Roman smirked at LA Knight sitting across from him tied to a chair. LA's face didn't look good after Roman had painted it red with his knuckles. Still LA refused to talk. Roman grabbed a bowl of grapes and tossed one in his mouth.
"Last chance," Roman said.
"Fuck you," LA said.
Roman looked over at Jezebel standing next to the fireplace in the room. He tossed another grape in his mouth and nodded at her. She walked up to stand behind LA. LA turned his head and looked up at the piercing green eyes that stared down at him.
"What is she gonna do that you haven't already done?" LA asked.
"Have you ever heard of Jezebel?" Roman asked.
"She's a myth," LA said.
"Is she?" Roman asked.
Jezebel took off her gloves and placed her hands on LA's head. LA started shouting and tried to move his head out of her grip but she kept holding on. Roman watched in awe as Jezebel did her thing. He could never get tired of seeing her work. She was a mystery no one could explain but she was his mystery to use. She let go of LA and Roman looked at the other man again. Tears were running down LA's cheeks and blending in with his blood.
"The money is in his grandfather's attic," Jezebel said.
"Tadaa!" Roman laughed.
LA sniffled and looked back up at Roman.
"Why didn't you just use her to begin with?" LA asked.
"And miss out on the fun of beating you up?" Roman asked.
Jezebel put her gloves back on, turned around, and walked back to the fireplace. Roman watched her long, black hair. It went to her knees. He wondered if she had ever had a haircut in her entire life. No one could touch her with the power she possessed and he wouldn't be surprised if that meant her hair too. He stood up, stepped closer to LA, and placed his hand on the other man's shoulder.
"I gave you a choice, LA. To tell me or not. You chose not to. Since I had to force it out of you, there will be consequences," Roman said.
"Don't hurt my grandfather," LA begged. "Please, Roman. He has no part in this. He doesn't even know the money is there."
"You should have thought about that before," Roman said.
"Please!" LA screamed. "Don't hurt him!"
Roman snapped his fingers at his cousin Jimmy. Jimmy ran up behind LA, placed a rope around LA's throat, and tightened it. They all watched while LA struggled for nearly a minute before he finally gave up the fight.
"Get rid of his body," Roman said.
"You got it," Jimmy said.
"Jey?" Roman asked.
"Yeah?" Jey asked.
"Visit his grandfather and find my money. Leave no witnesses," Roman said.
Jey nodded and walked out of the room. Roman looked towards the fireplace and saw Jezebel hadn't even bothered to turn around to look at the whole mess. He walked down to stand next to her and felt the warmth from the fire.
"Thank you," he said.
"Just doing my job," she said.
"You're one of a kind," he said.
"I'd like to think there's others like me out there," she said.
"That's a scary thought," he chuckled.
He looked over his shoulder and saw Jimmy carry LA's corpse out of there. He turned his head back and stared at the flames. He truly believed Jezebel was one of a kind. She came with powers no one could explain. She didn't even know herself why she had them. Her younger brother Austin Theory didn't have any powers. He was just a normal criminal that worked for Roman, and he had brought his sister in to work for him too.
"I'm bringing in someone special tomorrow. I need you to make sure she has pure intentions," he said.
"She?" She asked.
"I've been seeing her for a little while. My lifestyle isn't exactly one you just throw out there on a first date, and I always have to be one step ahead to make sure whoever I fall in love with isn't a plant by someone wanting to take me down," he said.
She finally turned her head and stared at him with those piercing green eyes. He always wondered what went on behind those eyes. She roamed inside the minds of many people but no one ever got inside hers. He wasn't even sure if Austin knew everything his big sister was thinking about. They shared a troubled past. One that Roman didn't know any details about. He had seen the pain in both of their eyes when he asked but they had refused to talk about it. He respected that. Their past didn't matter as long as they did a good job for him, and so far he had zero complaints about the siblings.
"I'm falling for her," he said.
"What will happen to her if she doesn't feel the same?" She asked.
"That all depends on the situation," he said. "If she's a plant, she'll be punished in a way that will send a message throughout the entire underground."
"What if she's a normal woman who simply isn't feeling the same?" She asked.
"Does it matter?" He asked.
She kept staring at him and he felt uncomfortable. He swallowed nervously and turned his eyes to the flames again. He was well aware what she could do if she wanted to but he also knew she wasn't stupid enough to try. She needed him. She had nowhere to go and no one to turn to but her brother, and her brother seemed clueless about most things in life. They both needed him to get a roof over their heads and food on the table everyday. They knew their place.
"She's coming for dinner tomorrow," he said. "I better go see how the twins are doing with their tasks. I don't need your help anymore today. Find your brother and take the day off together. You've earned it."