Page 54 of Fixate
I shook my head to dispel the errant thoughts as I opened the trunk and pulled the guy out. I placed him on his knees, which aggravated his wounds. He cried out, dropping his head forward.
The men walked over slowly, their gazes going from me to my prisoner to Pharrell and back.
Pip giggled like a little schoolgirl and rubbed his hands together. "What a present indeed? Tell me I get to play with it too.”
Henri smacked him with a clipboard. "Enough of that," he said.
Pip growled, then crossed his arms and huffed while waiting to see what I had to say.
I took in the eyes of the other men, seeing if anyone felt the urge to come forward and protect this man. If they were loyal to whomever this guy was loyal to as well, then they would feel the need to say something.
Their faces remained neutral. Only one seemed to show any sign of remorse. I suspected it was because he knew the guy on a deeper level rather than they were in some type of alliance.
I would still keep a close eye on him to be sure. People like this rarely worked alone. Where there was one rat, there were many.
Several had been extinguished, but one could never be too cautious in this line of work.
Pharrell approached. He stood far enough away to be out of reach but close enough to be heard when he said, "What's going on?"
I held my arms out wide as I put on a show of dominance. It was for the others, not him. He knew exactly how I was in my nature.
Now was not the time to think of that though.
“This is a present for you, Pharrell. I found him waiting at the location he thought the shipment was going to. He was going to intercept it. His back seat is full of weapons.”
Pharrell cocked his head to the side. He addressed the man kneeling before me.
"You wanted to steal from me?" he said, voice cruel.
The guy spit on the ground between him and where Pharrell stood. I kicked him in the back, making him land in what he just tried to use as an offensive gesture to our boss.
"You do not disrespect him!" I yelled, letting a bit of my hysterics show.
My whole life I've been known as the calm and collected one. I did what I was told.
But Pharrell had me on edge. Anyone who disrespected or betrayed him made me into a different person. They tested the limits of my patience in a way others never had.
I was far too emotionally involved, but there was nothing I could do about it.
With the man on the ground, Pharrell stepped right up to his face.
He turned the man’s head to where he was at an angle to be able to see him. When he looked down on the rat, he clicked his tongue and shook his head.
In a disappointed tone, he said, "I'm going to have to hurt you. And while I don't necessarily enjoy hurting my men, I do enjoy weeding out the bad fruit. So, we're going to go have a bit of fun, and you're going to tell me who you work for. The longer you hold out, the more pain you will find. Your screams will be so loud they'll hear them at the casino. There is no relief for those who betray me, only death.”
At his speech, the other men stood proudly, fists to their chest as they pledged allegiance to him. Their loyalty was tangible. I knew the others who were not here, the groups whowere working on different projects that were a hundred percent loyal, would be doing the same.
He had legions of men at his disposal, though those numbers had been cut since the ordeal with his wife. I had no doubt he could build his ranks again.
People would fight to be able to work for Pharrell Lyon. He was just that magnetic. I knew because I had been caught in his gravity, and I didn't want to be set free anytime soon.
CHAPTER 20
Pip
“I’m not talking,”dumb rat said as Pharrell punched him again and again. He was covered in blood and would probably go into shock soon if we didn’t treat those wounds.
I really loved the idea of keeping him on the brink of life only to torture him a bit more. Nothing like the screams of the weak to make a man feel good.
