Four

DEVON

I stared calmly at the petite woman who was Barry's daughter. The fire in her hazel eyes and the contrasting jitters in her fingers as she tried to force convince herself that she was doing the right thing, while dreading the fact that she was about to take a life.

My threat only served to plunge her into turmoil as the reality of her position was dawning on her. Her life was also in danger and by taking out a gun, she was already staking her life.

"It isn't too late to come to an agreement," she insisted. "I'm not asking for much. Just give me father time to sort himself out and he'll pay you your money. The poor man can't leave the house because he's too scared of getting murdered!"

"Uh, no," I declined. "If he's too scared to leave his own house then he's nothing but a coward."

"Don't you dare call my father a coward!" she yelled and cocked her gun.

I smiled as I did a once over of her.

Dressed in a simple knee-length black dress, her petite yet curvy figure shone through and made the dress look a lot better than it should be as it hugged her curves and left them in full display. Her cleavage was well covered up but the size of it was unmistakable.

Her face was... stunning.

She seemed like an angel among mortals

That angel is presently pointing a gun directly at my head and now she has cocked it.

"You know, you could save both of us some time by pulling the trigger," I sighed. "I'm a busy man, you see."

"Is it so hard to just let him get some time to rebuild and pay you back?" She asked as tears welled up in her eyes. "All I ask for is a little time. Is that too much to give? Don't you want your money?"

"Actually, no," I grinned. "Do you know anything about the mafia, honey?"

"Don't call me honey," she hissed.

"I'll educate you since you seem quite naive," I continued, ignoring her statement. "It's all about making an example. I said it already. I am at least ten times richer than your father. I don't need the money he stole. I'm making an example out of him, so that every other person who thinks of ripping me off understand what they are getting themselves into."

"And I'm telling you he didn't do it," she sobbed. "My dad wouldn't steal from anyone. I can swear it."

"Just as he can swear that his daughter wasn't pointing a gun at the boss of a mafia group right now. Do you understand, honey? You only know yourself. You can't vouch for others."

"So, you don't trust anyone?" she asked.

"This isn't about me, sweetheart," I replied. "The point is the same. I wouldn't be doing your bidding."

"Please. Just please help me" she pleaded. "Just a little time."

"You have the gun. I should be the one begging you," I chuckled. "If you're not gonna shoot then drop the gun on the table and have a civilised conversation with me. If you're gonna shoot though, don't miss."

She stared me at a loss for options. She seems to have shown all of her cards and was holding onto the last one she had in the deck.

"I am not scared of you, master Devon Finrir!" She yelled. "Even if I die here, I'll at least take you with me."

"Then shoot," he said as he calmly. "You need to understand that if you don't do it now, you might never get the chance to. I am a pretty hard man to kill, but I'm offering myself on a platter of gold."

"Just stop it!" she yelled and she let the gun drop from her hand. "I'm not a murderer like you, and I'll never be."

"That's what I thought as I strolled over to her and picked the gun from the floor. "It takes a lot of commitment and mental as well as emotional effort. You should be glad you didn't pull that trigger. We wouldn't be having this discussion."

"Will you just please let him rebuild and pay you back?"

"You're beginning to sound like a broken record, sweetheart," I sighed. "Why don't you calm down?"

I nudged her down to seat and then stared at her for a while.

"You know, you intrigue me," I smiled as I sat on the sofa beside her. "It's been a long while since anyone has dared to talk to me like you did. Not only that, you had the guts to threaten me with a gun. Just how fun is that "

"That just makes me wanna know how much more fun you can offer me if I give you a chance to help your father."

Her head perked up at that and her eyes stared expectingly at me, waiting for the details of my words.

"You heard me," I smiled. "I could afford to help you with the time you desire. A year, precisely. I am willing to let your dad do whatever he wants for a year and see how much he can pay back."

I expected her to be overwhelmed with joy at that declaration but she didn't. Instead, she stared at me with eyes full of suspicion.

"What's the catch?"

"You're no fun, are you?" I smiled. "Now, it doesn't feel as good to tell you as it would have felt."

"Would you just tell me?" she retorted. "You want something from me, don't you?"

"You are a brilliant girl," I clapped.

"Get to the point."

"My deal is quite simple," he shrugged. "Your family's fate resides in your hands now. Make a wise choice."

"What is it?"

"If you wanna give your dad a year to rebuild and pay me back, then you have to be my pet for the duration you need. That means, one year."

"What?"

"I'll repeat," I smiled. "You'll have to be my pet and plaything for a year."