A Debt Repaid (The Debt Duet 2)

He snorts. “The money’s already spent, Easton. There’s no way to get it back.”

I lean over and swear into the phone as it’s jammed between the desk and my mouth. “My money is inside your business, inside you, and I will fucking rip it out if I have to. Do you hear me? I will tear down your business and your fucking ass along with it.”

I can hear him swallow on the other end of the line.

“Now you listen … If she calls you, comes to one of your restaurants, anything, you let me know. Do you understand me?”

A few seconds pass. “Yes. Of course.”

“Good,” I hiss. “And I want you to go fucking look for her.”

“What? Me? Why?”

“Because she’ll listen to you.”

“She never has,” he exclaims.

“I don’t fucking care how you get it done. You’re going to help find her. She’s my fucking wife, and I want her back.”

“How am I going to find her if you can’t?” he asks. “She doesn’t have a phone anymore because you took it from her. I have no way of contacting her.”

“Are you deaf? I said get it done. Do whatever you have to. If I don’t get her back, I’m going to turn your world into a living hell …” I growl into the phone. “I have cameras in my home. Hundreds of them. Did you know?”

“What does that have to do—”

“I taped her,” I interject. “Every single second of her breathing in my home … in every single possible position you could imagine.”

He gulps.

“You wouldn’t want it to suddenly end up in the hands of journalists, would you?”

“No,” he says, clearing his throat. “I’ll find her. I’ll make sure of it.”

“I’m glad we finally understand each other,” I reply. “Call me when you have more information.”

I end the phone call before he can reply. I don’t want to hear his voice any longer than necessary. I just want him to find her before it’s too late. Before she’s out of my grasp forever or, worse, in someone else’s.

I punch my desk and blow out a breath to try to contain my fury. I would blow up this entire city if it meant I’d find her again … but if there’s a chance she could die, I wouldn’t dare risk it.

I don’t want her dead. I want her alive and in my arms where she belongs.

“Sir …” Jill places a hand on my shoulder.

I shrug it off. “Don’t.”

“Punching a desk isn’t going to help,” she says.

“What will?” I say, turning around to face her. “Exactly. Nothing.”

She cocks her head and smiles. “Your employees are doing their best to find her.”

“Then they’re not working hard enough,” I reply.

“It takes time to find her in a city this big, and a lot of time has passed. She could be anywhere,” she says.

“Exactly my point,” I retort. “The longer it takes, the more time she has to get even farther away from me.”

“Sir …” She pauses for a moment. “Have you thought about letting it go?”

My eyes widen. “Letting it go? Have you lost your fucking mind, Jill?”

“No, it’s just that …” She swallows. “I know she is your wife, but you two haven’t exactly gotten along very well, and—”

“We were getting along fine,” I interject. “She was just getting used to me.”

“She was constantly looking for a way out,” she adds.

“Because she’s a spoiled little princess who wants more, more, more,” I hiss.

“Because you took the thing she wants the most …”

“What?” I’m right up in her face now.

“Her freedom,” she says, adding another gentle smile. “A woman will always fight to get what she wants. Always.”

“I couldn’t give her that, Jill, and you know damn well why.”

“I know. I’m just saying …” Her shoulders rise with her deep breath. “If you would’ve given her a little more a little sooner, maybe she wouldn’t have had the urge to escape.”

“She wouldn’t have slipped away if you wouldn’t have let her out of your sight!” I growl.

Her lips part, but she sucks in her words and lowers her eyes. The hurt spelled out on her face is so clear not even a blind man would miss that. Guilt immediately fills my veins.

“I know …” she mutters. “But Charlotte isn’t the easiest to work with.”

I can’t lie and say that she is, so I have to give her that. “It’s why I tasked you with taking care of her.” I place a hand on her shoulder. “Because I trust you the most.”

She beams once again and snorts a little. “But couldn’t you have picked an easier girl? Like, I don’t know, one of the many girls who’d wait in line to get some time alone with you?”

“Nonsense,” I say, shaking my head.

“I’ve seen them. At your clubs,” she adds, her cheeks turning rosy. “You could pick one to your liking. There are so many who … who just wanna be near you.”