Page 94 of Break Me

With the doors opening for early dinner reservations a little over an hour away, the kitchen staff was already hard at work, several other employees setting up the dining room. They all eyed me suspiciously, likely given my face had been all over the news the last few days.

My footsteps were heavy, the booming an effect of not only my anger but also my six-foot, four-inch, two-hundred-and-twenty-pound frame.

When I reached his door, I didn’t bother knocking, throwing it open and storming inside.

He immediately rose to his feet, a look of horror on his face. I’d never seen a man look so utterly nervous in my entire life.

If I wasn’t mistaken, he was even already sweating. Well, he should be.

“Mr. Dmitriyev. What a pleasant surprise.”

I didn’t bother offering a response other than snapping my hand around his neck, lifting the scrawny man off his feet and tossing him against the wall. He was lucky I didn’t smash and break the glass window, dangling him a half mile above the city for sheer spite.

His eyes almost immediately bulged and he clawed at my arm. As if he had a chance of escaping.

I used some control in my hold to ensure I didn’t crush his windpipe. At least right away. After taking a deep breath, I lowered my head. “Now, I’m only going to ask you once. Who the fuck hired you to take pictures?”

He wasn’t a stupid man. He’d either seen or been told about the photographs that had surfaced two days ago.

“I don’t… know what… you’re talking… about.” While he managed to choke out the words, I wasn’t going to allow him the chance to breathe normally until he gave me the truth.

“Not good enough. You’re not an idiot, Kirk, so don’t try and take me for one. Talk or this will be your last day on earth.” I squeezed my strong fingers. Now he started flailing. At least he knew I was dead serious. I’d snap his neck in a heartbeat if I didn’t get what I wanted.

“Pu-lease. I don’t…” His face was beet red.

Too bad for him.

Yet if I continued, I wouldn’t get any answers. I finally dropped him, releasing my hold and taking a step away. As soon as I did, I unbuttoned my jacket, allowing him to see the weapon in my shoulder holster. I’d started carrying again anywhere I went. It was a smart thing to do.

The sight of it added the emphasis that he needed.

He took a few seconds rubbing his neck and coughing, even stumbling around the room as if I’d almost taken the last of his air supply. Bullshit. I could make him suffer for hours if I wanted.

Moving toward his desk, I sat down on the edge, controlling my anger to give him a full minute to collect himself. “Now. Let’s begin again. You’ve seen the pictures taken inside your restaurant on the night I paid a hell of a lot of money for the private services. Enough money you could retire a wealthy man, yet you allowed someone into your restaurant with bad intent. I need to know who that was. If you provide me with that information without me needing to ask you again, then I might go easy on you. But if you do require me to repeat myself, I assure you that you won’t like how I do it.”

I allowed that to sink in for a few seconds. While I didn’t have any intention of killing him, he didn’t know that. He’d also heard about the shooting at the Papadakis warehouse given the restaurant had used them as one of their food distributors for years.

Maybe a coincidence. Maybe not.

It didn’t matter. The identity of the photographer was the only thing that did.

So for a few seconds, I just sat and waited to see what he’d do. Would he be a smart guy or would I need to at least leave him with a lasting memory of me? Time would tell and at least for today, I was a patient man.

And why?

Because no one else was allowed to fuck with Halle.

Nope.

She was mine.

Halle

“Are you okay?” Mark asked as he stuck his head into my tiny little office.

Sighing, I lifted my head from the mound of paperwork I should have tackled days ago. I sat back, drumming my pen on the desk. “I’m okay.” The truth was that I was anything but okay. In fact, I was numb. After seeing the humiliating pictures, I had no idea how I was going to show my face inside my local grocery store or Emily’s kindergarten. And the bar? I might as well quit before the shift tonight.

I’d ignored my phone just in case the godawful story had been on the news already and I knew it would be. “I’m fine.”