Chapter 23
Chapter
Twenty-Three
NATHANIEL
S avannah turned and stormed away. Cutter, who was clinging to her, looked at me and then waved goodbye over her shoulder. I lifted my hand in a wave until he was out of sight before clenching my fist, wanting to put it through the wall. My guards wisely didn’t open their mouths or laugh. But with just a glance, it was easy to tell they were struggling to hold it in. Fuckers. My phone dinged with messages. There were three missed calls from Savannah.
“Son of a bitch.”
“We’re really sorry, Boss,” Rita and Becky said together, but I waved it off.
“Go home, and thanks for your help. Don’t worry. You’ll get overtime.”
“Really? Wow, thanks.” The two rushed off while I stared at my desk with cards strewn all over it. I could imagine what Savannah thought when she opened the door.
I quickly locked up my office and marched past Ivan and my guards, who followed me out the front door. Unsurprisingly, Savannah’s car was already gone. I didn’t know who I pissed off, but someone upstairs really fucking hated me.
“Are we taking you home, Boss?”
“She said to give her some space.” I looked over at Ivan as the stretch SUV pulled up. I had to do something with this anger before I saw Savannah. “Has my package arrived?”
“It has.”
“Perfect, take me to it,” I said, getting into the vehicle.
“Are you sure about that, Sir? I don’t mean to overstep, but I’ve never known a woman who actually wanted space when they said it.”
I shook my head. “No, Savannah means it, trust me. I’d be safer getting into a piranha-filled lake, bleeding, than going home right now. Let’s go.”
Sitting back, I stared out the window but thought about the look in Savannah’s eyes at the club. She wasn’t just furious. She looked terrified, and that was the part I didn’t understand. Yes, he was up late, but it wasn’t like I sat him down in the middle of the club where someone could walk away with him. Yes, I probably shouldn’t have brought Cutter at all, but we didn’t have any live-in staff like some other families I knew. She didn’t even let me explain what happened.
“Boss?”
“What,” I growled, not bothering to look at Ivan.
“We’re here.”
That yanked me out of my thoughts, and sure enough, we were parked inside my home away from home. If your other home was really a secret above-ground bunker built on a lavish beach, with dozens of guards, a twenty-foot fence, and locked gates. This was where I came when I needed to vent frustration, and I had the perfect outlet inside.
I’d spared no expense when it came to my beautiful cage. Wide sweeping flower beds flowed down to my own personal dock and helicopter pad. Triple soundproof walls and cells, made and installed as a solid box, just like my vaults, ensured total privacy. There were a few other features, like the walls filled with a fun substance that made sure anyone scoping it out couldn’t use thermal imagining to see inside. Of course, I’d installed the best security system in the world, and soldiers lived on the property. Once you were escorted inside, you didn’t leave unless escorted back out. It had been nicknamed The Triangle by the soldiers because people tended to disappear.
Sadly, I would only be teaching Mr. Greer a lesson, so he would get to live unless he pushed the wrong buttons. As I got out, I peeled off my suit jacket and tossed it in the back of the car before heading inside.
You’d never know by first appearance that this gem, partially built into a hill, was anything more than an exotic beach house with high security. Even the décor was done with a modern nautical vibe, and a few of the soldiers sat around a table eating while on break. The only unusual feature that would give the place away was the televisions in every room, which not only showed what was going on outside but also the cells of my four current guests.
After unlocking the first high-tech security door with my hand, I rolled up my sleeves. The guards standing at the next panel greeted me and moved out of the way so I could use the retina scanner and type in my password.
The thick metal door whirred and moved away from the locks. The four guards inside looked to see who was coming in but didn’t move from their posts. I loved how my shoes echoed as I walked. There was something ominous about it. It announced to those housed here that the monster was coming and hiding under your bed would do you no good.
The first cell held the McCoy who had tried to screw me over. He was pacing and mumbling to himself. He’d frequently been filmed arguing with someone only he could see, rolling around the cell, and yelling for whoever the imaginary person was to die. The second cell I passed held Savannah’s brother. Glancing in, he was sitting on the narrow bed, rocking like a small child. The man in cell three was lying on his side, his face bloody and bruised from his last session. He was one of Cesare’s soldiers who was caught in our territory, and although I was positive we’d exhausted all knowledge of his boss’s location, he was never going home.
The last cell was sitting empty, my prey already waiting for my arrival in the torture room. Chad and Robert, the two guards manning the door, moved aside, but Robert held out a pair of thick blackout sunglasses for me to wear. Slipping them on, I unlocked the door and walked in. All the worry and rage brewing in my chest calmed at the look of terror on Mr. Greer’s face.
