Page 114 of Devil's Iris
Every shred of reason snaps. I want to promise him slow, creative death. Want to describe in vivid detail what I’m going to do to him once I get my hands on him.
But Sandro catches my eye and shoots me a warning look.Don’t antagonize him.
I force myself to take a deep breath. “He’s alive.” Though not exactly whole anymore. But Mikkel doesn’t need to know that yet. “I’m pulling up in front of the house now. I’ll send one of my men to go get your son. There’s no need to hurt Leni or Ethan.”
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Mikkel continues, confidence returning to his voice. “You’re going to let my son and me leave with the money. No tracking devices, no last-minute heroics, no bullshit. We disappear, and everyone stays happy.”
Like hell.
That bastard and his son are going to pay for thinking they can try to kill my wife and just walk away.
And what does he take me for? Some amateur? There’s no guarantee he won’t try to hurt her again once I let him slip out of my grasp.
“Are you there?” His voice sharpens with impatience.
“Rome,” Sandro murmurs beside me.
“Yes, I’m here.” I pull up across from the house, scanning the windows for any sign of movement. “You and your son can leave with the money. But you stay the fuck out of New York. Forever.” I add this condition because he’ll suspect something is up if I give in too easily. “If you so much as show your face in my territory again, you’re dead.”
“With twenty million, my son and I will be set for a very long time. Trust me, we won’t be stupid enough to come back into your territory.”
“Then we have a deal.”
41
LENI
“That was too easy,” Mikkel mutters under his breath as soon as he ends the call with Romero. He starts pacing the length of the living room, restless energy radiating off him.
My lips curl in disgust as I watch him move back and forth. It takes every ounce of self-control I have to make my face go completely blank.
So he’s smart enough to recognize that Romero isn’t the type to cave to ridiculous demands. I have no idea what my husband is planning, but I know damn well he’s not just going to hand over twenty million dollars and let this psycho and his son waltz away after everything they’ve done.
Because this guy is Mikkel. The same Mikkel who took credit for killing my dad? I’m inclined to think so. He’s also probably the one who tried to kill me yesterday.
“Why are you doing this, Mikkel?”
His head whips towards me, rage filling his brown eyes. “Shut up.”
“Why did you try to have me killed yesterday?” I press on like he didn’t just threaten me. “I’ve done nothing to you. Hell, I’ve never even met you before today, so what is your problem?”
The glare he shoots me could melt steel. “Do you know how many people have you on their radar? How much money you’ve cost me?”
My brows pinch together, but an ominous feeling starts crawling up my spine. “What are you talking about?”
“After your useless father lost his life, his wife and kids became fair game for anyone interested. But your mother interfered. Made a deal with me—she’d give us John’s body and let us take credit for his death, and in exchange, I’d leave you kids alone. Then she moved you all out of town. It took years to find you.” He makes an impatient gesture with his hand. “Partly because you were hiding right under our noses. I never would have imagined she’d become a drug addict, but it was too sweet.”
“What does any of these have to do with us?” Ethan snaps, a bit of temper slipping into his voice. “Whatever beef you had with Dad should have died with him.”
“That’s not how this world works, boy. Your mother should have sought protection in my organization instead of running like a coward. When we finally found you, someone becameveryinterested in you and Charlene here.”
Interested? In Ethan and me? “What does that even mean?”
“You’re the children of a traitor. The sins of the father always fall on the children—that’s the rule. I had been paid handsomely. All I had to do was deliver you and Ethan. I set up the trap—got Ethan and your junkie mother into debt they could never repay. Had them right in my grasp, and in one more week, I would have had you too. Butyou—” He takes a menacing step closer, his tone a blade. “You ruined everything. You ruinedme. My reputation.”
The full horror of it finally sinks in and bile rushes up my throat. He had been paid to sell Ethan and me… to sell our bodies to some criminals, like we were merchandise. The loan toMom and Ethan was a setup from the start. If I hadn’t gone to Romero, if he hadn’t paid?—
“So, Romero paid off our debts, and you no longer had any excuse to grab us.”
