Page 34 of Wraith

Chapter Thirty-Two

When I pull awayfrom her and stomp out of the room I don’t go back to my apartment for three days. In that time, I keep myself hidden in the basement. Down with the lost causes and hopelessness. The scum on the floor is where I fit in. A piece of shit who went and took something that wasn’t his to take. When I overheard Trenton boasting about fighting me for Lara I went all out and beat his ass hard. He only got one hit in before I crushed his trachea with my boot. Then Roman wasinformed.

“Tell me why one of my men is being carted away in a body bag?” he yells at me in front of the rest of the men. They are all silent, waiting for me toanswer.

“He has been after what is mine,” I rumble from deep in my chest, getting a swift hit to my gut fromRoman.

“What is yours? You mean to tell me you killed him over pussy!” His voice raises to near screeching, getting in my face as spittle flies from his mouth. “So help me, boy, if you aren’t fucking that pussy I will drag her from your room and let them all have at her while you watch then I will take my gun and blow a hole in her fucking head!” The vein sticks out on his neck nearly bursting through his thin paleskin.

“Sir,” is I all I get out before he punches me in the gutagain.

“Fuck her or she is gone,” he demands before leaving me and the men in thecourtyard.

I had been a wreck when I went to her room and took the only thing she had left in the world. She begged me to stop but I didn’t let myself hear a word of it. I was Sebastian all over again. A piece of shit taking something that didn’t belong to him.Innocence.

So now as I lay here, the cold seeping into my back through the cement, I try and fit together a plan of some sort. I need this shit to stop. “Get your ass to the boss’s office. He needs a word.” Someone pounds on the door to the cell pulling me from my self-loathing. Reluctantly, I crawl to my knees and stand up to leave. The walk to Roman’s office seems long as each step I take drags along theconcrete.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” He stands from his chair as does one otherman.

“Esteban, where the hell have you been, boy?” Roman barks, trying to school back hisanger.

“The basement,” I tell him, uncaring what he might say about it. But he doesn’t comment, instead he startstalking.

“Rodney here is here to acquire a list. You remember, that one I had you put together?” Roman’s brow raises waiting for my nod of confirmation, when he gets it he continues. “Good. Rodney is our middle man for this sale. Some uppity-up in Chicago they callThe Deanwants to take over the business, and since I’m getting too old for this shit I have decided to retire,” he tells me, rubbing at his bulging belly as if that explains the whole reasoning behind him not wanting to sell women and children into sex slavery for a living anymore. Because getting old would constitute a person no longer being able to continue on in thisbusiness.

“I will get it to him. Anythingelse?”

“Yes. How was the girl?” The question fills my veins with molten lava. I breathe deep, but it takes an army of little over-worked angels on my shoulder to hold me back from plunging his golden letter-opener through his eyesocket.

“Good. Tightest pussy I have ever fucked,” I grit out, the words leaving a sour filth in mymouth.

“Ha! Did I not tell you? This boy wouldn’t fuck the girl, kept putting it off. Now look at him! Good, boy,” Roman boasts to Rodney making me want to kill him, too, just for being there to witness the mentioning of her. I want the both of them dead and in that moment my plan starts to takeroot.

“There is one thing,” Roman stops his belly laugh and regards me, “I seem to be out of prophylactics. I rather not have her knocked up. I require one of those pills for her, the ones we give the women.” His eyes narrow at me, as if trying to assess the truthfulness in my request until henods.

“Very well. Much rather deal with it now than when it becomes a problem,” he agrees, flicking his hand toward the door. “Get Rodney his list first, then be on your way.” I nod and head out the door satisfied with theoutcome.

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