Page 55 of Hartley

“And on that note…” Barrett spun on his heel and headed for the door. Rory didn’t even make a smart-ass comment to him on the way out. He was slipping.

“Really?” Reghan said to me once the door was shut, and Barrett was out of earshot.

“What good is having a detective on the payroll if we can’t have a little fun with him?”

“He’s not on your payroll.”

“Tomato, tomahto.”

“I’m taking the back,” Reghan said before stalking into the rear of the studio and outside with the banging of the door.

I smiled at Rory. “That was fun. What should we do for tomorrow’s entertainment?”

“Work.” He nodded toward my laptop.

“Fine, but when I start wondering where Jordan used to get his hair cut, you’ll be to blame.” He had a woman who came to our home to do it now.

“Somehow I’ll survive.”

26

JORDAN

Was it wrong I wanted to rub my hands together and cackle from the joy that rushed through me? In my warehouse, one I’d used many times to interrogate and kill people, was a gift from Barrett. One I hoped was a guard who worked for the Everharts. If it wasn’t, I was sure there was a damn good reason for them being in my warehouse.

Albert pulled up next to Barrett’s car. I wasn’t surprised to see him here. He liked to show me his worth. If the prize was especially juicy, I’d give him a nice sum of money for going above and beyond.

Raiden got out first. I wasn’t about to bring Reghan with me after what happened yesterday with Barrett. Although he was itching to join me. I made him stay back with Hartley again.

Albert stepped out and opened the door for me. “Shall I have one of your spare suits ready, sir? I noticed you wore one of the cheap knock-offs that can’t compare to Mr. Weathers’s suits.”

“If you wouldn’t mind. If this is as good as I’m hoping, I’ll be getting bloody shortly.”

“Very well.”

Albert stayed with the Maserati while I approached Barrett with Raiden at my side. Barrett was casual in jeans and a T-shirt, no jacket, no badge hanging around his neck, and his vehicle was an older sedan.

“Day off?” I asked.

“That depends on your definition of a day off. I’m here instead of relaxing on my couch.” He jutted his chin toward Raiden. “Where’s your brother?”

“You toyed with him enough yesterday,” Raiden replied. He stayed calm, whereas Reghan would have bit Barrett’s head off.

“Is that what he told you? I can assure you, there was a back-and-forth, not all on my side.”

“Can we get to the reason I’m here?” I bit out. I only had so much fucking patience and I was itchy enough to want to murder someone. There were men around my city who didn’t belong, and my guards had no luck finding them. If Barrett snagged one, I wanted the man’s jugular.

“This is more of a buy one, get one free,” Barrett said. “If you’ll follow me.”

We went inside the warehouse. Years ago, it was used to package and ship goods. There were still tall shelving units inside that I’d been known to occasionally sit body parts on when I severed them from people who crossed me.

Sound carried differently in here. The way my shoes tapped on the concrete. The key ring Barrett swung around on his finger. The way he whistled. It all had an eerie note to it. One I liked.

Barrett stopped in front of a closed door. There were abandoned offices, some still with furniture in them. Others with nothing because no one wanted to scrub blood and DNA evidence out of carpet and upholstery.

“Behind door number one, I give you the prized possession.” He swung the door open, revealing a man bound and gagged with blood crusted on his temple and a face so red with anger I was surprised it didn’t burst. “This is an asshole whose name I don’t give a fuck about. He’s one of the Everhart guards. I picked him up yesterday and locked him in here overnight, just for the fuck of it.” He shut the door and went to the next room. “Behind door number two is a lowlife criminal I found dealing drugs in East Dremest. Technically, he was outside my fucking house and since I can’t put a bullet in him and don’t want to waste the jail space…” He didn’t need to say more.

Pulling my gun from the holster, I lifted it, aimed, and fired. The man was dead, just like that. I didn’t care to spare him. No one came to my city and did that shit. My reputation went far and wide. Fuck this piece of shit. “Let’s go back to door number one.”

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