Page 13 of Whispers in the Dark
Not like I can tell him what it is I’ll do to him when we leave here. But sometimes, I find it’s more enjoyable to watch them use their imagination.
He looks anxiously between us. “They’re going to kill me if I tell you,” he whispers as if one of the Vasilievs is beside us listening to his every word.
“We’re going to kill you if you don’t,” Leo deadpans.
He doesn’t hesitate when he says, “It’s arriving on Friday. Ten p.m. At the docks.”
“You’re positive?”
He nods. “The girls are coming from Europe. Some new distributor they started doing business with.”
“Well, fuck.” Leo rubs his chin, deep in thought. “And good old Governor Johnson gave the approval for all of this?”
He nods as sweat beads travel down his temple.
“And why the fuck would he think he could do that when he knows New York is ours?”
Johnny’s mouth repeatedly opens and closes like a fish out of water. “I don’t… I don’t know.”
Leo pulls out his gun, pressing it against Johnny’s temple. “Don’t lie to me.”
“Because he gets a thirty-five percent cut of the profits!” he squeals out, his chest panting erratically.
“Interesting.” Leo regards Johnny. “And why you?”
“What?”
“Why did they choose you?” Leo enjoys playing with his prey, and that’s precisely what he’s about to do to Johnny. “You’re a smart guy. Graduated top of your class from Yale. Engaged. You have your whole life ahead of you. Or at least, that’s what the quick background check on you shows. So, why did they choose you to arrange everything?”
He steels his spine. “Because they trust me.”
“No,” Leo notes, shaking his head as he steps closer. “It’s because they know you’re weak and won’t be missed after the monsters find you.”
The barrel of Leo’s gun presses into the man’s abdomen, quickly firing a round. Thanks to the silencer and the god-awful music blaring throughout every speaker, no one hears a thing.
“Get him out of here,” Leo instructs two of the guards we brought with us. They remove him from my hold and carry him through the hall, disappearing out the back door. “Looks like we’ll be busy this weekend.” He glances around the room. “Let’s get the fuck out of here. I want to go home to my wife. And you look like you need some sleep.”
I nod. Sleep is exactly what I need.
As we maneuver through the crowd, a voice echoes over the speakers. “Gentlemen, we certainly have a treat for you tonight. A stage virgin! I hear she’s a little shy, so please give a horny welcome for our newest addition, Alina!”
Leo and I stop in our tracks.
The hairs on the back of my neck rise as the lights in the room dim and a spotlight aims directly at the stage behind us.
“Did he just say…?” Leo’s words die in his throat as he looks over his shoulder.
Alina is a common name, right? It could be anyone. It doesn’t mean it’s—
“Shit.” Leo grips my shoulder, his eyes widening before he looks at me. “It’s her.”
The thundering of my heart is the only thing I hear as I turn, entirely unprepared for what I see.
Alina.
A woman who spent years living on the Alarie Estate while her father was my father’s right-hand man. A friend of my sister. And the reason why I’m standing here today.
“Stop!”
