Seconds after the men left, Susan was staring daggers at her brother.

"Who were those men?" she asked, barely able to keep her voice steady, "And what are you doing with people who look like that?"

Samuel went to the front door, locked it and turned to frown at her, "You shouldn't have shown up here without calling first, Suzy," he said and began to head for the kitchen. "You could have gotten us both in a lot of trouble especially with that sharp mouth of yours, and frankly, I can't afford any more trouble at the moment,"

Flabbergasted, Susan followed him, "Excuse me. Is that all you have to say? Are you not going to answer my question?"

Samuel began opening cupboards and drawers, clearly looking for nothing in particular, and then he slammed one of them shut so hard that it shook. His actions confirmed Susan's suspicions, and she knew for sure now that her brother was in some kind of trouble.

"Who were those men, Sam," she insisted, "And what did they want with you?"

Instead of replying, Samuel sank into a chair and buried his head in his hands. He looked so worried, and Susan couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her brother so shaken.

"I was trying to keep it away from you and mom," Samuel said, his voice muffled by his palms, "But I guess I failed at that too." he lifted his head to look at her. "You cannot tell mom about this,"

"Tell mom what? You haven't told me anything so what exactly am I not supposed to tell mom. Who were those men?"

"Some men I owe money. A lot of money,"

Susan swallowed hard, and tried to keep her emotions in check. Panicking wouldn't do them any good, but she couldn't believe what she was hearing as Samuel continued speaking.

"I needed money for the car I bought, and I made some bad investments and some...Bad decisions. I thought I'd pay off but it didn't and now I'm in debt and they want their money back. I don't know what I'm going to do,"

"How much do you owe them?" Susan asked, her heart was beating so fast she was surprised it hadn't exploded.

Samuel looked at his sister, "Do you really want to know?"

"How much, Sam?" Susan pressed.

"Twenty five thousand,"

Susan wanted to scream, "Twenty five thousand?" she repeated fiercely, as if she couldn't believe her ears, "How the hell are you supposed to pay back that kind of money?"

She paced the kitchen, trying to process everything that had happened in the past thirty minutes. It was happening so fast she wondered if she was dreaming, but she wasn't. This was really happening. Her brother owed twenty five grand to two men who looked like they'd go to dangerous lengths to get whatever they wanted. She didn't want to imagine the worst, so she closed her mind against the thoughts creeping up in her mind.

"They're gang members, aren't they?" Susan asked as she finally stopped pacing, but she already knew the answer to her own question.

Samuel nodded, "The tall one is the boss. His name is Leo, and you shouldn't have talked to him that way. Leo doesn't like to be pushed, and from what I know about him, he's not someone you want to cross,"

"And yet you took money from him?"

"It was months ago okay? Look, I needed the money. It's not like my job pays me enough to get what I want. I made some bad investments and everything went to hell, but I swear this isn't the way it was supposed to go down." When Susan remained silent, he sighed, "Look, I can't deal with any judgment from you right now. Where do you think the money I gave you when you started your plans to move came from? I had things to take care of and I made a bad choice, okay? I'm kicking myself already and I don't need more from you or anyone,"

Susan ignored his outbursts. It was true that he'd helped her out, but she wouldn't have encouraged him if she knew what he'd been up to. "And it had to be him?" she asked.

"A friend told me he would be able to help and that I didn't have anything to worry about as long as I paid back. I guess I was overconfident that my investment would pay off,"

"So what are you going to do now, Sam? We both heard him. You have two weeks. What happens if you're not able to pay him by then? How am I supposed to keep something like this away from mom. I'm imagining the worst already,"

"You have to," Samuel cut in, "Honestly, I'd have loved it if you weren't a part of this but you had to come down here with your nosey self and now you know everything, but you're going to keep it away from mom. Promise me right now"

"I... I can't," Susan stammered, "What if something happens to you. Maybe we can talk to the police. You saw those men... There's no way they're not wanted by the police for something. Maybe if we out them, the police can get them and all of this will be over."

"What?" said Samuel, suddenly shooting up from his chair. Before Susan knew what was happening he had her arms in his hands and was shaking her hard, "Don't you dare do that. Do you hear me?" he told her. There was a look in his eyes that told Susan that he was deadly serious. "That's the worst thing you can ever think of doing. Leo has connections. Connections you can't even imagine, and I'm telling you right now that going to the cops is only going to do more harm than good. You think he hasn't escaped worse situations with the cops and your little information is going to mean anything? Because it won't. So promise me right now, Suzy, that you're not going to call anyone, and that you're not going to bring our mother into this,"

Susan squirmed. "Fine, I promise. Now let go. You're hurting me,"

Realising his mistake, Samuel released her immediately, "I'm sorry," he said, "I know you're worried about me, but you don't have to be. I'll figure something out,"

Susan remained silent, and watched her brother as he returned to his chair. She could tell he was trying to keep it together, but could see that he was worried, and so was she.

