Page 75 of Boss Daddy

Erin,

Kailee’s dead. She screamed, cried, and begged for mercy. Her death was slow. Painful.

You’re next.

You can’t run from me.

M

Rage fills every fiber of my being. I crumple the paper, tossing it aside. There’s no doubt in my mind Misha would do something like this.

“He’s... he’s serious, Samuel. He killed her.”

In that moment, I realize I don’t have the luxury of letting my anger take over. I need to be strong for her.

“We don’t know that for sure. This could be a scare tactic.”

James huffs behind me. “A damn effective one. Maybe she’s still alive and he’s trying to bait you.”

Erin shakes her head. “Kailee wouldn’t just disappear like this. She would’ve told one of us if she was leaving. She was always super thoughtful and didn’t want people worrying because of her. She wouldn’t have left without saying something.”

I reach for her hand, pulling her closer. “We’re going to figure this out. But I need you to stay calm. We’ll handle this.”

“Handle it how?” she asks. “Samuel, this is my life we’re talking about.”

“And it’s my job to protect it.”

James clears his throat. “Whatever this is, it’s escalating. We need to act fast.”

Chapter 28

Erin

My hands won’t stop shaking.

I curl them into fists, trying to steady them, but the tremors keep coming. My heart feels like it’s trying to beat its way out of my chest, my breath coming in shallow bursts.

“This is insane,” I say. “All I did was quit a damn job. Is he really going to burn down the city over it?”

Samuel shakes his head. “No, it’s more than that. You hit him in his ego. Misha’s not the kind of man to easily let something like that go. But he might’ve if I hadn’t been connected to all of this. I’ve got no doubt he wants revenge for me not helping him all those years ago. Men like him don’t gain power by letting people defy them.”

“He’s insane.”

Samuel’s warm, steady hand slips over mine, grounding me for a moment. “Erin,” he says, his voice low. “I’ll keep you safe.”

I look up at him, my chest constricting. He means it, I know he does, but the weight of what’s happening is too much. “Samuel,this isn’t just some petty grudge. You know what Misha’s capable of. His reach... it’s everywhere.”

He nods slowly, his jaw tight. Before he can respond, James cuts in. “She’s not wrong. Misha’s no small-time thug. If this is his work—and let’s be honest, we know it is—it might be time to call the cops.”

I frown, my stomach twisting at the suggestion. “No,” I say sharply, shaking my head. “That’s not going to help.”

“Why not?” James asks, his brow furrowing.

“Because Misha had dirty cops in and out of that strip club. They weren’t just looking the other way or coming in to enjoy the dancers. Some of them used the ‘services’ of the girls as payment for protecting the business.”

James’s face twists in disgust. “Jesus.”

I glance at Samuel, expecting a similar reaction, but his expression remains stoic, his jaw tightening slightly. “Not surprising,” he says. “Guys like Misha know how to keep leverage.”

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