Chapter 62 A Bulletless Threat
"You want me to be your mistress?" Veyra said. Her voice was sweet. Mocking. "With abilities like yours? I doubt you could satisfy a woman even if she was paid."
She pressed the barrel harder.
Xander Hale’s legs buckled. He fell to his knees. His face was white. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Please," he whispered. "Please, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—"
"You didn’t mean what? To insult me? To threaten me? To invite me to be your whore?"
"I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Just—please—don’t—"
Veyra looked down at him. At the fear in his eyes. At the way his whole body trembled.
She almost felt sorry for him.
Almost, then she stepped back as she lowered the gun.
"Get up," she said.
Xander Hale stayed on his knees. His legs would not work.
"I said get up."
He scrambled to his feet. His hands were still tied behind his back. His face was still white.
Veyra looked at him for a long moment. Then she turned to Aunt Clark
"Do you have duct tape?"
Aunt Clark nodded. She disappeared into the kitchen again. She returned with a roll of silver duct tape.
Veyra took it. She tore off a strip. She walked to the first thug.
"Open your mouth," she said.
The thug glared at her. He did not open his mouth.
Veyra pressed the gun against his forehead. "I said open your mouth."
He opened his mouth.
She slapped the tape over his lips. She smoothed it down. He grunted but did not struggle.
She moved to the next thug. Then the next. Then the next.
Each one opened their mouth without argument. They had seen what happened to Xander Hale. They did not want the gun pressed anywhere sensitive.
Finally, Veyra stood in front of Xander Hale.
"Your turn," she said.
Xander Hale’s jaw was tight. His eyes were blazing. But he opened his mouth.
Veyra pressed the tape over his lips. She smoothed it down. He breathed hard through his nose.
She stepped back. She looked at her work.
Four thugs and their leader. Bound and gagged. Kneeling in the wreckage of Aunt Clark’s pizza shop.
She walked to the center of the shop. There was a large wooden pillar. Structural. It held up the ceiling.
"Move them," Veyra said to Aunt Clark. "Against the pillar."
Together, they dragged the thugs across the floor. One by one. They sat them against the pillar. Veyra took the remaining rope and looped it around the pillar, then around each man’s bound wrists.
They were not going anywhere.
Xander Hale struggled. The rope held. He glared at Veyra through furious eyes.
Veyra ignored him.
Veyra stood up. She brushed off her hands. She looked around the shop.
The mess was extensive. Broken furniture. Shattered glass. Food everywhere. It would take days to clean.
But Aunt Clark was alive. And her daughter was safe. For now.
"Aunt Clark," Veyra said. "Pack your valuables. Your important documents. Anything you can’t live without. You need to leave. Now."
Aunt Clark blinked. "Leave? But the shop—"
"The shop can be rebuilt but you can’t." Veyra’s voice was firm. "Xander Hale will come back. With more men and with weapons. You can’t stay here."
Aunt Clark looked at the tied-up men. At Xander Hale’s furious face, the destruction around her and then she nodded.
She disappeared into the back room. Veyra heard drawers opening. Closets closing. The rustle of papers.
She kept her eyes on the thugs. The gun was still in her hand. She did not put it away.
A few minutes later, Aunt Clark returned. She was carrying a worn leather bag. It bulged with documents. A small jewelry box was tucked under her arm.
"That’s everything," Aunt Clark said. "The rest is just things. Things can be replaced."
Veyra nodded. "Do you have somewhere to go? Somewhere safe?"
Aunt Clark hesitated and whisper. "My sister’s house. In the countryside. She’s been asking me to visit."
"Go there. Stay there. Don’t come back until you hear from me."
Aunt Clark looked at her. "Why are you doing this? You don’t even know me."
Veyra smiled. "You helped save a little girl’s life. That makes you a family."
Aunt Clark’s eyes glistened. She blinked rapidly. Then she straightened her shoulders.
"Thank you," she said.
"Don’t thank me yet. Let’s go."
Veyra walked toward the door. Aunt Clark followed. The bell above the door chimed.
They stepped out onto the sidewalk. The afternoon sun was warm on Veyra’s face. She took a deep breath.
Leon Wei was already crossing the street. His hand was inside his jacket. His eyes were scanning the shop windows, the rooftops, the alleyways.
"Mrs. Thorne," he said. "Is the situation contained?"
"For now. Aunt Clark needs to be taken somewhere safe. Her sister’s house in the countryside."
Leon Wei nodded. He spoke into his earpiece. Two bodyguards emerged from the lead car. They approached Aunt Clark.
"Ma’am," one of them said. "We’ll take you wherever you need to go."
Aunt Clark looked at Veyra. "What about you?"
"I’ll be fine. Go. Stay safe."
Aunt Chen squeezed her hand. Then she followed the bodyguards to the car.
Veyra watched them drive away.
She turned back to the pizza shop.
The door was still open. She could see Xander Hale and his men tied to the pillar. They were struggling. The rope held.
Leon Wei stood beside her. "What do you want to do with them?"
"The police are on their way. Aunt Clark called them before we left."
"And until then?"
Veyra looked at the gun in her hand. The Nightblade.
She walked back into the shop.
Xander Hale’s eyes followed her. He was still gagged. But his glare said everything.
Veyra stopped in front of him. She looked down at him. At the fear behind his anger with the sweat on his forehead.
She smiled.
"Before I go," she said, "I should tell you something."
Xander Hale’s eyes narrowed.
Veyra held up the Nightblade. She pulled the slide back. The chamber was empty. No round.
She ejected the magazine. It was empty too. No bullets.
"The gun," she said, "is empty."
Xander Hale’s eyes went wide. His body went rigid. His face turned purple with rage.
He screamed into the duct tape. The sound was muffled. Incoherent. But the meaning was clear.
She had bluffed. The entire time. The gun had never been loaded.
Veyra laughed. She tucked the Nightblade into her bag.
"You threatened my family," she said. "You hurt an innocent woman. You deserved everything you got."
She turned and walked toward the door.
"Next time, I won’t use an empty gun."
Xander Hale screamed into his gag.