Page 48 of Sinner's Ransom: Taken
Montgomery exhaled deeplythrough his nose and rocked his head side to side to crack his neck. It made a sickening sound, but relief spread through him. He worked on his shoulders next. His cheek stung from where Stone had punched him, and the bruise was darker than ever. It nearly scared him half to death when he saw it in the bathroom mirror this morning, but that could partly be because of Stone sneaking up behind him and curling his arms around him, too.
Stone made him put on the now ragged suit that he wore on the first day. They hadn’t bothered to wash it, so it stunk, but that was partly the point. They wanted him to look as horrible as possible, if only to show Richard that he hadn’t been given any hospitable treatment.
“Do you know what to do?” Stone asked. The bud in his ear was technology curtesy of Killough, and it came in handy. Montgomery could both hear and talk to their crew inconspicuously.
“We’ve been through it a thousand times.” Montgomery rolled his eyes even though Stone couldn’t see him.
He stood in Grand Park, a little farther away from the food vans where he was supposed to meet Richard. The paths of the park were packed with crowds, from giddy children carrying kites and talking to their parents excitedly, to couples taking romantic strolls down the long, winding paths. The overabundance of people meant that Montgomery had a good hiding spot. He stood under the shade of a tall tree, away from the blistering sun that made his skin itch.
“Don’t be a smartass. I’ll spank you.” Stone’s gruff voice sent a violent shiver down Montgomery’s spine.
“That threat won’t stop me,” Montgomery whispered, glaring at a child who’d stopped to look at him curiously. He supposed he looked out a place with a crooked, dirty suit and multiple bruises on his face, but he assumed most people thought he was homeless. He hissed at the child, making her stumble away.
“Don’t draw any attention to yourself, Monty. Your face has been on TV.”
“I know.” Montgomery rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the tree. “Can we do this? It’s nearly 2:00 p.m.”
Stone mumbled something, but Montgomery didn’t hear what he said. He didn’t think he wanted to either. Then he spoke louder, “We move when Ardan is in position.”
What position does Ardan like?Montgomery pressed his lips together to stop himself from saying it. He had a dirty mind and didn’t dare say it out loud. It would earn him more than just a spanking, especially considering he was thinking about another man in a sexual position.
“Monty, we’ve got the signal. Move in.”
Montgomery took a deep breath and stumbled away from the tree. He headed toward the food vans, making a show of faltering with every ten steps. With skills like this, maybe hecouldhave been an actor despite his grades.
“Fall over,” Stone suggested.
Montgomery kicked the back of his own foot and made a show of tumbling over onto the ground. It was met with some gasps, but when a lady went to help him stand, he waved her off. He rose with an exaggerated groan and continued to walk on. He was nearly at the meeting spot when he sawhim.
Kaden sat at one of the tables near the food vans. He had a newspaper clenched in his hands and sunglasses over his eyes. He was dressed in ordinary clothes, something Montgomery would expect him to wear outside of work: a plain T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. While it looked like he wasn’t pay attention to the people around him, Montgomery felt Kaden’s eyes on him as he stumbled again.
“Stone, we have trouble,” Montgomery mumbled desperately.
“What’s wrong?” Stone’s voice was strong, demanding.
“There’s a cop here.”
“How do you know?” This came from Salvatore.
Montgomery swallowed around the lump forming in his throat. He hugged his arms against his body, paused, and peered around. His cheekbone stung and the sunlight burned at his exposed face. “There’s a detective here I know. He’s dressed in normal clothes, but I know him. He’s a fuck buddy.”
Montgomery swore he heard Stone growl.
“You think he’s here for you?” Salvatore asked.
Montgomery snorted. “Yeah, he’s here for me. Richard knew we were fuck buddies.”
“This could mean trouble,” George whispered. “Kid, you need to keep acting the part. If he approaches you, look relieved to see him. We’ll figure it out as we go.”
Montgomery glanced around. He couldn’t see any of his crew, but that was the point. Ardan made sure they were situated in a spot that neither Montgomery nor Richard could see.
“Montgomery?” Richard’s voice caught Montgomery’s attention. His gaze snapped to his dad, who stood beside a burger van, looking as elegant as ever. He wore one of his black designer suits, a briefcase in his hand. The briefcase was new, because Richard hated them. He never carried one around.
Montgomery moved toward him, making a show of catching his foot on a chair and tripping over it. He caught himself just before he reached Richard. “Dad? Have you got the money?”
“Too quick, Monty. Slow it down,” Stone hissed in his ear.
Montgomery swallowed. “They’ll kill me if I don’t get them the money,” he murmured, using it as a recovery.
