Fuck—he’s as ruthless as they say.
“Mr. Townsend, I know that Billy owes you money.” I tried to humble myself, which was totally out of character for me, but absolutely appropriate in the current situation. “He’s—he’s left town. He ripped me off too.”
“I see.” Mr. Townsend nodded. “Well, then what are we going to do about that?”
“I was hoping that maybe we could come to an understanding. Our circumstances are similar. I know that you like to—make an example of people. I don’t want to be that example.” I exhaled sharply. “Billy skipped town. I don’t think he’s coming back.”
“How much is a human being’s life worth?” He tilted his head to the side.
“I mean—priceless?” I raised my eyebrows.
“No.” Robert Townsend laughed. “There’s always a price. What about one of the girls out there you saw when you were walking in—how much do you think one of them is worth?”
“I have no idea.” I blinked in confusion.
“I’ve had to price a lot of things over the years, including putting a value on human life. As the years have passed, I’ve valued human life a lot less than I used to. These days—it’s worth about twenty-five thousand dollars.” He shrugged. “I’m a simple man. I just believe that I should be fairly compensated when someone steals from me.”
“I’m confused. I thought Billy owed you money. I figured he borrowed it…” I leaned forward. “What the fuck did he do?”
“He took one of my girls.” Robert Townsend nodded.
“Wait…” I shook my head in surprise. “That girl he’s been seeing—worked for you?”
“It’s a little more complicated than that.” He chuckled. “But that part isn’t important. The only thing that matters right now is that I receive proper compensation for what I’ve lost—and the price is twenty-five thousand dollars.”
“Fuck…” I exhaled sharply.
“Billy’s been coming around here for well over a year and borrowing money. He always pays his debts, so I wasn’t that worried when he started dating one of my girls. He understood that there was a price, and he promised to pay it.” Robert Townsend shrugged. “I mean, I believe in love. I gave him two months to come up with the money, or she had to go back to earning money with her pussy instead of giving it to him for free.”
“I guess that explains why he eloped…” I sighed and shook my head.
“Regardless of what he chose to do with her after he took her from me, the debt is still owed. I feel like it’s a generous price. I could get a lot more for one of my girls if I really wanted to sell them, but they’re more valuable right here.” Robert Townsend leaned back in his chair. “So tell me, Billy Lawson’s friend—are you here to pay that debt?”
“I don’t have that kind of money…” I looked down at the floor and swallowed hard. “But I might be able to come up with it—if you’ll just give me some time.”
“Billy used up all of my generosity; I’m afraid.” He shook his head back and forth. “If you had the money now, I might consider it, but I’m just going to collect my money another way.”
“I’ve heard about your other ways.” I nodded in understanding.
“Well, rest assured, you have nothing to worry about. You came in here, showed me respect, and you seem to be honorable—only an honorable man would try to figure out a way to pay a debt he didn’t owe. I don’t like to kill honorable men—it’s bad for business.” Robert Townsend smiled. “I’ve already figured out how I’m going to collect the debt anyway. Billy’s got a sister—she’s a lot prettier than the girl he took, and I’m sure she’s worth a lot more than twenty-five thousand dollars. I’ll probably benefit from the trade when it’s all said and done. So now, I’ll call you Gerard—and I’ll shake your hand before you go.”
Oh, shit—Rachel. Don’t lose it. Stay calm. He just said he wasn’t going to kill you because you didn’t blow a gasket—don’t give him a reason to change his mind.
“There has to be another way…” I swallowed hard, realizing I was pushing something he was done discussing.
“Why don’t you walk away, Gerard? You don’t belong here. You said Billy stole money from you too.” He leaned forward against his desk. “I’m trying to show you kindness here. Very few people get that from me.”
“I—I could pay you the money. Let me take his debt. Make it my debt.” I felt my heart racing. “I’ll be responsible for it—every penny.”
If it’s my debt, then he has no reason to go after Rachel—I owe her that much after what I did.
“Interesting.” Robert Townsend raises an eyebrow. “Maybe you’re not honorable—maybe you’re just a fool.”
“A little of both most of the time.” I sighed. “But right now, I’m trying to do the honorable thing.”
“The honorable thing…” He looked like he was pondering my words. “Ah, I see. You care about Billy’s sister. I thought I saw a spark in your eye when I mentioned her.”
“Yes.” I nodded quickly. “I do care about her. I certainly don’t want to see her up on a stage because of something her fucking brother did.”