It had been two hours since Jason and Shadow had their conversation in the living room. Now both men were getting ready to head out to give the money to the Steel Consortium.Jason grabbed the keys to the Mercedes and walked out of his room. He stood in the living room, waiting for Shadow, while he absentmindedly fiddled with the keys in his hands.Nearly twenty minutes had passed, but his friend still hadn't come out. He sighed before putting the keys in his pocket and knocking on the door of the room that Shadow was in."Buddy, we have to go soon.” His voice came out in a raised tone.No answer.Jason knocked again. There was silence for a few seconds till Shadow said, “Come in.”Jason opened the door and walked into the room to find his friend fully dressed but sitting on the bed as if he had nowhere to be.With a brow raised in confusion, Jason said, “You're already dressed; why didn't you come out?” “Jason… I haven't told you the whole truth about what happened between the Consor
All three men were now inside the warehouse. Jason and Shadow stood on one side while Dmitri was crouched opposite them, inspecting the dollar bills in the duffel bag, which was now placed on the ground.Jason was still studying Dmitri, and he didn't like the way that he was taking his time to inspect the money. Shadow could feel the agitation rising inside him as he tugged on the collar of his shirt.“It's all there—five hundred thousand. I can count it if you want. Just help me get my daughter back.”Dmitri rose from his crouched position, and even though Shadow towered over him, he somehow managed to dominate the room with his presence. He stared at Shadow intensely. “We don't want the money,” he said coldly, his words hanging in the air.Both Jason and Shadow’s bodies tensed at Dnitri’s words. ”What do you mean you don't want the money?” Shadow blurted out, his tone dripping with shock and anger."Well, I meant exactly what I said,” Dmitri smiled coyly. “I discussed it with the fe
“Timothy, do you understand?” Jason said, his phone pressed to his ear and jaw set."Yes, I do, Young Master,” Timothy said hesitantly.“I'm going to need feedback as soon as possible.”"Understood, Young Master, I'll take care of it.”Jason sighed before hanging up and putting his phone in his back pocket. Jason and Shadow were now at the apartment, waiting for Dmitri to send them the address of the District Attorney, Wallace Brown.A distressed Shadow walked into the living room, his arms crossed as he slowly paced around the room, his mind racing.“What do you think Dmitri meant by Aurora being closer than I think?” he asked Jason.Jason had his suspicions about what Dmitri meant, and he was almost certain that he was right, but there was still room for doubt, and he didn't want to put any ideas in his friend’s head, knowing how rash he could be, especially when it came to Aurora. So he placed his fingers on his temple and feigned complete ignorance. “I don't know; maybe he just s
The pair was now on their way back to the penthouse, and their heads were still reeling from the events of the night. The city lights flickered in the distance as they drove through the night. Shadow’s grip on the armrest tightened with each passing moment, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and frustration.“I just don't understand why he'd set us up,” Shadow said, his tone a mix of anger and bewilderment. Jason glanced at his friend, noticing the tension etched into his features. “If I had to take a wild guess, I’d say he expected that you’d beat him up, then his wife would call the cops, and you’d get arrested,” Jason replied, his tone laced with sarcasm.“I know that, but why?” Shadow’s voice carried a hint of desperation. He looked out the window as if the answers to his questions were there.“It seems to me like Dmitri and probably other members of the Steel Consortium have it out for you,” Jason said, his voice calm yet weighed with concern.“I don't get it; I know I lost a lot
"No,” Shadow opposed firmly.“No?” Jadon’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Don't you want to know why they have it out for you?”"Yes, of course I do," Shadow said, then fixed his gaze on Jason; worry was etched into his features. “I'll go, but you stay. From here on out, I have to do this alone. The Steel Consortium is very dangerous, Jason. I can't let you keep getting entangled in their affairs. We could've gotten arrested today!”Jason shook his head and let out a small chuckle, which annoyed his friend. “You don't get it, do you? When I said we were getting her back, I meant it. My friend, I've started this with you, and I'm going to finish it,” he said, his tone resolute.The stern facade that Shadow tried to put on cracked as he heard Jason’s words. “I… I just want you to know what you're getting into. These guys have no scruples.”Jason nodded. “I know; I've dealt with a couple of conscienceless people myself,” he said.Shadow gave Jason a knowing nod, realizing that he was refe
An intense emotion flashed across Connie’s blue orbs for a split second before she replaced it with a blank stare. She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "I don't know anything about that man; I'm sorry,” she said. Jason cocked a brow in response to Connie’s feigned ignorance. “Really?”“Yes, so is there any other way that I can repay you?” she urgedJason rolled his eyes. “There’s no need to lie, Connie; I know you know who Shadow is. He needs your help.”Connie scoffed “Don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful for your help with that scumbag Gabriel,” her face twisted with anger at the mention of his name. “But you can’t force me to tell you things about a person that I don’t know, then claim that I know him without having any proof.” Her tone was resolute and firm. Without saying a word, Jason quickly reached into the front pocket of his jeans. He pulled out a small photograph and showed it to Connie. The photograph depicted Connie with a small smile on her face. Shadow stoo
Jason finally spoke after hearing everything that Connie had to say. “How did the Consortium find all of this out, if I may ask?”“Do you not believe me?” Connie cocked an eyebrow.“Don't be offended, Connie, but this is a serious accusation; I just want to confirm that it's true," Jason said calmly Connie scoffed. “Of course it's true. The boss didn't even want to believe it till he found proof to back it up.”“What proof?” Jason urged “Photos, one of our-” Connie paused immediately as if she were being controlled by a remote. “I've said too much. Listen, whether you believe me or not, that's what happened. I suppose you're doing some sort of business with him, so you're trying to find out if he's trustworthy.”“That's not exactly the case,” Jason stated. He knew that he already had Connie where he wanted her. She was a high-ranking member, yet she was talking to him about the Consortium. All he had to do was get her to tell him how those photos came about so he could confirm if hi
"Connie,” Shadow said, his voice barely above a whisper. He had been standing in front of the car, waiting for Jason to return.“Cole!” Connie exclaimed, and before she knew it, she was embracing him tightly. “Cole I'm so sorry for everything you had to go through. We-” Connie’s words came out so far that he could barely make out what she was saying.“Connie, relax; it's fine. There will be time for apologies later, but for now, we need to find a way to get my daughter back tonight," Shadow said.Connie let go of him and imported himself, dusting invisible specs of dust off of her shirt. “Sorry, you're right. Are you two absolutely sure that Dmitri has Aurora?” she asked.“Yes,” Shadow answered, then he explained everything that happened to Connie, from the day that he was sent to deliver the guns and drugs until a few moments ago, when he and Jason nearly got arrested.In turn, Connie explained how the Consortium thought that Shadow betrayed them.Shadow was dumbstruck when he heard