Page 3 of Proposition 1

2. Leo

“Why the hell did you trust a kid you don’t know with that much? Shouldn’t he have had a trial run first? What the hell were you thinking?”

When I walked in I ignored the woman standing across from my father’s desk, figuring she was one of the many that worked for the family, but when she raised her voice at him she caught my complete attention. No one who worked for us would dare speak to my father that way.

She was a little thing, about six inches shorter than me, with pale blonde hair that went down to her hips. Her dark eyes flashed with anger as she stood glaring at the most powerful man in the city, her plump lips pinched together.

Glancing down at my father, I could tell he was amused. He could be a hard man to read, but the quirk of his eyebrows let me know he didn’t see her as a threat. She was nothing more than a kitten hissing at a lion.

“He said he could do it. We took him at his word. That was his trial run. If he was one of our regulars he would have had at least triple that.”

I could see her grinding her teeth, her fists clenched at her sides. I had no idea what was going on, or who she was, but the girl had spirit.

My eyes trailed down her slim figure, taking in the prim outfit she wore. A white button-down blouse, buttoned all the way to the top, almost hid the gentle swell of her breasts. Her pastel pink pencil skirt hugged hips that my palms itched to grab.

If she had been one of our employees, I definitely would have noticed her, and would have sampled the goods by now. Women never said no to me. I needed to know who she was, but I didn’t want to admit I didn’t know.

“Look, I’m a nice guy. I’ll give your brother two weeks to come up with the money.”

My father leaned back in his chair, fingertips pressed together in front of his chest. That was his signature move when he knew someone wouldn’t be able to meet his demands, but he wanted to seem generous.

However much her brother owed, the way her eyes bulged showed she’d never be able to come up with it in two weeks. My guess was, even a month wouldn’t be enough.

Skimming my gaze over her body again, I pictured what she would look like without the demure clothing as an idea began to form. She needed money, and I thought I knew how she could get it.

“But! W—We can’t… I don’t…”

Her chest rose and fell with the panic we could see on her face. She was trying so hard to hide the fear, but it’s easy to spot when you’re used to seeing it all the time.

“Two weeks. Either I get my money, or I get your brother.”

Another glance showed me the earlier amusement was gone. He was serious.

The girl’s mouth snapped shut, her shoulders jerking back. She pulled in a deep breath before giving a sharp nod and turning to march out. The guards followed her from the room. They’d make sure she left the property and didn’t wander off into things she shouldn’t see.

Coming around the desk to take the seat across from my father, I met his gaze and raised my brows.

“That dumb kid that came in here wanting to run for us lost the bag.”

My brows climbed higher. I remember him telling me about some scrawny boy coming in asking to work for us, but I didn’t realize my father had actually let him.

“Lost?”

“The Walkers took it. Whatever. His sister seems to have more sense than him at least.”

I snorted. The Walkers were a new group in the area, working their way up and encroaching on our territory. We’d ignored them at first, but we were going to have to put them in their place soon if they were stealing our goods.

“How much did you give him?”

“Only twelve kilos.”

So the kid lost about twenty-two thousand worth of goods. Not much to us, but that could be a significant amount to the average person.

“What are you going to do to the kid?”

“I can’t let him get away with it or the others will start getting ideas. He made the decision to come to us, so he’ll have to face the consequences.”

My father could be heartless sometimes, but that’s how we’d gotten to where we were. You’re either the top of the food chain, or you’re prey. Still, with the small amount, I doubt he would have the boy killed, though the kid may wish he had by the time it was all over.

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