Page 84 of The Chameleon

Once the man stopped moving, Ares continued along, searching for his next target. The crew didn’t have time to do proper recon to determine how many people were in the facility, but judging by the activity taking place outside, he assumed a lot.

A noise caught his attention.

Pressing his back against the wall, Ares stood silent as footsteps approached. He had the element of surprise and wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. Especially considering all of the guys he brought as backup were currently busy outside trying to save people from being abducted and sold into modern slavery. Matteo would kill him if he had told the guys to forget the victims outside and help him rescue Matteo instead. That most likely would have resulted in Ares ending up on a missing persons flyer, no doubt caused by one of Matteo’s henchmen.

Mind you, if something happened to Matteo because all his backups were preoccupied with saving others, he might have to go on his own killing spree, taking out every last trafficker in this joint.

A man wearing a plastic headband to hold back his greasy black hair turned the corner and jumped when he spotted Ares standing in the shadows.

Ares didn’t give the man a chance to shout. He lunged at the guy, plunging his knife into the man’s heart, killing him instantly.

He watched as the life drained from the man’s eyes. Another Italian who wouldn’t be coming home tonight. But he didn’t feel guilty. These men were monsters. They were working together to deceive and entrap men, women, and children, enslaving them into a life of servitude, sexual exploitation, and lord knows what else.

All these men deserved a knife in the heart, and once he rescued Matteo, he might entertain that idea.

He continued. Slipping through the shadows like a snake hiding in the grass.

Voices were heard up ahead. Two, possibly three.

Crouching behind some crates, Ares slid his knife back into its holster and pulled out his gun instead. A knife was great for close encounters but was pointless with long ranges.

Taking a peek over the top, Ares spotted Matteo tied to a chair, with some lanky-ass bitch standing over the top of him. The man placed a laptop on the table in front of Matteo and took a step back.

“Tell you what. While we wait, I think it’s time that you properly compensated me for all those years of service working atLa Maison.” The man looked down at Matteo, giving him a twisted grin.

“Compensation? How much were you thinking?” Matteo asked in that condescending tone of his.

Ares smirked.

“I’m thinking ten mill should be adequate compensation.”

Matteo let out a snort. “Please. You’re nowhere near that cute or talented. If memory serves me right, yours tended to curve to the left on those rare occasions that you were able to get it up onstage. I know. It’s difficult. Having to perform in front of all those men. Yet, somehow Isaac and Jared and the rest of the guys never seem to have an issue… performing.”

The man standing next to Matteo, who Ares assumed was Edwin, slammed his hand down on the table. Clearly, Matteo was starting to get under his skin.

Raising the gun he held, he pointed it at Matteo’s head. “Banque Gérard? That was one of the banks that you used to makeMaisondeposits, wasn’t it?”

The man was beginning to look unhinged. He cocked the hammer of the gun. “Transfer. Now.”

Matteo glanced up at the man like he was bored and uninterested in the conversation they were having.

“You orchestrated all this for a few thousand bucks?” Matteo asked.

“What? No. You’ve got more than that in your bank accounts. I’m going to drain it all,” Edwin shouted, pressing the gun to Matteo’s temple.

“I don’t remember you being this stupid. Did you suffer some sort of brain injury since we last saw each other?” Matteo asked, shaking his head sympathetically.

Ares found it hard not to laugh at the way the cocky Italian was talking down to his captor. Leave it to Matteo to try and piss off a man holding a gun to his head. God, he loved this guy!

“Stop stalling!” the man shouted, spit flying from his mouth.

“First off, how am I supposed to log into my account while I’m tied to my chair? Secondly, there are restrictions on how much money you can transfer online daily. Hence, you’ll be lucky if you get a few thousand today, moron.”

Ares held in his chuckle. That was the Matteo he loved. Strong, sassy, and smart. Oh, and sexy as fuck.

“If you want any real money, you’ll have to wait until the bank opens tomorrow so that I can wire you the funds.”

“That’s bullshit. Rich folks like you always have exception rules built into your banking services. You’re not like usregularfolk. You’re not going to wait until morning to access yourmoney. No. A bitch like you always gets special treatment. So. Transfer. Money. Now.”

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