"For fuck's sake"
Kicking the guy again, I watched him drop to the ground. Pressing the heel of my boot into the side of his head, I smirked at his groaning.
"Did we or did we not tell you to pay your debt?"
"Y….y….yes"
"And did we or did we not tell you what would happen when you were late on repayments?"
"Y….y….yes"
"Now, I am a very busy person and if I have to come down here personally again….."
I took my boot off his face and bent down to meet his face. I pinched the tip of his ear and pulled his bloody face close to mine.
"…. That beautiful teenage daughter of yours will make a wonderful new addition to one of my whore houses. Do I make myself clear?"
"Y….y….yes"
"Yes what?"
"Y….y….yes ma'am"
"Good. Get him up, clean him up and return him home boys"
I watched my boys pick up my victim from the street and push into the back of the car. Groaning, I cracked my neck and ripped off my bloody gloves. I threw them into the bin fire that had been started and walked back to where Owen was standing. Have I ever told you that I hated being called out in the field? My first six months with Peterson were horrendous. I loved a good horror movie and when I was introduced into this lifestyle I thought I would be able to stand all the blood and fighting. Nearly seven years later and I'm still not used to it but I am bloody good at my job.
For the first time in seven years, it looked like Owen was bored.
"What's with the face?"
"Why do I have to come with you every time you need to conduct a business transaction?"
"You don't. We just happened to be together when I got the call"
"Whatever, let's go home"
His sudden change in attitude always manages to stun me senseless. He's been like this since I told him off two months ago. Normally it wouldn't bother me but I have so much stuff I have to worry about these days, that everything anyone does, is starting to bother me.
Business is going well at least, both in the office and on the streets. Every thing has been running smoothly for the past two months and I'm scared something will fuck up everything I have made so far. Dad has finally backed down as well. It didn't take him long too, I think it was about two weeks into my new rule, as he calls. All he had to do was look at the figures and relax from his macho dad status. I had managed to bring in three times the amount of money, in two weeks, that they had earned in the past two years.
Owen has been avoiding me as well. Not that I don't mind the space. And besides I spend almost every waking hour in the office, with the occasional special treat of coming out here. The movements were starting to increase and I was happy, so was Zeke. I don't get many calls through Matthew as much as before. He finally started to let the lease loose a little. It was nice. Looking back this is how I spent most of the days that I was meant to be in college. It didn't take me long to build up a reputation to make the dean give me my management diploma without me actually attending the college.
When we got home, Owen retreated to his room and I retreated back into my office. Which is where I spelt for the night, once again. I woke up the next morning, to the morning maid, shaking me slightly. I cleaned myself up and had myself driven back into work. I saw my reflection in the bathroom mirror and almost cried at my appearance. I looked ill. I was exhausted and I don't think I have eaten in the past few days. Fuck. I can't take a break but I needed to sleep or at least eat.
I sat down at my desk and noticed a new file on my desk. I quickly flicked through it and became instantly annoyed. I really wish Zeke would just stay out of this. I know we agreed to fifty fifty this business arrangement but if he really wanted that, he should have just married me and not the prostitute. I mean I can understand that our work is very private and sensitive and that he would want his own men on the case, but I needed real people in the office. I don't want a law office to be run by thugs. There was a knock on my office door, that brought me out of my daydream.
"Come in"
Matt popped in, sitting in the chair in front of my desk. He had a serious look on his face but at this very moment in time, I really could not face any more bad news.
"Whatever you have to tell me, it will have to wait. I'm afraid I have not eaten in a few days. Go out and get me something greasy"
"Are you sure? That will just make you sick"
"I need food Matthew and I need it now"
"Yes ma'am"
Twenty minutes later he returned with a large McDonald's bag and I almost cried when the smell of food hit my nose.
"Speak while I eat, otherwise nothing will get done"
I ripped into the first burger as he began to lay the bad news onto me.
"I've just had a rather conversation with Mr Matthews"
"Why can't he call me?"
"He said you weren't answering your cell"
I looked down at my phone and sure enough there were fifteen missed calls from Zeke. Well fuck me, sometimes he ask like a mother goose and it irritated me. Now that I think about it, the last phone call Zeke and I had did not go very well. We had tried to talk all business but it just ended with us huffing and puffing. I was horny and he is usually here to scratch that itch. Of course he would call back an hour later, complaining. 'Why don't you just sleep with your husband?' He asks every time that we speak. He said that everything would just go a whole lot smoother if we aren't distracted by each other. Zeke's stupid wife must be cracking down onto him. She doesn't really bother me, because she know who I am and what I am capable. She would just stop loving Zeke and he would be pissed if I destroy that for him.
"Go on"
"Yes well, it seems Mr Martin had gotten himself involved"
I was already halfway through the third burger when I suddenly lost my appetite. Cleaning off my desk, I sighed, thinking it was about time to have a drink. I checked the time and saw that it was only nine in the morning.
"How?"
"He had gotten information about the young Mr Hanning and his ties to Mr Peterson. I believe he did something which actually caused the marriage between the two of you without him knowing"
"That was the business deal that went wrong. I never actually went into any details with Owen. For fucks sake. What else?"
