Jerome sat with legs wide apart in the normal male pose. He was bent forward, elbow resting on his leg, and his chin on his hand.
He shot her a look of apology as she stepped protectively behind the waist-high counter of her kitchen. “What do you two want?” Suspiciously, she noted the tension in the air. This wasn’t some nice-to-see-you-and-say-hi visit. She could smell the blood in the air already, making her hair stand on end.
“Well,” Devon began to casually wave around his firearm.
“Don’t you fucking point that at me,” Amber snapped at him, showing her aggravation with his presence.
He stiffened in response, glowering at her with disapproval. “As I was going to say,” he growled. “Your little brother here likes to bite off more than he can chew.”
“What does this have to do with me?” She spat at him, looking at her brother who seemed to sink into the couch even further than he already was. His dark brown eyes registered fear and sweat beaded his brow.
“What did you do?” She looked at her adopted brother who shrugged.
“Ah, you see…about that,” Devon snarled, and then raised a brow. “Your brother is no longer allowed to talk until we’ve finished our sweet little deal.”
She crossed her arms, setting her purse down on the counter. “What the hell did you do, Jerome?” Her demands lashed out at harshly.
Devon left his comfy little spot next to her brother and settled a few feet away from her.
This she wasn’t comfortable with at all. She balled her fists and clutched once more at her purse. “What do you want, Devon? I don’t have any drugs hidden around for you to steal. I got over that remember? I’m clean and have been for years now.”
Her teenage years were filled with memories she’d rather forget. Being a foster child in the system had its great disadvantages.
“Jerome tells me you’ve turned into a rich bitch recently. By the looks of that huge rock on your finger, the rumors must be true.” He pointed the gun towards her hand.
Self-consciously, she tucked her hand away out of sight. “That’s none of your business,” she murmured, fear gripping her heart as she realized where he was headed.
“Seems to me that you have some access to a bit of money now,” he cocked his head back. “And your brother here seems to have lost a decent sum of product that he owes me. Isn’t that right, Jerome?” He looked over at her brother.
Jerome’s shame stricken face only confirmed things.
Devon laughed wickedly, puffing out his chest. “Seems to me that I should put a bullet in his chest to make us even,” he said, nonchalantly gesturing to the weapon in his hand. “After all, I ain’t gettin’ killed over his stupid mistakes. The boss needs something to show and I’m responsible for his sorry ass.”
Her blood froze in her veins, her palms grew clammy, and a dead weight seemed to drop inside her. “If you’re looking for money to cover your ass, I don’t have any.” Her eyes darted to her brother, who now stared at her pleadingly.
Devon growled, his tone growing aggravated by her revelation. “I saw you drive that nice little Mercedes up the street a ways. I wonder where you got that from. Must be worth a good penny,” he prodded.
And this was why she was afraid of him. He was ruthless and didn’t stop until getting what he wanted. Whether he would really shoot her brother, she wasn’t sure. But she wouldn’t completely put it past him.
“So, I get you your money and you leave us alone for good,” she bargained, hoping that she could find some way out of this mess.
Leaning forward, he whispered. “Tell you what,” he pulled out a pack of Marlboro Black’s, flipped open the package, and let the cigarette dangle loosely from his mouth.
After lighting it he continued. “You get your charming, fancy white prince to write me a nice little check for one million dollars and I will keep my bullets in the chamber far away from any of your family.”
Her eyes almost popped out of her chest as the sum hit her in the face. One million dollars was more money than she’d ever seen in a lifetime. How could he demand so much?
Noticing her surprise, he offhandedly slurred with the cigarette in his mouth. “He can afford it,” he puffed rudely in her face. “He’s loaded. Full background check on your man suggests he has well over a billion dollars just in assets and the bank. I’m sure you knew that by now.”
She coughed as the smoke burned her lungs. “How do you know this?” Her brows furrowed as she waved the air in front of her.
“If I was you,” he muttered. “I wouldn’t be concerning myself with no problems that ain’t your business.” He studied her momentarily. “You’ve got one week. Make it snappy.”