“I’m not leaving. You know exactly why I’m here, so cut the crap.” I snap.
“You told me to leave, and I left!” She shouts, though her voice is shaky.
“You did, but not before you got Harry arrested. I would have thought that one and a half million pounds would have you skipping on your merry way, but no. I warned you what would happen if you crossed me.” I step closer to her, invading her personal space. She smells vile, but I suck it up. “There is nowhere you can run, nowhere you can hide. Wherever you go I will find you Jane. You fucked with what’s mine. You upset Lilly, which means you upset me. I’m really not a man you want to upset.”
Her eyes meet mine, bloodshot and outlined in leathered skin. Everything about her looks worn and battered. Despite her broken demeanour, there’s still a fire in her. It’s a bitter, twisted fire, but it’s there nonetheless. “He deserved it.” She hisses.
“I don’t give a fuck what you think he does or doesn’t deserve.” I growl. “You are scum. If it were up to me I’d have Miles out there put a bullet in your head and throw you in the harbour.”
She doesn’t back down, simply meets my eyes with a scowl. “You think she’s so perfect don’t you?” She snarls.
“I think it’s a fucking miracle she’s still sane with a mother like you.”
“They left me!” She shrieks.
I sigh. “Words cannot express how little I care about your miserable little existence. You will drop the charges against Harry. I don’t want to have to kill you Jane, but I will, so please just do as I say.”
“No!” She screams. “I won’t do it.”
I lose it. I grab her by the throat and push her back until her back touches the wall. “You will fucking drop the charges!” I snarl in her face.
“I hate him!” She claws at my hand. All the years of booze have made her a bit crazy. Damn it, it would be easier to have Miles just take her out. He has guys that he can call in for that shit. I don’t know if I want Lilly’s mother’s blood on my hands though. I know she’s an awful mother, but is she really a monster? Let’s see.
“If you don’t drop the charges, then I am going to have you arrested for child abuse, and sex trafficking.” I tell her.
She narrows her eyes. “You can’t do that.” She snaps.
I bring my face closer to hers, snarling words viciously in her face as my hand tightens around her throat. “You stood back whilst your thirteen year old daughter was raped and sold into a paedophile ring, by your boyfriend. You were involved in a sex trafficking ring.” I grit my teeth so hard my teeth hurt. I don’t want to think about this or talk about this, but I need to know how much she knew of Lilly’s situation. I can’t order a hit on her without knowing everything.
“No.” She shakes her head. “You lie. She lied to you!” She screams hysterically. Her eyes are wide and frantic, a tear streams down her cheek. Rage beats at me. She has the audacity to call Lilly a liar. Fuck me. I don’t even have words to describe the disgusting life form that she is.
“No, she didn’t.” I push her away, releasing her throat. She falls to her knees and coughs.
“He wouldn’t do that. He loved me.” She cries.
“He fucking beat you.” I growl. I am so close to losing my shit.
“He didn’t mean to…” She stutters.
“Jesus, fucking listen to yourself. You are pathetic. You are a failure on every level. I’m surprised you haven’t just called it a day and topped yourself already.” I crouch down until I’m eye level with her. She looks broken, ruined and irredeemable. “You’re a poison that I will not allow to affect Lilly’s life any longer. You will drop the charges, and then you will disappear. For good.” She starts to respond. “The alternative involves a dip in the harbour, so think carefully before you answer.”
“Fine, I’ll come with you, but I’m not doing it for free Mr. Rich and powerful.” She sneers at me.
I feign an amused smile. “You say that as though you have any grounds on which to negotiate.”
“You need me to drop the charges, or he goes to jail.” I notice she never says Harry’s name. I wonder why she hates him so much. It seems like a classic case of someone trying to point the finger and impress their own failings onto someone else. She can’t accept that she drove her children away, so she blames Harry for taking Lilly, as though he is the cause of all the problems in her life.
“I don’t need anything from you. I can make this go away if you’re dead. Luckily for you I have enough of a conscience to fly all the way out here and give you an opportunity to redeem yourself. If it weren’t for that, you would have opened the door to the barrel of a gun, not me. Let’s be honest, it’s not like you have anyone around to even notice you missing, or bother to report it. It would be so fucking easy. I’m not paying you any more money. You had that option and you decided to spit in my face, now it’s my way or no way.”