He was strapped into the interrogation chair facing me, bright lights shining in his eyes. But he knew I was coming. I’d tested this a thousand times before making my final decision on chair positioning, light type, and brightness.
“Who are you, and what do you want with me,” Mr. Greer asked, his words far tougher than the tone of his voice, which wavered like a songbird.
“Let me properly introduce myself. I’m the man who’s going to end your life.” His body shook, his bound wrists and ankles visibly trembling as he wiggled on the seat.
“I think you have the wrong guy. I work a middle-income job and….”
Before he could finish, I punched him hard enough that if the seat hadn’t been bolted to the floor, he would’ve been on his ass. Mr. Greer cried out, blood dripping from his spit lip. I restrained myself from doing it again, even though I wanted to. I really wanted to.
My movements remained slow and in control as I toyed with my prey. Leaning in close to the dazed Mr. Greer, I whispered in his ear.
“You don’t speak unless spoken to, Mr. Greer. I know who you are.” Startled, he tried to turn and look at me, but I moved back to where I looked like nothing more than a shadow, circling him like a shark. “You were born in Sacramento on June twenty-second at Headwaters Memorial Hospital. Your parents are Tinnie and Edward Greer, both of whom were teachers until they retired and now live next door to you. You chose to party rather than focus on your college studies and ended up dropping out in your third year. But not before you got your now ex-wife, Shannon, pregnant with your oldest child, Kara.” I paused to let that information sink in and watched as he licked his lips. “Luckily for you, you have quite the knack for knowing what will help people on the golf course. A real talent was how it was put, which is also how you landed a full-time caddy job for one of the most prestigious courses in all of Cali. I can just picture you rubbing shoulders with the elite of the elite until you talked one of them into giving you a job as a manager at G.L.I.B Enterprises. That was quite the coup for you since they are a social media empire. From that moment on, you’ve been very busy, Mr. Greer, and have moved up three more times within the company. You’re now the director of finance, which is quite the feat for someone who almost failed high school and then dropped out of college.”
I stepped in front of him again, and he blinked, tears trickling down his face as he tried to look up at me.
“You’re currently in debt due to your divorce and spend most of your time either at work or at a golf course you can no longer afford. You still want to look like the big man, so you take out loans to pay for the habit. How am I doing so far, Mr. Greer?” He didn’t say anything. “You can answer that question.”
“Um…yes, but why do you know so much about me,” he asked and looked around. “Am I being set up? Is this a joke? Did my ex-wife put you up to this?”
Well, now, what kind of relationship did he have with his ex to think she would have him kidnapped for a prank?
“No, this is not a joke, and no, this is not because of your ex.”
He looked down at my feet, and I could almost see the wheels spinning. “Did I wrong you? It’s not a crime to be ambitious, and I only got those raises because I earned them.”
“I don’t give a fuck about your work. But I did want you to know that I can find you and can find anything else that I want to know about you. How you fold your socks, who you are, or are not fucking on a Friday night, and what restaurants you like to eat at.” I grabbed his face, squeezing hard and making him wince. “I’ll know everything about you, and I will destroy you if you force my hand,” I growled.
“I don’t know who you are or why you want me. I have nothing to give,” he mumbled through my tight hold.
“See, that is where you’re wrong, Mr. Greer. A few days ago, I witnessed your parenting skills, or lack thereof, in action when your son pushed mine off the top platform of a jungle gym.” His brown eyes grew wide, and I could see the confusion. “You, of course, didn’t know that because you were too busy flirting with a girl to pay attention to what your son did, but my son ended up in a cast.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“You’re not sorry yet, but you will be.” Releasing his face, I wrapped my hand around his throat, and he tried to thrash away from me, but the bindings easily held him in place. I could’ve crushed his windpipe, and the thrum of rage was flowing through me and encouraging me to do just that, but instead, I purposely took off the shades and got right in front of his face so he could look into my eyes. He was shaking so hard that I thought for sure he was going to piss himself.
“Your son fucked with the wrong family. I’m going to give you three options. The first is that I can kill you right now.” I pulled my gun, and he whimpered as I pressed the hard, cold metal into his cheek. He froze, his eyes glancing at the gun and then back to me. “I can promise that no one would ever find your body.”
He subtly shook his head no. “Don’t like that option? The second one is that you can beg for your life but continue to fail as a father. If that happens, you will be seeing me again, and I won’t be as generous. I can find you anywhere, at any time, and I want you to remember that because if you see my face again, then you better start praying.” He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing under my hand.
“Your third and final option is that you go home and speak to your son about how bullying is bad for his health and yours. You’ll then pay more attention to your son and make sure that he doesn’t grow up to be an angry, lonely prick because his father ignored him for a piece of ass.” I pressed a little harder into his neck and felt his pulse jump higher under my fingers as his heart raced. “If you’re smart, and from everything I’ve learned, you’re quite intelligent, you’ll choose option three.”
