Chapter Two
Jade
Something flickered across Atilla’s face. Approval, maybe. Or simply acknowledgment I hadn’t folded in the doorway. Either way, I stayed standing.
The man at his right exuded calm violence -- invisible until you said the wrong thing and found yourself already defeated.
Deep lines carved the corners of his eyes.
Sandy hair bore streaks of gray. He carried himself as someone who had survived enough fights and no longer needed to prove his victories. General.
At Atilla’s left hunched a man behind an open laptop. Short dark hair. Tattoos snaked up his neck. Eyes hard as flint. He glanced up once, assessed me, then returned to the screen, having already categorized my existence and filed it away. Spade.
More faces lined the table. Several men watched openly. Others feigned disinterest. None appeared soft. Halfway down, Ace leaned back in his chair, body relaxed, eyes calculating. The quiet ones posed the real danger.
Kane hovered close enough for his body heat to reach me. Muscles tensed in his jaw. Fists formed at his sides. Though he never touched me, every inch of his posture made a silent vow.
Atilla’s gaze stayed on me. “You know why you’re standing in my Church?”
“I came here because I was scared.” My voice wobbled, but the words landed.
Atilla didn’t blink. “Fear doesn’t typically earn access to my doors, but you looked like you were running from demons. Start at the beginning.”
My pulse hammered too loud. My mouth opened, stalled, then found the only path forward: truth.
Spade’s voice cut in, clipped. “Start at the part where Roth decided your life belonged to him.”
The name sent a shiver down my spine. My shoulders tightened. I forced air into my lungs and began. “My brother. I guess it really started with my brother.”
Spade’s gaze flicked up. “Name.”
“Jason Fairmont.”
Keys clicked. Spade’s fingers danced across the keyboard.
Goose bumps rose on my arms. I wrapped my arms around my middle and pressed on.
“Jason always chased easy money. Fast schemes. Shortcuts. Hard work never interested him. Last year he started flashing cash -- new clothes, new phone, drinks for people he barely liked. I asked where the money came from, and he told me not to worry. Said he’d finally caught a break. ”
General leaned forward. “He worked for someone.”
My nod came sharp. “Yes. He claimed he helped move packages. No big deal, according to him. Driving from one side of town to the other. He bragged those guys treated him as family.” Bitterness scraped up my throat. “He called them family while he sprawled on my couch and devoured my groceries.”
The corner of Ace’s mouth twitched faintly. His gaze remained hard.
Words tumbled out. “I warned him it sounded wrong. He refused to listen. Soon he came home wired. Paranoid. His gaze darted to every doorway, every shadow, as if assassins lurked behind each corner. Then he vanished altogether.”
Atilla’s voice remained steady. “When did the cops grab him?”
“Six months ago.” The number knocked the air from my lungs. “Arrested him on trafficking charges. Drugs and something else. The details confused me. A jail guard called. Jason pleaded with me to find a lawyer.”
My arms constricted around my torso. “The money didn’t exist. My diner job barely covered rent.”
Spade slammed the laptop shut. The sound cracked across the room.
General studied me with weary recognition. “You believed the danger disappeared when he went inside.”
“I did.” Shame burned hot. “I thought his mess stayed his.”
Silence answered.
I swallowed hard. “Jason sent letters from jail. In some, he begged forgiveness. Others read as though nothing had happened at all. The last envelope arrived with something extra -- the location of a key and the number of a lockbox at the bus station. I went there and inside I found a flash drive with instructions to hide it where nobody would find it.”
Spade’s head lifted fast. “You have it.”
Heat rushed to my face. “Yes.”
General’s gaze pinned me. “Where?”
“In my apartment.” The words came out rough. “Or what’s left of it.”
Spade leaned forward a fraction. “You looked at it.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I shoved it in a drawer and pretended it didn’t exist.”
Air tightened around the table. Not relief. Not approval. A collective awareness, sharp as a blade. Spade’s tone cut hard. “You didn’t want to know what he put in your hands.”
“I didn’t want to be dragged deeper.” My fingers trembled. I pressed them into my sleeves until they stilled. “I thought ignorance could protect me.”
Atilla’s stare held mine. “And then they came anyway.”
I nodded once. My stomach turned. “About four or five days after I received the letter, two men appeared at my door. The first one knocked with false politeness. Through the peephole I saw strangers. Still, I opened the door.” My voice roughened.
