Filled

“Tell Vivian she can let me back,” I say without breaking eye contact with the camera because I know she’s listening.

I hear the door in front of me buzz and I walk through it. The hallway is dark with doors all the way down. I hear the sounds of people fucking on the other side of those doors, but I ignore it. If I think about it too long, I’ll imagine Bambi in there against her will and I’ll lose my cool. I need to keep it right now more than ever.

“Where’s the girl?” Vivian asks when I walk into her office.

“She’s none of your concern.” I cross my arms over my chest and glance around the empty office. “Where’s Jero?”

She shrugs and leans back in her chair like she’s got all day.

“Okay then, you tell me what you want, and we can get this over with.”

“I only want what’s owed to me.” Her smile is stretched tight, and she spreads her hands casually like she’s the queen of the kingdom.

“Which is?”

“Bambi was set to make us a fortune. We’ve already had someone place an order for her virginity.”

The words come out of her mouth, and I rush forward to slam my fists down on her desk. “Never.” The word is so loud it booms through the room, and I see the door behind her desk open and Robert the bouncer steps through. I see the cast on his wrist and feel a sense of satisfaction.

“I’m sure you can understand our financial predicament.” Vivian speaks like we’re in a business meeting. “She’s indebted to the company, along with the debt her brother Jero leveraged against her.”

“Why don’t you ask him to join us?” I say as I straighten up.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. He’s being detained as collateral until she’s paid back what’s owed.”

“If this was about money, you’d just ask me to write a check,” I seethe, waiting for her to get to the fucking point. “So why don’t you tell me what it’s going to cost to cut ties or give me the real reason you want her so badly.”

“It’s not about you giving us the money back; it’s about our clients getting what they want. And they’ve paid handsomely for her innocence.”

“Too fucking late,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Told you he’d fuck her,” Robert says, and I glare at him.

“Enough!” I roar. “Jero, get your fucking ass out of that room and face me.”

Vivian narrows her eyes on me and after a long second the door opens once more and Jero steps out. He’s thin, with dark circles under his eyes, but otherwise looks totally fine. Just as I knew he would be.

“There was never a loan shark,” I tell him, and he looks away, not meeting my eyes. “You lied to your sister so she’d get you money to fund your lifestyle of drinking and drugs. You’ve got some debts around town but nothing that couldn’t be worked out.”

Vivian sits up in her chair, and the smug look on her face is gone.

“I might be from out of town, but I’ve got my own connections. And what I found out was that you sold your sister to Vivian. You knew she was a virgin, and you came to Vivian with a deal. When Bambi took off you realized your money train had skipped town, so you made it seem like you’d been kidnapped for the debt.”

When no one answers me, I know that the information Rogue gave me was spot on. I was sick to my stomach hearing it and had to pull over and throw up when he told me. The thought of someone, anyone, putting their hands on my Bambi made me physically ill.

“All right, let’s make a deal then,” Vivian says, back to business. “We move the debt to Jero and cut ties with Bambi.”

“Hey, wait, that’s not part of the deal,” Jero protests.

“How much?” I ask, and the room turns to face me. Vivian slides a piece of paper across her desk. On it is the sum of what she stood to make on Bambi. I stare at it and then let out a humorless laugh. “You don’t even know her true worth.”

I reach in my back pocket and pull out the zipper bank bag I brought with me. I take out the stack of cash that’s twice what they thought they’d make on the love of my life and place it on the desk between us.

“This is a severance package.” I look at Vivian. “We are done with all business concerning Bambi.” She nods, and I look at Jero. “And you will never see or speak to your sister again. There is no room for negotiation.”

“But—”

“No,” I bark, and he shuts his mouth. “Never. Ever.”

He huffs as he looks away, and I straighten. Vivian grabs the money and quickly puts it away.