Page 28 of Prettiest Little Thief
They’d found me.
Chapter Sixteen
Monroe
Even in disguise, I couldn’t hide from the Crimsons.
“Roe, the boss wants to see you,” the taller one of the men said. I thought his name was Evan, but I often referred to him as Tweedle Dee and the shorter one as Tweedle Dum.
“Now isn’t the best time. Raincheck?” My voice surprisingly didn’t crack. My palms started to sweat in my gloves.
“You’re late on your payment,” he replied.
“I know, things haven’t been good. I was arrested—”
“Charles doesn’t give a fuck about what has been going on in your personal life. Get in the car.” His calm demeanor shifted, his teeth baring as he snarled at me.
Evie tensed beside me. “You did not just talk to my friend that way. You better watch how you speak to her, cabrón.” Tweedle Dum stalked closer to Evie. She clenched her fists tightly at her sides, ready to fight.
“No one was talking to you, bitch. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep your fucking mouth shut.”
Before Evie could think to start taking off her earrings, I jumped in and said, “I’ll go. But she stays.” I placed myself between them. This was my battle. My fault. I wasn’t going to let anything happen to her because of my problems.
“Roe—”
“Evie.” I spun to face her. “I love you to death, but please, for the love of God, shut the heck up. I’ll meet you back at Lucas’s.” I whispered.
“What if you don’t come back?” Her face contorted into a sorrowful expression. No answer came from me. I didn’t know if I would come back, but I knew if I didn’t leave now, then she could fall victim to the Crimson Brotherhood. There was no living with that if something happened to her.
So, I turned and put one foot in front of the other and trudged toward the car. Evan pulled the blonde wig from my head, along with the net that kept my hair tucked away. He playfully spun the hairpiece around his finger. My dark locks fell around my shoulders as he shoved me into the backseat of the car, getting in behind me and shutting the door. The car took off down the street, and I watched as Evie’s form gradually grew smaller and smaller. My guts twisted and my pulse raced with uncertainty. How was I going to get out of this? Would anyone know where I was? Would I ever see the light of day again?
***
The entire car ride to meet with Charles was silent. Both Tweedles sat on their phones while the chauffeur took us to the compound. My brain was on overdrive, and I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t brave enough to try the door handle. Besides, chances were, it would be locked.
Even if I managed to open the door, how would that kind of escape go? Either be shot on the spot before leaping out or be met with pavement to the face, being unsuccessful in my breakout attempt.
When we pulled up at the property, several men with guns stood outside the gate. I swallowed thickly. They waved us through once they recognized the driver, and my breathing became more erratic with every moment that passed. Every inch we got closer to the main house, the more my stomach churned. The more my hands began to tremble. The more my body decided to break out in a cold sweat, urging me to tug my gloves off and stuff them in my pocket. I bit into my bottom lip, trying to mentally talk myself down from the anxiety attack that was gaining speed within me.
The car slowed and stopped in front of the sleek, modern home. The house was illuminated from within, a warm glow contrasting against the dark backdrop of night. A cleanly manicured lawn surrounded the house, with crisscrossing pathways, one of which ended at an outdoor fireplace. Normally, I would stare a little longer at the amazing structures I came across, but not now. My fear was taking hold of my mind like a vice.
My gaze dropped down to my fidgeting fingers as both men in the back seat with me exited the vehicle. Tweedle Dum glanced back at me after he got out, annoyance plain on his face. Before I even had the opportunity to slide out of the car completely, he reached into the backseat, gripped me by the back of my neck, and shoved me out. Hard. My knees cracked off the concrete, and a gasp left me. Bruising pain radiated through my legs as I caught myself with my hands, scraping them on the rough ground.
“For fuck’s sake, Rocco,” Evan said as he grabbed me under both of my arms and hauled me to my feet. “You all right, Roe?” I hadn’t expected any of them to come to my aid.
“Fine.” I shrugged off his hands. My skin crawled from his touch as I straightened out my jacket, my hands stinging.
“She was taking too fucking long,” Rocco said with a chuckle.
“Unless Charles tells you to, you aren’t allowed to touch her. Understood?”
“Yeah. Whatever.” Rocco rolled his eyes.
They led me into the house and straight to an office. Several chairs sat in front of the smooth black desk. “Sit,” Evan said as he nodded toward the chair in the middle, while he and Rocco took their own seats, positioned on either side of my chair. I sat without a word, my leg bouncing nervously as I waited for Charles to come in.
Evan and Rocco spoke to each other softly. Laughing and joking around, like my life wasn’t on the line. Like it was nothing more than another freaking Thursday night. And I guess for them, it was. This was what they did for a living.
The sound of shoes squeaking across the marble floor grew louder, but I didn’t dare turn my head in the direction of my executioner. The Tweedles stopped their chattering long enough to get to their feet and greet their boss.
