Shifted

Kelly barged in. She saw Tyler had tied Strickland to a chair. Both wrists and ankles were chained with cuffs, and his mouth had been gagged with plexitape. Strickland looked utterly pissed off. He glared at Kelly when he became aware of her, his eyes full of venom. The tape muffled his storm of curses.

“Get her out of here!” Tyler strode to Kelly, snatching her arm and pushing her out of the room. She saw Tyler had a gun. A big one, with bullets big enough to evaporate a human head. “What the hell were you thinking?” he yelled at Gunnar. “Don’t involve her in this business.” Kelly struggled back into the room, defying him.

“Give me that gun, Tyler. I don’t want you to hurt anybody.” Gunnar went to take the gun from his brother.

Tyler smacked Gunnar’s hand away. “That son of a bitch deserves more than being hurt. He needs to go away, forever, so he can’t cheat and enslave people like us ever again.”

“You’re not thinking rationally this time—”

“I agree with you, babe,” Kelly interjected. She felt the need to interfere with Tyler’s intention. Gunnar’s persuasion wouldn’t work. His brother wasn’t in his right mind right now. Tyler needed a little reverse psychology persuasion. “This asswipe needs to go away forever.”

“What the hell, Nick?” Gunnar turned to her, aggravated.

Kelly stared at Tyler, deadpan. “I agree that Strickland needs to go away. Forever.” She shifted her attention to the bound man, giving him the evil eye. “But killing him won’t solve our problem.”

Tyler pointed his gun at Gunnar. “Take her out of here. Now.”

“Killing him isn’t going to dissolve our contract. His partners are going to take over his assets, which mean us, and we’re going to be working for his partners. We’re not going to be free, Tyler. The contract stays even if he’s dead.”

“What are you talking about?” Gunnar asked.

“I hired a lawyer who can get us out of his slavery forever.”

“We’ve been over this,” Tyler snapped in desperation. “No one was able to help us.”

“That’s because we didn’t find the right lawyer.” Kelly pulled the plexitape off Strickland’s mouth.

He cursed. His lip bled from the tape’s adhesive. “You’re not going to get away with this, bitch. You and your dirty—”

“Oh, but we will,” Kelly answered sweetly. “I know about your account at Amtex. I know all about your shielded investors in Bramer and Andes Island. I also know about your involvement with Lula McNoir.” She pulled closer and grinned. “Harry, dear, I know all of your dirty secrets.”

Strickland clenched his jaw, looking as if he was assessing Kelly’s threat. “You’re bluffing.”

“I’m not. Your ass is going to be toast. Crisp, burnt toast.”

Tyler let out an impatient snort. He grabbed Kelly’s arm and semi-dragged her to the door again. “Get her out of here,” he barked to Gunnar. “Now.”

Kelly protested, tryi

ng to wriggle free from Tyler’s grip, but he was too strong. Tyler stopped suddenly when he realised someone was at the door. Durbo had just arrived. “I got here as fast as I could,” he told Kelly. “What’s happening?”

“Who the hell are you?” Tyler glared at him.

“I’m Hank Durbo, attorney-at-law. Miss Evers has hired me as her legal counsel.”

Kelly wrenched free from Tyler’s grip. “Thank God you’re here. My boyfriends here want to kill my manager.”

“That conduct is highly illegal, Mr Roche.” Durbo slipped into his lawyerish manners. “You’ll get life in prison for premeditated murder.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Tyler barked. “Get this clown out of here. I’ve had enough of this bullshit.”

“Babe, just listen to me, will you?” Kelly pleaded with Tyler. She turned to Durbo. “Tell him that you’ll be able to help us.”

“Mr Roche, I assure you that I will get Ms Evers out of the contract.”

Tyler still wasn’t convinced. Gunnar snatched the gun from Tyler’s hand. “This is not the way we want to go, Ty.”

“All of you need to leave these premises.” Durbo set his briefcase on Strickland’s desk. “I’ll tie up this loose end. I’ll call the police and explain to the authority about our little misunderstanding here.”