Page 90 of Provocation
‘Yep!’ She throws her arms around me and squeezes me. ‘It’s perfect.’
‘As promised.’ I give her a quick kiss. ‘Let’s go.’
I message the guys to tell them where we’re going and we leave the club through the side door, taking the truck that’s parked in the alley. I’m surprised to find that there’s still a long line out the door. I think it’s safe to say that Envy is a success.
Thank God. Well, and Daisy.
We’re halfway out of Richmond when I get a message back. I glance at my phone, expecting it to be Mav or Shade asking me to grab some food on the way, but it’s not. It’s Farley.
I swallow hard.
Kormak wants us back at Sal’s.
Shit. The old man hasn’t paid up. He’s going there now. What if the daughter’s there again? He’ll follow through with his threat from last time. Feeling sick, I glance at Daisy who’s still looking like she’s having a great evening with me.
There isn’t time to drop her off anywhere safe.
‘Fuck!’ I hiss.
‘What is it?’
‘Nothing. I just… I need to run an errand, but it’s in a bad part of town. You need to stay in the car, okay?’
‘Okay,’ she says slowly.
She doesn’t ask me anything, but she glances at my phone even though she can’t see the message, and she frowns a little before she turns to look out the window again.
I go past Sal’s and turn up the next alleyway, parking in the small lot around the back.
‘Stay in the car.’ I say again to Daisy but get out before she has a chance to reply,, throwing on my ski mask.
As I get to the backdoor, I hear a muffled scream from inside.
He’s already here. I’m too late.
I push it open and enter the kitchen, going through to the restaurant.
‘We told you what would happen if you didn’t pay,’ Farley is snarling at the owner.
The balding man whimpers from the floor, one arm clutching his face where blood leaks onto his shirt, and the other around his daughter.
‘I don’t have the money yet! It’s too much!’
‘Not my problem,’ Farley sneers. ‘Hell, it ain’t even yours now.’ His beady eyes fall onto the girl who’s sobbing next to her father. ‘It’s hers. Get up!’
Farley grabs the girl by her long brown hair, hauling her flush against him and licking her cheek. She squeals and tries to pull away, but he just laughs.
He notices me and snorts. ‘Finally. Beat the shit out of daddy while I deal with this,’ he tells me.
He shakes the girl and holds her face up to look at her, a glint in his eye.
I don’t move, my mind whirring, trying to find a way out of this that doesn’t blow back on Shade, Mav, and Daisy.
I shake my head at Sal, furious that he’d put his daughter in danger like this. I put my hand in my jacket pocket for my gun, but it isn’t there!
Fuck! It must have fallen out in the car.
‘Not my little girl,’ Sal pleads. ‘I’ll do anything. But you leave her out of it.’
