Page 35 of Venom and Velvet

“Fiancé,” I mumbled, not taking my eyes off the SUV. A minute later Riddick came down with a duffel bag and jumped into the backseat.

“I’ll give you a hundred bucks on top of the cab fees if you follow that car.” I pointed at the SUV as it made a U-turn in front of us and headed in the opposite direction it had just come from.

“No problem. As long as he doesn’t have a gun, then I’m good.” The driver took off behind them, and I leaned back into the backseat, keeping my head down. It wasn’t like Ryzen would be able to tell it was me. I was covered in black from head to toe, including the jeweled necklace with the camera in it.

We followed them around downtown, the cab driver shaking his head and chuckling when I told him not to get too close. “Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time I’ve been paid to follow a cheating spouse. And believe me, they are almost always cheating.”

Fifteen minutes later and we were on the outskirts of a manufacturing park. A large sign over twenty feet wide was posted to the fence, with the name “Goodacre Corporation” plastered across the front of it. There were construction crews all over, the sound of trucks beeping, pouring cement, cranes moving large metal beams from one point to another. The SUV turned down a gravel road and parked.

I handed the cab driver a hundred dollars. “Wait here. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

He shrugged and took the cash, and I ran behind the building looking for a way in. Either Ryzen was having a typical real estate meeting, or he was doing something shady. And I would bet my life it was the latter.

There was a staircase going up the back of the building at least three floors up, and I climbed to the top, my boots making a thumping noise as I went. My back pressed against the back door, and I peeked through the window, jiggling the doorknob. The door swung open and I held my breath as I poked my head around the corner. All clear. This was kind of easy. Maybe the universe was on my side today. I gripped the necklace and pressed the button on the side, ensuring the video was recording.

It was dark and dingy with barely a shred of light except what was streaming through a few broken windows. Boxes filled with old computer equipment littered the area, and I gasped when I tripped over a pipe, banging my knees on the metal grating.

My leggings were ripped at the knee, and I held back a groan at the blood covering my skin. OK. Maybe I wasn’t as smart as I’d thought. The air smelled like old rubber and something else. Something… not right. A chill ran up my spine as mostly darkness surrounded me. When I finally got through the maze of boxes, I realized I was on the top floor of a makeshift storage area that wrapped around the whole building. It opened up in the center and when I got closer, I peeked over the railing and saw several old utility vans parked.

Voices came from below where I was standing and I scooted back a few feet away from the railing and kneeled behind an old desk.

“Let me do the talking. He’s already pissed off at you.”

Riddick.

“He’s pissed at us. Not just me. I’ll handle it.” Ryzen cursed.

He was definitely up to no good. Two large black trucks pulled in, dirt flying in the air and surrounding Ryzen and Riddick. I crawled as close to the edge as I could and pointed the necklace at the men below.

Six men stepped out of the vehicles, all dressed in black suits and sunglasses. They were big, way bigger than Ryzen, and a wave of nausea passed through me when I noticed they all had guns hanging over their shoulders. This was serious, and more than I had bargained for when I had decided to follow him.

But it was too late now. I was about to get exactly what I needed in order to be free from this mess.

A man stepped out of the truck and lit a cigarette, blowing a circle with the smoke up in the air. I was almost right above them. Had it not been dark as hell up here, they might have been able to see me. My hand trembled as I pointed the necklace at the man and followed his path as he walked towards Ryzen and Riddick. The men with guns parted for him, and as he got closer, I realized I was looking at none other than Kaviathin Voledetti.

Excitement raced through me. I was about to capture exactly what I would need to get out of this whole situation with the FBI. It was quickly followed by panic as I realized that Ryzen was about to find out Kaviathin hadn’t been the one who had taken Juliet and I.

Kaviathin blew smoke in Ryzen’s face, and Ryzen waved his hand, huffing.

“Do you have my money?” Kaviathin purred, this time blowing smoke at Riddick, who seemed to be smarter than Ryzen and let the smoke waft over him without moving.

Ryzen kicked the bag to the man standing to the right of Kaviathin. “It’s all there. You can count it if you don’t believe me.”

Kaviathin chuckled and tossed the cigarette on the ground. “If I thought you were stupid enough to double-cross me, you’d be dead already.”

Ryzen tensed, his fists clenching at his sides. Oh, he could not be happy being talked to like this. A man like him who was all ego and thought of himself as the king of all men? No, he was seething, and it was obvious.

Kaviathin stepped closer, the tips of his shoes touching Ryzen’s. “The next time you ball your fists up in my presence, you better be prepared for what’s next.”

Ryzen paled and took a step back and Kaviathin chuckled. Even from up here I could feel his power. His evilness. This was not a man you wanted to run into at night in a dark alley. My hand trembled as I held the necklace out further, making sure I was capturing everything.

Kaviathin turned on his heel and walked toward the truck. Ryzen ran his fingers through his hair, arguing with Riddick for a moment. When Riddick took a step forward, Ryzen grabbed onto his jacket to stop him.

“We’re handling the situation with Nova and Covington. You don’t need to interfere like that again.” Riddick’s voice wavered slightly when Kaviathin turned and gave him a lethal look.

“Riddick, shut up.” Ryzen tugged his arm.

“Taking her like that almost messed everything up. We got your point. We’ll handle it from here.”

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