31: Maverick & Sanders

❝ You know we could put em all to shame, now isn't the time to play safe, isn't this the reason why you came? So baby don't you let it go to waste ❞

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The atmosphere had a wild ring to it, as if it knew something was wrong. Our group of seven silently descended the stairs as we were told to, which would lead us to the main office area of Maverick & Sanders.

An hour was spent contemplating and  discussing as to how we could spin the dice in our favor. Lilah and Neil were super helpful, and we spent quality time with them going through the documents. And we'd been lucky. We had found a good amount of loopholes.

The loan document had clearly specified the time length of two years given to Susan Jamie Rutherford to return the money. Despite that, they'd barged into her house, threatened her, destroyed her property, filed in at her work place and most importantly, physically assaulted her son. Susan had been witty enough to make a note of every thing they did and click photographs of the after math.

She'd also clicked pictures of Ray's injuries and after a few coaxing, convinced her co worker at the bar to be a witness for her. Lilah and Neil had promised to run downtown to the bar and try to extract the CCTV footage.

"Stop." A booming voice brought us to our senses, as a large bulky man stepped in front of us, a scowl engraved on his face. "What do y'all want?" His voice was eerily familiar, and I tried to remember where I'd heard it before.

"We're here to meet Maverick. I'm Susan, and these are my son's friends. Let us in." Susan's voice was calm and steady, but we all knew she was nervous. The strength the woman possessed was admirable.

The man's eyebrows shot up and a sneer took over his lips as he looked us all over. "Rutherford, ain't it? Aw man, returned the money back yet or do we need to do it our way?" Simon's jaw visibly clenched at that and it took Olivia's warning hand on his arm to tone him down.

Susan fished out the bundle of dollars from her bag and we watched as the man's jaw fell slack. "Make way, if you and your boss want the money." Jason mocked, as the man gulped. His walkie talkie suddenly buzzed and he walked away from us, not before giving us a tentative glance.

"Money is really everything huh?" Katie mused as Jack silently rubbed his thumb over her back. A small smile crept up my face, happy for my best friend. It was high time she really got serious with a boy. More than that, I was happy it was Jack. I trusted him with her, he would make her happy.

A sense of loneliness settled over me. Olivia was muttering something in Simon's ear as he nodded seriously. Jack and Katie were smiling and assuring each other. Jason was softly whispering about something with Susan. And here I was, standing amongst so many people yet feeling so alone. There could've been a million people around me and yet I felt so fucking lonely.

Tears welled up my eyes, Susan's words still rotating, lurking in the depths of my mind. I wasn't still in terms with what had Ray experienced when he was young.

What is grief? Who knows. What is the correct way of dealing with grief? Who knows. Everyone has their own way. Everyone defines their own way of dealing with pain. I couldn't really blame Susan for grieving the way she did. It was understandable. But the way she did it was wrong. But I didn't feel the pain she did. I hadn't seen Ray for 12 hours and it was killing me not knowing where he was. Susan went 12 years without her soul mate knowing that he wouldn't come back, and she would have to live the rest of her life that way. How could she do that? How wonderfully strong she was to do that.

"Y'all are allowed in. Leave your phones behind, and walk through straight for a security check. Boss will find you there." The man supplied as we kept our phones in the plastic box he provided. "That way." He pointed to the dark corridor. Jason led us through, and soon we found ourselves amongst one woman and one man who stood with metal detectors and masks.

"Stand straight. We'll be checking if you're armed. And if you are, best believe you won't be going out alive." The woman who was covered from head to toe with tattoos said and smirked. After the security check, we were led through a door which brought us in a wide room, centralized AC room, which was decorated with leather couches and a huge desk.

"Wait here. Boss man will come soon." The man said and they left us.

"Well, doesn't it smell rich here?" Jack mused and we all nodded in affirmative. Golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, sleek black and white interior furnished the entire room, and the leather couches were the most comfortable ones I'd ever sat on.

"Yeah well, when you coax people into giving their money by illegal methods and trade drugs, bills ain't a problem." Jason evil laughed.

"Susan." A deep voice that sent shivers down my spine spoke up and we all turned around to see Richy Maverick, a bulky man in his late forties, adorning a stereotypical all-black outfit with more than three gold chains around his neck. A Rolex sat on his wrist, and there was no space left for anything on his fingers which were decorated by Gothic rings, also gold plated.

"Maverick." Susan coldly greeted, as we all stood around her protectively. Richy raised an eyebrow at our movements, and a smirk fell upon his lips—that evil kind, where you just know he's found this whole thing amusing and very stupid.

"Ah, I see, got an army behind you now, is it?" We all huddled closer, defying him with stares which we could only hope that came out convincing. No matter how confident we felt, we were in his office, amongst his people, and talking to him—who happened to be the biggest underground drug supplier.

"Where's my son?" Something flashed across his eyes at that, and he sighed, as if he was tired with this conversation, and walked around us to sit on his chair. Swinging his legs over the table, he cocked his neck towards us, his face now completely blank.

"How would I know that?" The lack of expression gave away more than he knew.

Susan hastily took out the wad of notes, as surprise flashed across Maverick's eyes. "Here's your money. Tell me where my son is or things will not be good for you, bastard." For a second, he looked at the money quietly, before a loud laugh escaped his mouth.

