Page 29 of Dark Torment

JONATHAN

I waitin the dark corner for Devlin to go and offer Ben a free dance. It will take place in the private room I’m standing across from.

I never imagined I would be kidnapping anyone from my buddy’s strip club, but the convenience of the emergency exit being so close to the private rooms is one I just couldn’t pass up. It’s like the universe is helping me to rid it of this piece of shit and avenge my woman.

“Is Tiffany already back there?” I hear a man ask, and I know it has to be Ben.

Devlin had said earlier that she was his favourite girl, and I was oddly curious to see what kind of woman he found attractive, given how horribly he treats my Olivia.

Then again, there is all the chance in the world that he viewed women as nothing. For all I know, he probably views women as a hole to fuck before tossing them aside like yesterday’s paper. I couldn’t find anything about him possibly having any serious relationships in his past, so I doubt he appreciates them.

“She’ll be back to join you in a few minutes. She’s just finishing up her break so she can spend some extra time with you, one on one,” Devlin replies, the lie falling from his lips with ease.

If he were the straight and narrow type of person, he’d have turned me into the cops when I discovered the monster lying within me, but he didn’t. He helped me find a way to channel it instead.

Between his ability to live on the creepier side of things, and my knowledge of the law and how others worked, it didn’t take us long to form the plan we have in place now.

To this day, it has never steered me wrong. Though adding kidnapping to the list is going to be risking things a lot more than I usually do, but it will be worth it.

I won’t get caught. At least not so soon that I can’t eliminate the threat on Olivia’s life, first. I even have an inkling that Ben here could help me with that.

“Why are you being so generous?” Ben asks him, his voice slurring a little, but it still held suspicion.

Devlin scoffs at him. “I’m not. It’s Tiffany’s birthday, and I told her she could have whatever she wanted as a present. She said she wanted some alone time with your dick.”

They walk into my line of sight, and I watch Devlin look Ben up and down before shrugging. “Not sure what all the fuss is about, but I’m not going to deny the birthday girl. Are you?” he taunts Ben, and the idiot falls for it.

“Hell, no. And sorry mate, but you’re not my type.” Ben laughs at Devlin’s disgusted face before walking through the door he unlocks for him.

“Right. There’s some of your favourite scotch on the table. First glass is on me. You drink more than that, it’s going on your tab,” Devlin states before closing the door and turning toward me.

“That didn’t take long,” I grunt, eyeing the door Ben just walked through.

“He’s a horny bastard who wants to get his dick wet. It never takes them long.” Devlin shrugs, checking his watch.

“You think he’s drank that already?” I question, already assuming the answer is yes.

Ben is well on his way to being drunk, so there’s no doubt in my mind that he tossed it back immediately.

“Most definitely. Give the dumbass five minutes, and he’ll be out.” He watches my face for a moment. “Or don’t. You look like you could use an excuse to knock him out the old-fashioned way.”

I laugh and check my own watch for the time. I’ll give it another minute or so before I go in to deal with him.

He’ll probably still fight me a little, but it will be sloppy at best. He can’t do any real damage.

“Crazy bastard,” Devlin says under his breath, shaking his head.

“Boss!” someone hollers from down the hall at Devlin, and I know our time is up.

“Yeah, hang on,” he orders the guy before smacking his hand on my shoulder. “The cameras are set to turn back on in ten minutes. Make sure you’re out of here by then.”

I nod my thanks and watch him walk off before making my way to the unlocked door standing between me and my prey.

It’s show time.

* * *

That had been almost too easy.

I know it’s because I’m smart and cover my tracks, but shouldn’t someone like Ben Breton be harder to kidnap?

Could I even call it a kidnapping if I wasn’t planning on returning him? Or was it more of a delayed murder scenario?

He was still knocked out as I chained him to the holding cell I had in my secret bunker.

I don’t leave people alive to torture often, but I know he’ll be useful. I’m slowly running out of time to find Olivia’s killer. Well, the person who hired me to do it.

I was fairly certain it was her father, maybe Ben included, but I need the truth so I know how to eliminate the fucking threat. And I need to know why.

Ben will give me those answers. Eventually, they all talk.

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