Page 145 of Jake's Angel
“Go find Kyle here something to cover himself up with. I’m sure we have something your size. How tall are you? Oh, you know what, never mind. We’ll find something to cover your body with.”
“Like a body bag,” Hawk says with a smile.
Gabe waves Hawk off. “Don’t mind him. Shit like this happens a lot around here. We’ll get you all taken care of soon enough.”
The asshole glances around the room, clearly feeling like he’s made some kind of small gain because Gabe is catering to his requests. But he still eyes Hawk with caution.
Not a complete idiot after all.
“Nice to see you’ve come to your senses,” Kyle says as he sits a little taller. His swollen lip and bruised cheek are making it hard for him to speak without a lisp, and I’m not sure if Hawk is going to make it through this thing without losing his shit and mimicking the fucker. He’s already putting his head down to hide his laughter every time the man speaks, especially when he’s trying to make himself sound like someone of importance. Hawk opens his computer and begins his search. Gabe asked him to find some specific information on Mr. Whittmore here for this little meeting of ours.
“Okay, so, Kyle,” Gabe starts again. “May I call you Kyle?” He doesn’t wait for a response. Gabe pulls a chair up in front of him, straddling it, bringing him closer to Kyle’s face. “What brought you into our little town?” Gabe leans his head in his hand over the back of the chair, making it appear as if this is just a friendly conversation between two friends.
Kyle looks around the room again, assessing his options. Seeing Gabe relaxed in somewhat of a nonthreatening pose, Kyle’s still feeling like he has the upper hand at the moment. He crosses his arms over his chest, leans forward and says in a low voice, “My boss sent me to collect an asset of his. It was recently taken from him.”
“Well, perhaps if you tell us what it is you’re looking for, we could be of some assistance.” Gabe stands up, moving his chair, then sits again, leaning back, crossing his arms over his chest, matching the cocksucker’s pose. “Who was it you said you worked for again?”
“I didn’t. But since you asked, I work for Marco Cusenza, perhaps you’re heard of him?” He raises a brow in challenge, as if tossing around Cusenza’s name will buy him some street credit here. I huff at his statement. Gabe smirks.
“We’ve heard of him, sure. He’s pretty big in gambling and other recreational vices. Am I right?”
“He’s the man who runs Baron’s Edge. Gambling, drugs, women, nightclubs, restaurants. You name it, he runs it.” This little shit isn’t too bright giving up all of Cusenza’s business like that. Either he thinks his association with a man like this will earn him some leverage with Gabe, or he’s just really that stupid. My vote’s for the latter.
“So, what is it exactly that was taken from Mr. Cusenza?”
“A woman. Avery West.” A low growl rumbles through my chest at the mention of my Angel’s name.
“I see. And you think she’s here in Oak Ridge, is that right?”
“Yes. We received a call from a woman telling us she was staying here with a group of bikers claiming to belong to one of them.” He turns and glares right at me. I smirk.
I wish you would, you little shit.
“We haven’t taken anything from your boss. We would never take a woman without her consent. Are you sure your information is correct?”
“She’s definitely here, and she’s mine,” he growls, lunging forward toward Gabe. Pop’s hands clench and his jaw’s tight. I can see the restraint it’s taking for him to hold back from tearing this asshole apart. Honestly, it’s taking the same effort for me not to have a go at him.
Gabe rubs his chin, then pointing a finger at the cocky bastard, he questions him, “I’m confused, Kyle. I thought you said the girl belongs to your boss. She was taken from him. But now you say she’s yours. Can you help me understand that?”
“She is mine. I came to collect her.” At his words, my fists clench, and a low growl leaves my chest. Pop catches my eye, giving me a subtle shake of his head, letting me know I need to cool my shit. “Mr. Cusenza asked me to grab her from her home one night, only when I arrived to collect her, she was already gone, and the security team assigned to the home were cleaning up a dead man’s body. It seems she ran away before I could get to her.”
“I see. Do you know what happened to the dead man? Who killed him?” Gabe asks. He’s having a hard time controlling his shit too, which makes me feel a little better about the situation.
At least I’m not the only one who wants to rip his fucking throat out.
“No. He was already dead when I arrived.”
“I see. Now, you claim the girl is yours. So, you’ll have to help me understand something. See, in our world, when a man claims his woman, he would never allow another person to touch her. In fact, one might say he’d die a very unpleasant death.” Gabe leans forward, the threat clear. Kyle leans back, creating some distance. “So, maybe you could help me understand why, if you’ve claimed her, you’d willingly capture her and turn herover to Mr. Cusenza?” Kyle’s eyes widen. He glances around the room at each one of us. We’re all stone faced and still watching the fucker closely.
Clearing his throat, Kyle says, “Mr. Cusenza needs her for leverage for a business deal. She’s the granddaughter to Russell West and my boss wants something of his.” He shrugs like it’s that simple. “Russell refused my boss his request, so he asked me to bring his granddaughter to him to use as a bartering tool of sorts.” He crosses his arms over his chest. He’s gotten comfortable, let his guard down just as Gabe intended.
Stupid fucker.
“What do you get when Russell does what your boss wants? There has to be more than just some pussy on the line for you, right?” I ask from my spot on the wall. Gabe shoots me a glare for calling Avery some pussy. “Unless … maybe she isn’t yours. Maybe Cusenza plans to keep her and pay you your money back.”
“She’s already mine. She was payment for another deal. A private deal made between her grandmother and me a long time ago. Cusenza was merely borrowing her.” He shrugs. “If Russell didn’t meet Cusenza’s demands, he would compensate me handsomely for her,” the fucker says, looking right at me. “She’s a beautiful little thing. Scares easily. She would turn him a good profit. I would break her in for him first, of course, but afterward she would be passed around to any man willing to pay the price. Do you know what men pay to have a young woman with fear in her eyes that they can easily break and mold?”
I’m fighting the urge to shove my fist through his face when I feel Declan’s hand on my shoulder, squeezing, reminding me we need to keep this conversation going. Let him think he’s winning. Like he’s actually going to walk out of here alive.