Page 1 of His Playmate
PROLOGUE
Smoke puffedout from the muzzle of Diego’s semiautomatic pistol as he aimed it at a pudgy man tied with rope to a chair.
“Where’s the boy? Tell me or you’ll end up like your friend over there.” Diego motioned his pistol at a thin man tied to a chair beside him. Blood soaked the man’s white dress shirt as he slumped in the chair, dead.
“Don’t kill me!” the businessman exclaimed. He was panicking, breathing heavily as sweat collected on his broad face.
“Answer me,” Diego growled. He was growing impatient.
The hostage frantically shook his head, his white dress shirt soaked with sweat. “You’re fucking crazy! Don’t go after Wolf’s son. You’ll regret it.”
Diego didn’t heed the warning. He sneered and pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced the man’s forehead, and he slumped in the chair, staring at the ceiling.
Two gang members walked into the abandoned storage building. “We found him,” the one with a teardrop tattooed below his eye said, handing Diego an iPhone.
Diego lowered his gun and gazed down at the image of a teenage boy getting out of a Mercedes Benz. Everything was going according to plan.
“Bring him to me and clean this shit up,” Diego said, handing the phone back.
His men nodded and got to work, taking the bodies off the chairs and dragging them out the back door.
* * *
Wolf Lone stoodby the wide-paned windows of his high-rise office, dressed in a light grey three-piece suit.
A call came through, breaking the silence and his thoughts. Wolf took his smartphone out of his pocket and gazed at the screen. A private number. Wolf knew the people that contacted this line, and they weren’t hidden. That meant whoever was calling him wasn’t supposed to be.
Wolf exhaled from his nose. He never liked private numbers because of the uncertainty of who was on the other end. He considered ignoring it, but he knew it might be serious. He answered, bringing the phone up to his ear. He didn’t speak.
“I have your son, and I want you to listen to me carefully.”
The voice on the other end of the line was a drawl. A young man, by the sound of it. It didn’t matter how this stranger had gotten Wolf’s personal mobile number when it involved a threat to his son. Wolf should have expected his enemies to target his son more now that Levi wasn’t a child anymore.
“What do you want with my son?” Wolf asked calmly. He didn’t want Levi to be dragged into these dangerous situations so soon. Wolf had raised Levi to assimilate into their family and the yakuza, but the boy was too young, a teenager inexperienced with the realities of this lifestyle. Wolf wanted his son to focus on school and stay out of trouble.
“We meet at a location I send you. Then I will tell you the details,” the caller said. He was not playing around, getting straight to business. That was enough evidence to prove this was serious, and Wolf needed to do something fast.
This person wanted something; could it be money? That was the only rational answer, but Wolf couldn’t be certain. The voice was unrecognizable. Wolf didn’t know who exactly he was dealing with, so he didn’t know what to expect.
Wolf gripped the phone hard. He glared at the sunset, the orange glow spreading across the Los Angeles cityscape. He’d have to beat the enemy at his own game, be logical and plan. His son’s life was depending on it.
“You’ll see me soon,” Wolf said smoothly. “Don’t kill him.”
CHAPTERONE
Two burly menin black suits dragged Diego into an office.
Wolf Lone stood leaning against a mahogany desk, his arms folded over his broad chest. His pitch-black hair was slicked back, the sleeves of his white dress shirt rolled up to his elbows. Under the clothing, Diego could tell that Wolf was a fit man.
The interior of the office was lavish and sophisticated. The imported Asian furniture, paintings, and décor must be worth millions.
Diego stopped struggling and stared at Wolf.
“Let him go,” Wolf ordered.
The men dropped Diego, who crashed to his knees on the polished hardwood floor.
Wolf’s face did not betray any emotion. He was a tall, sophisticated enigma standing in a shadow. He stepped forward and into the dim light from the lamp, his gaze dark. If Wolf had gone to this extent to capture his son’s captor, then he must be more upset than he was letting on.
