Cash: A Dark Romance (Saint and Sinners Book 2)

by Ruby Vincent

  Cash

  Saint and Sinners

  Ruby Vincent

  Published by Ruby Vincent, 2021.

  Copyright © 2020 by Ruby Vincent

  Cover Design: Cover By Combs

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Keep In Touch

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Prologue

  “Everything?”

  “Everything.”

  Wind beat at us. It howled its victory for reaching us where we left the world behind. Whipping through our clothes, pulling our hair, shoving our backs. Its final aim to drag us into its arms, and let go.

  I clung tighter to him, burying my face in his neck.

  “Don’t be scared, brown eyes,” he said. “Daddy’s got you.”

  And with those words, I wasn’t.

  I raised my head, peering down the thirty-story drop to the concrete below. All the wind would have to do is succeed in its battle to push us off the ledge. But it wouldn’t.

  Daddy never lost.

  “The whole city?” I asked.

  “The whole city.”

  I curled my tiny fist in his hair.

  I loved his hair. Loved the soft kinks and coils. Loved the springy curls that crushed between my fingers and didn’t lose their shape. I asked him once why his hair was different from mine and he said, “Because I’m Black.”

  I asked him if I was Black too, and he said, “You are everything that Daddy is. Strong. Brave. Destined for greatness.”

  I didn’t know what he meant at the time. I was four. All I knew was I was the only one allowed to touch his hair. Kiss his cheek. Walk down the street holding his hand.

  Only me because I was his princess.

  “Cinco will be your kingdom,” he said, sweeping his hand over the loud, grimy city pulsing beneath our feet. “You, its queen.

  “That’s my gift to you, brown eyes. All of Cinco City,” he repeated. “Nothing less for my girl.”

  “When will it be mine?” I stretched to touch a bird flying high above my fingertips.

  “When you take it.”

  Chapter One

  I blinked awake.

  The remains of the dream seeped out of my consciousness.

  Too bad.

  It was a good one. The best kind—a memory. Better than that—a happy memory.

  I always seemed to wake up in the middle of those. My nightmares hung around to stay, and they never let me go.

  A figure moved in the dark.

  You’re who woke me up.

  They hovered over the bed. My vision cleared on the pillow clutched in their hands.

  “I know you’re awake,” said a dry voice. “Move over.”

  “Other side,” I said. “I’m all sliced up on this one.”

  “Talk about an exit strategy.” Gianna moved around the bed and climbed in next to me. She plopped her pillow down, then snuggled on mine. “How are you, babe?”

  “Fine. Naturally, I didn’t do too much damage. How’d you get in?”

  She scoffed. “Like I can’t sneak into a hospital. How did you get here is the question. I’m surprised they brought you here.”

  North Quay General Hospital to be exact. Sinjin rushed me in sans mask and knit cap. The trail of blood I left from the puddle in his truck to the front desk was enough to alarm anyone. It certainly freaked out the people we blew by.

  It looked bad, but a few stitches and one night in the hospital fixed me up. I’d be out in the morning.

  “They had to,” I said. “They took out the guys in the station. All of them. There was no one left to tell us if Angelo spread their location to every King, and if more were on their way. The guys left me in the tender care of the North Quay General doctors, so they could strip, scrub, and wipe every trace of our presence from the place.”

  “Then it’s just you and me.” She kissed my cheek. “I’ll stay until your knights in shining armor come for you.”

  We laughed. It hurt my side, so I stopped.

  “Thanks for the assist, by the way.” My smile stretched in the dark. “Got a bit dicey there in the middle.”

  I felt her shake her head. “I’m so fired. I literally ran out in the middle of my shift. Left the Hendersons gaping at my smoke outline in the middle of checking them in. But if my girl needs a sniper, she needs a sniper.”

  “Thankfully, I’ve got the best one in Cinco City on speed dial.”

  “Don’t know if I’m the best,” she breezed. “Top five for sure.”

  We laughed again and I cut myself off, wincing. “Seriously, G. Thank you. I thought they were dead.”

  Gianna sobered too. “And that would have bothered you,” she said softly.

  “Yes.”

  She was quiet for a moment. “I said you were getting too close.”

  “As close as it gets. You should’ve seen me packing up my car to leave. I was a fucking wreck. Completely embarrassing.”

  “You love Sinjin.”

  “He has no idea how meant for each other we really are.”

  “What about the others?”

  “They’re all mine now, G. Whether they know it or not.”

  “Does this change the plan?”

  “Only slightly. I’ve taken out the part where I kill them, seize control of the Merchants, and set them on hunting down Kieran and the ledger.” The words dropped from my lips without a twinge of conscience. “The boys will find Kieran for me, and then I’ll help myself to the ledger. There might be a bit of an argument about it, but in the end, people always see things my way.”

  “Especially when their cocks are wrapped around your finger.”

  “That does make it easier. Yes.”

  I bit back the laugh on that one. It contracted my stomach all the same, reminding me of Brutal’s fingers skating the edges of my bandage. Light, warm, perfect, and tightening my skin.

