Chapter 7
DECLAN
I’ve taken to walking the floor every day to clear my head. It doesn’t do to be cooped up in my office all day, especially when I have an employee to scare.
Something about Jadon rubs me the wrong way. Every day he’s on shift, I make it my business to walk past the cages at random times so he can never nail down a schedule. He’s always lounging until he sees me, then he snaps to attention.
Yeah, something is definitely going on with that guy.
“Mr. Whitlock,” one of the servers says before I can walk toward the cash cages. She rushes over as fast as her heels will allow. “Some guy left this for you. Said it’s important that you get it right away.”
Austin and his lackey, Donny, step closer to me, flanking me as the server gives me a letter from a courier service.
An eyebrow raised, I ask, “Who left it?”
She turns around and points to the bar, but there’s no one but a few women siting around.
“Huh,” she says, both looking and sounding confused. “He was there just a minute ago. Said he was going to wait until you got it.”
“Thanks,” I whisper and she sashays away.
“Want me to open it, boss?” Austin asks.
I glare at him. “You think I don’t know how to open a fucking envelope?”
He looks ashamed and steps back. “No, sir. Sorry.”
Scoffing, I walk in the direction of the cages as I rip the letter open. I pull out the sheet of paper with a message typed in bold font across the middle.
YOU’LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID.
TRANSFER THE MONEY OR I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET IT.
YOU HAVE THIRTY DAYS.
I stare at the letter, rage burning through me. Who the fuck is this person and what do they want from me?
Well, what they want is simple, but why are they bothering me? Why won’t they just show their fucking faces and not hide behind threats?
Instead of going to check on what Jadon is up to, I make an about face and march to the bar.
When I see the server that delivered the parcel, I slam my hand down on the bar. She jumps and yelps, holding her hand over her heart. “Who gave you this?” She stammers, and I slam my hand down three more times. “Fucking answer me. Who gave it to you?”
“I don’t know,” she shrieks. “Some guy. He had on a hat and a face mask. I just thought he was one of those paranoid sorts that didn’t wanna get sick. Did I…did I fuck up? Please, Mr. Whitlock. I’m sorry. I really need this job. I didn’t know—”
Growling, I storm away from the bar. “We need to figure out who the fuck sent this. Now!”
We take the elevator to the top floor, my breathing almost out of control.
This dickhead was close to me, close enough that he could have taken me out if he wanted and I didn’t know. This shit has to end. And it won’t be by me giving up millions of dollars.
Before we step out of the elevator, Austin asks, “You got trouble, boss?”
“Nothing I can’t handle,” I growl as I march to my office. I sit behind my desk and pull up my search engine. Since this courier isn’t one of the major ones, I have to find any that are in Jersey or neighboring states. Then I have to narrow down the exact location to—
“Gotcha,” I whisper as a courier about ten miles away pops up. Their website shows the same logo stamped on the envelope. I type the address into my phone and pull up directions. I know exactly where they’re located.
Collecting my things, I gesture to Austin and Donny. “Let’s roll.”
Before we head to the courier office, I go to IT and tell them to run the footage for the floor. I locate the man that gave the server the letter, but like she said, the man had on a hat, sunglasses, and a face mask. No identifying markers that I could see.
We head to the garage, Austin clearing it before I hop in my car. “Follow me and make sure no one else is.” Austin looks confused, but hurries to his car as I peel out.
I rack my brain as I weave in and out of traffic, trying to figure out who the fuck thinks it’s a good idea to blackmail me.
They have to have a fucking death wish. If anything happened to me, Carter would tear the city apart for payback.
We’re the sons of Dominic Whitlock, the man that single-handedly killed an entire family when they killed our mom.
Well, almost single-handedly. Carter caught a body that day. I caught a bullet.
My hand drifts down to my rib, to the scar that was left behind. My heart rate slows and I’m able to think clearly about what I need to do—get information and find the fucking wiseass that wants to extort me.
I glance over at my empty passenger seat, my heart aching. Hendrix always bitched about me driving, saying it was his job, but he let me be because he knew I liked to be in control.
That’s why it’s still striking me as funny that I let Nico order me around and fuck me without complaint, barely any push back. I got snarky a time or two, but as usual, my words bounced off Nico like he was made of fucking Teflon.
He has me so fucking confused and I have no one to talk to about it.
