chapter four
1045 Words
CHAPTER 4
Leo POV
The kid lost over twenty grand. That wasn’t a lot to us, but for someone with a regular job just trying to pay the bills, that was a big deal.
“What are you gonna do to him?” I asked.
My father sighed and shook his head.
“I can’t let him off easy. If I do, others might think they can mess up too. He came to us on his own—he knew the risks.”
My dad could be cold sometimes, but that’s how he built everything. You’re either on top, or you’re food for someone else.
Still, I doubted he’d have the kid killed. Probably. But the punishment might make the kid wish he was.
Unless his sister stepped in for him. A few broken bones would be better than what she might go through. If it were me, I’d never let my sister take the hit for something I screwed up.
I pushed thoughts of the omega and her brother aside and focused on why I came. I spent a couple hours with my dad, going over business stuff—records, plans, problems he wanted me to handle. I’d worked my way up through every part of our operation, but these days I mostly ran the club. It was great for laundering money, and also a safe spot to meet with partners.
By the time I stood up, I was ready to stretch my legs and think about something other than work. I was loyal, sure, but I didn’t want to deal with business every second of every day.
I was almost out the door when my dad stopped me.
“You get the event set for next week?”
I turned around, running through the details in my head. I’d been in charge of planning our events ever since I opened the club, and honestly, I kind of liked doing it.
“Almost done. Just a few things left to lock in. The space and staff are ready, and everyone on your invite list has been notified.”
“And you got eight decent girls? Some new faces would be good. And make sure some of them are omegas. I don’t want anyone whining that it’s just betas.”
I frowned before I could stop myself.
“Eight? I thought we agreed five was enough?”
He raised an eyebrow at my tone. I made myself relax. Didn’t matter that I was stronger now—he was still my father, and he wasn’t afraid to put me in my place if I crossed a line.
“That was before we invited more people.”
I kept from groaning. He never said we needed more girls after upping the guest list, but I should’ve known to ask. Five girls for fifteen clients was low.
“I’ll make sure we have eight,” I said.
He nodded and went back to his numbers.
He never let anyone else do the books—not even me. Keeping track of all our money took a lot of time, but he still did it himself. He wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty when he had to, but now he mostly stayed behind the scenes. He ran things with loyalty and respect, not just fear. That’s what kept our people solid.
“Take care of your crew, and they’ll take care of you,” he used to say.
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” was another favorite. That’s why we held these events—to see who showed up, who acted shady, and who might be slipping away from us.
Out front, I spotted the two guys who had walked the omega out earlier. We had plenty of regular girls who would do the event, but my dad wanted new ones. Thinking about that girl’s shy outfit reminded me of my earlier idea.
She probably wouldn’t let her brother suffer if she had another choice. I could fix both problems—and keep her from ending up somewhere worse.
I walked over. The guys nodded respectfully as I stopped.
“What can we do for you?” one asked.
I didn’t need them to treat me like my dad, but I still had pull. These were his usual guys, but what I needed wouldn’t mess with their job.
“Did either of you catch that girl’s name?”
The guy on the left smiled and looked at the other.
“Was it... Katy? No,” the other said, then his eyes lit up. “Cadence!”
“Last name?” I asked.
His face dropped. “Crap, I didn’t get it.”
Just a first name would make it harder to find her, but I wasn’t out of luck.
“What about her brother’s name?”
“Michael… Green, I think. Nicholas would know for sure.”
That was enough. I nodded and headed for my car. As I got in and pulled out, I hit the call button on the steering wheel and started explaining what I needed.
“Find me info on a Cadence Green. Early twenties. Her brother’s name is Michael.”
There was a pause while the guy worked, but it didn’t take long.
“Cadence Emily Green. Omega. Twenty-one. Graduated from Quick High almost three years ago. She’s lived at the same address just outside the city her whole life. Works two jobs—”
“Where?”
He listed them off, and my eyebrows went up. Most girls her age were in college or wasting money partying. She was putting in over 70 hours a week at two jobs. One sounded decent. The other was waitressing—not a shock.
“Send me the diner address. Anything else?” My phone pinged with a message before he answered.
“Not yet. Want me to dig deeper?”
“Yeah. Send me whatever you find. I might need leverage.”
I already had her brother’s mess to use, but it wouldn’t hurt to know more. Some people get stubborn when it comes to shady deals.
“You’ll have it in two hours.”
I smiled to myself as I drove to the club, ready to learn more about Cadence Green.
- Writer
