Page 38 of They All Own Me

Dominic rolls his eyes. "You guys sound like a bad action movie. Let's just get this done."

We get out of the car and walk up to the front door. I ring the bell, my finger hovering just a second too long. The guy answers, looking like he’s seen better days. Probably doesn’t know today’s his last.

“Who are you?” His voice trembles, eyes darting between us.

“We’re your friendly neighborhood watch,” I say, stepping inside without waiting for an invite.

Isaac pushes past him and heads straight for the living room. “Nice place you got here.”

The guy stumbles back, trying to keep his distance. “What do you want?”

Dominic smirks. “Esteban sends his regards.”

The guy’s face goes pale, and he starts shaking. “Please, I didn’t mean to?—”

“Save it,” I cut him off, shoving him into a chair. “You’ve been leaking information. That’s a no-go in our line of work.”

Isaac starts rummaging through the guy’s cabinets, pulling out random knick-knacks and tossing them aside. “Where’s your safe?”

The guy stammers, “I don’t have a safe.”

Isaac smashes a vase against the wall, shards flying everywhere. “Wrong answer.”

Dominic leans against the wall, arms crossed. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

“I swear,” the guy pleads, tears welling up in his eyes. “I didn’t tell anyone anything important!”

I grab him by the collar and pull him close. “Important or not, you talked.” My fist connects with his jaw before he can respond.

He yelps in pain but doesn’t fight back. Typical.

Isaac finds what he’s looking for—a small metal box hidden behind some books on a shelf. He cracks it open and pulls out a stack of papers.

Dominic takes one look and shakes his head. “Do you guys smell that? Smells like a fucking rat.”

The guy sobs, head hanging low.

I pull out my gun and press it against his temple. “Any last words?”

He mutters something incoherent through his sobs.

“Didn’t catch that,” I say, cocking the gun.

Dominic steps forward and places a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s not make a mess here, just more for the maid to clean up.” He looks at Isaac. “Bag him.”

Isaac grins and pulls out a plastic bag from his pocket—a black one with no markings.

The guy tries to struggle as Isaac slips it over his head, but it’s no use. He goes limp after a few seconds of flailing.

Dominic nods approvingly as we stand back and watch our handiwork.

I shake my hair out of my eyes and glance at Isaac. "Nice touch with the vase."

Isaac shrugs nonchalantly as we head back to the car. "Thought I'd add some flair."

We pile into the car, leaving behind another clean job done right.

“Another day in paradise,” Dominic mutters as he starts the engine.

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