Chapter 4
A series of deafening bangs rang out, followed by a sickening thud as the car sagged heavily to the ground.
Brenda let out a piercing scream that seemed to scrape the sky.
Marcus’s brow furrowed tightly. He shoved open the car door and stepped out.
The sight before him made his jaw clench.
All four wheels had been blasted off, rolling away in clouds of smoke.
The once–pristine luxury car now lay gutted, a lifeless heap on the pavement.
A small boy, barely reaching Marcus’s waist, stood masked and defiant in front of Brenda, radiating pint–sized
bravado.
I’m new in town, so I’ll let you off easy this time. But if you ever mess with my brother again, you’ll see what I’m really capable of. Ugly. Old. Mean. Hmph!”
Marcus was floored.
He thought, “Who is this kid, strutting around with such arrogance at his age? Where does he get the nerve?
This kid is what–five? Six? And he’s already this arrogant? Who gave him that kind of confidence?
And this is him letting it off easy? What would he do if he didn’t?
Whose wild little brat is this?”
The boy clearly had no idea that he’d just crossed someone he really shouldn’t have. After throwing down his warning, he turned around with his little chin lifted high, planning to strut off in triumph.
But before he could take another step, a hand snagged the back of his collar, lifting him clean off the ground.
acob’s brows knitted as he kicked his little legs, shouting, “Hey! Who’s that? Let me go!”
Marcus’s face was a storm cloud as he spun Jacob around to face him.
How dare you pull a stunt like this?” His voice was calm but carried a chilling edge.
I… Jacob, still masked, froze mid–sentence.
He thought, “Whoa, this guy looks just like me and my brothers!
He’s like a grown–up version of us!
“Could he be… our dad? The one who made us but never stuck around?
“But wait, Mommy said our dad passed away young, struck down by illness.
“Nah, must just be a lookalike.”
Jacob’s long lashes fluttered as he blinked, then he puffed out his chest.
“Since you look like my dad, I’ll cut you some slack. Put me down right now, or I won’t be so nice. I’m warning you, when I get mad, I’m terrifying!”
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He bared his teeth at Marcus and made a goofy face, thinking he’d scare him off.
Marcus’s expression grew even colder, his eyes narrowing with disdain.
He was starting to really dislike this kid.
If it weren’t for the striking resemblance between the boy’s exposed eyes and those of his own son, Casper Gonzalez, which softened his heart just a fraction, he’d have called the cops already.
“Do you realize what you did today is against the law?” Marcus asked, his tone icy.
“That ugly, old, mean lady started it!” Jacob shot back.
Brenda, suddenly dragged into it, was speechless, her face flushed with fury.
She furiously cursed this little brat in her mind.
Marcus’s voice hardened. “No matter the reason, what you did was wrong.”
Jacob scowled. “You’re not my dad. Who are you to lecture me? Who even are you?”
Marcus’s patience thinned. “Where are your parents?”
He wasn’t about to argue with a child, but he wasn’t letting the parents off the hook.
This car was brand–new, costing him eight million dollars. Since it was ruined on its first day, he deserved
answers.
And those smoking wheels? They looked like they’d been taken out with precision explosives.
No
way a kid could handle something like that.
Marcus suspected someone was using this boy to target him.
For safety’s sake, he needed to get to the bottom of it..
At the mention of parents, Jacob’s bravado faltered.
Like any
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mischievous kid, he wasn’t afraid of much, but the thought of his mom finding out? That scared him. Not because she’d hit him–she never did–but because he couldn’t bear to see her sad or disappointed.
The fire in Jacob’s eyes dimmed, and he pouted.
“Go find my dad if you want. My mom’s busy and doesn’t have time for you.”
Marcus’s gaze sharpened. Fine by him; he preferred not dealing with women anyway.
“Where’s
your
dad?”
“My dad? He’s long gone. Down in hell, probably. Why don’t you go join him?”
Marcus was at a loss for words.
Brenda seized the moment to chime in.
“This kid’s got no manners! Marc, he’s practically cursing you to hell! Look at his raggedy clothes–bet he’s some poor family’s delinquent. No class at all!”
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Jacob wasn’t having it. “No manners? And you’ve got them? You’re old enough to know better, but you’re out here bullying a five–year–old! What did your mom teach you?”
Brenda nearly choked with rage at being called old.
“I’m only twenty–eight!”
“Really? Could’ve fooled me. I thought you were eighty–eight.”
“You little…”
“Shut it! Keep pushing me, and I’ll teach you a lesson your parents clearly didn’t.”
Before Brenda could retort, Jacob’s smartwatch buzzed.”
It was his mom.
He knew she must’ve come out of the restroom, noticed he was gone, and was probably worried sick.
Jacob couldn’t stand the thought of his mom being anxious. He glanced at Marcus.
“Gotta run. No time to play with you guys. Catch ya later!”
With a swift kick and a wriggle, Jacob slipped out of his jacket, leaving it dangling in Marcus’s hand.
“Keep the jacket. You’re welcome!” he called, darting off into the crowd, his small figure vanishing in a flash.
Marcus stared at the empty jacket in his hand, his face darkening further.
“Find out who that kid is,” he ordered Axell. “Track down his parents. And get someone to figure out how those wheels were blown off.”
‘On it,” Axell replied, signaling the bodyguards to head back into the train station.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
