Page 43 of Corrupt Desires

Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpse James’s prescription bottle on the sink, an idea forming in my mind. But will I be able to pull it off? I have no choice. I steel myself, putting the pills in my pocket, and leave the bathroom.

I know two of these pills are enough to knock James on his ass, so what’s a few more pills? The men will be knocked out for at least six hours, and that should be enough time that they can’t follow me.

Before I can finish my train of thought, I bump straight into a muscled body, bouncing back before hands reach out to steady me.

“Whoa there, tiger. Take it easy. Everything OK?” asks Kayden.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. Why do you ask?” I reply, hoping my voice doesn’t come off as shaky as it feels.

“Just wanted to make sure everything’s OK. You looked like you’d seen a ghost back there.” Kayden chuckles while peering into my eyes.

“No, I’m fine. Every account found by the attorney is just a reminder that they’re gone… and never coming back.”

Pity shines in Kayden’s eyes before he pulls me in for a hug.O. K. This is awkward.

Feeling uncomfortable with his show of affection, I push him back and run a hand through my hair.

Letting my anger bleed into my voice, I tell him, “I don’t need your pity, Kayden. I know I’ve been a wreck lately, but really, I’m fine.”

Kayden holds his hands up in surrender. “Whatever you say, Em.”

Rolling my eyes, I saunter away, throwing a few choice words over my shoulder that leaves Kayden chuckling as I make my way into the kitchen.

* * *

Makinga few drinks for the men, I crush up the pills loading about three pills worth into each drink. I’m not a doctor, but I’m hoping the amount I gave them is enough to just knock them out and not permanently send them to sleep.

I place the drinks on a serving tray and make my way back into the dining room. Franklin is still typing away at his laptop, while James and Kayden are still looking over all the blueprints.

“Refreshments!” I announce, placing each glass in front of them.

“Thank fuck. These blueprints are giving me a bloody headache,” says James as he eagerly grabs the drink and downs the alcohol in one gulp.

“Slow down there, boss. We still have a lot of work to do,” Kayden says, pointing at the stack of papers in front of them.

“Thanks, Emilia,” Franklin says from across the table, barely glancing up from his laptop.

Feeling happy that each guy is downing their drink, I take a seat next to Franklin again and pretend to take interest in whatever he’s looking at. We all get back to our research for the next thirty minutes, each of us working silently to come up with a plan. Myself? I’m sweating bullets.

“Well, I think I found something that we can use to our advantage,” says Franklin excitedly, pushing back in his chair and wearing a smug smile.

“Well? By all means, tell us,” James says, hope filling his voice.

“After reviewing my drone footage, and given the age of the house, I’m willing to bet they have a pretty outdated electrical system. Now, the part that we can really use to our advantage is they don’t have a backup generator. Which means if we can cut the power to the house, we can have the advantage to go in and take them out.”

“What about the cameras? We can’t go in blind. And what about the women? We can’t just leave them or have them get caught in the crossfire,” replies James, frustration clear in his voice.

“The cameras in the house have battery backups, so we are covered there. In regards to the women, that’s where I think Kayden comes into play. Your men have plenty of experience with hostage situations, right?” he asks, continuing without waiting for a reply. “So, I’m thinking we cut the power and send in Kayden and his men. It’ll be dark but with their equipment, it shouldn’t be a problem for them to navigate their way through the house with me in their ear. On the other hand, Anthony’s men don’t have night vision and will be scrambling in the dark.”

“I’m listening,” says Kayden, rubbing his chin like he’s intrigued by this idea.

“From there, it’s just a matter of taking out the targets, securing the women, and getting the hell out of there.”

“But what about the other Romanis? If we take out Anthony, then we have his parents and brothers to worry about,” I pipe up, confused as to how this will ever end.

“They are so far in debt that I seriously doubt they could put anyone on their payroll for retribution, let alone even keep their territory. The next family in line will do our dirty work for us, essentially taking out what’s left of the Romanis.”

“Who’s to say the next family won’t put a target on Emilia’s back?”

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