Protection is Best Served With Benefits: MM DDlb Romance

Chapter Sixteen

Not edited or proofread.

Griffin

Harlan pushed open the warehouse door, and I stepped inside, Kyle on my heels. Kyle reached over, turning on a light, and I whistled low at the sight of both of Max's parents. I glanced at Harlan, a grin tilting my lips. "You didn't tell me you got his mom, too."

Harlan smirked and made jazz hands. "Surprise."

I laughed quietly, moving deeper into the warehouse. "Surprise, indeed."

They really weren't much to look at. Max's father, Rogan, had a receding hairline, and his eyes were almost too sunken in—like he wasn't properly taking care of himself. He was gangly and just as thin as my boy, but at least my boy was healthy and well taken care of. This man was just a sort of dead-looking version of my boy.

Wasn't sure how I felt about that.

Max's mother, Genevieve, wasn't in much better shape. She was just as thin, her cheeks a little sunken in with sores on her face—probably from meth abuse, if I had to guess. Her blue eyes were dull and lacking life, and her long hair was matted and tangled like she hadn't bothered to take care of it in a long time.

It just made me angrier to see how weak and unkempt they were. Because with all that money they stole from my boy—and it was a fuck ton because Axel paid him extremely well—they could've at least taken better care of themselves and still paid the Italians.

"This is just fucking pitiful," I said with a heavy sigh. Rogan tried shouting something, but with the gag in his mouth, I couldn't understand it. I arched a brow at him. "What was that? I didn't quite catch it."

His face turned red as he shouted some more. My face twisted into one of mock empathy. "I'm sorry. Still difficult to understand you."

This time, Genevieve began shouting. Harlan snickered and bumped my shoulder with his. "You think they've figured out yet that we really can't understand them?"

"Guess not," I mused. "Wonder where my boy got his brains from. Clearly was not from them."

Kyle grunted. "Can we get started? I'm getting bored."

I rolled my eyes, cutting him an annoyed look. "You could've told Axel to shove his orders up his ass like you're prone to doing anyway."

He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "I wanted to be here for this one. I like Max. He's alright, and I particularly hate when parents take advantage of their kids." He moved closer, his boots crunching over the concrete flooring. Pulling his knife free from his boot, he tapped the flat side of the blade to Rogan's cheek. "Want to know a fun fact? I spent years in prison for murdering my own parents when I found my father raping my little sister. And then, I murdered my mom for allowing it to happen. What do you think we're going to do to you for financially raping your son for years?"

For the first time since we'd walked in, fear glimmered in Rogan's eyes. Reality was finally setting in. Probably didn't help he had a psychopath crouching in front of him. The way Kyle could drop his mask—the mask that made him seem human—like a switch in his brain still freaked me out.

The only morals this man had were the ones that kept him on the outside. I knew, and I was sure Axel knew as well, that Kyle only followed his orders to keep Novella near.

"Cut their gags, " I ordered. Turning on my heel, I walked toward the table, which Harlan had already lined up with tools. Grabbing a knife, I pressed the blade to my index finger, humming in approval when it sliced the skin open like butter.

It would be sharp enough to get through bone.

"You can't fucking do this! They'll come for you. They will rip you the fuck apart to get the money owed to them. You think Max is safe?!" Rogan shouted at me. "They'll be fucking coming for him, too!"

I snorted, turning to face him. Genevieve was choosing to stay silent, but she was tracking every move I made across the room as I walked back over to them. "My boy is safe. No one will ever touch him. And you think I don't have connections? People in my pockets? The Italians can come for us, but we're ready, Rogan." I pressed the blade against his cheek, slicing his skin open, my grin widening when he screamed. Blood slid down his face and neck. "But you weren't, were you, Rogan?"

"Fuck you," he snarled.

"Oh, I'm good," I assured him. "Your son fills every need I've got," I promised him. I looked at Kyle. "Think you can take care of her?"

Kyle shrugged. "Sure." He moved over to Genevieve, and a cold smirk tilted his lips as he crouched in front of her. She flinched back at the empty, predatory gleam in his eyes. "Too bad for you, I'm not sexist. Equal opportunity and all that." And with that, he cut off one of her fingers.

Rogan's face paled as she screamed, and then, he vomited all over himself. "Please no. Please. I'll cooperate. I'll help. Please—" He screamed when I dug the knife under the nail on his index finger, popping it up like a soda tab.

~*~*~

"You sure you don't want company to ride back?" Harlan asked as I toweled my hair dry. Kyle and I both had gotten very bloody while torturing Rogan and Genevieve. Getting their DNA in our personal vehicles was a no-go, so our clothes had to go and we had to shower before we could head back.

I cocked a brow at him. "Scared of riding with Kyle?"

Harlan huffed and rolled his eyes at me. "No. He's just... always so damn cold. And I'm pretty sure he hates me."

I snorted. "Kyle hates everyone, Harlan. But no, I don't want company. I want some time to myself."

He huffed. "Fiiiine," he groaned, turning on his heel. I dropped the towel into the hamper in the corner. Axel's clean-up crew would come in and take care of all this. By the time the sky turned from black to navy blue, no one would ever know someone had been there.

Grabbing my keys off the bench in the shower area, I headed out the side door, rounding the building to my car. Once I slid into the driver's seat and had my seatbelt on, I tore out of the lot, heading for the highway to hopefully burn off some of the adrenaline still pulsing through my veins.

My boy was free of his parents. Now, all we had to do was free him from the Italians, which would fall more on Axel's shoulders as the head of the family.

My phone rang, tearing me out of the comfortable headspace I'd fallen into. Sighing, I picked up my phone, answering Axel's call. "Yeah?" I grunted.

"Max woke up and asked where you are since Harlan and Kyle are already back."

Immediately, I slowed the car and headed into the next turn lane to make a U-turn. "I'm heading back now. I—Jesus fuck, can they turn their brights off?" I growled. "Can't see—"

Gunshots exploded, and then, the car with the bright ass lights slammed into the front of mine. I heard Axel bark my name, but everything went dark, and the phone slipped from my hand.