Chapter 80 Pay with What
"Your brother is in our hands. If you want him alive, pay up immediately."
The voice was rough and familiar—Quinley immediately recognized the tattooed man from the loan shark incident. An ominous feeling crept into her heart.
"Wasn't that debt already paid off?" Quinley gripped her phone, her voice trembling.
"That previous amount was paid, but he borrowed again recently."
Hearing this, Quinley felt like the sky was falling. This family was already in shambles and couldn't withstand any more storms.
"How much?"
"One million." The man casually stated the figure, leaving Quinley speechless for a long moment.
She had no idea where she could possibly raise that kind of money. "Are you paying or not? When? Give me a straight answer, or else—"
The tattooed man threatened, and soon Quinley heard a scream from the other end of the phone. She frantically begged, "Yes, I'll pay! I'll raise the money right now. I'll pay immediately."
But after hanging up, she collapsed onto the bed. Pay with what? She was at the end of her rope. Lauren hadn't given her any work assignments lately, so she had no income at all.
Where could she possibly raise one million? The tattooed man had sent an address and deadline—she had to pay by midnight, or they would chop off Dennis's hand.
Quinley checked the time—only four hours left. Without much thought, she called Zachary.
At this moment, she couldn't worry about anything else because only he could help her. However, the phone rang for a long time with no answer.
When Quinley called again, Martha picked up. "Ms. Elikin, the young master just took his medicine and lay down. Whatever it is, wait until he wakes up."
Martha didn't give Quinley a chance to speak and quickly hung up. The window she thought she could knock on was now closed to her.
Quinley wasn't one to sit and wait for death. Even without money, she had to go save Dennis's life. Empty-handed but with fierce determination, she went to the address the tattooed man had given her.
It was an abandoned shipping container yard—vast and deserted. When Quinley arrived, the container was filled with several men drinking and playing rock-paper-scissors. Dennis was tied up and thrown to one side.
When Quinley appeared, Dennis quickly spotted her. His mouth was taped with black tape, and he made muffled sounds.
"Did you bring the money?" The tattooed man lazily glanced at Quinley and extended his hand.
The other men also looked at Quinley with contempt, like hungry wolves eyeing a lamb.
"No." Quinley answered honestly.
The tattooed man sneered coldly. He stood up, looking down at Quinley from above. "Coming here without money—you've got some nerve!"
Quinley had dealt with these types before. They had no moral boundaries, and confronting them head-on never ended well.
"Please give us more time, okay? I promise I'll pay this money back within a month." Quinley pleaded humbly.
Showing weakness might not work, but she had to try. "What are you going to pay with?"
The tattooed man suddenly laughed, circling around Quinley. "I run a fucking loan company, not a charity. Paying debts is only natural. If you don't pay tonight, I'll take his life!"
He pointed at Dennis, his gaze extremely vicious. Quinley didn't dare anger him and could only continue negotiating carefully.
"My brother was foolish and angered you—I apologize for him. I will definitely pay you back this one million, plus twenty percent interest, okay?"
"No." The tattooed man harshly refused.
He waved his hand, and someone stood up and walked toward Dennis. Dennis was curled up on the ground, looking pathetic. He'd already taken quite a beating before Quinley arrived, and now seeing someone approach, he couldn't help but tremble.
The man pulled out a knife and grabbed Dennis's finger, about to cut it. Quinley turned pale with fear and rushed over, using her whole body to shield Dennis.
"If you hurt my brother, you won't get a penny."
She'd only meant to state the facts, but her words inadvertently enraged the tattooed man. "Damn it, you dare threaten me!"
The tattooed man exploded with profanity and grabbed Quinley's hair. "Cut this bitch's tongue out."
As soon as he spoke, someone came over to pry open Quinley's mouth. Quinley kept her mouth tightly shut, refusing to open it no matter what.
The man raised his palm and slapped her across the face. Suddenly, Quinley's phone rang.
The ringtone was jarring in the chaotic container. For that instant, Quinley thought the call was from Zachary, and a glimmer of light flashed in her desperate eyes.
The tattooed man pulled the phone from her pocket and answered it. Quinley couldn't hear what the caller said, but she heard the tattooed man give out the address.
After hanging up, the tattooed man looked deeply at Quinley. "Tie her up and throw her aside."
Soon, Quinley's hands and feet were bound, and black tape was placed over her mouth. Dennis lay beside her.
Unable to speak, he just looked at Quinley and silently wept. Time ticked by as the tattooed man's group gathered again to continue drinking and playing rock-paper-scissors.
Quinley's eyes were fixed on the container entrance. Was Zachary coming? Was he coming to save her?
Her heart was filled with both anticipation and shame. At this moment, she was so wretched, causing him trouble—did she really want him to witness all this?
About an hour passed before footsteps sounded outside. Quinley's heart jumped to her throat.
He was coming. He was finally coming. But Quinley never expected that it wasn't Zachary who arrived, but David.
He was dressed entirely in black—black clothes, black pants, black shoes, black baseball cap. The night was also black, but his face was wickedly pale.
He carried a golf club, one hand in his pocket. As he walked in, Quinley felt even the wind carried an evil aura.
"Where are they?" David squinted as he scanned the messy space. Soon, he saw Quinley and Dennis tied up on the ground.
In just an instant, a flash of ruthlessness passed through his eyes. "Where's the money? Did you bring it?"
The tattooed man bit on a toothpick, his gaze also flashing with viciousness. "Let them go, and I'll give you the money."
David spoke word by word. "What are you going to give us?"
The tattooed man stood firm, being cautious and afraid of falling into David's trap. David's lips curled into an even more wicked smile.
He pulled a check from his pocket and flicked it lightly. "Ever seen one of these? If you have, then release them."
The tattooed man hesitated, then signaled to his subordinates. Soon, the ropes binding Quinley and Dennis were untied.
"Get out first and wait for me in the car!" David said with a furrowed brow.
Quinley nodded. She helped Dennis up and quickly left the container. Outside sat a black SUV. Quinley noticed that less than a hundred meters from the SUV, several black vans were also parked.
She didn't think much of it and opened the car door to get in first. Inside the container, David waited until Quinley and Dennis were in the car before turning his attention back.
"We've released them. Shouldn't you give us the money now?" The tattooed man extended his hand toward David.
The coldness in David's eyes spread bit by bit as he wore a cold smile. "Money? What money?"
The next second, he suddenly raised the golf club and swung it at the tattooed man's outstretched hand.