Chapter 5
“This is where the scary people come to talk about scary things,” she said quietly.
Rossetti sat across from her. “Yes. And you walked into my territory in the rain to ask the scariest person you know for help.” He folded his hands on the table. “So tell me everything. And maybe I’ll do something about it.”
Elena took a breath so deep it seemed to pull air from the entire room. Then she placed the puppy on the table between them. The animal’s paws slipped on the polished wood before finding purchase, settling into a sitting position. It looked at Rossetti with complete, unwarranted trust.
“I’m giving him to you,” Elena said. “Forever. That’s the payment. You give someone something and you don’t get it back.”
Around the table, four of the most dangerous men in the district went completely still.
“That’s your offer?” Rossetti asked. “A puppy?”
Elena’s chin trembled. She pressed her fist against her mouth, forcing the sob back down. When she spoke again, her voice was barely a whisper.
“It’s all I have.”
The silence in the room stretched like rubber about to snap.
May you like
Rossetti looked at the puppy. Then at the girl. Then at the puppy again. The animal yawned, showing tiny needle teeth and a pink tongue, and wagged its tail once. Hopeful. Completely unaware that it had just been traded as collateral in a negotiation with a man who had killed with his bare hands.
""When did they take her?"" Rossetti asked.
