“Do we know who she is?” Carbon asked.
“Yeah,” Flint said. “I looked at the ID in her purse after I locked her in the basement.”
“Nice work. I’ll grab her after I put him in the car,” Carbon said. At the look of concern on my face, Carbon added, “Mason’s outside, but I think our new friend here knows it would be a very bad idea if he tried to run. Because we know his name, where he lives, and what kind of car he owns. We even know how much money is in his bank account, and we know how to make that money disappear without a trace.”
Mr. Not Finley’s face paled. Meanwhile, I could only stare at Carbon with awe and gratitude. “Thank you,” I said quietly.
“You are more than welcome. Teaching people how to behave is my favorite thing to do.”
With that, Carbon escorted Mr. Not Finely down the stairs and out the front door. And I finally felt like I could breathe again.
“How did you know?” I asked Flint.
“I asked Byte to run his license plate. I didn’t like how they reacted when they realized you weren’t alone. It raised a red flag I didn’t want to ignore.”
“Thank you,” I said sincerely. “I’m glad you followed your instincts.”
We had just reached the bottom of the stairs when the front door swung open, and Dice stepped into the house looking around like a madman. His eyes landed on me, and then his strong arms were wrapped around me. “Daphne,” he breathed. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said against his chest. “Thanks to Flint’s keen observation and quick thinking.”
“I swear,” he said. “I’m this close to wrapping you in bubble wrap and never letting you leave the house.”
“I’m this close to letting you.”
“I don’t know who the hell you are or what in the hell you think you’re doing, but you better put me down right now or there’s going to be hell to pay!” Mrs. Not Finley screamed as Carbon carried her up the stairs from the basement.
“I am hell, and I’ve already been paid,” Carbon said flatly.
Carbon laughed when she started beating her fists against his back. “Oooh, a free massage. It’s my lucky day.”
“You need any help?” Dice asked.
“Nah, I got Mason with me. As soon as we get her gagged, it’ll be a nice, peaceful ride to our destination. You coming?”
“Yeah, as long as Daphne’s okay.”
“I’m fine,” I assured him. “I know the clients I have scheduled for this afternoon. Go do what you need to do.”
“You’re still going to see clients?” he asked in disbelief.
“I can’t keep missing work if I want to keep my job,” I told him. “Yes, I’m a little shaken up, but I’ll be fine by my next appointment.”
“If you’re sure,” he said hesitantly.
“I am,” I promised.
He hugged me again and lingered for a few moments before he kissed my cheek and released me. “I’ll see you this evening.” He turned to Flint and extended his hand to pull him into a half-hug and slapped him on the back. “Fucking stellar job you did today. I can’t thank you enough.”
“I’m just doing what y’all taught me,” Flint said modestly.
“I think there’s more to it than that,” Dice said. “I better get going. You know how Carbon gets when they upset one of the ladies.”
“That I do,” Flint said. “We’ll see you later.”
“What did he mean about Carbon? How does he get?” I asked as we turned off the lights and made sure all the doors were locked.
“How much do you know about club life?”