TWENTY
Harry
“That’s everything – all of it. Every single penny I owe you,” I spit.
I throw the tatty duffel bag down onto the mahogany desk. It lands a little harder than I’d like, earning me a menacing stare that snaps my spine straight.
Remain calm, Harry. You’re almost out of this shitshow.
Richard rounds his desk and sits back casually in the leather seat while I stand on the other side, refusing to take a seat of my own. His ass is in that fucking chair whenever I’m at this dodgy building, but there’s never a thread out of place. I’m convinced he replaces it with one just as ugly every week. He must have at least a dozen throughout the many locations.
Today we’ve chosen the office in South London, disguised in a derelict building to avoid suspicion.
“What about the interest?” he asks.
My knuckles crunch as I tighten them at my sides. “I’ve paid the interest.”
“Don’t humour me, Harry. I have no interest in your petty cash.”
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
I force down the harsh lump in my throat. I’m fairly certain I catch his snarl as he watches my Adam’s apple move with the motion.
I dream about the day my fist will meet his evil fucking face often. But the day I hit him will be the day I die with a bullet to the skull .
Richard – that’s what I usually call him since “Boss” sounds too entitled – spares a side glance inside the open bag. His eyes look over the stacks of cash wrapped neatly in their thousands with rubber bands.
His disinterest is deafening.
He leans back in his chair with a huff, and I’m not sure why it angers me so much. I’ve worked my ass off to get this money to him within the deadline, and the fucker won’t even check it’s all there.
My intentions were always clear: provide Greg with the life our pathetic father couldn’t give him, pay back the money I owe my boss, and try to get the fuck out. Nothing has changed. Sure, it’s taken me a few years to get to this point, but I’ve been looking forward to this moment since my initiation more than seven years ago.
“I don’t understand …”
Richard cocks his head in amusement as if I should see the answer written clearly across his pale fucking forehead.
“What do you mean—?”
He waves his hand in dismissal, causing me to shut my mouth. Richard nods in the direction of the double doors behind me, an evil grin spreading across the lower half of his face as he forces my attention over my shoulder.
“Bring in the straggler,” he says.
Instantly feeling dread creep up in my stomach, I suck in a breath through my teeth as the doors burst open. Both guards stomp into the room dragging a girl kicking and screaming by her upper arms before they dispose of her on the floor like trash.
She’s forcefully chucked to her knees, and it takes everything in me not to run over to her. Her brown hair whips across her face, hiding her features. But as she looks up, her piercing brown eyes shine painstakingly bright through the loose strands that blow against her shaking pink lips.
Fuck .
Fuck.
FUCK.
What have you done, baby?
“Do you know this girl?”
“H-Harry,” Gigi pleads desperately.
GIGI
“I don’t like liars,” the man prompts as Harry’s silence fills the room.
“Yes,” he finally grits.
I shouldn’t have fucking followed him. That’s all that I can think of. Now I’m going to die at the hands of some man in an abandoned building in the back end of the city where my body will never be recovered. All because I was enticed by that secret room at Harry’s house yesterday, and I wanted to see what he was up to when he snuck off this morning.
Rounding his desk towards me, the suited man smiles in satisfaction and approaches with heavy footsteps. I recognise him, but I can’t place his face for the life of me. I’m still in a bundle on the floor, hiding the shakiness of my hands by clasping them hard together. When I meet his powerful stare he offers me his palm.
I spare a worrying look at Harry, who appears just as concerned by the gesture. The hand moves again, closer towards me, urging me to take it. With a gulp I hold onto the man’s palm as I carefully rise to my feet.
“Gigi, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”
“H-how do you know my name?”
“Outside the nightclub, sweetheart … don’t you remember?” he asks, cocking his head.
Of course! I knew I recognised him from somewhere. At the time I thought he was far from intimidating, but now his voice sends a shiver down my spine and prowls at the back of my neck like a possessive ghost.
I don’t realise my lips have parted with shock until the man’s forefinger knocks them back into place by tilting my chin upwards.
“Don’t touch her,” Harry growls, taking a step forwards.
“I wouldn’t take a step closer if I were you,” the man warns.
When I chance a look over the man’s shoulder at Harry, he looks terrified. A hand moves towards my hairline, and I squeeze my eyes shut.
“Besides … you owe me interest.”
“Not her,” Harry chokes out, his voice breaking. “Don’t bring her into this.”
The man rubs strands of my hair between his fingertips then replaces the hair behind my ear. “She’s already too far in.”
I pry my eyes back open. The man drops his hand from my hair and turns, approaching his desk again as he takes deliberately slow steps towards his office chair. He speaks with his back turned.
“Anyway, she can make her own decisions, but I’d recognise that fire in a Thomas anywhere.”
On instinct I step forwards, moving several paces without even realising. Harry moves quickly once the man’s back is turned, gripping my elbow, but I immediately shrug him off.
“You knew Jack?” I rush out.
As if this whole ordeal is humorous to him, the man drops to his chair with immaculate posture, throwing his head back as a menacing chuckle fills the air. He shakes his head in disbelief, and I meet his gaze again.
“Well, of course. Jack Thomas was one of my finest recruits.” His fingers fumble in the top drawer of his desk, retrieving a cigar. He places it between his lips, the end turning a bright orange once he lights it and takes a drag. “It’s really such a tragedy, what happened to him.” He releases a puff of smoke. “Harry will spare you the details. He was Jack’s right-hand man on the day.”