So they couldn't go to the cops... What now?

The two weeks went by very slowly, although Susan was pretty sure that wasn't the case. She just felt that way because she'd spent the days in a perpetual state of worry and agitation. So far, she didn't have any updates as Samuel was doing everything in his power to keep her out of the loop. He didn't want her involved so he refused to tell her anything, and refused to let her visit him again.

Susan was almost tempted to get into her car and drive to his house like she'd done the last time, but Samuel had warned her against doing that too, and frankly, she didn't really have the guts to do it as she wasn't over her encounter with the two men she simply knew as Leo and Asher.

After one week, curiosity got the best of her, and she began asking questions and doing some research. On the internet, she didn't really get the information she wanted, although she found out his full name. Leonard Spencer.

All she could find was his name and occupation as "business owner." Susan rolled her eyes at that piece of information. Business owner indeed, she scoffed. There were articles from blogs about him, but all of them were basically rumors with no tangible proof to back them up. This Leo Spencer obviously had connections, just as Samuel had told her and he left no trail.

She resorted to asking questions about him, and finally, she got something...A llittle detail about the mighty Leo Spencer. Hannah, a colleague at the office, was a very chatty lady, and was more than ready to spill everything she knew about gang boss, Leo Spencer. She mentioned that she'd seen him once at a party, and then she went on for a full minute talking about how attractive he was. A fact that Susan had already registered but refused to think about.

But Hannah also mentioned that Leo Spencer owned a nightclub and usually spent some of his nights there. That little detail stuck with Susan, but she kept it to herself. She didn't tell Samuel what she'd found out because she'd promised to stay away from the whole thing, but was he really expecting her to keep such a ridiculous promise and not do anything to help him?

So she waited, and at the end of the two weeks she called her brother. Panic set in when she couldn't reach him although his phone continued to ring. Very early the next morning, Susan was in her car, driving to Samuel's house without giving a shit about the speed limit. The entire way she hoped and prayed that he was alright, and then she blamed herself for listening to him and doing nothing. Oh God, if anything had happened, she....

She came to a stop and hurried out of her car. When she noticed his car was missing from the driveway, she raced to the front door. Without knocking, she tried the door. When it didn't bulge, she searched the top of the lamp where he usually kept his spare key, and found nothing. Unable to hold back anymore, she slammed her hands on the door repeatedly.

"Sam! Sam, are you in there?" she yelled, banging on the door the entire time that she didn't hear the door being unlocked and opened from within. The door opened, and she almost fell through it.

Susan fought to steady herself. When she looked up, her brother was standing in front of her, dressed in his robe. Susan flung her arms around him in relief. He moaned in pain and she let him go and backed away. Only then did she see the black eye, cuts and bruises on his face. She held back her scream because she didn't want to startle him, but she couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her eyes.

First she helped him to the couch and made him sit, then she hurried to the kitchen to get some warm water and a cloth. When she returned and gently pressed the warm cloth to his wounds, he flinched.

"We need to get you to the hospital," she said softly.

Samuel shook his head, "It's just bruises. I'll be better in a day or two,"

Stubborn Sam, Susan thought. She knew he was going to say that. "He did this to you, didn't he?" she asked.

Samuel nodded, "Yeah, they took my car away too. Asher said Leo will have it returned when I pay up,"

"That's it," Susan said and wiped her cheek with her free hand, "I don't care what you say anymore, Sam. I'm going to the cops. No one should be able to get away with doing something like this,"

"Leo does," Samuel told her, "Believe me, Susan. It will only make things worse. Besides, I had it coming, but I'm working on something. Once I'm able to pay up, I'll get my car back,"

Susan stood angrily and slammed the towel into the bowl, "Oh really? And you trust the man who did this to you to return what he took from you,"

"Leo keeps his word,"

Susan scoffed, "Oh sure he does. He threatened to hurt you if you didn't return his money in two weeks and sure enough, he did. Of course he keeps his word. I see why you have such faith in him," she added sarcastically. "And what exactly are you 'working on' this time around? Are you going to borrow money from yet another mob boss or are you going to make another bad investment?"

There was silence between them for a long moment, and Susan felt horrible, "I'm sorry," she told him, "But I'm just worried for you, Sam. See what he did to you. What is he going to do next time when he comes and you still don't have his money?"

"I can handle myself," Samuel said, and although Susan believed him, she also believed that he needed her help, whether he wanted it or not. He was going to accept it, she'd have to go through with her plans without him.

Slowly, she began to tend to his wounds again, but at that moment, she made up her mind. She couldn't go to the police, and she had no means of helping her brother raise that money he owed, but she had an idea, an idea that would probably change her life forever, but she was involved now and there was no going back.

