14. Olivia
14
OLIVIA
The sound of my heart beating thundered in my ears as I paced the front of the most expensive restaurant in the city. My heels clicked on the concrete sidewalk as I debated whether I should call the cops or some kind of law enforcement. What the hell was I thinking agreeing to meet a potentially dangerous character on my own?
This wasn’t the first time Liam pulled me into his mess. I’d been trying to get in touch with him for days, praying that I wouldn’t get the news that he’d been found dead somewhere. My brother was so troubled and did so much messed up shit that I braced myself for the worst each time he disappeared.
Then, I got a visit from one of his “associates” at my apartment. This man was possibly a mobster, enforcer, or drug dealer, and he knew where I lived! Apparently, Liam really did hate me because he must have wanted to see me dead.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I pulled in several deep breaths.
“Olivia Brentwood? ”
I jumped at the sound of the slightly accented voice. It was so subtle that it was hard to place. I swallowed hard and reached deep for the Ice Princess … it figured I’d think about Alex even at a time like this. It was just that he always said that version of me was unflappable and intriguingly intimidating. Drawing on that persona now, I straightened my shoulders and turned to face the source of my current fear.
My forced courage wavered when I saw the man. He was a looming figure, standing over six feet tall. His face looked as if it was carved from stone, and his eyes were cold and soulless like a hungry shark. My gaze dipped to the jagged scar extending from the corner of his left eye to his neck. It made him look twice as scary.
He probably got it as a defensive wound from the last person he killed. Not to be judgemental, but the man gave off serious murderer vibes. Who the hell had my brother gotten involved with? Remembering that this man knew where I lived almost made me piss in my pantyhose.
I was about to have dinner with this guy. He suggested we meet to discuss business. I knew what that meant. Liam probably owed him money, and he was here to extort me. I figured a public place, especially on this side of town, would be a tad safer. Mr. Big and Scary was less likely to strangle me with his huge hands at a place like this, right?
Sweet Jesus.
I cleared my throat. “Yes, and you are…?”
He hadn’t shared his name during that ominous phone call yesterday or when he showed up in my apartment’s lobby.
“Names aren’t important,” he said.
I snorted inwardly. Of course, the criminal wanted to remain nameless .
“Shall we?” He gestured to the restaurant’s entrance and then had the nerve to offer an arm.
I gazed at his welcoming gesture with an are-you-for-real look . “This is hardly a romantic date,” I said acidly.
I spun and sauntered into the restaurant with my nose in the air. The ice princess was up front and center.
I heard a low chuckle behind me, and my step almost faltered. Was that an evil I’m-going-to-enjoy-killing-her laugh? I mentally slapped my forehead. Why would you piss off the murderer, Liv?
Still, I managed to maintain my unbothered, haughty facade as the hostess greeted us and led us to the table I reserved. I held it together until I passed a table where Alex sat with a brunette whose boobs were large enough to serve as lifeboats.
This time, my steps did falter, and my eyes locked with his for a split second. When he was out of sight, my eyebrows dipped. Seeing Alex on a date—it must be a date—made me insanely jealous, and I hated it. We broke up nine years ago, for goodness’ sake. The temptation to look back got the better of me. Just as I turned my neck, Mr. Big and Scary appeared at my side.
He grabbed my elbow, making me gasp.
“Who were you looking at? You didn’t do something stupid like call the cops, did you?” he asked.
“What…? No… I wasn’t looking at anyone.”
The thought of putting Alex in danger made me nauseous, so I didn’t dare look his way again. I even made sure to take the seat that wasn’t facing his direction because I knew I’d be tempted to glance at him and his date.
“Good, because that would make me upset.”
His tone made me shiver. However, I kept my expression schooled .
As we sat, he smiled—more like a menacing sneer—and glanced around. “Nice place. What’s good here?”
I glowered as a surge of annoyance zipped through me. “What is this? Why make this entire thing a charade of civility? You could have extorted me over the phone. It’s the twenty-first century, after all.”
Mr. Nameless chuckled. “I like you. You have bigger balls than your brother.”
My teeth clenched so tightly that my jaw ached. “I’m flattered,” I replied dryly. “Where is my brother? If you’ve done anything to hurt?—”
“If I knew where he was, I wouldn't be sitting here with you, Ms. Brentwood.”
I pulled a big puff of air into my lungs. Just for a moment, I allowed relief to flood me, but it was short-lived. Liam wasn’t dead or hurt… hopefully. That was good. However, he was still missing. Although, I gathered that was deliberate…
“Look, can we skip this ridiculous dinner and get to the point? What does my brother owe you and how much?”
I wanted this night over as soon as possible so I could get on with finding my idiot brother to give him a piece of my mind.
“No,” Mr. Nameless said firmly. “I’m hungry, and I like the company.”
The way his gaze slithered over my torso made me feel exposed, despite my modest dress. I almost crossed my arms to ward off the chill his assessment caused. However, I refused to show any weakness.
“I’m not here to be your dinner entertainment. What’s my brother involved with that has you coming to me?”
A waiter chose that moment to approach, and I had to put a lid on my mounting frustration. Plastering on a polite smile, I listened to his greeting and a brief rundown of the evening special although my mind raced with other concerns.