What ?
I’m not sure which emotion fires through my body first, but it leaves me utterly speechless. I turn my attention back to Harry. Panic floods his face, and he immediately shakes his head – faster by the second as his eyes shift between the two of us.
“That’s not true—”
“Yes, it is!” the man interjects. “You were the only one with a firearm that day, and the bullet wound spoke volumes. You, Andy, and Jack always fought for top rank. It was merely an accident waiting to happen.”
Andy’s in on this too?
“You fucking—” Harry growls.
“ENOUGH!” the man shouts, slamming his palm on the desk.
I jump in terror, releasing a shriek out of fear. Turning my gaze to the man, I can barely make out his softening expression through my tearful vision.
“Sorry you saw me lose my temper, Gigi,” he huffs, disposing of the cigar in the ashtray. Standing, he fixes his suit jacket and says, “Harry has interest to pay.” He plasters on a cruel smile to compose himself. “And you’ve arrived with impeccable timing.”
“Leave her alone—”
“You utter one more word out of your mouth, I’ll cut out your fucking tongue.”
The threat is enough for Harry to tear his eyes away and dig his gaze mindlessly into the floor.
Tears start to spill down my cheeks. I’m not sure why I’m crying. Maybe it’s the realisation Harry is a fucking liar or the fact such a graphic threat was spoken as simply as a dinner order.
“Considering I don’t let stragglers leave this building alive, see this as … an opportunity.”
I turn back to the man.
“We have an opening – here, with us. ”
“I won’t tell anyone anything,” I say with surprising confidence.
“I don’t doubt that, dear, but you’ve heard too much.”
My eyes find Harry, but he’s still staring at the same mark on the carpet. While his mouth is closed, I spot the tension in his jaw that sharpens his features.
“We’ll be in touch,” the man concludes, turning his back to me.
Wait – that’s it?
He starts to busy himself with paperwork on the desk as if this interaction didn’t just turn my entire world upside down. I open my mouth to protest, but he speaks before I have a chance.
“That’ll be all, Miss Thomas.”
My lungs are burning with fire. I can feel every bit of emotion quickly rising in my throat as if I’ll have to spit it all over the pavement, which is flooded with heavy rain. Water splatters against my tear-stained cheeks, and I squeeze my arms closer to my chest to help shield me from the downpour. As I tread further away I shake my head in utter disbelief, trying to create more distance between myself and whatever shitshow just occurred behind me.
“Gigi, wait!”
“Leave me alone!”
My body is whipped round as a strong grip clasps the back of my arm. I’m forced to face Harry, whose stare is intense, dark, and void of sympathy.
“Get the fuck off me.”
“You have to listen to me. I’ll explain everything to you, I swear. But you have to promise me you won’t go to the police. ”
Is he being serious right now? Out of everything that’s unfolded in the past hour, he’s worried about being fucking arrested.
“Watch me,” I challenge.
I shove my arm away, ridding myself of his harsh grip. But before I can turn he grips my neck in a possessive hold. My back is thrown into the side of the concrete building we just exited, knocking the air out of me.
Stars dance across my vision, and I claw at the hand blocking my airways. He’s not holding tight enough to stop the air from reaching my lungs, but I attack his grip regardless. The skin breaks under my nails, but Harry acts unfazed, anger pooling in his emerald eyes.
“Fucking listen to me,” he warns, threatening to put pressure on the tips of his fingers. “You don’t know these people like I do. You can’t tell anyone what just happened in there. This isn’t a fucking game. You’re part of this now.”
“Y-you killed Jack,” I choke, tears pricking the backs of my eyes.
He scoffs. “Do you actually believe that?”
“Were you there? Tell me the truth.”
There’s a breath of painful silence. “Yes.”
“Then you lied to me! That’s all you do. You just fucking lie.”
I try to step round him, but his grip on my neck doesn’t falter. His hands shake with resistance from not inflicting pain. He’s not angry; he’s raging .
“We were on a job. Things quickly took a turn. I didn’t have enough time. Jack got in the way—”
“Is this why you fucked me?”
“What? No! Fuck—”
“You fucked the little sister of your former best mate – a co-worker – for, what, payback?”
Harry finally releases my throat, more offended by this accusation than anything.
“It wasn’t like that,” he growls .
“What else are you lying about? After all this time I deserve the truth.”
He turns his head from me. “I can’t … Not yet.”
“You can’t,” I repeat tonelessly.
After everything, this is what I get?
The tears burn my eyes, and I nod, pathetically accepting his shitty excuse. I attempt to step round him, but on instinct he blocks my path.
I meet his stare. “I swear to God, Harry, if you don’t explain yourself right now, then I’m done. I’ll walk away and never speak to you again.”
He tears his face away as if he’s in a silent battle with himself. But his silence clearly indicates I’m not worth whatever dirty truth he’s keeping hidden under his tongue.
“What? Are you about to confess to breaking into my house all those months back?” I ask bitterly.
His head whips towards me as I cock mine to the side.
“I think it’s time you stop with all the lying. Don’t you?”
He speaks with a pinched expression as he says, ‘‘I didn’t think you knew.”
“I’m not a fucking idiot, Harry. Of course I knew it was you. I’ve known for a while.”
He takes a shocked step backwards, and then pleads, “Gigi …”
“Let me go.”
This time he doesn’t stop me.