: Chapter 50
The Perfect Fit
I wait for the man in front of me to get his latte, then join him at his table when he sits down.
He frowns at me, his eyes darting around the nearly empty coffee shop. âUh, can I help you?â
âEvery day for the past two weeks, Iâve had a package sent to my office at WXZ buildings.â
He shrugs. âYeah, so?â
âAnd every day, someone other than Lily Sloane delivers it. Can you tell me why that is?â
He bristles. âYou get your parcel on time, right? Whatâs your problem?â
âYou see â¦â I run a hand over my jaw. âI donât give a fuck about the parcel. I want Lily to deliver it.â
âYou think thatâs likely to happen now, you sicko?â
âI admire you for protecting her, Craig. I want to protect her too.â I lean forward and lower my voice like Iâm letting him in on a secret. âYou see, Lily is my girl, and I need her to deliver all of my packages from here on out.â
âAnd just who the fuck are you?â
âWest Archer.â The corners of my lips curve upward. âYouâve heard of me, yeah?â
He rolls his eyes. Everyone in this city knows my name. âWhat the hell do you want with a sweet young kid like Lily?â
I glare at him. Sheâs not a kid. âHave her deliver all my packages, Craig.â
âNot a chance, you sick fuck.â
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and then level him with a look. âI assure you that she is in no danger where Iâm concerned. I just want to check in with her.â
He snorts.
Looks like I need to play dirty. âAnd if you donât want me to check in with my friends at the IRS and tell them about all the deliveries you do off the booksââI pause and watch the blood drain from his faceââyouâll have Lily deliver my packages. Am I making myself clear?â
He looks away, his teeth grinding together, but he eventually nods.
âIâm gonna need you to use your words, Craig.â
âYes,â he spits.
âGood boy.â Thereâs a smile on my face as I leave the coffee shop. All I need is to spend some time with her and make her see how sorry we all are. How much we miss her. I can fix all of this, I know I can. If I can just get her to listen to me.