Larissa Judson and Haskell Palmer novel Chapter 776

Larissa put the phone on speaker and tossed it onto the bed. “And you had the nerve to ask for my price? If you can’t even come up with ten billion, don’t waste my time. Just get ready to be a good dog.”

“…Larissa, I’m being serious here!”

“So am I. Ten billion or nothing. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get my beauty sleep before our walk tomorrow.”

She heard him take a deep, shaky breath on the other end.

After a long pause, he said, “What if… what if I help you deal with Lucius?”

Larissa raised an eyebrow. “Oh? The lapdog is turning on his master?”

“Larissa, can you please not put it like that?”

“Just calling it like I see it,” she said. “Fine. What kind of help are we talking about?”

Milton hesitated. “If I tell you, can you guarantee my safety?”

She chuckled. “I thought you were going to ask me to call off the walk.”

“...Well, if that’s an option…”

“It’s not. I’ve already hyped this up with my followers. I can’t just cancel it; I have a reputation to maintain. But I can consider protecting you, if what you have is valuable enough.”

He seemed to wrestle with himself before his voice came out, defeated. “Lucius gave me something. He told me to attach it to the leash during the livestream tomorrow. I don’t know what it is, and I’m too scared to have it checked out. If he finds out, he’ll kill me. But I know it’s something bad. I was hoping you could take a look.”

“Oh?”

His response was immediate: [I do. That’s why I’m terrified. Is it a bomb?]

Larissa smirked. [You’re not as stupid as you look.]

…

Milton dropped his phone and collapsed onto his bed. It really was a bomb.

Before yesterday, he would have obeyed without question. But after the brutal beating Lucius had given him, he had a new, profound understanding of his master’s cruelty. Lucius would have no problem killing him.

If he went along with the plan, he’d be blown to bits tomorrow, taking Larissa down with him. Lucius was a monster!

Milton touched the bandage on his head and made his decision. He texted back: [So? Is this valuable enough for you?]