Page 54 of Crown Jewels
Abandoning my search, I headed into my room to log into Emma’s cam show. I’d watch her while I waited for her to call me in.
Logging in was as far as I got before my phone dinged with a text. And not one I could ignore.
Preston: We have a problem.
That was followed with a picture of Mitch, tied to a chair and not looking good.
Fuck.
I pressed the button to call, and held the phone to my ear.
“I see you got my message.”
Yeah I fucking got it. “Why the fuck do you have him?”
“I take it he’s a friend of yours?”
“Yes,” I said. “Let him go.”
“Afraid I can’t do that.” Preston tsked. “I was in the middle of completing the job, when this motherfucker came busting in with a bat.”
Fucking Mitch went after the professor. I should’ve seen that coming. Preston didn’t get where he was by leaving witnesses behind. Goddamnit.
“He won’t say anything.”
“Oh he says plenty,” I heard something that sounded like a light slap. “Isn’t that right you stupid fuck.”
“Vahn,” Mitch yelled from the background. “Help me. This guy is crazy.”
“Shut up, or I’ll shoot you right now.” Preston sang, annoyed.
There was no doubt in my mind that he would do it. Actually I was surprised that Mitch wasn’t already dead. Which posed a good question. “Why is he still alive?”
I highly doubted Mitch barged in there yelling I’m friends with Vahn Kessler.
“Well,” he sighed. “I was gonna take care of him, especially when he started crying, but then I noticed the brand on his arm.”
“Brand?” Mitch didn’t have a brand on his arm. “What does a brand have to do with anything?”
“It seems your friend here, owes a couple of Russians some money. Luckily for him, they happen to be the same Russians I’ve been looking for for a couple of years. Sneaky bastards are good at hiding.”
Mitch was gambling again. Big surprise there. That explained the brand. That also meant that Preston wasn’t going to kill him. At least not until he got what he wanted out of him.
“Remember that favor you owe me?”
“Yeah?”
“He’s it. I’m gonna keep him for a bit.”
“Preston, he’s a friend of mine…”
“Don’t worry.” He cut me off. “I won’t hurt him… much.”
“Fine.” It wasn’t like I would be able to talk Preston out of it, but maybe something good could come from this. “Do me a favor while you have him. Mitch has a gambling problem…”
Preston made the inconvenience of my request obvious with his sigh. “Alright, I’ll run him through Whitley rehab. But don’t call me every day asking how he is.”
He wouldn’t tell me if I did.
