Chapter 23
“Mr. Blackwood,” he started, “sorry for barging into your office-”
“You better be,” I cut him off. “And it better be for a damn good reason.”
The man straightened, trying to recover. “I’m Detective Harrington Smith,” he said.
Itilted my head, unimpressed. Surveying the man at the front of the pack, I was able to tell that he was middle–aged, balding, and reeked of bureaucratic arrogance. He tried to look confident, but his shifting eyes gave him away.
“And?”
Slowly, I removed my hand from the button and clasped it with the other, resting them on my desk.
“I know you don’t often get visits like this-”
“Because I’m a very busy man,” I interrupted again, my patience thinning. “And I hate being interrupted by people who can’t justify their presence. So, tell me why you’re here and get the hell out.”
Detective Smith hesitated, then placed a document on my desk. A search warrant. I didn’t touch it. My eyes skimmed the bolded text as he continued.
“We’re here because a woman named Avery has filed a report against you,” he explained. “She claims you kidnapped her and that you’re a dangerous man.”
I let out a low humorless laugh. “And you came running like headless chickens just because someone said something? I wonder why taxpayers‘ money is wasted on officers like you. If it were up to me, you’d all be jobless.”
Smith leaned forward, planting a hand flat on my desk. His eyes met mine, unflinching. “Mr. Blackwood, you need to tone down the arrogance and disrespect. We’re just doing our job. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important.”
I smirked, leaning in as if suddenly intrigued. “You’ve got two minutes to do your job, then you’ll use the same door you came through to leave,” I said, gesturing lazily toward the entrance.
Smith’s face flushed red, the vein in his temple throbbing visibly.
www.ww
“The woman in question was supposed to be in our precinct for further questioning,” he pressed on, his voice tight with frustration. “But we found the police who were transporting her in a ditch. Dead. Their vehicle burned beyond recognition.”
My fingers froze midair, inches above my keyboard as I tried to resume working on my computer.
Smith didn’t miss a beat. “The interesting part,” he continued, “is that those cops were fakes. Their fingerprints didn’t match any records. The only identifying feature was the tattoo on their wrists. A tattoo of the MedixGen logo.“wrap
I maintained my composure, but internally, I was seething. Idiots. Whoever had
ad been assigned to that job deserved what they got. They should be grateful they were already dead. If they weren’t, I would’ve killed them myself.
Smith smiled smugly. “Mr. Blackwood, you seem… surprised. Did we get you on something?”
I exhaled slowly, placing my hands back on the desk. “Look here, Baldy,” I said, my voice dripping with disdain. “I’m trying not to lose my patience, but you’re pushing it. Just because someone has a tattoo of my company’s logo, you think it links a crime to me? Do you know how many people tattoo that logo because of how unique it is? If you don’t have anything concrete, get out. You’re wasting my time,”
Smith’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t back down. “Mr. Blackwood, we will leave after we’ye searched your facility and conducted our questioning.”
I picked
up the search warrant with a pen, hooked it to the clip, and tossed it into the trash without a second glance. “You’ll need more than that flimsy piece of paper to get access to my company. Do you know how much I spend on sterilizing my facilities after contamination by ‘foreign bodies‘ like yourselves?”
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Chapter 23
Smith flashed an ID card. The others followed suit. I sighed, exasperated. My thoughts circled back to Avery. I’d been too lenient–far too lenient. Whatever poor excuses why the operatives had botched their assignment, they were dead now, but that didn’t mean I’d let her slip through my grasp again. The fact that she’d managed to outmaneuver them? That wasn’t just luck. She was smarter–sharper–than I’d given her credit for. I’d underestimated her once, and that was a mistake I wouldn’t make again.
It was time to stop playing nice.
Pressing the intercom, I spoke to my secretary. “Ashley, a group of men will be leaving my office shortly. Arrange for security to assist them and cooperate fully,” Linstructed, then disconnected the call.
“Thank you for making this easy, Mr. Blackwood,” Smith said, standing tall.
“Don’t thank me yet,” I replied coldly. “If you find nothing, rest assured you’ll all be out of jobs. This is harassment. Pray you discover something to save yourselves.”
He smirked, unbothered. “I’ve heard worse.”
“Not from me,” I shot back. “I don’t deal with empty threats.”
Smith nodded and led his team out.
Once the door clicked shut behind the last officer, I snatched my phone from the desk, my fingers gripping it so tightly I felt the plastic strain beneath my hand. My voice was harsh when I barked into the receiver, “Ryan. Get here. Now.”
I couldn’t focus on work–not like that. The tension was like static in my veins, buzzing under my skin, demanding release. With a growl, I swept everything off my desk. Papers, pens, and files clattered on the floor, the noise hollow against the silence. The lamp followed, crashing to the ground in a burst of glass. Still, it wasn’t enough. My hands found the office phone, and I hurled it against the wall, relishing the crack of plastic shattering on impact.
A faint knock interrupted the chaos, the door opening as Ryan stepped in. His brows lifted as he surveyed the mess, a bemused expression crossing his face. “Jesus, Axel. What happened here? A brawl?”
I didn’t waste time with pleasantries. “You’ve got the update, right?”
He nodded, already moving to lean against the nearest unbroken surface. “The detective? Yeah, I’ve heard.”
**
“They don’t rest once they’ve got a case,” I muttered, pacing away from him. My hands flexed at my sides, aching for another outlet. “A flea, sure, but fleas have a way of multiplying. This shouldn’t have happened–not once in all these years. And now, one woman flips everything upside down.”
Ryan didn’t flinch at my tone.
My voice dropped, venom lacing my words. “Why is she not in my dungeon? Where the hell is she?”
“We’re still looking for her,” he answered.
Ispun on my heels, marching back toward my desk–or what was
left of it. “Do I have to do everything myself, Ryan?” I snapped, the weight of his indifference fueling my frustration. “You didn’t think she was important. I get it. She wasn’t. Not before. But now? Now she’s a problem I can’t ignore.”
Ryan shrugged slightly, his calm demeanor doing little to ease my fury.
“Get Ashley to find someone to clean this up,” I said, gesturing to
thew
wreckage of my office. “That’ll be all.”
Ryan nodded, stepping out without another word.
As soon as the door closed, I grabbed my phone again, this time dialing a number I hadn’t used in months. The line barely rang once before it was picked up, the voice on the other end warm and eager.
“Mr. Blackwood! To what do I owe the pleasure of this surprise call?”
I leaned back, forcing a smile into my tone. “Logan. How’s your wife?”
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5.51%
he man who held the reins as Director of National Intelligence, had a personal debt to settle with me tucked away in my pocket, courtesy of the pivotal role I’d played in his success and the fact that I was keeping his wife alive..
a favor he owed, now neatly
His voice softened immediately, gratitude pouring through the phone. “She’s doing well, thanks to you. Those drugs you provided–they’ve saved her life. We’re forever in your debt; sir
*Tm glad I could help said smoothly, letting the brief pause stay just long enough to shift the tone. “Now, there’s something I need from you.”
“Of course,” he replied without hesitation Anything”
My smile turned cold, and I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the edge of the ravaged desk. “Good. Because this time, it’s not a favor. It’s an order.”
