Page 12 of Rogue Voice

Hook.

Line.

And sinker.

Emiliano licked his lips. “You’re going to re-design it for me.”

So fucking predictable. Like one of Ash’s games of chess.

“I don’t do that kind of work anymore, Emiliano. It took me a long time to get clean.”

“My uncle made a mistake when he exposed you to … other sides of the business. I won’t make the same mistake; you don’t have to worry about that.”

Rogue took a deep breath and stood up. “The answer is still no. Call me a car, Emiliano. And give me back my laptop and the cigarettes your men stole from me.”

Emiliano’s hand disappeared under the coffee table. There was the sound of ripping Velcro; a gun appeared in his hand.

Interesting.

Rogue had expected Emiliano to try to cajole him or bribe him. But this, this was unexpected. It was a good reminder that Emiliano wasn’t the same man he used to know.

“Sit your ass back down and let me tell you how this is going to work,” Emiliano hissed. His lips curled into a thin smile.

He’s enjoying the power rush.

Rogue did as the man asked, raising his hands and forcing his shoulders into a hunched position.

“I don’t want any trouble, Emiliano.”

“You’ll do this for me, and you will leave here a very rich man … or not leave at all.”

“My sister will come looking for me.”

Cruz barked out a laugh. “Don’t underestimate me. I’ve seen your phone records. You speak to your sister once a week, at most, and you called her when you landed. Your mutilated body could appear in Cartagena, victim of an unfortunate random mugging, long before the next call.”

There were few things that scared Rogue, and death wasn’t one of them, but he forced himself to cower.

Finally, Cruz breathed out an alcohol-filled breath and lowered the gun. When he opened his mouth again, the cajoling tone was back. “It doesn’t have to be this way, Rogue. You and I … we can work well together. I will make it worth your while.”

Rogue sniffed. “And if I can’t do what you need?”

“I’m not an unreasonable man, Rogue. All I’m asking you to do is what you already did once before. You make this happen for me, and I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t end up in an unfortunate accident. How does that sound?”

Rogue straightened his spine. He had to balance the fear with that other, very natural, emotion that Cruz would understand.Greed.

“How much cash are we talking about?” He sniffed.

“Two million U.S. dollars.”

Rogue’s mouth hung open, as if he hadn’t expected such a large figure. “Cash?”

Cruz laughed. “Cash or transferred to any account of your choice. Completely legal.”

I doubt that very much.

“So. What do you say? Are we in business?”

Rogue allowed himself a small smile and pulled out his hand. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Emiliano. For two million, I’ll do anything you need.”

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