Page 19 of Peyton's Price

With that, he threw open the double doors leading to the balcony. In only a few steps, he was holding Dylan against the balcony railing.

“Wait—”

Liam grabbed the man’s legs. Hefting Dylan’s entire body over the edge was easy after the years of weightlifting and martial arts with Liam’s brother, but telling his adversary that would be counterproductive.

“Damn, you’re heavier than you look,” he said, shaking him before shifting to hold him by a single leg.

“You crazyfuck. You’re going to kill me.”

Liam scoffed. “Like I said, you won’t die. Not at this height. I will be going for permanent brain damage, though. If I can smash your head against the concrete hard enough, you’ll be drinking your dinner out of a straw for the next few years.”

“I can’t tell you anything,” Dylan cried, flailing his arms and free leg.

“Then get ready to kiss the pavement,” Liam hissed. He loosened his grip, so the shithead slid down a few inches.

“Wait,please.”

He let Dylan slip down another inch until Liam was holding on by a single ankle.

“I traded her!”

Shocked, Liam almost dropped the shit. “You didwhat?”

Dylan began to sob. Liam decided to haul him in, tossing the smaller man against the corner of the balcony. He didn’t have a choice. Liam had to stop touching the scumbag or he might actually kill him.

Liam knelt in front of him. “What are you talking about?”

“I owed these people money. Two hundred grand. They were going to take the house, but I don’t own it anymore. The bank does. The dealership even repossessed my car.”

The entire story came pouring out—Dylan’s unemployment and his decision to make ends meet by selling drugs, then losing his latest shipment a mere hour after picking it up.

The fucking moron thinks the mugging was a coincidence.

Snarling, Liam yanked Dylan’s collar, bringing their faces inches apart. “I want names, phone numbers, locations, and every other detail you know, and I want themnow.”

Chapter 11

Liam paced up and down, ignoring the shouts and occasional screams that came from the trunk of his car.

“This is insane. This can’t be happening,” Trick said for the tenth time.

“Well, it is,” Liam rasped, banging on the top of the trunk. “Shut up in there!”

“I’m claustrophobic,” Dylan screamed.

“I don’t care.”

“Are you seriously adding kidnapping to this whole mess?” his brother asked.

“I’m not letting the asshole off the hook. He stays where we can get at him until we get Peyton back.”

“Jason and Ethan might take exception to that. If they were here, that is—they’re staking out an operation in upstate New York.”

“I don’t care if they arrest me as long as they do it after we get Peyton back.” And as long as she was missing, Ethan wouldn’t touch him—the FBI agent would probably help him beat a confession out of Dylan once he learned what the little shit done.

“I can have Maggie try to call Jason. They’ve got some sort of system in place for when he is away on a stakeout.”

“They won’t be able to help anyway,” Liam muttered, his mind a million miles away.