When the waiter asked for our order, Mr. Nameless waved him off with a flick of the wrist, but not before he said, “Give us a bottle of the best wine in the house.”
I gritted my teeth, hating that he was prolonging this charade. I resigned myself to sitting through dinner with a criminal—it was obvious at this point. Alone again, the man regarded me with curiosity. There was a glint of another kind of interest in his eyes that I chose to ignore.
“You’re different from your brother.”
“Well, we weren’t born as carbon copies, so yes, we’re very different.” The words were out before I slammed the lid on my flippant side. I pursed my lips, hoping I didn’t upset the dangerous man. He didn’t seem mad though. He grinned… in that creepy way of his.
“Very different from him,” he murmured.
“You haven’t answered my question,” I said, clutching my purse. “What’s Liam caught up in? You might as well tell me so we don’t sit here in awkward silence.”
One corner of his mouth barely lifted with amusement. “Your brother,” he began in an even tone, “took something from my boss.”
My gaze flickered over him in his suit. It was tailored… nice… but not super expensive. I could scan men’s clothing brands like a barcode reader thanks to being around Dad and all his wealthy associates. I deduced that the man sitting before me was exactly what I assumed earlier. He was dangerous but not in charge. He was some kind of enforcer.
“So you’re what…?” I lifted a shoulder nonchalantly, hoping to show that I wasn’t afraid even though under the table, my legs were shaking… “A bookie? ”
The little sound he made was supposed to be a laugh, I guess. “We don’t run that kind of business.”
To my irritation, the waiter came back with the wine and Mr. Nameless changed the subject. “Let’s pause on the business talk and enjoy the wine, shall we? Then we can order.”
My fingernails dug into my palms, but I somehow kept my expression neutral. Throughout dinner—which I barely ate because I was sick to my stomach—I listened to the asshole in front of me make subtle threats. He pretty much hinted at causing big trouble for me if I didn’t compensate “them” for what Liam stole. I still didn’t even know exactly what that was.
I smoothed my hair constantly to avoid biting my nails. I'd had that habit since childhood. Each time I lifted my hands to nibble on my nails, I remembered that I was supposed to be a paragon of composure and smoothed my hair instead. I might keel over from my suppressed anxiety at any moment.
“Alright, Mr… he-who-has-no-name…”
That made him chuckle. The scar adorning his face moved with his amusement.
“I’m sure you’re nice and full now.” My gaze swept over the empty plates from our five-course meal. “So cut the crap and get to the part where you tell me exactly what you want.” My frustration had overridden my fear of him.
He casually sat back and regarded me with his soulless eyes. “I’ve been looking for your brother for days to get the money he stole from my boss.”
Dear God. Liam was carrying out heists now? I shook my head. “Stole…?” Why would he steal when he got an allowance? Granted, it had been reduced significantly because of his substance abuse, but he didn’t need to rob anyone.
Mr. Nameless lifted an eyebrow. “He took a significant amount of product to sell… ”
It felt as if all the blood drained from my head to my heart to compensate for its rapid beating. Liam had gone from abusing drugs to dealing? What the fuck?! Why? I couldn’t let Mom know. She’d lose her shit. I was about to lose my shit.
“Since he hasn’t paid up, and he’s nowhere to be found, I figured you could help me out.”
“I don't know where he is,” I said. As if I’d tell him even if I did.
“In that case, perhaps you could reach into the Brentwood family coffer… It would be in your best interest, Ms. Brentwood. You wouldn’t want the world knowing what one of their precious Brentwoods is involved in, would you?”
I let out a breath. We’d managed to keep Liam’s extracurricular activities out of the press for years. I always found the most discrete rehab centers to send him to. With BioTech being in financial danger, I didn’t need the bad press. The board would jump ship without a fight if shit hit the fan…
“And exactly how much would I need to borrow from the money jar?” I bit out.
The snake—his leer made him look like one—said, “I think we should discuss things with my boss. There is the matter of interest for late payment and all that, Ms. Brentwood…”
The way he purred “Brentwood” said it all. They knew who Liam was, who I was… I knew I had a lifetime of blackmail and extortion to look forward to with these shady characters.
“Interest… right,” I drawled.
There was only one thing to do. Play it cool until I got away from Mr. Nameless and then run like hell to the nearest police station. This was going to be a PR nightmare…
To my chagrin, when I made it outside, my driver hadn’t arrived yet, and Mr. Nameless appeared.
“Ms. Brentwood,” he said. “I’ve been thinking… ”
Oh, no. Nothing good could come from a criminal thinking . I turned to him with stiff shoulders, fully aware that we were the only ones on the sidewalk and he had angled himself to block me from anyone who might be passing.
“Were you? About…?” I asked.
“It’s best if you come with me now to meet my boss. You know, so we can discuss payment terms.”
A black SUV pulled up in front of us, and he opened the back door, before gesturing for me to get inside.
I gulped as I stared at the ominous dark interior. As if I was stupid enough to get inside.
“ Never get inside the car. You’ll never be seen again…” That’s what Elena once told me while she was working on an article about a kidnapped executive last year.
“I think it would be best if I talked business with your boss at my office,” I said coolly.
“Get in, Ms. Brentwood,” he ordered. “I insist.”
My heart jumped into my throat when he snagged my elbow and gave me a subtle push toward the vehicle.