Eddie,
You haven't answered my last few emails. What's going on? Have you heard anything about McKenzie and Jasmine? We've been searching for them for over a week. Even if she reached out to you and said she never wants to talk to me again, I just need to know that she's safe. I love her. Please. I need to know.
Eddie sat behind his desk, his gaze fixed on the screen for nearly an hour. After witnessing Richard's betrayal of Kitten, he vowed to keep Dwayne at arm's length. But, doubts lingered in his mind, questioning whether Dwayne and Richard were collaborating.
He grasped the concept that people often mask their true selves to serve their own interests. After all, wasn't he manipulating Alejandro, Yellows, and Kitten to his advantage? Kitten had endured too much already, and he was determined not to expose her to further danger.
Eddie had been acquainted with Yellows for approximately five years, and recognised him as the man who had kept Kitten alive all those years. Yellows was the sole individual he entrusted her safety to. That was until she left the bonkers unprotected by his men and he went missing leaving her in harm's way.
Eddie had also observed the ring adorning Kitten's finger and deduced that Yellows must have proposed. Eddie chuckled to himself. Why wouldn't she say yes? She was a woman desperate to be rescued, only to end up locked underground hidden like some sort of swamp creature.
Did Yellows truly expect her to refuse? To willingly place herself back in Alejandro's path again if she refused his proposal? Kitten needed to experience real love, not love based on obligation.
Now that Kitten was safe with him, he intended to keep her by his side until his plans to take down Alejandro were carried out. After years of observing from the sidelines and strategically infiltrating the gangs led by various leaders using various aliases, he was prepared to advance to the next phase.
Regarding Dwayne, Eddie felt the urgency to determine his true allegiance. He activated Dwayne's microphone on his laptop and ensured everything was recorded for future reference. Had Dwayne possessed security cameras in his residence, Eddie would have hacked into those as well.
He had already made a firm decision: if Dwayne was indeed in cahoots with Richard, he would face the consequences. His first would be losing Matteo's case.
Voices filled the room as soon as Dwayne's laptop microphone came alive.
"I can't believe you're going!" a woman's voice crackled through the microphone.
"I have no choice!" Dwayne's response came through.
"Of course you do! Call Richard! Let him go with you!" she urged.
"I can't. Leslie, I'll be ok and I'll be back soon."
Eddie heard footsteps as though someone had left the room.
"You're too good for McKenzie, Dwayne, and I'll prove it to you one way or the other," Leslie declared.
Eddie heard more footsteps, then a door closed, and then silence.
Leslie had been at Dwayne's house for a few days. He already did a background check on her: Leslie Jones, thirty-two years old, younger sister of Richard Jones, both attended the same high school. She was currently a real estate agent for Skylines Estate, owned by Matteo Leone.
Eddie also opened some pictures of her on social media and came across a few from Dwayne's and Richard's high school prom. In one, she clutched onto Dwayne's arm tightly, smiling up at him with puppy dog eyes. If Eddie had to make a guess, he'd say she had been in love with Dwayne for a long time. Amused, Eddie was willing to play the genie and help grant her wish, which would keep Dwayne away from Kitten.
From Eddie's perspective, Dwayne was all shades of wrong for Kitten. Eddie believed she needed someone who not only understood how to manipulate the justice system but also someone willing to do whatever it took to ensure her safety, even if it meant killing a few 'good men' along the way. Kitten's name would forever be tarnished in the justice system because of Alejandro. He didn't see a way for her to live a normal life in Los Angeles. Alejandro needed to be executed and she needed to move to another country.
Dwayne lacked both the manpower and resources to make this happen, as well as the knowledge of how to prevent the inevitable uprising that would occur among the younger thugs on the street once Alejandro fell. But Eddie didn't.
However, before executing Alejandro in the most heinous way imaginable, he wanted to ensure Alejandro suffered for every wrongdoing he had inflicted upon Kitten: every scar, every tear shed, and the death of Kitten's mother.
Just as he finished listening, a notification pinged on his screen, prompting him to shift his gaze from one monitor to the next. It was from Alejandro.
Malcolm,
Locate Yellows immediately! That bastard slipped through my fingers before I could finish him off. I need you to find him and Kitten. They've been fucking each other behind my back, and they need to face the consequences. These idiots around me can't seem to do anything right! Find Yellows and Kitten within the next twenty-four hours, and I'll pay you ten million dollars.
Eddie's eyes darkened and a smirk played on his lips, "Let the games begin."
Boss,
Consider it done!
If Yellows had been in Alejandro's grip, his phone would've been confiscated and he would likely have been subjected to severe beatings, explaining his inability to make contact. Fortunately, all the numbers Eddie attempted to reach Yellows with were untraceable.
Eddie understood that Yellows' men would never permit him to seek medical help no matter how badly he was beaten. They would prefer him to perish in secrecy and dispose of his body discreetly. If he had died after his escape, there would be no way for Eddie to know for sure.
A soft knock echoed at the door interrupting his thoughts.
"Come in," Eddie called out, swivelling his chair to face the door of his office.
Kitten stepped into the room, "Hi Eddie, I warmed up one of your frozen pizzas. There's still a few slices left if you're hungry," she offered softly.
"I'm okay. You and Jazzy can finish it off," Eddie replied gently. "How's she doing?" he inquired.
"She's taken her meds and is asleep and seems happy. That's all I care about, and once she's happy so am I," Kitten reassured him.
The night he rescued them, Kitten confided in him about everything that had transpired at the warehouse with her father and Richard. She hadn't been sleeping well due to her concern for Yellows. He had offered her something to help her sleep but she refused saying she needed to hear if Jasmine woke up in the middle of the night. Now, she stood in front of him with dark circles under her eyes.
He anticipated the next question hovering on her lips would be about any updates on Yellows. So, he broached the topic himself.
"I've yet to receive any updates from Yellows, but I've learned that Yellows was captured by Alejandro but managed to escape, so there is a chance that he's very much alive. He has yet to reach out to me. Alejandro has issued a ten million dollar bounty on both of you because he's aware of the affair between you and Yellows."
Eddie's heart went out to Kitten as she paled, her eyes welling up with tears. She stuttered, "H-how did he find out?"
Eddie reclined in his chair. "The priority isn't how Alejandro found out. We must locate Yellows before Alejandro does. You and Jasmine are secure here. But Kitten, you must promise me you won't leave until Alejandro is dead."
Kitten nodded as tears streamed down her cheeks. Eddie stood up, wrapping her in a tight embrace as her sobs intensified.