Sapphamire (21 page)
Authors: Alice Brown,Lady V
Marshall sighed loudly, out of patience. He was here to get a job done, and that’s what his team was going to do. Moving so fast the leader never even saw him move, Marshall wrapped his hand around the guy’s throat and lifted him off the floor, leaving him dangling a few inches.
“I assume you were expecting Enrico,” Marshall stated, listening to the man gasp as he tried to breathe.
One of the punks still sitting on the couch spoke up. “Yeah, man, he owes a lot of money. What, did he send you ‘cause he’s too chicken to come himself?”
“Enrico is in jail,” Tom answered the guy sitting on the couch.
“Where’s the girl?” choked the man Marshall was holding off the floor.
Marshall’s temper flared. He squeezed the man’s neck a little harder to let him know he meant business. Marshall would have already given the order to kill all three of these punks, except the paperwork was such a headache. The council demanded full documentation whenever a human was killed during an assignment, and this would be three times the usual amount, and they just weren’t worth the work.
Marshall glared at the gasping man before answering his question. “Safe, and that’s all you need to know.” Then, furious because he had the audacity to ask about the little girl at all, Marshall followed up by tossing him across the room. He landed in a heap between his buddies on the couch.
Marshall pointed to the man he had just thrown across the room. “You will never go near the little girl or the woman again. Am I clear? Because let me show you what you will be facing next.” Fairly sure Stephanie was still around, Marshall hoped and prayed she would not let him down. He found he was holding his breath as he directed the room’s attention to a seemingly empty corner. Seconds later, Stephanie came to her beloved Marshall’s rescue and displayed an image of the hideous monster that she had turned into last night for her father and Marshall. She took a step toward the bug-eyed, gaping men cowering on the couch. Even Marshall had to admit that if he hadn’t known who was doing this, he would have been a bit shaken up. With her red eyes blazing and what appeared to be steam coming from her nostrils every few seconds, she was enough to scare even non-believers.
Marshall took a menacing step toward the three sitting on the couch. “Do I make myself clear?” he repeated. Three heads nodded in confirmation. “I don’t care what Enrico owed you or what business you have with him. It’s over. He’s in jail, and he’s going to be deported when he’s released. You have until the count of three to get out of this house, or you won’t live to tell about it.”
The two that had been sitting on the couch didn’t even wait for orders from their leader. They scurried off the couch, but one of them leaned down to retrieve the gun that had been thrown on the floor. Stephanie, still in monster form, lunged for him. “Leave that gun right where it is,” Marshall stated calmly. The guy looked up at Marshall, eyed Stephanie briefly, and then took off following his buddy. The leader of the group had also made it to the door, and the two men jostled for position for a moment before they both made it out the door and ran down the street.
Tom and Alec looked a bit nervous with the monster still in the room, and Marshall decided to have a bit of fun. He walked over to stand in front of her. “Thanks, sweetie.” He watched both of his teammates’ jaws drop to the ground. The Stephanie-creature blew Marshall a kiss in return. Marshall chuckled—leave it to his girl to find some comedy in an otherwise serious situation. She disappeared, but it took another ten seconds for Tom and Alec to find their tongues.
“Who—or what—was that?” Tom asked, once he was sure he could speak.
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