"Wanna go clubbing with me tonight?" Susan asked her friend, Caroline that evening after she returned back home.

She'd been reluctant to leave Samuel alone, but he'd insisted that he was alright. Susan didn't believe him, but she left because she had plans of her own, and that plan involved going to The Summit. The Summit was the name of the club owned by Leo Spencer, and she planned to have a chat with him about her brother's situation. It was a horrible plan from hell, and she had no idea how she was going to pull it off, but after seeing her brother badly beaten up, she was willing to risk it, even if it meant coming face to face with the scariest man she'd ever met in her life.

Caroline, who had no idea what Susan planned to do, was very eager to say yes. Caroline liked to dress up and go out, so for her, this was a great opportunity to do it. She showed up at Susan's apartment at exactly 11:30, wearing bumshorts, a silver crop top and a pair of knee high boots.

Susan simply settled for a black, backless jumpsuit that clung to her body and outlined her curves. She wore red high heeled shoes because she remembered how tall Leo Spencer was, and she figured it would help if she didn't feel so dwarfed standing next to him.

Susan had not been to a club in a long time, not because she hated it, but because she barely had time for it. The Summit was a majestic looking club, and it seemed to have everything it took to ensure that one had a good time, but unfortunately that wasn't what she was here for. Caroline got them drinks from the bar almost immediately, and Susan gladly accepted. She didn't need to be drunk, but she certainly needed a little buzz if she was going to see and talk to the almighty Leo Spencer.

Forty minutes later, there was still no sign of Leo, and Susan was tired of just hanging around. Even Caroline had given up trying to get her to come to the dance floor and now she was grinding up against some guy who'd approached them earlier.

Susan looked around, and observed that she'd seen people going up the stairs to what looked like a private lounge a couple of times. Without thinking, and drink in hand, she stood and headed up the stairs. No one stopped her, and when she reached the top she found out that she was right. It was a private lounge, and right there, seated in the center, was Leo fucking Spencer, although he wasn't alone. Two men and a woman were seated at the table with him, and Susan wondered how she was going to interrupt such a gathering.

Her first instinct was to turn around and flee, but it was too late to be a wuss now, so she stood rooted to the spot for a few minutes. A hefty looking man stood near the entrance, and as soon as she made up her mind and tried to walk past him, he stopped her and stared at her like he'd already asked her a question and was waiting for a reply.

"I... I... I need to talk to Leo," Susan stammered, hoping he could hear her despite the loud music. She involuntarily clutched her purse tighter, although she doubted this man was one bit interested in her possessions. The loud music wasn't making things better, and she suddenly felt faint.

"You can't," the man replied simply, and said nothing else, as if that simple statement was enough to send her on her way.

It worked, and Susan began to turn around, but then she thought of Samuel and that gave her some courage. Slowly, she turned around again. The man was distracted now, his back turned slightly as he spoke to another man who had approached him from behind. This was her chance, Susan thought as she hurried forward.

She was close. So close, but then a large hand was wrapped around her midriff, dragging her backwards roughly. Susan struggled, but it was useless. Her drink fell to the ground and the glass shattered loudly. She screamed as he began to pull her with him, realizing that she had no idea where he was taking her and that she was probably in a lot of trouble.

They both froze at the loud "Let her go!" that came from behind, and Susan breathed a sigh of relief as she was suddenly released.

Leo Spencer was standing now, and he was striding purposefully towards them with a deep frown on his handsome face. Scared out of her mind, Susan turned around and ran.

____________

Leo had been sitting at the lounge surrounded by a few of his friends, when he'd caught sight of a woman who looked vaguely familiar. She had a certain 'vibe' about her, like she wasn't sure she wanted to be there. She looked so out of place... And it wasn't about her outfit. Her outfit was perfect... Sexy even, but she kept looking around, and she walked almost like she was afraid of falling. The women who usually hung around here had a much different demeanor, slightly drunk, outspoken, confident and loud, but this one looked like she'd barely taken a sip of the drink she was holding rather awkwardly. She looked shy, and although she was very beautiful, she looked...Uncertain.

He'd ignored her for a second, then the next thing he knew, there was a crash and Connor was holding onto her, pulling her away with him. His reaction was swift and stood up to help. Her head lifted as she struggled and it was then that he recognised her. He'd seen that face before, and that hair.

Leo wasn't sure what had possessed him to come to her aid. Neither did he understand why the drive to help was stronger immediately he recognised her. For some reason he didn't like the way Connor was manhandling her, and he was going to stop him. Connor released her immediately he asked, but then she did the one thing he didn't expect. She ran.

His instruction to Connor was simple, "Bring her back,"