Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 184

Noticing Mara staring, Lacey had whispered, "Baby, don't look. None of them are good people, and the ones getting beaten up are just thugs too. They don't deserve your pity."

Thugs? An idea had sparked in Mara's mind.

If she ever needed dirty work done, wouldn't guys like this be useful?

"Mom, I want to go down and see."

A glimmer of pride flashed across Lacey's perfectly maintained face. "You're too sweet for your own good. But it's best not to get involved in this sort of trash."

"Mom, let's just ask. That guy looks so pitiful.

I won't be able to sleep tonight if I just leave him."

Unable to resist her daughter's whining, Lacey frowned. "Don't go over there yourself. Have the bodyguard ask for you."

A few minutes later, the bodyguard returned. "Those two took out a loan from a shark a month ago. They're getting beaten because they can't pay it back."

"How much is it?"

Mira asked, playing the part of a curious innocent perfectly.

"They originally borrowed about five thousand dollars, but with the exorbitant interest, it's ballooned to twenty thousand."

"Twenty thousand?"

That was practically pocket change to Mara.

Her monthly allowance alone was a hundred thousand dollars, and that didn't even include the extra cash her brothers often tucked into her pockets.

"Mom, I want to help them."

"Sweetheart, you can't be this naive."

"Mooom, please!"

Mara clung to Lacey's arm, pouting adorably.

"Alright, alright. If you want to help, go ahead."

Snapping back to the present, Mara spoke coldly into the phone. "Get some guys together and smash up those Green Bikeshare bikes for me. I'll pay you a thousand dollars for every bike you destroy."

"Whoa, hold on there, Princess. Vandalizing those bikes is a serious crime. We'd have to pay massive fines if we get caught."

"If it wasn't illegal, why would I hire you?

I'm not asking you to commit murder. Those bikes are everywhere. Can't you just ride them to some abandoned lot before you smash them?"

Unbelievable. When she had bailed them out, they were swearing they'd 'walk through fire' for her. Now, asked to commit a little light vandalism, they were suddenly getting cold feet!

These street rats were nothing but liars.

But what choice did she have? She needed their specific skill set.

This was Mara's private vendetta. She absolutely couldn't let anyone in the Mercer family find out—especially Shane.

"Miss, whatever you say goes, of course.

But this is the kind of job that could slap us with heavy fines and land us in a cell. The boys aren't going to stick their necks out without seeing some real cash upfront."