Page 131 of GAF Factor

“If you even think of telling me it wasn’t like that, I will shove a knife in your eye and cut it out.”

Thankfully, he kept his mouth shut.

“How much money do you owe now, Shawn?”

“I don’t?—”

I rammed my knee up into his balls and then slammed my fist into his face. “Don’t fucking lie to me. How much do you owe them?”

He coughed hard as blood dripped from his mouth, pooling on the floor at his feet. “Seven…Seven hundred fifty thousand.”

I shook my head as I tossed him to the ground and walked away. IRIS was leaning against the back wall, watching the whole thing go down with a bored expression on his face.

“That’s a lot of fucking money,” IRIS pondered. “You should just hand him over.”

“Isla wouldn’t like that,” I sighed. “And I’m not sure it would do any good, anyway. The Irish want their money. That’s why they didn’t fucking kill him to begin with.”

“Then turn him over to the police. He could turn on them and go into WitSec.”

“And where would that leave Isla? She’d never be safe.”

There was no right answer here. Not unless I fucking paid them off, which I would be willing to do if it meant keeping Isla safe. Or I could just fucking kill all of them, but that would mean a very timed and strategic attack with planning that I just didn’t have the time for. Besides, I wasn’t entirely sure that OPS would be on my side if I told them I wanted to take out an entire sector of the Irish mob.

Turning around, I strode back over to Shawn for confirmation of what I was pretty sure I already knew. I grabbed him and hauled him to his feet for the last fucking time.

“What happens if you run again? What happens to Isla?”

He winced. “That’s why I ran. If they can’t catch me, they can’t make me file an insurance claim on her. I hoped that would protect her.”

“What about your boss? Did you try going to him? Maybe you could set up a raid and get them off the streets.”

He shook his head. “As soon as they found out what I’d done…there was no talking to them. They assumed I was still working another angle and wouldn’t make a deal. So, I ran.”

“There has to be someone who will listen.”

“If there was, I’d already be talking to them.”

I wasn’t getting anywhere with this guy. I dropped him on the ground and stormed out of the room. Maybe he didn’t have any contacts, but OPS had a shit ton.

32

ISLA

Meandering around the property,I trudged through the foot of snow that covered the grass. I didn’t particularly want to be in the cold, but staying in the mansion wasn’t an option either. As I walked around, I was reminded of the cabins we stayed at and wondered if there were any men hiding out around here, spying on me and ready to jump out at any moment.

I glanced around warily, peering into the distance to see deeper into the trees, but I couldn’t see a thing. Not that I expected to. All of these guys were super good at hiding. If I ever played hide and seek with them, I would definitely lose.

“You’re Isla.”

I spun around, screaming at the top of my lungs as I landed in a karate chop stance with my hands held at the ready. Not that I could actually do karate. But it was just a man who watched me passively.

“Sorry,” I said, dropping my guard. “You scared me.”

“I figured when you jumped and acted like you could threaten me. You’re not very good, by the way.”

Well, that was obvious, but I didn’t need it pointed out. “How did you know who I was?”

“Blonde hair, new woman on the property. Talks a lot just like your sister. Same facial features. Figured it was you. I’m Cotton. Red’s brother.”

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