“These men knew my name. Knew Jason’s too.
They walked inside as though my apartment belonged to them.
Jason owed money, they claimed. Interest. Fees.
The standard excuses men invent when their desires extend beyond cash. ”
Kane shifted beside me, boots scraping faintly. His breathing deepened, slow and controlled. I forced myself to continue. “They talked sweet. Smiled too much. One of them patted my cheek and said there were other ways to pay.”
Silence dropped heavier. No jokes. No smirks.
Their quiet didn’t comfort me, but it kept me upright.
They heard what I meant. They didn’t need graphic detail to understand.
“They spared me physical pain during their first visit.” My mouth tasted sour.
“Fear became their weapon. They wanted me anticipating their return. Mission accomplished. After their departure, I stood trembling in my living room, fumbling with the lock multiple times.”
General’s voice softened a fraction. “You contacted the police.”
My laugh erupted harsh and ugly. “I attempted to. The officer filled out a report, scribbled some notes. Nobody ever called. I tried to follow up to no avail. Then I spotted one of those men sitting in a corner booth at the diner. He waved -- casual, familiar. A friend saying hello.”
Atilla’s gaze sharpened. “You abandoned hope in law enforcement.”
“Yes.” My voice dropped. “The truth hit me hard. The police had ignored my case. Or maybe they lacked the power to help me at all.”
Spade reopened his laptop without looking at it, like his hands moved on habit. “And then Roth stepped in.”
My stomach clenched. “Yes.”
Men shifted in their chairs, subtle but real.
Energy rose in the room. Not panic. Focus.
“He broke into my apartment, more than once. Threatened me. This time, he got a phone call and left, but I know he’ll be back.
” The words fell flat, emotion threatening to drown me. “I’m scared of what he’ll do to me.”
Kane’s hand flexed once at his side. He never touched me.
His restraint made his rage worse, giving it nowhere to escape.
“My brother owed him money when he went to prison.” My throat constricted.
“Now he thinks my brother’s debt is mine to pay.
His men made it clear I can pay in ways other than cash. ”
Atilla’s eyes darkened. His voice remained calm. “He told you what he wanted.”
Numbness spread through my hands. “I think my brother offered me as part of the deal.” Shame burned through me.
Jason would probably have said anything to survive, but his betrayal cut deep regardless.
“I don’t think I can bargain with him. I don’t know how much my brother borrowed.
I think it was a lot.” I swallowed hard.
“Since I don’t have cash to give him, he’ll either want me to repay him by spreading my legs for him, or possibly as a whore. I’m unclear what exactly he wants.”
Rage radiated from the table in waves of heat.
Kane breathed heavily beside me, strain evident beneath his control.
“Fear became his weapon. Waiting consumed me after he left. I dragged the couch against the door. Sleep came only in my clothes. Extra locks appeared on my doors. The basement laundry room became forbidden territory. Darkness made taking out trash impossible.”
My gaze flicked down the table. Ace watched me. When I glanced at him, his face showed neither pity nor judgment -- only a predator’s focus, aimed toward my tormentor.
“At first, I convinced myself I could outlast him. Then tonight happened.” My chest tightened so hard it hurt.
I closed my eyes for one second, forced a breath, then opened them again.
I’d come too far to fall apart now. It only took a moment to tell them the same story I’d already shared with Kane.
Down the table, a chair scraped hard against the floor. Someone cracked their knuckles. I fixed my gaze on Atilla, knowing I might crumble if I looked elsewhere. Kane’s presence anchored me. I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t risk breaking.
“He walked out as though he owned the building.” I lifted my gaze. “I grabbed my keys without waiting. Cash hidden under the floor. My phone. Nothing else. Not even clothes beyond what covered my body. I ran.”
General’s voice cut in, steady. “You never called the cops.”
“No. Not tonight anyway.” The answer burst from me. “I already learned the cops are useless from the first incident.”
Atilla studied me, weighing each word. “So you sought Kane.” His tone when speaking Kane’s name carried consequence.
“I made a mistake.” My voice dropped. “Rules never crossed my mind. But some part of me felt like I could survive if I could get to Kane. It’s why I came here.”
Silence stretched. Atilla leaned back, eyes still on me. “You believe her?”
For half a second, I thought he spoke to Kane. Then I realized he spoke to the room.
General studied me. His gaze moved over my face, my posture, my hands. He nodded once. “She isn’t lying.”