"Am I dreaming? Poor Mrs Rutherford paying me back? Oh my god." He continued to laugh, as Susan clenched her fists tightly.

"You want the money? Then tell us where our friend is. We didn't come here to dilly dally and talk about each other's lives. Chop chop, sir." As soon as the words left Simon's mouth, the blank, uninterested expression on his face switched to a snarl.

"Yeah sick fuck, you don't get to talk to me like that. Hand over the money and leave, before I mark your bodies with the fists of my men. Susan." His hand etched forward, palm open, as he raised a brow at her. "The money." He was almost growling.

"Not yet. Give us a document that we've paid you back. Sign it and then she'll give you the money." Katie calmly stated, as he sneered.

"Ain't been the one to be legal. I'm asking y'all once again; hand over the money or get your asses beaten. I won't differentiate between man and woman then." A shiver ran through me and I gulped, nudging Jason as he squeezed my shoulder assuringly.

"You beat my son, take him captive, and expect me to just give you the money like that? Tell me where he is. I haven't come here unprepared, Richy. You know the document that you gave me? The one where it was specified that I would be given 2 years to return the money? Well your men barged into my house, my work place, injured my son. I have documented and taken pictures of everything and currently, at the moment, there are two lawyers taking statements of the witnesses and on their way to the police." Susan exploded, as Maverick's face paled.

"It would be in your and our best interest to take the money, give us a document and tell us where the fuck our friend is. You don't want to test us, Maverick." Olivia sneered, as we all stood our stance.

"Well, I have no other option now, do I? Guess the Rutherford's finally got all smart huh?" He moved across the table and pulled out a file from the shelf. After removing a paper, he signed below it and pushed it towards us. "The money, now."

"Not so fast, boss man." Jack took the sheet and read it, cross checking every thing and every minuscule detail. We wouldn't want him cheating us again. "Yeah, it's legit. Give him the money."

Susan threw the bundle on the table and Richy immediately started counting it. "Now, where's my son?" He didn't stop counting the money, but peered at us, an evil smile taking over his lips.

"Leave, if you don't want to face what happened to your son. I don't differentiate between man and woman, Susan. You very well know that." My blood froze. He had harmed Ray. He did something to him.

"Where's he?" I quietly questioned, as every eye turned to me. I'd been quiet all this while, but this very well was my last straw. "What did you do to him?"

"Ray's chick, ain't you? Seen you around town with him. Your father home yet? Or did he die at the war field?" I lunged forward to hit the shit out of him but Jason held me back.

"Just tell us where he is, and we'll leave. Police might just be on their way here." Katie said, as Richy's eyes dangerously glimmered.

"See, I go down, you go down. As simple as that missus. Y'all aint going out of here, we might just use you as rat bait to get outta here. How's that sound?" And with that, he rung a bell, his men flooding immediately from the door. Guns sitting in their hands, all had a passive expression, as if silently waiting for their boss to give them orders. Richy stood up, pacing around the room, all while the evil smile stayed on his face.

"Never underestimate me, kids. Y'all should've never come here. And your son? He'll get what he deserves for ratting me and my business out to the police." Confusion ran through us as we all looking at him abashed. "Oh great, y'all didn't know? Well, well, well, isn't this quite a drama show?"

"Richy, what's the matter?" A whisper of a voice sounded from behind us and we all turned to face Evan Sanders. He came forwards and hugged Richy, eyeing us skeptically. He was shorter than Richy, leaner and a lot less bulkier. Muscles rippled through his t-shirt, as he scratched his beard.

"The infamous Ray Rutherford's mother and his friends. They came to return the money they borrowed but started acting all smart. Called the police on us. I was just letting them know how they ain't escaping this." Evan's eyes flitted across us, but stayed a tad bit more on my face. My gut said I'd seen him before, but I didn't remember when. His voice was what I had definitely heard when I was little. But where?

"Ashton's daughter? What the hell are you doing here?" Curiosity, anger and something like gentleness flashed across his face, as everyone cast confused glances at me.

"Do I know you?"

"You know the doc's kid?"

Richy and I asked at the same time as Evan sighed, pushing his hands in the depths of his pockets. "I—no, I just, I knew her dad." Richy searched Evan's face for a while and then something very much like realization flashed across his face, his features coating with pain. He blanketed it as fast as it came though.

"Evan, they have proof against us. We need them to get outta the town for a while. I know what he means to you, but you gotta think about everything." Questions flooded my mind and I was just about to ask them, but a loud bang startled all of us.

"Boss man! He ran away!" Richy's walkie talkie shouted, as frustration covered Richy's features.

"Useless jerks! All of 'em!" His eyes turned to us, and now, they were steel. Ice cold. Metal hard. "Tie em up. Hold them hostage. We have no other option." The men advanced towards us and Evan eyed us with pity in his eyes. They were just about to hold us in place when a loud voice shouted from behind us.

"Mom? June? Guys? What the hell are you doing over here?"

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How'd y'all like this chap? How do you think Sanders knows June and her father? Also, thank you for all the support on this book! We're close to 40K reads and I can't be more humbled by that <3

Also, go check out my new book "Tightrope" and add it to your libraries! I'll start updating it after I finish Irresistible! This new book of mine is a tad bit better than Irresistible, because I grew as a writer, is all. Hope y'all support me there as well !!!