26|Too Close To The Flame

"Jesus Christ!" Benji whispered in disbelief at the chaos in the room.

"He asked for it," was all Austin would say on the matter.

Years ago, he declined to take over the security branch for this very reason. Reinforcing, collecting debts, and settling old scores often got bloody and messy. Blake, though, the ever bloodthirsty bastard, relished this side of the business.

Arno stepped into the back office, looked through the safe and took exactly what was due to them, leaving the rest.

"Let's go," he said. "The cleanup crew is on the way."

"At least the bastard went out with a bang," Austin mused, stepping over the bouncers' bodies. "Good thing we didn't interrupt his fuck fest."

They left the same way they came. As they pulled away from Cruise Control, Austin took off his soiled jacket and dumped it beside him.

"Find the stripper," he told his men while he sent an urgent status update to his father and the consigliere about the mess with Amos.

"I'm on it," Benji replied.

Half an hour l