Page 118 of Bad Seed
“I told you.” My fingers wrap around the door handle. Glancing over my shoulder, I meet his eye. “I can protect myself.”
The door slams shut.
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CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
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AUBRY
“Yes, boss. We’re checking the cameras now.” Red stands before the early morning crowd shuffling off for breakfast, not caring how many are trying to dodge around him. With his phone pressed to his ear, he’s not paying attention to anyone other than the person on the other end—Mr. Ato. “I don’t know. Some of them are giving us the runaround.”
I stand before the main entrance to Crudité and cross my arms.
Red keeps talking. “I checked there. I mean, good idea, I’ll give it another look through. Anything’s possible.”
A quick gasp directs my attention to the left. Green Bell damn near drops his coffee. “Red…?” he calls to his brother.
Red dismisses him with a flap of his hand. “Yes, boss. You’re right, of course. It should be easy to find a man that size.”
Green gulps, stares long at me, then tugs on his brother’s sleeve. “Red, hey.”
“Will you knock it the fuck off? I’m busy here.” Red adjusts his jacket, slicks back his hair, then proudly announces to the boss. “I swear we’ll have Talong back before dinner.” After pulling the phone from his ear, he whirls around and fumes at his brother. “What the fuck was that all about?”
With a grimace, Green points a shaking finger at me, still standing there with my arms crossed.
“What the…?”
It’s almost worth risking everything to watch Red’s face turn pink as he spits out half-finished curses. “Fucking grab him! Idiot!” He shouts at Green.
“Hi, Talong,” Green says as he cuffs one of my wrists in his hand, then goes for the other.
Rather than fight him, I give a quick nod. “Morning.”
“Sir,” a triumphant Red shouts into his phone, “I got him!”
“I think you mean Green…” I begin when Red walks over to me, raises up onto his toes to try to stare me in the face, then slams his fist into my stomach. Pain flinches in my body, but it’s Red who rolls back favoring his wrist.
“Get him out of here!” Red fumes. “The boss wants to see you, Talong.”
Green places a hand over the top of my head as he pushes me through the turnstile doors. As I duck down to mind the gap, Red crows behind us, “The fucking idiot walked right into our trap.”
The ride up the elevator is swift, straight to the penthouse and Mr. Ato’s suites. I barely have a chance to exit before a familiar sight steps forward.
“Goji,” I greet him like nothing’s changed.
He doesn’t react. “I have to pat you down, Talong.”
I move to lift my arms, but Green’s still got my wrists. “Do you mind?” I ask.
“Oh right. Red, is it okay if I…?”
“For fuck’s sake, yes!” Red’s positively bouncing with glee. He knows he’s got a huge reward coming for capturing the one that got away.
Goji runs his hands down my chest. “Hand over your phone.”
“I don’t have it on me.”