  Yes. I got too close.

  “I even told Brutal about Mom,” I whispered. “Everything. I don’t know why.”

  “I do.” Gianna pressed us cheek to cheek. “All that stuff with Corbin and the kids. It was too much for you, Addy. To walk into something like that after everything you’ve been through... I’m sorry I wasn’t there. We should have done this together.”

  I squeezed her hand. “You couldn’t be there, G. You’re a better actor than I am, but even through rescuing the kids I had to play like I was this wide-eyed, innocent creature being swept along. Seeing both of us kick ass would’ve made them question.”

  “I don’t care,” she said. “It’s been weeks of phone calls where we hide what we’re really talking about, while you were left to do it all by yourself. The Kings got you, Addy. They assaulted and tried to take you. It wouldn’t have gotten that far if I’d been there. I could’ve acted sooner.”

&n
bsp; I picked up the remote and raised the head of the bed. The lights followed. My white, clinical space lit up.

  There wasn’t much to see in the room besides the bed, rollaway tray, television, and the sink next to the bathroom door. Its biggest draw was that it was private. We could speak freely.

  “Things had to play out a certain way, G. What matters is they trust me, and we’ve dealt the first serious blow to the Kings in decades. There’s a power vacuum. They’ll be rushing—and fighting—over Angelo’s replacement. The cops are hunting them down as child traffickers. They watched a good chunk of their hideaways burn to the ground. While they’re scrambling, it’s time to strike blow number two.”

  Gianna gave me a look. “I like how you avoided the conversation by steering back to the Kings.”

  “I like how you noticed,” I mumbled.

  “Addy, are you okay? I get you need to keep your cover but a few days away from this won’t hurt. It might do some good, actually. Stay with me,” she said, popping a kiss on my cheek. “Just for a while to get your head on straight. We need to rework the plan anyway. It went way off track since you got trapped in that bathroom.”

  That much was true.

  Yes. I was interested in the Merchants.

  Yes. I wanted a gang to lend its power, knowledge, and firepower in the search for Kieran.

  Yes. I wasn’t willing to start off at the bottom—playing everybody’s bitch until I worked my way up to right hand.

  All of those things were true. But still I never could’ve planned for Sinjin, Brutal, Mercer, and Cash.

  “I am okay, G.” I said it, and meant it. “You’re right, I was blindsided. I walked into that auction thinking it was a simple job and ended up in my personal nightmare. I ended up in many children’s nightmares. But we saved them, Gianna, and we got the Kings out of the trafficking business for good. I’m all right now.

  “I can breathe.”

  “You’re still staying with me.”

  “I—”

  “Keep that no on your tongue. If you don’t care about alleviating my worries, then at least do something about my uncertainty. I’m done with this calling-when-you-can, speaking-in-code thing. We need to properly plan our next move now that the Kings have taken that hit. You said it yourself.”

  “I do care about your worries,” I said. “What about Raul?”

  “He’s got friends. They’ve got couches.”

  “I doubt Sinjin will be cool with it.”

  “Sinjin doesn’t have a fortified fire station to trap you inside anymore. While he’s rectifying that, you need somewhere to recover. Are you out of excuses now?”

  I cracked a smile. “Yes, I am.”

  CASH

  “We’ll set up in Leighbridge.”

  Twenty-something. Shouting. Hands waving.

  “The Leighbridge place has one bedroom and one way in and out,” Mercer said.

  Driving ten to eleven miles over the speed limit.

  “We can’t stay there long-term,” Mercer said. “We weren’t meant to.”

  Smacks dash. Eyes mirror. Right rearview light—

  I hit the brakes, sliding out of the way as a blubbering Gen Xer dove into our lane without checking her blind spot. She continued her fight in earnest, arms flailing clear through the window—unaware her day would’ve gotten ten times worse if she succeeded in side-swiping my car.

  “We’re not,” I said, changing lanes for the express to the hospital. “I started negotiations on a new place in Waterford when we took up this fight against the Kings. I assumed they’d locate the fire station sooner or later.”

  “Waterford? The Seventh Street gang and Bowery Boys claimed Waterford.”

  “Now the Merchants have too.”

  “What’s this place like?” Sinjin asked. He stretched out long in the passenger seat, absentmindedly fingering his knife hilt. “How soon can we get in?”

  “End of this week or next. It’s three floors. Six bedrooms. A basement with two exits. The bottom floor was a sandwich shop. We’ll buy the building.”

  “Can we afford an entire building in Waterford?” Mercer added. “It’s been a while since we’ve done a job.”

  “I moved a few things around,” I said simply. “Sold some assets. But yes, we’re low. Between renovations on the new place, Redgrave’s hospital stay, and the eight thousand a month Sinjin agreed to pay her, we’ll be hard up sooner rather than later.”

  “Bunny offers a valuable service,” Sinjin said, grinning.

  “Riding your dick?”

