“I paid a lot of money to have you killed, Ms. McKenzie. I don’t appreciate being made a fool of, and that disrespect cannot go unchecked.” The slight flaring of Franky’s nostrils spoke volumes. “And since I’m fully aware how expensive Mr. Shepherd’s services are, I find it curious that you could afford his protection. Your brother steals from me and suddenly you’re able to pay for such things. How do you explain that?”
Shit.All right. I could see how this looked bad, even if Franky had the wrong idea.
“I didn’t pay Shep a dime. He helped me because it was the right thing to do.”
“You expect me to believe that Mr. Shepherd showed you mercy? That he is a good citizen? Have you any idea how many people he’s killed in this city?” He shook his head. “No. A cold-blooded hitman like him would not have helped you out of the kindness of his murderous black heart.”
“You know nothing of his heart,” I spoke through gritted teeth.
The mob boss regarded me for an uncomfortable moment.
“You care for him?” Franky’s head tilted and his penetrating gaze reminded me of a lion assessing its prey in utter stillness right before it pounced. “And you believe he cares for you?”
I remained silent, not wanting to give away any more than I already had, but also unable to deny my feelings for Shep.
“This makes things very interesting.” The glimmer of excitement in Franky’s eyes made me shudder. “Well. Let’s find out how much Mr. Shepherd means to you, shall we?” He picked up the desk phone and pressed a button. The redhead henchman on the TV screen answered the wall-mounted handset. “You may begin,” said Franky.
“Wait. Please don’t!” I glanced at the screen where Shep sat with his eyes closed and chin resting upon his chest. The redhead bouncer approached and tossed a bucket of water over his head. Shep woke with a start, sitting bolt upright.
My fingernails dug into the armrests as I rushed to lean forward in my seat.
Red and Shep shared words, their silent conversation only lasting a minute before Shep looked him in the eyes and smirked. The muscle-bound ginger wound his arm back and punched him in the stomach, then his face. Stuck in the chair, there was nothing Shep could do but take the hits. I cringed and shut my eyes. When I opened them again, Red stood over Shep. Blood leaked down the side of my man’s mouth and his chest heaved with...what the?Goddammit, Shep!Was he laughing? Sweet Jesus, he was antagonizing them.
“Stop this! I told you, he doesn’t know anything!” I shifted in my seat, desperate to help Shep.
Franky observed me with mild interest. “This stops when you tell me what I want to know. Where are my drugs and money?”
Red took two more powerful swings at Shep. This time he winced in pain and spat blood on the floor.
My pulse roared in my ears. “I don’t know. I swear I’m telling you the truth. I had no part in this. Jesus, make him stop!”
It was all I could do not to leap from my chair, grab Franky by the collar and slap his infuriating, emotionless face. Every fiber of my being wanted to throttle him until he called off the beating.
I squeezed my lids shut as Shep took more hits.
Think, Cam!I had to stop this. Except I had nothing to bargain with. Only Justin knew where Franky’s goods were. Only he could end this.
“Let me see my brother. I’ll talk some sense into him and find out what you want to know.”
It was the only way to salvage this disaster. I couldn’t understand why Justin still held out. I hoped he had the drugs and cash hidden somewhere safe. If he’d offloaded them already, or blown it all, we had no hope. And there were no guarantees with Franky. He might get his goods back and still kill us all for sport.
“Shep doesn’t deserve this. He was only trying to help me. He didn’t go against your orders out of spite or to humiliate you. If I get your property back, will you please let him go?”
I had little leverage for dealing with Franky, but whatever I had I would use to free Shep.
“You would plead for the life of a murderer?”
“For him, absolutely.”
Franky stood, straightening his vest before pressing a button on the remote and sending the screens black. “If you get me what I want, I will consider your request.”
I didn’t believe him. Franky had to know that once freed, Shep would kill him as soon as he had the chance. But right now, I was buying time to figure out how to get the three of us out of here alive.
Franky stalked around the desk and stopped in front of me. He grabbed the back of my head, yanking me to my feet by my hair. I cried out in pain and tried to pull away, but his grip held firm. “Understand this, Ms. McKenzie,” he snarled, his mouth close to my ear. “You get what I want, or I’ll have you begging me to put a bullet in your skull. And I’ll enjoy every minute.”
He tossed me back into the chair. I reached for the burning pain at my scalp, panting. My heart hammered in my chest.Jesus. If Justin couldn’t come up with something useful, all three of us were dead.
From what Shep had told me, Franky wasn’t bluffing. But I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry, so I held back the tears and stared him down.