Page 70 of Betrayal (Corrupt Empire 1)

They were getting worse. The flashbacks. With her in my bed, I no longer dreamt, but having them invade my waking moments crippled me. Especially that one. It might not be the worst, but it was up there on the scale of fucked up things in my life. I could take down the Daniels empire. But that man, the one who gave me life. He was untouchable.

I slammed my hand down on the steering wheel. I locked my thoughts back up and shoved them in the pit of darkness where they festered. They belonged there.

Time for business.

I got out of the car, locked it and strode towards the cafe where I’d agreed to have this little meeting. If he reneged on our deal, he would pay the ultimate price.

It was four in the afternoon, but already dusk had fallen. Sat at a table near the back, pink hair glinting in the low light, Anthony fidgeted. I took a seat opposite him.

“Oh, you came,” he said.

“A deal is a deal.”

“Do you want anything?”

I shook my head. He took something out his shirt pocket and slid it across to me. A memory stick.

“Everything I could find is there. Both investigations, just like you asked.”

I slid it off the table and tucked it into my jeans pocket. He took a sip of his coffee, eyes darting around.

“I take it you didn’t tell him.”

“Whatever you think, I’m not stupid.”

“Unlike your boyfriend. You should really be more careful about who you get involved with.”

He glared at me but didn’t retaliate. I took out my own little task for him and dropped it next to his hand. Another memory stick. Next, I handed him a folded piece of paper.

“I expect you to destroy this when you’re done.”

I pointed at the paper.

“What is it?”

“Strict instructions. Follow them to the letter. I will know if you don’t. Trust me, I’m worse than the Daniels to people who double cross me.”

He put his hands up.

“Hey, I’ll do it. You don’t need to threaten me.”

“Wasn’t a threat. It was a promise.”

“Honey, you really need to chill.”

I rolled my eyes. ‘Chilling’ was not something I could afford.

“So, what do I do with this after?”

He tapped the memory stick.

“You destroy it too. Leave no trace. Understood?”

“None of this will lead back to me, will it?”

“As long as you follow the instructions, no.”

I made sure everything I did was untraceable. That included this. If he fucked up, it would be on him. It’s why I even involved a third party in the first place.

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