Page 131 of Sinner

“My bidding?” I laughed in his face again. “You’re not getting a dime from me, Dorn. You’re a pinhead prick who extorts from anyone you believe you can. Give me the information and you’ll live.” I bent another few degrees until sweat broke out over his upper lip before shoving him away.

“Nah. I don’t think so. I just thought you might want to learn the girl you’re involved with is in danger.” He rubbed his arm and took two steps further away. Did he really think he could get away from me?

Perhaps the fool underestimated what I was capable of. Rage tore through me, Jessica and her safety all I could think about. I issued two savage punches, one to his gut and one to his jaw before wrapping my hand around his throat. As I lifted him off his feet, slamming his back against the wall, I dug my fingers into the fleshy part of his neck. I could easily snap bones or cut off his air supply with my hold.

He was gurgling, his arms flailing as if he believed he could get himself out of the mess he’d placed himself in. Tension rolled through me and I had to talk myself out of gouging out the fucker’s eyes.

“Pu… lease. Let me… down.”

“If I do, you’re going to tell me everything or so help me God, there won’t be enough of you left to find anywhere. You got it?”

He did his best to nod. I dropped him like a rock, brushing my hands together as if covered with dust.

He bent over, half choking, half coughing.

“Talk or you die.” It was as simple as that.

His body still shaking, Dorn finally lifted his head. “You don’t know what’s going on. I was given the information about you…” He coughed for almost a full minute. “About you and your family.”

“By whom?”

“Anonymous source, at least initially. They were none too pleased I backpedaled with the article. I didn’t realize how dangerous they were.”

“Fine. So what?”

“So two guys beat the shit out of me. They busted up my place. The fuckers were wearing masks. Sick fucking masks.”

At least that much I knew to be true since I’d been inside his place. His comments on them wearing masks were interesting. “I couldn’t care less what they did to you. You deserved that and much more for what you did to Ms. Waldrop. Now, where the fuck is she? That’s all I give a shit about.”

“I don’t know where she is. I swear to fucking God, but I know she’s in danger. They’ve been following her, making it look like you were trailing behind her.”

“How? Where? Whom?” Like me. So she’d be lured into something. I felt it in my blood. Trust. I’d told her to trust me and in doing so, she could be placing her life on the line.

“I don’t know what they have planned. I just overheard two of the bastards talking about it. I didn’t think this was going to get so far out of hand. I’ll tell you everything I know, but please, help me leave the city. They will kill me.”

I got in his face, smiling viciously before taking deep breaths to keep from going through with my earlier plans. “You talk without leaving out anything and I’ll see what I can do. I’m not making any promises. You remember. You owe me. And if any harm came to Jessica, you in addition to the fuckers involved will pay a hefty price.”

With their lives.

I reared back my arm, ready to punch the bastard again when he threw up his hands.

“I heard a name. Okay? I heard a name.”

I changed into all black, grabbing a duffle stuffed with weapons.

After the bout of rage where I’d smashed several glasses in my hope for some relief, I’d calmed down completely. Now I was basically emotionless, which was dangerous to anyone who came in contact with me.

Trust wasn’t a word in my vocabulary. But if what little Dorn had told me said anything, it was that someone I’d thought trustworthy was a snake instead. It happened all the time, yet betrayal wasn’t the kind of game anyone wanted to play with the Blackwell brothers. Maybe we should have provided our employees with several of our darker stories of how we handledour enemies. Perhaps that would prevent another traitor from being born.

As soon as I stepped over Dorn’s unconscious body, a car roared into my driveway. I immediately reached for my weapon. It looked like the fun was about to start.

Christopher wasted no time tumbling from the driver’s seat, racing toward me.

I lifted my weapon, pointing the barrel at his head. “I suggest you stop right there.”

“Jesus Christ, Xander. What the fuck are you doing?”

“What I should have done a long time ago. You sold us out. You were the one betraying us all along.”

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