Page 66 of Unruly Obsession
I’ve only been working on him for fifteen minutes, but to his credit, he’s lasted ten more than I thought he might.
The hound whistles in the background. “I have his wife and kids' names here, based in?—”
“Wait!” the man wails, suddenly coming to life. “I’ll tell you. Please. Just… not my family.”
The easiest ones to extract information from are those who have something to protect. Especially family. Maybe it’s a last-ditch effort of courage or to offer some semblance of being a good person, praying to whatever maker they believe is out there. I believe in survival of the fittest and nothing past that.
“You seem to be begging a lot and not offering a lot of information,” I say. “Who are you working for, and why are you following Arabella Armani and Lily Taylor?”
The man physically shakes as he grows paler. I imagine he’s experiencing hot and cold flashes as his body begins to work against him.
“We aren't interested in Arabella Armani,” the man begins. “We didn’t know Lily Taylor was your girl.” Suddenly, it feels like a veil is being lifted. “That wasn’t what we were told. We were told to kill on sight. It should’ve been an easy hit when she was in Italy. We didn’t know we were in Armani territory.”
They’re not after Ara. They’re after Lily.
“Then you’re idiots,” I say, grabbing him by the hair and yanking his head up as I bring the knife to his cheek. “Tell me why.”
It’s easy to surmise her father’s done some shady deal with the wrong people, but I need to know who they are before I charge in and wipe them out.
“Her dad owes my boss money. That’s all I know. When the money didn’t show up on the due date, our boss decided to send him a clear message.”
I press the edge of the blade into his cheek. He screams as he tries to buck with very little success.
“You’re a coward. You should’ve gone for Henrith instead.”
“She was the easiest member of the family to target,” he grits.
It makes sense. Ordinarily, she would’ve been an easy mark had I not been there that day at the villa. It’s the same tactic Luca would’ve used.
“Who’s your boss?” I flip the knife in my hand, and his gaze follows every rotation of the blade as I catch it and repeat the action. My hands are coated in blood, but it feels good to get dirty after so many weeks of seemingly ordinary day-to-day routines.
I’m not cut out for it.Thisis what I’m good at.
Especially if it will protect Lily.
“Nicholas Wayne!” the man shouts.
I frown and look over my shoulder at the hound, who casually shrugs. Who the fuck is Nicholas Wayne?
The man finds a strength he didn’t have before, slicing his own throat along the blade of my knife when it lands back in my hand. I close my eyes as blood sprays my face and favorite suit.
I tsk under my breath. “Well, now you just made it messy.” The man gurgles and squirms, and I watch the life fade from his eyes.
“I’ve never heard of him,” Izak says as he types away at his laptop, but I already know he’s on it. He’s second only to Tyson in the enjoyment of the hunt.
“Pass me that towel, would you?” I point to the one beside him. He doesn’t even look up as he throws it in my direction. I snatch it from the air, then wipe my face as I bring my phone to my ear.
Luca answers on the third ring. “What did you get from him?”
“It’s as I suspected. I don’t think it’s you or Ara they were after. Henrith Taylor made a deal with Nicholas Wayne to get him out of some financial hardship. Lily seems to be the message they’re trying to send to Henrith.”
“Who the fuck is Nicholas Wayne?” Luca questions, and I silently agree with him. “Find out everything you can about him.”
“Already on it.” It’s a relief that the Armanis aren’t the target; however, this also means our tactics must change. And that unsettling thought makes me hold my breath for how Luca plans to proceed. The only reason I’m protecting Lily is because his wife demanded it of him under the pretense that we’d involved her by association. Without that, how far is Luca willing to go to keep his wife happy?
For once, I’m grateful for Ara’s meddling, and that's a poisonous thought because I shouldn’t be prioritizing anything or anyone over Luca’s orders, but I hope Ara will push for Lily’s continued protection, even when she discovers she doesn't need it herself.
“I want to know everything about this Nicholas person. Either way, there are consequences for conducting business in my city and shooting up my home. They will be made an example of.”
