Page 13 of A Fine Line

“I told you. Make me a list of all the people you think might be involved with your daughter’s disappearance.”

She picks up the pen and shuffles her chair closer to the table as she starts writing down names. I place my hand over hers, and she stops writing and looks up at me, and I say, “And when you’re done with that list, you can make me that other list.”

She frowns again, twisting her hand out of my grip. “And what other list might that be, Tony?”

I lean in close to her, staring her straight in the eyes as I say, “Stop playing with me, sweetheart. You write down the name of every person who ever laid a hand on you without your permission. Male, female, I don’t give a fuck. I want their name.”

She laughs nervously, rolling her eyes before she looks back at the paper and starts writing again. “Don’t be ridiculous. None of that matters anymore.”

I don’t know why those words piss me off, but they do, and my fisted hand slams against the top of the table in response. She jumps in her seat, her eyes wide as she looks at me. “But it does fucking matter. No one should ever lay a finger on a woman without their permission and not pay the price for it. So, you make me that fucking list. Do you understand me?”

She slowly swallows but nods. “Okay. Fine. I’ll make the list.”

Sure, she doesn’t understand why I give a fuck, but she doesn’t have to.

The fact of the matter is, I may fucking hate her, but I’m the only one allowed to make her pay.

Chapter Five

Tony

IleftCarolinasecuredand hidden away in the woods. She said I didn’t need to lock her in, but I did anyway. It’s not that I believe she’s a flight risk at this point, given she needs my help to find her daughter, and I assume she needs my help to keep herself hidden from whoever had her locked away in Europe. I just felt like pissing her off.

I sent a message asking the guys to meet me at our usual location in the city. I also specified that Nettie did not need to be there for this meeting. Specifications that I’m sure will be outright ignored. It’s not that I have anything to hide from her, but I like to annoy her, too.

Sure enough, when I enter the warehouse, the first thing I see is her beaming face from across the room. I shake my head, glaring at Darius, who gives me a sheepish look from behind her. Matt laughs from the corner where he’s sprawled in what appears to be a brand-new recliner.

I glance around the freshly refurbished warehouse sputtering, “Jesus fucking Christ, Dare. What have you done to the place?”

“I told you. I was sick of fucking warehouses.”

“I understand that, but don’t you think this is a little overkill? What if we need to torture someone?”

Matt hops up and walks over toward me. “He’s got a special room for that, which still looks like a warehouse.”

I shake my head, and Nettie laughs. “Don’t try to make sense out of any of it, Tony. Next thing you know, he’ll get a shag rug and a disco ball to make it a real party pad.”

I pull the pieces of paper out of my back pocket, unfold them, and then hand them to Matt. “I’ve got some people I need you to locate for me.”

Matt takes the papers from me, frowning down at them and then looking up and meeting my eyes as he asks, “And who are these people?”

Darius appears behind me, and the next thing I know, he’s standing next to Matt, looking over his shoulder at the list. “Please tell me you don’t have another kill-spree list. They’re tedious to keep quiet.”

I snatch the papers from Matt, placing the first list on the counter as I explain, “These are the people who might know where Carolina Tennent’s daughter is. We need to locate them and see what they know.”

Nettie pipes in from right behind me, “And the other list?”

“I’d rather not say.”

Nettie’s eyes widen, and her eyes glint as her mouth falls open, and she laughs. “You’d rather not say it? You know that’s not gonna work.”

I look at Dare and Matt, silently asking for help, but they both stare at me, waiting. Finally, Nettie continues, “Does this have anything to do with the woman you’re besotted with?”

I glare at her, placing the other piece of paper on the desk and then leaning back on it with my arms crossed over my chest. “There is no besotted. There is no woman. For fuck sake, Nettie. Stop with the romanticized ideas.”

Her lip curls up at me, and she gives me an assessing look, her eyes sparkling as she persists, “I’m not buying it. Spill.”

“I’m not touching another list for you until I know what it’s for. I trust you, but give me a break,” Matt interjects with a rather quizzical look on his face.

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