Page 17 of Bloody Kingdom

Ican feel him looking at me in the rearview mirror, but I ignore him. Duke has been acting like he wants to ask me something since I got into the SUV. If he wants to say something, he should spit it the fuck out, I’m not going to beg to hear his thoughts and concerns. Part of me wishes he’ll just keep whatever it is to himself because after spending time with Quincey tonight, I’m full of frustrated energy and it needs to come out somewhere. If Duke keeps this up, he’s going to be the unlucky recipient.

“So…” Fucking finally. “Did you see her at all today?” Duke asks, but his tone tells me he knows something more than he’s letting on.

I don’t look up from the phone in my hand as I answer. “I ran into her when I went in to check on Ira. She was in there reading at his bedside.” My finger hits the send button for the email I’d just typed out before I meet his eye in the mirror. “She was starving, said she hadn’t eaten all day. I thought I instructed you to give her the tour of the house, to show her where she can and can’t go.”

Duke looked unfazed by my accusatory tone. Not shocking. “I thought you might like to show her around?”

“Why the fuck would you think that?”

“I don’t know, just thought you’d like to be the one who told her she wasn’t actually being held captive in Ira’s room,” Duke offers. “Thought you could use the brownie points.”

“Why would I need—” A thought occurs to me. “Wait—are you telling me she believes she is to stay in Ira’s room all day? That she can never leave unless she needs to sleep?”

Duke shrugs casually. “She’s been treated like a prisoner since she woke up in that house, what would have given her the impression she’s free to wander—within reason—around?” he quickly adds the last part knowing how I feel about having people in my wing of the house.

“Youwere supposed to give her that impression, whenyougave her the tour, like I askedyouto do,” I grit out. She didn’t think she could leave Ira to feed herself, that’s why she was fucking starving.

“I thought it’d be better coming from you. She’ll be less…hostiletoward you if you’re the one who gives her back some freedom since you’re the one who originally took it.”

My jaw grinds as I think this over. “Why on earth would I give a shit if Quincey was less hostile toward me? We’re not friends. She’s just another one of my employees. I don’tneedher to like me, I just need her to do her job.”

“I just thought if she liked you more, she’d be less of a royal pain in your ass and that pinched, ‘someone just shit in my Cheerios’, look you’ve been wearing since she showed up would go away.” Duke chuckles to himself, obviously finding his commentary humorous.

“I do not look like someone—” I can’t even force myself to finish such an absurd comment. “I don’t look like that.”

“Yeah okay,sure, if you say so, boss.”

“Just shut up and drive, Duke,” I growl as I return to my emails.

I’m goingto kill someone.

Liquid rage spreads through my body the more Louis speaks to me about the events that took place on one of my docks tonight.

We stand in front of the shipping container, the lock on it is partially cut off. The blow torch that was being used to cut through the locking mechanism still lies on the ground from where it was abruptly dropped. The two men who had attempted to rob me also lie on the ground with bullet wounds in their foreheads.

I spend mass amounts of money a year to ensure my docks are secure. Louis is in charge of the security company that watches this specific dock. Tonight is a great reminder that money that goes to him and his team is worth every penny. There are millions of dollars’ worth of merchandise in this container. I’ll make double if not triple that once the guns and ammo are sold to their designated buyers.

“Who would be stupid enough to steal from you?” Duke asks the question I’ve been asking myself since we received the phone call from Louis. I’d been at a meeting with a manager of one of my properties when I got the news.

I should have known after having that dream my night was going to turn to shit.

“We tried askin’ them, but dumb fuckers pulled knives on my men,” Louis explains after releasing a plume of cigarette smoke. “We had no choice but to shoot them straight through their skulls after that.”

“I really wish you hadn’t,” my voice is a low growl.

“Was I supposed to let them hurt my men?” Louis dares to question me.

“At the end of the day, your men are replaceable. That information, however, was vital to me.” Most of Louis’s men are highly trained mercenaries, they could have handled a simple knife. “Have someone come deal with this, Duke,” I order, taking one last look at the mess in front of me before walking away. “If anyone touches that container, you’ll be the next one to be replaced, Louis,” I warn over my shoulder.

Duke talks quickly with Louis before following close behind me. Not until we are at the car again and out of earshot does he say, “The cameras were tampered with as well. They were down for less than sixty seconds before the backup software kicked on.” I know what he’s going to say before it even comes out of his mouth. “This is just like the other incidents. Do you think they’re all related?”

Six months ago, someone started attempting to hack into my security systems at various properties. It’s not just the ones here in New Orleans that have been hit. No, they even started targeting my international locations. I sent Duke out to the affected one in South America, but he didn’t find jack shit. Whoever is doing this is highly skilled or at least has hired a talented individual. If they weren’t trying to hack me, I may have been interested in bringing them on as an employee myself, but unfortunately for them, I just want them dead now.

From what we’ve gathered, they’re trying to track the routes in which I ship my merchandise. We figured this all out quickly and have since adjusted shipping routes, but it’s clear they aren’t giving up without a fight.

Tonight is the first time they’ve tried to steal from me though. They’re growing cocky. They’ve either gotten tired of trying to gather information and are going in blind, or they thought they knew enough to hit my cargo container tonight.

Either way, I’m bumping up my security on all accounts.

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