Page 74 of Collateral Claim
“Endo, do not touch my daughter,” Daniel says.
The sky is pretty. Birds fly and sing, spreading cheer all over my lawn.
“No,” Scarlett says. “No, you’re crazy. Stop that.”
I smile, then pull the trigger.
Chapter 30
Who died?
Endo
Scarlett screams at the top of her lungs while the men on the phone shout. I fire two more bullets into the air, then mute myself.
“What happened?” Daniel shouts from the other end of the line. “Oh my God, you son of a bitch, what did you do? Did you kill her? Scarlett? Scarlett!”
He sounds genuinely scared now. Finally. This man has some serious grit. I’ll give him that.
“Daddy.” Scarlett grabs my phone.
I snatch it back.
“Daddy, I’m here.”
“He can’t hear you.”
It takes her a moment to understand what I orchestrated. “You want him to think I’m dead.”
“I’m not responsible for what he thinks. Shots were fired. That’s all.”
“That was your plan?” she asks, bewildered.
“Would you rather we invite him to our wedding?” When Scarlett answers with silence, I open the line. “I’m coming for you next, Daniel. You have twenty-four hours.”
I turn the phone toward Scarlett.
“He shot me,” she says, not sounding like a person who’s just been shot.
“Scarlett? Oh my God, my baby girl, I thought I lost you.”
Again, I hit Mute. “A little more theatrics, luv, so I don’t actually have to shoot you.”
“He shot me,” she whimpers. It’s barely believable, but it should do. “Please give him his brother’s location today.” She presses her lips together and shakes her head.
“Twenty-four hours.” I hang up. “You’d never make it on film. Good thing you went to med school.”
Scarlett walks away, leaving me chuckling and satisfied with how the morning went, all things considered. I put my weapon away and drink my mimosa. I kind of like this girly drink. “What do you think champagne tastes like with apple juice?”
When none of my men answer, I look at them. “What?”
“You could’ve shot her,” Marquis says.
“I could’ve, but didn’t.”
“You could’ve had me do it,” Declan says.
“That’s below your pay grade.” He’s a trained professional. I sent him to study the ancient art of assassination with the world’s finest professionals. From when he was young, I could tell the boy could lead an empire like mine someday.
