Romans & histoires Jeffree Star Blood Money

I fit it into the lock, turned it, pushed. The crib was still there. The rocking chair. The mobile of hand-painted stars. Daniel had said the bonds were under the crib. He'd been telling the truth. A metal box. Small. Locked. I lifted it out, set it on the table, broke the lock with a rock from the floor. Bearer bonds. Hundreds of them. Millions of dollars. Maybe billions. Blood money. Every penny. "Now what?" Lucien asked. "Now we give it back." "To who?"

Charles was one step ahead of me in responding to Noelle’s question. “I paid him for this spot.” Noelle glanced at me with a frown while I raised the check in my hand. “I took the money. It’s ten million dollars.” Noelle was stunned. Cocking her head back, Noelle observed Charles’ smug face. He seemed proud of himself. Her hard grimace drew tension in the room. She said nothing, as if accepting the situation as it was. Once I was out of the office, Noelle threw Charles’ arm off her shoulders.

Nothing getting through. His eyes narrow at me a small glint of silver shining through. I grit my teeth together refusing to budge when he finally stuffs a hand in his back pocket. He pulls out a wallet on a chain and pulls out two hundreds and a fifty dollar bill. He flashes me a stunning white smile his eyes already back to their original forest green color. I already have my folder back open pulling on the B+ paper as he slides the money into the folder pocket and taking the paper from my hand reading it over.

I pull my wallet from my back pocket and withdraw a stack of bills. “There you go.” I throw a handful of cash and watch as the bills scatter across his bloody, broken body. “That should help with the hospital bills. Next time, you’ll be leaving in a body bag.” The last thing I see before I give in and let Roger pull me out of the warehouse is the blood soaking into the bills, the dark red spreading across green. I’ve heard it calledblood moneybefore but never considered the term literally. “I thought you were leaving the kicking ass part up to me?” Roger questions, tires squealing as we peel out of the lot.

It was filled with expensive gold jewelries, and a few stacks of bills. “I think those are payment given to her by Karen for the job that she did.” Fred explained. I ground my molars against each other, my nose flaring from anger. Payment… Blood money. My grip loosened on the bag, and I threw it aside. The clatter rang through the dungeon, scattering the contents into different areas of the cell. I took the rest of my drink in one gulp, and allowed the glass slip from my fingers. It shattered against the floor. I turned to Mona, who was still groveling, and asked her just one question. “Why did you do it?”

she said. Lucas felt the scar under his ribs pulse as if it understood her voice. “Then who did?” he asked. Mrs. Vale looked at Adrian. Lucas did too. Adrian’s face tightened. “I approved money for an operation against Daniel. I did not order a child taken.” “But your money opened the door,” Mrs. Vale said softly. “That is how blood money works. It travels farther than the man who spends it.” Lucas staggered back. The broken desk hit his legs, but he did not feel it. He saw the younger Adrian in smoke again. Silent. Watching. Maybe not knowing everything, but knowing enough. Always enough to be guilty.

"Pay up or we take collateral." He reached for Hope. I broke his nose with my elbow. He stumbled back. Blood streaming. His brothers pulled guns. "Big mistake," Garrett spat blood. "We were going to be reasonable. Now—" He wiped his face. "Now we take everything. The money. The kid. And you—" He grabbed me by the throat. "You we sell. There are people who pay good money for Ashford blood. Especially blood that screams." A gunshot cracked the night. Garrett's hand released. He looked down. Bullet hole in his shoulder.

"I’m just talking business. No need to get your blood pressure up. I hear you. Loud and clear. She’s off-limits. Special." Noah stared at him for a long beat, his chest heaving. The sheer arrogance in Reyes’s eyes made him want to swing, but the logic of the situation was starting to return. He was tied to this man. He was in too deep. He let go of the tie, shoving Reyes back roughly. He didn't say another word. He saw the stack of money on the table—the blood money for tonight’s performance. Noah reached out and snatched it, the paper crumpling in his fist. He didn't count it. He didn't care. He just turned his back on the room and walked out into the cold, damp alleyway, the heavy metal do

I mean, they have other children who can help with their retirement. All they want is money, money, money. Money is more important than family. Is money more important than their granddaughters? The blood money was an exchange for their son and daughter-in-law’s lives. Don’t they have any consideration for their son and daughter-in-law with all that fuss about money? Oh, I guess they don’t care about the dead since Mom and Dad are gone.