Ch. 4: Light Amusement

Lucien called in his right-hand man, Rocco. It didn’t surprise him when Elijah walked in with him.

Heya, boss,” Elijah greeted with a grin. He was nibbling on a toothpick from God knows where. Elijah, who never wore his tie correctly and didn’t know how to button the top two buttons of his shirt, plopped onto the expensive couch, stretching out his long legs and making himself at home.

Ignoring Elijah’s presence, Lucien turned his attention to Rocco. “Do you have what I asked for?”

Rocco nodded, placing a fat file on Lucien’s desk. “This is everything I managed to find on him. His name is Isaac North. He’s twenty-three years old, works multiple jobs, and dropped out of college.”

“Why did he drop out?”

“He had an athletic scholarship but quit after a severe incident that left his left leg injured. You have his medical files here.”

“You managed to get your hands on his medical files?” Elijah snorted but didn’t sound surprised.

Lucien flipped through the papers, stopping at the X-ray film that showed the fractured bone in his right leg.

“So that’s why he has a slight limp,” Lucien murmured to himself. “What was the cause of the incident?”

“I’m guessing it has something to do with Hound.”

“He’s involved with Hound?”

“His father was. But after he died, Isaac was left to pay back what his father owed him.”

Lucien drummed his fingers on the table.

“Send Isaac a contract and offer him a job at our company,” Lucien instructed Rocco. “If he asks how much, tell him it’s double what he makes. If he refuses, triple the money. And if he refuses again,” Lucien paused, locking eyes with Rocco.

“Quadruple the money.”

“Smart man.”

“May I ask why you’re so interested in him?”

“Yeah, I’d like to know the same,” Elijah intervened. “He’s usually not your type.”

“I don’t remember calling you to the office. Didn’t you say you were sick?”

“Yes, but poor Rocco called me and said he needed help finding information on Isaac, so of course, being the generous knight in shining armor, I decided to fight off my terrible flu and help him do the research,” Elijah explained with an air of mock heroism.

Lucien knew that it was a lie. Rocco never panicked, and even if he did, Elijah would be the last person he would call. But Elijah flashed Rocco a sly, oily grin, playfully pointing a finger gun at him with a wink.

“Don’t worry, babe, I gotchu.” Elijah assured Rocco, before turning his attention back to Lucien. “Why don’t you leave the negotiating to me? If you send Rocco, he’ll scare the kid.”

Rocco had as many facial expressions as there were shades of black.

“Fine,” Lucien said.

“As smooth as a talker as I am, how are you so sure Isaac will sign the contract?”

“He likes money, and I just so happen to be swimming in it.”

Elijah barked into laughter, shaking his head. “That’s boss for ya, so damn confident. You’ll have the boy by tomorrow morning. Right, Rocco?”

“What do you need me for?”

“You’re my partner in crime.

“Says who?”

“Oh, c’mon. You love working with me!”

“I find you quite annoying.

“Annoying is your way of saying how utterly in love you are with me. Ain’t that right, boss?”

---

“Today is your lucky day, sir! We’re hiring a young, handsome man to work at our company. Just sign here and here, and we’ll double your salary!” exclaimed the strange blond man, sliding a paper across the counter. Isaac narrowed his eyes at the unexpected proposition.

“Sir, this is a convenience store. If you aren’t going to buy anything, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” Isaac replied, pushing the paper back.

“A pen, you say?” Elijah interjected, rummaging through his pockets. “Hey, Rocco, do you have a pen?”

Rocco, standing beside Elijah, handed him a pen. Rocco appeared more intimidating than the handsome blond stranger, and Isaac couldn’t help but notice the bulging muscles that stretched the fabric of Rocco’s shirt, as well as the pocket knife hanging from his belt. These men looked like bad news.

“I’m not interested,” Isaac repeated, refusing to sign their sketchy contract.

“We’ll pay you double,” the blond insisted, waving two fingers in his face. Rocco held back a sigh, wondering if this was the great negotiating skills Elijah was boasting about yesterday.

“No, thank you,” Isaac replied coldly.

“We’ll pay you triple,” the blond bargained, trying to sweeten the deal.

“I’m sure someone across the street would be happy to sign it.”

Elijah leaned his elbow against the counter, peering up at Isaac through his darkly tinted glasses. He dropped the smile and spoke in a low tone.

“Look, kid. Sign the paper while we ask nicely. The boss won’t be happy if we return empty-handed, and there’s nothing worse than when the boss is in a bad mood. When he wants something, he gets it.” Elijah smiled again and pushed away from the counter, returning to his carefree self.

Boss? Who is his boss? And why is he interested in me? Did they work for Hound? The unsettling questions raced through Isaac’s mind.

“So, are you going to sign the paper?” Elijah queried.

But Isaac had the feeling he wasn’t giving Isaac a choice.

“You can send my gratitude to your boss, but I’ll have to refuse.”

Elijah and Rocco shared a look.

“Plan B?” Rocco sighed.

“Plan B,” Elijah grinned.

