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“Money?” Roman seethed. “How unoriginal.”
Teague got to his feet unsteadily. He wasn’t bound at all. “I have a problem. A gambling problem. I do okay most of the time, but sometimes I get in over my head and I need to find fast cash. These people would hurt me if I didn’t pay them, Roman. Please understand.”
Roman couldn’t believe his ears. “You’ve worked for me for a decade, Teague. Are telling me you were more worried about bookies hurting you than me hurting you?”
Teague looked like he was about to faint. He wasn’t an enforcer. He wasn’t even a fighter and had never had to do any dirty work. But he’d seen his fair share of Roman’s dirty work. Roman couldn’t believe how stupid the man was. “If you needed money, why didn’t you come to me?”
“What do you mean?” Teague asked.
Roman sighed with impatience. “All you had to do was come to me and say you owed money to some bad people. I would have given you the money or sorted out the men gunning for you. But now I have to fucking kill you myself. Damnit, Teague!”
Roman backhanded him, sending him sprawling to the floor. “You’re going to answer all my questions truthfully. If you don’t, I can make this last for days.”
“Please...” Teague tried again.
“Stop,” Roman ordered. “I didn’t say beg. Fuck, were you always this weak?”
“He wasn’t,” Sal said, looking down at Teague. “I was there when you interviewed him. He’s been a good employee, worked his way up to the top.” He shook his head. “Addictions, man. They really fuck a person up.”
Roman agreed with Sal wholeheartedly. “How did Godfrey get to you?”
“Wayne Hutchins was my accountant,” Teague muttered, looking resigned.
Abel face-palmed himself. “You have to be kidding me. The world can’t really be that small.”
“Hutchins approached me, said Godfrey would pay me anything I wanted as long as I kept him updated on your plans.” Teague’s face became downcast. “I didn’t want to hurt Angela. I genuinely like her. But I needed the money.”
“Did Godfrey already pay you?” Sal wanted to know.
“Yes. Half. One million to keep him updated daily. Then another million after the matter was resolved.” Teague stood up again, saying, “He really was going to let you both go as long as you let him go. He wasn’t one for complications and knew going after you would cause big ones.”
“He was right,” Roman observed. “It got him dead.”
“When you gave Angela the different location, was that premeditated?” Morrigan asked, circling around Teague. She had a decidedly murderous gleam in her eye.
Teague shook his head. “No. Godfrey was planning to meet you at the location he sent you, Roman. With more than one man of course. But after I heard you arguing, I knew it was an opportunity for Godfrey to be alone with Angela. I called him and he switched locations on the fly.”
Roman growled, his fists clenching. “And you sent Angela straight to him.”
“I’m sorry,” Teague said, looking weary now.
“You will be soon,” Morrigan promised, her voice grown husky. She was standing directly behind him, and he spun in surprise. She grinned at him. “Boo.”
Teague moved closer to Abel as if he would protect him from the crazy female assassin. Abel was having none of it. He kicked Teague in the middle of his back. “Get your traitorous ass away from me!” Abel snapped.
Teague fell to his knees with a loud crack. He cried out, his hands going to his back. Abel had used the toe of his boot. “Stay on your knees, Teague,” Sal suggested. “It will be less distance for you to fall.”
Roman was about done with the conversation, his bloodlust increasing with every word Teague spoke. “Did Godfrey tell you anything about his trafficking business?”
Teague panted, his head hanging low. “No. And I didn’t ask.”
“Damn,” Sal cursed. “I was really hoping to get something we could use to take the ring down. Or at least hand off to the feds.”
Roman agreed. Luca had created a small databank with everything they knew. But Roman didn’t think it would be enough to bring down such a long-standing and intricate sex trafficking ring. He was even willing to hand it over to the feds or one of his contacts on the Monash police force. He was hoping to have more before it came to that, though. None of them wanted any of the sick fucks to get away. And they didn’t want kids to suffer.
“Is this the first time you’ve betrayed me?” Roman asked next. The look on Teague’s face was enough to have Roman swearing. “You fuck! What else have you done?”
“Your uncle...” Teague moistened his dry lips with his tongue. “He’s been paying me for years.”
