hopkins was overwhelming; however, there was some value in keeping him alive. He could deliver a very personal message to both Judd and Carson.

“I’m going to let you go, Hopkins.” Kingston watched the man heave in a deep breath of relief before continuing. “But you are going to deliver a message for me. If you fail, I’ll find you and finish what we started here today. Only I won’t stop until I’ve personally torn you into a thousand little pieces. Pieces so small no one will ever know what happened to you. Do you understand?”

Hopkins nodded his head with such frantic enthusiasm the chair rocked back and forth. “I’ll do whatever you want, Mister Winter. Anything.”

Kingston nodded his head, indicating Hopkins be set free from his bonds.

Once Franco untied the ropes, Jack jerked the man to his feet, whispering in his ear, “Lucky for you, the boss is feeling generous today. Otherwise, there’d be nothing left of you but a greasy stain on that concrete.”

ChapterTwenty-Nine

Ihowl for you

Lost and alone.

My soul searching for yours in the darkness.

Ava shookout two ibuprofen capsules from the bottle and swallowed them down with a sip of water.

A quick check of the bedside clock revealed it was close to seven o’clock in the evening. Two hours had passed since Kingston shoved her into the back of the limo and had her delivered to the penthouse.

Outside the bedroom suite, she could hear the faint sounds of the men guarding her. They made small talk and while she strained to hear what they might be saying, the living room area was too far away.

The group of seven could have been in a mafia movie. All wore matching suits and ties with black sunglasses and nearly invisible earpieces. They’d barely spoke as she was escorted up the private elevator and hustled into the penthouse. In fact, she wasn’t even sure they’d looked at her while closing ranks around her. They maintained a respectful distance as she keyed in the code and unlocked the doors with her fingers coated in Kingston’s dried blood.

Following her inside, the guards lingered behind in the living room as Ava ran to the master bedroom and slammed it shut. She locked it with a little sob before hurrying into the attached bathroom. Grabbing a thick cloth, she had washed the blood away from her face and her hands before jumping in the shower and scrubbing until her skin was pink.

Now pacing the bedroom in agitation, Ava paused to stare down at the city from the enormous windows. It was dark outside. Hugging herself, she wondered how much longer Kingston would be gone. Was his wound being tended by someone who knew what they were doing?

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts, and Ava crossed the room to the bedroom door. Should she open it? Her hand hovered above the doorknob.

“Miss Blue, Doctor Abbott is here. Boss said it was alright if he came, but it’s up to you if you want to see him. If you do, I’ll key him in.”

Ava let out a sigh of relief. Finally, a familiar face and someone she had no reason to fear. “Yes. Thank you. I’ll be right out.”

Neil was already seated on one of the leather couches, concern evident in his features when Ava entered the room. Only one of the seven security guards was close by. Acting as the team’s commander, the man sat at the kitchen island, sprawled across a barstool. He had introduced himself earlier as Blair and he nodded at Ava now.

“Two guards are in the vestibule. The other four are located within the penthouse in strategic spots as well as the pool terrace.”

“Thank you, ah, Mister Blair.” Ava gave him a tremulous smile.

“You’re welcome, Miss Blue.” He remained where he was, his eyes watchful as Neil jumped up from the couch and hurried toward her.

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