Page 33 of Haunted By the Storm
Eric leads the way through the back door into an alley behind the bar. The moment the door closes behind us, Shadow grabs him and slams him face-first into the brick wall.
"What the fuck!" Eric shouts, struggling against Shadow's iron grip.
"Here's how this works," I say, stepping closer. "I ask questions. You answer them. Every lie, every bullshit story, every time you waste my time, there are consequences. Understand?"
He glares at me over his shoulder, defiant despite his position. "Fuck you."
I nod to Shadow, who twists Eric's arm behind his back and applies pressure until something pops. Eric's scream echoes in the alley.
"First question," I continue, as if nothing has happened. "Who do you owe money to?"
"I don't—agh!" His denial is cut off by another sharp twist from Shadow.
"Let's try again," I suggest. "Who do you owe and how much do you owe them?"
Eric's face is contorted with pain, sweat beading on his forehead. "Jesus Christ, alright! It's a guy named Cantlay. A loan shark. I owe him fifty grand."
"Gambling debt?" I guess.
He nods, wincing as the movement jostles his injured arm. "Started small. Got out of hand. The interest is fucking killing me."
"And you thought you could extort the money out of Camryn by threatening to take her kid from her?" The absurdity of it almost makes me laugh.
"Not all of it," he says quickly. "Just enough to buy some time. I figured if I threatened to go for custody, she'd pay me to go away."
The casual way he admits to blackmailing Camryn sends a fresh wave of fury through me. I step closer, invading his personal space.
"So you thought you'd terrorize a single mother and threaten to take her child, all to cover a gambling debt. That about right?"
He has the sense to look ashamed at least. "I was desperate, man. Cantlay's people don't fuck around. They already broke two of my fingers as a warning."
I glance at his hands, noting the splints on his left one. "Looks like you didn't learn your lesson."
"I'm trying to stay alive here!" he protests. "Cantlay said if I don't have the money by the end of the month, they start taking body parts. I figured custody threats were the fastest way to get cash out of Camryn."
"What's your plan for when she can't pay?" I ask, genuinely curious about the twisted logic he’s operating under. "Because she doesn't have that kind of money."
Confusion crosses his face. "What are you talking about? She must have money. Her family are loaded."
I exchange a look with Shadow. Clearly Eric’s operating with bad information. "Her parents are dead. There’s no money.
"Then, what about her boyfriend?" he presses, grasping at straws now. "She's got to have some rich guy bankrolling her. Women like her always do."
The dismissive way he speaks about Camryn lights a new fire in my veins.
"Women like her?" I repeat, my voice dangerously soft. "You mean women you raped when they were sixteen? Those kind of women?"
Eric's face goes slack with shock. "Is that what she told you? That I raped her?"
"She said no, didn’t she?" I ask, moving close enough to smell the sweat saturating his skin; the pungent, sour stench signaling his fear .
"I mean, yeah, at first, but?—"
I don't let him finish. My fist connects with his jaw, snapping his head back against the brick wall with a satisfying crunch. Blood sprays from his mouth, splattering the front of his shirt.
"Then you fucking raped her," I snarl, grabbing him by the throat. "And now you're back, threatening to take her daughter and watching her house like a fucking stalker."
"I had to!" he gurgles through the blood filling his mouth. "Cantlay gave me a deadline!"