Releasing his neck, he sucked in a sharp breath but held perfectly still. His eyes were still trained on mine. I pushed the gun a little harder into his skin and knew it would leave a mark.
“Which number do you choose?”
“Three,” he said without hesitation.
Pulling the gun away from his face, he noticeably relaxed. Snapping my fingers, my soldier, who had been silently waiting in the corner, came over to stand beside me.
“Cut the tip off of his baby finger on his left hand,” I ordered.
“What? No, no, no, I swear I’ll be a good dad, I will.” Mr. Greer’s panic was evident, but I didn’t care.
“I’m sure you will, but now, every time you feel the urge to slack, you’ll have a reminder of what will happen if you fail. Next time, I’ll make sure that you’re cut up into tiny pieces.” The door closed on his screams. Turning to Robert, I handed back the glasses. “When they’re done in there, take him a few miles outside of the city and drop his sorry ass off.”
“Yes, Sir,” Robert and Chad said together.
I quickly scrubbed my hands to remove all traces of Mr. Greer and then glanced at the time on the way out. An hour had already passed since the club.
“Where to, Boss,” Ivan asked, getting in beside me.
“Home.”
I’d played a good part back in that room, but what did I really know about being a father? Mine certainly wasn’t winning any awards. In fact, mine had done everything in his power to try and corrupt me into a mirror image of himself for as long as I could remember. Sitting at the bar not much older than Cutter had been the norm. The distinct scent of cigarette smoke and vodka would always remind me of my childhood.
Pulling up to the house, I grabbed my jacket and walked for the front door, where Goran was standing outside with a dozen guards.
“Is something wrong,” I asked, joining the group.
“One of the guys thought he saw a truck circle the block a couple of times. It’s probably nothing, but I’m adding extra security for the night shifts to be safe,” Goran said, waving the guys off. The moment we were alone, he crossed his arms. “I hope you’re not planning on going in there and fighting with Savannah about Cutter.”
Glaring at my best friend, I wanted to punch him in the face. “Whose fucking side are you on?” He lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “Fuck, one week, and she has you wrapped around her finger.”
He chuckled and then smirked at me. “It only took you one night, and you were hooked for life. I’m not doing so bad at one week and no sex.”
I glared at him, my teeth getting a workout as they ground together. “Fucking better not have had sex with her.”
He screwed up his face and crossed his arms. “You fucking know me better than that. Hell, you know Savannah better than that.”
Goran was right. I did. I took a deep breath and ran my hand through my hair. “No, I wasn’t planning on fighting, but I’m not sure she’s going to give me much choice.”
“Look, all I’m going to say is this. That trip was hard on Savannah, not just being there, which she downplayed. Honestly, it was a nightmare, but also leaving Cutter with you. Before you go biting my fucking head off. She’s never left him alone with anyone, let alone for an entire week. That showed how much she trusted you, and….”
“I failed,” I grumbled.
“That’s a bit harsh, shit happens, but I’m just saying relax on the attitude. Savannah is a momma bear looking out for her cub, and you dropped Cutter, a brilliant, impressionable child, into the middle of everything she was protecting him from. She needs to learn who she is in your world, but she was a Fed until a month ago.”
“She wasn’t supposed to find out. I thought it would be a quick trip, in and out. Plus, she wasn’t supposed to be back til tomorrow.” Goran rolled his eyes at me. “What?”
“Have you met your son? He would’ve told her in painful, glittery detail where he got to go.”
“Good point. I’m going inside unless you have more wisdom you plan to impart on me tonight?” Goran snorted in disgust and walked away, making me smirk.
Heading in, I jogged up the stairs and poked my head into our room, but I wasn’t surprised to find it empty. I tossed my suit jacket inside and headed to Cutter’s room.
I’d never seen anything that made my heart sing the way it did when I looked at Savannah curled up in bed with our son as they slept. It was a portrait of perfection. No gallery in all the world could show me a painting that would touch me more than my view right now.
Walking over to the bed, I drew my knuckle softly down Savannah’s cheek. Her eyes fluttered open before she turned her head to look at me.
“I don’t want to go to bed with us fighting,” I said, keeping my voice low.
“Neither do I,” she said and kissed Cutter’s head before slipping out from the covers. She looked fucking sexy with her hair loose and the silky, red pajama shorts and tank showing off her curves. “Stop looking at me like that,” Savannah scolded as she walked by, but nothing was stopping me from staring at her ass. I would take whatever she wanted to dish out, but before this conversation was over, I was fucking her until she never wanted to leave, not even for a night.