Page 38 of Diablo

“You failed to mention the part where you—or one of your trained monkeys—knocked me unconscious,” I countered.

He shrugged with a nonchalant wave of his hand.

“The fewer details you know, the better. I hired you to hack. Nothing more.”

I snorted, even though it sent a bolt of pain like lightning shooting through my head and down my spine. It might hurt like hell but my stubbornness had saved my ass more times than I could count. I needed it now more than ever.

“Last I checked, you didn’t hire me. That requires the exchange of payment. You bullied me into doing your bidding.”

LeBlanc arched an eyebrow and clucked his tongue.

“Enzo. It pains me to hear you speak about insensitive topics like the matter of payment. We’re working together again, just like the old days.”

“Just explain what you want me to do so we can get this over with,” I replied.

LeBlanc set his glass on the window sill and came to sit on the foot of the bed, facing me. He braced his elbows on his knees and leaned in with an unnerving glint in his eye.

“I want you to wipe the bank clean.”

I frowned, shaking my aching head gently.

“No way. I already hit it once.”

“That was a test run. This is the real deal. After that, we’ll move on to bigger targets—billionaires, financial firms. The world is ours for the taking, Enzo. I’m sure you’re aware that your skills are an invaluable asset. You don’t need to be stuck in this dusty scrap of dirt on the map.”

My chest tightened. That dusty scrap of dirt on the map had been my home for as long as I could remember. And maybe I would never belong to the Alpha Riders as a member of their club, but I had to admit that they were more of a family than my own father had ever been to me.

“It’s not that easy,” I replied.

LeBlanc huffed. “Don’t be modest.”

“I’m serious. Some security protocols might be more for show than protection. But you’re talking about some tough shells to crack here. They have that protection in place for a reason. I wouldn’t be the first hacker or thief to breach their systems and they would be ready for me. It’s a high-risk situation.”

LeBlanc patted my shoulder.

“Then I suggest you don’t get caught. Until then, open up that bank. And don’t leave a single penny behind.”

I flexed my fingers over the laptop’s keyboard, staring at the black screen. Merry Field wouldn’t survive if the bank went under. I felt bad enough taking everything Tarzan had. To take the life savings of hundreds of citizens and leave them with nothing…

LeBlanc noticed my hesitation and sighed with annoyance.

“Ortega,” he said. “Go find Stevie. Put a bullet in her brain.”

The hired man with the dagger tattoo nodded once and opened the door, stepping outside. I curled my fingers into fists, feeling like I might be sick at any moment.

“If you hurt her, I will never do what you want.”

LeBlanc shrugged and pulled a cigar from the inside of his jacket pocket.

“Then the Alpha Riders will receive the same treatment. Behave yourself, Enzo. Otherwise, there will be a trail of bodies in your wake and their blood will be on your hands.”

“Fine. Just…call off Ortega.”

LeBlanc fixed me with a long look, rolling the cigar between his fingers as he considered. I wanted to scream at him but I knew if I did that, he would kill Stevie just to prove that he could. To demonstrate that he was the one with all the power and I was beneath him—nothing but a helpless kid again.

At last, LeBlanc retrieved his phone from his pocket.

“Hold off killing the girl, Ortega. For now. I’ll let you know if the order changes.”

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