  “Now, now. She’s long past proven her worth. Bunny keeps Brutal happy. We eat like kings instead of refugees now. She planned the attack on the Castian, and do I have to remind you, the person who actually took out our most dangerous enemy, was her.”

  “No.” My grip tightened on the wheel recalling the scene we walked into. Adeline on the floor clutching her bleeding stomach. Angelo slumped against the cage with a knife in his neck. The look of surprise on his face. “You don’t.”

  “She’ll have the salary we agreed to,” Sinjin went on. “It’s not much less than the cut we take for ourselves, and she’s one of us.”

  “It’s more than our cut,” I said. “We’re running on less than nothing until we refill the bank, Sinjin.”

  “Why are we buying a place we have to renovate?” Mercer asked. “We’d save ourselves money right there if we found ourselves another fixed-up station and stayed in North Quay.”

  I shook my head. “We have to assume our address went wide. Once the Kings find out Angelo is dead, they’ll comb North Quay hunting us down. That borough is burned. As for the place, one of those basement exits is a tunnel that opens out to the storage room in the grocery store across the street. It’s not on any plans. If something like this happens again, we won’t be trapped.”

  “If it’s not on any plans, how did you find out about it?”

  “I have my sources.”

  “Sources that won’t crack?” Sinjin asked.

  I nodded.

  “Good enough for me. What do we need to do to this place?”

  “Gut the downstairs. It’s all windows. Those will need to be covered up.”

  “The windows in our last place saved our asses,” Mercer said. “We going to talk about that at any point? Someone took out Angelo and held his men back. Who?”

  I looked to Sinjin, and he was looking at me. “Wasn’t me,” I confirmed. “My contingencies did not include Corbin breaking his own thumb, getting free, and bringing Angelo down on us while his only bargaining chip was alone in the house. There was no time for me to set one of the guys on the opposite roof. I don’t know who that was.”

  “Who could it have been?” Sinjin mused, mostly to himself. “I didn’t call in the reinforcements either. The only people who knew we were there were the Kings. It’s possible one of them took their shot. If Angelo is killed in the middle of taking us out, the Merchants are blamed and his successor rises to the top promising vengeance. It’s genius.”

  “Only one flaw in that logic,” Mercer said. “Why didn’t this turncoat King wait until we were dead to take Angelo out of play? The Kings’ enemies and the man in his way in one fell swoop. He would’ve had it if he waited ten seconds.”

  We fell silent. As silent as Brutal still and calm in the back seat, not offering a word of his thoughts.

  “Taking us out may not be the endgame,” Sinjin said. “Angelo wanted us in the Kings. Angelo 2.0 could want the same. Speaking of, who is next in line?”

  Names, dates, faces, and rap sheets filed through my mind one after the other.

  “Angelo had no children nor did he groom anyone in particular,” I said. “He likely feared filling some bloodthirsty junior’s head with visions of power would result in a knife in his back when they got impatient. Without a named successor, we’re down to four guys with enough clout in the gang to get the men to follow them. They are also the ones who want it enough to kill the other three
.

  “Jace Parker. Xavier Jameson. Thiago Pais. Lorenzo ‘Enzo’ Bianchi.”

  “What do we got on them?”

  “Parker was Angelo’s man on the fights. He coordinated them, found the men, took the bets, and personally visited those who didn’t pay up. Former fighter himself,” I said. “He doesn’t farm out his beatings.”

  Sinjin inclined his head. “I respect that. Tell me about Jameson.”

  “Jameson is the smart pick, but like I said, this won’t be a democracy. He’s cool. Level-headed. Intelligent. Rich parents were able to afford his ride to the academic top. He has a JSD from Cinco Law School, and a legit business front as an attorney. His only clients are the Kings.”

  “Rich boy lawyer who can walk away from the life at any time. Probably has a penthouse in Leighbridge with a perfect wife and two point five kids that he’ll choose above the gang if shit goes sour.” Sinjin shook his head. “No, it won’t be him. Or at least, it won’t just be him. If Jameson takes over, he’ll farm the everyday dealings to the second-in-command who’ll ultimately take the fall if things go wrong.”

  I nodded, accepting his reasoning. I knew the numbers, stats, data, and probability. Sinjin knew the depths of a despicable mind.

  “Thiago,” he prompted.

  “Thiago runs the escorts,” I continued. “Mercer probably knows more about him than I do.”

  “I don’t doubt your research,” Mercer said, “but in this case, I have personal knowledge on the guy.”

  “Client?”

  “Colleague. Thiago used to be an escort. He saved up enough to buy a strip club, then started his own business in Harlow. He got away with it because he worked out a deal with Angelo. Eventually he took over the Kings’ hand in that enterprise,” Mercer said. “He’s respected for the most part. He was in the business, so he knows what we deal with. He used to run the auction, and he made sure everyone who signed up was clean, willing, and discreet. The seventy-thirty split in favor of the escorts was his idea. Then Corbin took over that part of the business.”

  The statement hung in the air for a beat.