Prologue

“You have no idea how it pains me to have to do this.”

Alvin was lying.

Keith knew this.

Alvin got off on this kind of shit. If Alvin wasn’t a piece of white trash from the East Side of Rockford, Keith imagined Alvin would be a Mob enforcer if he’d ever had the good fortune to be recruited by the Mob. However, Alvin didn’t have the class or discipline to ever catch the Mob’s eye, so Alvin’s success was his own. Small in comparison, but his own, nonetheless.

Another boot to the back had Keith scrambling to protect whatever part of his body he could. Were they going to kill him? He wasn’t sure. But he wouldn’t be surprised if they did.

Thirty-thousand dollars was a lot of money.

But had that goddamn jockey not pulled the reins too soon, Keith wouldn’t be in this mess. He would have cashed in and been able to get even. He even would have been able to pay Devi back all the money she’s lent him over the years.

Instead, he was facing down Alvin, and even if they did let him live, it wasn’t like he had the money to pay him back. His job as a freelance mechanic didn’t bring in that kind of money. Neither did Devi’s waitressing job.

“I just can’t keep letting you slide, Keith,” Alvin said, his voice finding its way through the sounds of kicks and punches, coughing and bones breaking. “It sets a bad precedence.” Another kick to the back. “You understand, right?”

Keith couldn’t say much through the pain, but even if he could, what was there to say? Alvin didn’t lend his money behind a professional desk in a legitimate office building. No. Alvin lent his money from his office located in the back of an electronics store.

Suddenly, everything stopped. However, it wasn’t a reprieve. Keith knew better. This wasn’t the first time he’s been in this situation with Alvin, so he knew better.

Fingers fisting in his hair, Keith’s head was jerked upward, blood splashing outward with the motion. Only one eye was capable of opening enough to focus, and Keith’s one blue eye was met with Alvin’s face, staring down at him.

“Since you’re one of my most loyal customers, I’m going to give you three weeks, Keith,” Alvin told him generously. “One week for each ten, and I’ll even wait until the end of this week to start the countdown.” Alvin grinned at him. “That’s an extra two days.” Keith saw Alvin look up and around at his henchmen. “That’s rather kind of me, don’t you guys think?” There were murmurs and grumbles of agreement overhead, but Keith’s mouth was too broken up to comment.

Alvin let Keith’s head drop with a thud before standing up. “Get him up,” he ordered, and Keith could feel a pair of gigantean hands lift him to his feet. However, a chair was brought over because everyone in the room knew he wouldn’t be able to stand on his own.

Slumping into the chair, Keith was able to make out Alvin leaning against the edge of his desk, his arms crossed over his chest. Alvin wasn’t a big guy by any means, but he was an undiagnosed psychopath, and his lack of remorse is what has gotten him to where he is today.

Glancing around the room, he commanded his men to leave. “Leave us alone for a moment, gentlemen.” Keith heard the shuffling of feet, but he didn’t have to energy to look around.

The room was silent, and just like having been in this situation before, Keith’s been in this room many times before; sometimes asking for money, sometimes paying back money, and sometimes bleeding on the floor.

“I’m willing to make a deal with you, Keith,” he offered, and even through the pain of such a severe beating, Keith could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise in dread.

“Wh…wut…ind of de…eal?” Keith managed to ask.

Alvin’s ice-blue eyes speared him with a look before making his offer. An offer he believed Keith had no choice but to accept. “I’ll void your debt, Keith. I’ll wipe it completely from the books in exchange for your sister.”

Keith’s chest felt like it’d just been kicked in, and that was saying something since it had been kicked in several times tonight. “Wh…ut?”

“Three nights,” Alvin replied. “Ten-grand for each one. Or I kill you at the end of three weeks.”

If Keith could talk, he’d tell Alvin to just kill him now, and get it over with.