Page 24 of The Man I Hate

Like a scolded dog, his gaze fell to the floor. He scratched the sides of his head for a moment before looking up. “Not sure.”

Regardless of the manner in which we coerced Mica away from the pool, Samuel needed to be made aware that her departure would be permanent. I stepped in front of him and crossed my arms over my chest.

“We’re taking Mica Weinberg with us,” I said in a stern tone. “Under no circumstances will she be permitted to return to this residence. Regardless of the reasoning behind it, if she’s allowed into this home at any time in the future, my friend Jared will come back. If you speak to the police about our visit, he’ll come back. If he comes back, neither of you will live to tell the story of what happened. Is that understood?”

His eyes darted to his sister. Mine followed. After the two of them shared an awkward look, she met my gaze. Her brown eyes were filled with worry.

She nodded.

Somewhat confused as to why she was acknowledging my request instead of her brother, I alternated glances between Samuel and Sophia. They both returned worried looks. Sophia’s won the award for the most theatrical presentation.

I shifted my eyes from her to Pratt. “What the fuck’s going on here?”

He chuckled. “Looks like Sophia and Mica are bumping uglies.”

I glanced at Sophia and raised my brows. “Are you intimate with Mica?”

Her eyes shot to her brother.

“Don’t look at him,” I said in a demanding tone. “I asked you a question.”

With some hesitation, she nodded.

I didn’t care which one of them was in a relationship with Mica. All that mattered was that they understood the repercussions associated with continuing the relationship.

“In the future, if she calls, you won’t answer,” I explained. “If she sends you a text, don’t respond. In fact, blocking her number would be in your best interest.”

Repeating myself was a pet peeve. Nevertheless, making sure Sophia fully understood the severity of the punishment for any continued relationship involving Mica was critical. “Just to make sure you fully understand, I’ll repeat what I’ve already told your brother. We’re taking Mica with us. Under no circumstances will she be permitted to return. Regardless of the reasoning behind it, if you let her in this home, Jared will come back here. If you talk to the cops about our visit, he’ll come back. If he comes back, he’ll likely kill you, your brother, and anyone else that’s here. Is that understood?”

She nodded again.

I was taught to never raise my hand to a woman. After seeing the damage first-hand that a woman was willing to inflict on a US Marine, I realized in matters of my work that both sexes must receive equal treatment. Ghosts of my past often prevented me from physically coercing women to comply with our desires. Through the course of completing a mission, Pratt had no qualms treating a woman no differently than a man.

I fixed my eyes on Sophia and sharpened my gaze. “I’m going to take the tape off your mouth. If you do anything other than speak softly, you’ll regret it,” I warned. “Understood?”

She gave an eager nod.

I pulled the tape away from her mouth with a yank. “Where’s your cell phone?”

“Downstairs,” she said, her voice cracking as she spoke. “In the…I think it’s in the kitchen.”

“Describe it.”

“It’s an iPhone 10,” she replied. “It has a gold jeweled case.”

Assuming she had pictures and video footage of Mica, securing her phone and eliminating all necessary data would be an essential step in assuring neither Mica nor her father would be compromised—or blackmailed—in the future.

I motioned toward the door with my eyes. “Go get the phone, Jared.”

He returned in a moment with Sophia’s bedazzled iPhone. He tossed it to me no differently than if he was throwing me a piece of his beloved candy.

I cut the strap from Sophia’s wrists and handed her the phone. “Unlock it and delete your cloud storage,” I demanded. “Is it backed up to your laptop?”

She shook her head. “No.”

I narrowed my gaze. “If it is—”

“It’s not,” she insisted, nearly coming to tears. “I swear.”