In the blink of an eye, Elijah jumped over the counter like a lynx, twisting Isaac’s arm behind his back and slamming him against the counter. Isaac tried to fight back but cried in pain when Elijah tightened his grip. Damn it, he’s stronger than he looks. Isaac stomped on his foot, and Elijah hissed in pain. His grip loosened, and Isaac reached for the gun under the counter until he felt something sharp press against his back.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Rocco warned, his thick voice slicing through his ears. Isaac’s eyes widened. How did he get behind me so quickly?!

Isaac’s eyes flickered to the security cameras, but Rocco moved with lightning speed, grabbing Isaac’s gun and firing a series of shots with terrifying aim. In a matter of seconds, all four cameras were broken, their shattered lenses rendering them utterly useless. Isaac’s lips fell apart in stunned disbelief.

“Show off,” Elijah muttered, wandering off and plucking a soda can from the fridge. He cracked it open and took a sip, dumping the rest of it on the computer. The screen glitched and died, wiping the footage with it. Isaac stared at the two men, wide-eyed. These weren’t ordinary people.

“What do you want with me?!” Isaac demanded.

“Like I said, our boss wants you,” Elijah repeated, crushing the can and tossing it over his shoulder.

“If he’s so interested, why doesn’t he come here himself?”

“He’s a busy man.” He winked. Elijah glanced at his nonexistent watch and chirped, “Oh, look at the time! We have another meeting soon. Rocco, quick! Do your thing.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” he muttered dryly.

Rocco aimed his gun at the windows and fired. The sound of gunshots filled the air as each bullet tore through the glass, causing Isaac to flinch involuntarily. The once pristine windows shattered into thousands of shards, littering the floor with sharp fragments. Isaac’s blood ran cold as he stared in horror at the destruction unfolding before him.

“You’ll have to pay for the damage,” Elijah informed him.

“That wasn’t my fault!” Isaac bellowed.

“With what proof?”

Isaac’s heart dropped. They had destroyed the security cameras, leaving him with no evidence to defend himself. Isaac hardly had enough money to pay back his debt and make ends meet, let alone, pay for property damage.

“Or,” Elijah stretched. “we’ll be generous and pay the repair fee with cold, hard cash.” A mischievous glint flickered in his emerald eyes. “But you’ll have to sign the contract first.”

When Isaac didn’t reply, Elijah asked tauntingly, “You don’t want more zeros on your debt, do you?”

Isaac stiffened. How did he know about his debt?

“If you don’t sign the contract, it’ll only get worse,” Elijah warned. “Not gonna?” He reached for an expensive bottle.

“I’ll sign the paper!” Isaac blurted out before Elijah could smash it. “Just don’t break anything else. Please.”

Isaac’s desperate plea made Elijah’s lips split into a wide grin. Isaac picked up the pen with trembling hands. He tried to read the contract, but he couldn’t focus. Before the tip could touch the paper, Elijah’s phone rang.

“It’s the boss,” Elijah announced, answering the call. After a brief pause, he spoke into the phone. “Hm? You want to speak to him?” He handed Isaac the phone. “The boss wants you.”

Hesitant at first, Isaac took the phone.

“Hello, Isaac,” came the rich, deep voice on the other end of the line.

Isaac’s breath caught in his throat. “Lucien?” he whispered, feeling his heart pound harder against his chest.

“I’m glad you remember me.”

Isaac could almost hear the smile in his voice. He felt his stomach flutter in ways it shouldn’t.

“Are you the one who sent these men?” he demanded angrily.

“Elijah and Rocco? Yes,” Lucien confirmed, his tone betraying no hint of remorse. “I would have preferred to see you myself. We might have even been able to pick up where we left off.” Isaac’s face flushed crimson at Lucien’s suggestive words. “But I had some business to take care of. Did they offer you the contract?”

“I’m not working for you,” Isaac blurted sharply.

“Does the salary not meet your expectations? We can negotiate whatever fits your needs.”

“I’m not a whore for money.”

A low chuckle echoed through the phone. “We’re all a whore for something.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t need you,” he growled.

There was a short pause.

“I see,” he hummed. “Will you put Rocco on the phone? The tall one.”

Wait, it’s that easy? Is he really letting me go?

Isaac glanced at Rocco and handed him the phone. He couldn’t hear what Lucien was saying, but Rocco nodded.

“Understood, boss.”

He hung up and Isaac felt slightly disappointed. Would he get to hear Lucien’s voice again? Wait, what am I thinking? He’s a dangerous man. I shouldn’t get involved with him.

“Elijah, we’re heading back,” Rocco declared.

“What? But the fun just started!” Elijah sulked.

“Boss’ orders. He’s upset.”

Elijah’s brows shot up, but the message was heard, and he put the bottle down.

Upset? Isaac thought. Lucien sounded far from upset when he spoke with him.

Rocco put the gun back under the counter. He didn’t even consider Isaac a threat if he casually put a firearm within his reach. He took out a wad of cash and placed it on the counter.

“For the damage,” he said gruffly.

“We’ll see you soon,” Elijah waved.

“Soon?” Isaac scoffed, feeling his stomach twist into a knot.

Elijah smiled widely, revealing his pearly white teeth, but there was something low and serious in his tone that sent chills down Isaac’s spine.

“Didn’t we tell you? When the boss wants something, he gets it. No matter what.”