"There seems to be a reason why he wanted to marry you off into the Hanning family"
"Which is?"
"He wanted to keep you safe"
"From you?"
"Well safe from yourself S"
"At least he doesn't know then. I'll talk to him then"
"Zeke says you can't kill him"
"I'm not that stupid. I'm not that cruel to kill my own father over some misunderstanding. I'll do it later"
"Sooner would be better, Mr Williams is coming"
"Fuck"
This was fucked in so many ways. Now I certainly was thinking about ending my fathers life. So much easier. Fucking Williams. If I wasn't who I was then maybe marrying me off into another company would be at the top of my worry list. I reached his office and by the look on his face, I had a rather nasty one on mine.
"Honey what can I do for you?"
I almost opened my mouth to yell at him but I just closed it and breathed in deeply. You can't yell at him here S, you can yell at him at home.
"Dad I think it's time for us to have a talk, don't you think?"
"I was about to head out for some early breakfast, care to join me?"
"Not in public, dad. I want you and mum to come over tonight. Bring Rose if she's still in the country"
@@@@
I watched their car pull into the driveway. I was in a terrible mood. I had already thrown three wine glasses at Owen, already preparing my fourth. Owen had only made it worse when he questioned why he had to be at the family meeting. I was furious and he could sense it. He hasn't left my side since then.
So soon, I was hoping to never have this conversation with my family but here we are. My father really was a moron. Sighing, I went downstairs to greet them. It looks like Rose hasn't fled to another country yet, as she curses the bodyguard currently feeling her up. I smirked when her eyes reached mine but did not call the man off. He works very hard, he should serves some sort of reward. Mother didn't look very pleased when she met my eyes either.
"Lindsay, what is the meaning of this? Tell them to stand down"
"I shall not. I have powerful enemies in high places, I can never be so sure. Rose so great you could join us"
She scowled at me as one of the maids, ushered them into one of my library rooms. It was small and dark and kind of overcrowded with everyone here but I knew this room is safe. It was untouchable to bugs and cameras and it was at the back of the house, where no one can see or hear anything. The perfect hiding place for the bodies of my dead family.
"Now, before we start our little family meeting, I need to know something first. Dad, how long have you been dealing with Peterson?"
"How did you know about that?"
"Don't even start with me right now. I need to know everything, because I need to know if I can trust you or not"
"But we are your family sweetie, you should always trust us"
"That doesn't reassure me mum. Just tell me everything dad"
"I met him while you were in college, I think about four years ago We had a business deal but it went south. That's why I wanted you to marry Owen, to make sure you were safe"
"Safe from who?"
"No one ten knows her real name but she goes by the initial S. Even Peterson was scared of her"
That didn't surprise me. I surpassed Peterson in about a year. It was easier to run everything myself since almost all of his men trusted me more, or they were scared of me more. I turned to Owen, but he had his head bowed down already.
"Why didn't you tell me the whole truth about the deal?"
"I was scared of you. The stories Peterson told were terrifying. I thought he made them up just to scare me into doing but when I saw you in action, I realised he was telling the truth. I didn't know a whole lot about you then, so I didn't want to screw anything up, so I just kept my mouth shut"
"Do you have any idea how much easier everything would have gone if you had just told me the deal was with the Martin family. I would have dealt it with another way and you wouldn't have been stuck within the unbreakable contract"
"I'm sorry S, please"
"Sorry won't cut it now Owen. This is fucked up my plans so much and you don't even realise it yet. Fuck"
I punched the table I was sitting on, making everyone in the room jump. I lit up a cigarette and moved towards the open window. What to do now? I can't kill them, because there is obviously something Zeke is not telling me. Why was my family so goddamn important to that man? Do they hold something over Williams?
"So many years work for nothing. Fucking hell Owen, do you realise how much you've messed up?"
"Please S"
Angry, I ended throwing the wine glass that was in my hand. It smashed behind Owen's head, making everyone jump for the second time.
"What is wrong with you?"
"What is wrong with you? All you had to do was stay in your office and do your own work. Why the fuck would you try and make a deal with Peterson"
"There were rumours of a new mafia boss emerging and I wanted to make sure my operations were secure"
"You don't have any fucking operations dad. You run a fucking law office for fucks sake and it should have stayed that way. If I had know you had tainted the Martin name before returning to New York I would have stayed in New Haven"
I put out my cigarette and pulled out my phone. I ignored the whispering of my family and annoyingly listened to the dial tone. I was even more pissed when he picked up the phone.
"You better put Peterson on a plane to New York right this instance"
"What why?"
"Just do as your told Zeke"
"Oh god. Are you going to kill him?"
"I fucking might. Plane now"
I hung up before he could try and talk my ear off.
"Jesus, your S"
I spun to face my family and the terrified look on their faces bought a small smile to my face. Maybe I didn't exactly hate being out on the field. This was my favourite bit of the night.
"But why? You were such a sweet innocent little girl"
"Is that what you thought of me? Sweet and innocent? Please, I was far from that"
"How exactly did you become S?"
"Well it all started the day I arrived at Yale"