The pickpocket and the billionaire

Chapter 14 - part 2

Chapter 14 - part 2

Sebastian Holt

The day had just started, and I had barely done anything else but run around the house. When I entered her old room, I found Paige looking around attentively.

“And?” I asked, staring at her profile. She rolled her tongue over her teeth and cocked her head to the side.

“It’s definitely Shawn, but I can’t prove it to you. There is no tangible evidence.” She told me. While she spoke as if this was normal, I was confused.

“Who is Shawn?” I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral, but failing. He better not be an ex-boyfriend. She tensed and started looking around innocently.

“He is a bit of a gang leader.” She said it as if he was an accountant or a gardener; a normal profession. “And when my father died and I ended up running away, because I didn’t want to go to an orphanage, I met him and he took me in. He’s kind of the reason why I survived on the streets, but he’s also a huge asshole.” I ran my hand down my face tiredly.

“You’re kidding me right?” I asked rhetorically. Why was it that she knew such a dangerous person? She grinned sheepishly. “And how do you know it’s him?” I decided not to dwell too much on how she knew him and on how angry I was that she mingled with the wrong crowd.

“Well, he occupies himself with a lot of different- er… things.” She chose her words carefully. “I didn’t see him all that often, but sometimes I heard him talking business. He has a variety of methods. This-“ She gestured to the room around her. “This is an invitation or a bait of some sort. He wants to talk.”

“This is his way of inviting you for a chat?” I tried my hardest to keep my voice down, but failed. She rolled her eyes, irritated. “This looks like he was out to get you.” This time I was the one who gestured to the mess around us. She immediately shook her head, and all traces of humour had disappeared. Paige crossed her arms in front of her chest and shot me a defiant look.

“That’s because you don’t know anything about that world.” She told me. I pursed my lips with annoyance.

“How am I supposed to know? I didn’t grow up in a gutter.” I reasoned. She rolled her eyes at me.

“That’s exactly my point.” She said, triumphant. I shot her a dry look.

“So he wants to talk?” I asked, getting back on the subject. She nodded.

“But you’re not going to, right?” I asked, and unconsciously took a threatening step forward, because I was not allowing her to meet up with a criminal.

“Of course I’m going.” She said lightly, like it was no fucking big deal. “How else would I know what he wants?”

“Are you fucking crazy?” I found myself nearly yelling. “You are not going to talk to him. He’s probably going to kill you or sell you on the black market or something.” I growled.

She raised an eyebrow at me. “Actually, that’s what will happen when I don’t go to him. This is a warning. I’ve seen it before. Ignore a warning and you’re dead within twenty-four hours.” And we couldn’t have that happening.

“We’ll just send the cops.” I reasoned, running my hand through my hair. I started to pace. The way she looked at me made me feel like an ignorant child.

“And tell them what? I told you we have no evidence! And even if we did, he is part of big network. He goes to jail and his back-up comes after me. And I’d rather deal with someone I know than someone new, so no thank you.” She argued heatedly. I stopped pacing and faced her again.