I pull up to the courier service a few minutes later and my mind shifts back to the matter at hand. Before I head inside, I check my gun, making sure my clip is full. I flick off the safety and step out of the car. Austin and Donny pull up beside me, and they bracket me as we enter the store.
The bell above the door rings, and a bubbly girl looks up from her computer. She audibly gulps, seeing me and two men the size of tanks standing before her. Still, she’s a professional, smiling widely as she says, “Welcome in. How can I help you?”
I pull the envelope from my inside breast pocket, making sure I flash my gun so she knows not to fuck with me. Fear fills her eyes as she looks at what I have in my hands. “Who sent this?”
“Sir?” she asks, her bottom lip trembling. “I don’t—”
“This is your logo, no?” I tap the back of the envelope where the logo is ripped through.
She nods. “Ye-yes. But…I can’t give out that information.”
I snap my fingers and Donny steps around the counter and bumps the girl off her stool. “Hey!” she shouts, her hands on her hips.
Donny glares down at her and she shrinks away, pressing her back to the wall.
He types on the computer, shaking his head every few seconds before he says, “Fucking finally.” He spins the screen around and shows me an invoice order. “Fucking Jon Doe. Whoever sent that is a fucking wise guy.”
I look over at the employee, whose face is pale with fear. “Do you require ID from your customers?”
“No, not unless they need insurance.”
“I need the camera footage for this shop. Now.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t.”
I reach into my pocket and pull out my gun, placing my Sig on the counter. She yelps and drops to her haunches with her hands over her head.
I roll my eyes and in a voice low in its lethality, I say, “Give me. The footage.”
Tears pouring down her face, she says, “I can’t. The cameras don’t work. They’re…they’re not real.”
Austin walks over to the wall and pulls the camera down. “Declan, they’re not hooked to anything. They’re fucking decoys.”
I growl and put my gun back in its holster. “Dammit.” The girl looks up at me, her face red with tears. “Do you remember this Jon Doe dickhead? Made the delivery,” I look at the computer, “two days ago.”
She shakes her head quickly, her hair flying all over. “No. I just came back from vacation in Cancun. I was there for two weeks.”
Reaching into my wallet, I pull out all the money in there and slam it on the counter. “Don’t call the cops or tell anyone what happened here,” I threaten the girl in a low voice. “I’ll know and I’ll fucking kill you. Got it?”
“Y-y-yes. Okay.”
I glare at her for another few seconds, then we breeze out of the store.
Once outside, I place my hands on my hips and look up at the sky.
That was a fucking bust. Whoever is trying to bleed me for five mil is smart.
They probably picked this place because they peeped that the cameras weren’t real and they wouldn’t be spotted.
“Fuck,” I growl, threading a hand through my hair. “Goddammit.”
Donny asks, “What’s going on? What are we looking for?”
“A dead man,” I tell them. “Go back to the casino and walk the floors. I’m heading to see Carter. I won’t be back to work.”
“We can escort you,” Austin says. In a low voice, he adds, “You shouldn’t be out here alone.”
Maybe Dad is right, maybe I should find someone to take Hendrix’s spot. I assess both Austin and Donny. They’re strong, loyal, and capable. If I can’t figure out what the fuck is going on with this blackmailer, I’ll take them on as my personal guard. Right now, I’m not ready.
“I’m good,” I tell him, heading to my car. “Go back to the casino and make sure no one else leaves anything in my fucking office.”
“Boss,” Donny says, inclining his head.
I pull off, not intending to go to Carter’s casino. I’ll tell him and Dad about the asshole that keeps sending me threatening shit tonight at dinner. Right now, I need to calm my nerves.
When I get home, I change into loose shorts and go into my home gym. Before I step onto the treadmill, I start my music, turning the volume as high as it’ll go. Then I climb on and run myself into the ground.
Instead of my mind giving me ways to find who is after me, it keeps coughing up images and feelings and sensations of my time with Nico.
Even days later, I can still feel his hot, hard cock drilling into me. His big hand gripping my dick, jerking me as he marveled over my piercings. His thick tongue in my mouth, tasting me like he couldn’t get enough.
No one has ever made me feel like that. I felt…fucking seen. Cared for. Cherished. By someone that doesn’t even like me. He played my body like he’s been doing it his entire life. Every touch, lick, kiss, and stroke seemed effortless. Like he knew me.
“Dammit,” I grunt as I slam my hand down on the emergency stop button. I can’t run while my hard dick is bouncing around.