by K A Sands
Nobody could or would tell me anything about Charlie’s debt. The man had clearly felt an amount of shame and kept his troubles to himself for once. At the most inconvenient time, he’d kept his mouth shut, which meant whatever Charlie was neck deep in, didn’t bode well for Chrissie.
This was her day four and I knew deep in my gut this day was going to be fucked up, should have done things differently, insisted she stayed in Beaufort so I could protect her better, see what was coming. I wasn’t prepared at all. The only thing I’d managed to put into place in anticipation was to make money easily accessible. A fuck ton of money as I was positive once all was said and done, that’s what Charlie’s debt came down to. That or drugs. Even so, it had been difficult to get five million in cash in such a short space of time. If they wanted more then they’d have to wait.
I had no idea how much Charlie owed, if it was even money. God, I wanted to haul his body out of the grave I’d dumped him in then kill him all over again. Fuck him... Just fuck him.
A second text chime drew my attention back to the dresser, the reason I was wide awake, and my stomach was lurching. The phone lit the darkened room a stark blue, my heart lay in my throat.
Taylor was wrapped around me, the way she normally slept. Last night she’d managed more hours than usual, Emily having slept right on through, I was reluctant to wake her. The baby monitor stayed quiet, the camera on the bed side table showing my little angel slept as peacefully as her mother did. Untangling from Taylor was a hardship, but I needed to confront my phone because it was too fucking early for good news, which meant only one thing.
Chrissie’s debt - no, Charlie’s debt - was about to be repaid. Something had happened, terms had been set. Wheels in motion.
Taylor didn’t wake, merely rolled over on a soft snore that made me smile as I slipped from the comfort of my bed. Grappling about on the floor I found the boxers I’d shed the night before and tugged them on.
My gut coiled tight as I padded across the carpeted floor and suspiciously eyed the now darkened phone. When I reached out to lift it, I paused barely a centimetre from the dresser. On a rush of barely stilted breath, I snatched it up, swiping the screen and seeing two texts from Chrissie. I knew they weren’t from her. Yes, my sister’s phone, but not her hand.
Wishing I’d never opened the first text, I couldn’t unsee all the filth and degradation the video spewed forth. But I had, and now I had to live with some of the worst images I’d ever seen in my life. If there had been sound, I would have lost my mind. Even Shorty’s cold, dead, battered body paled in comparison to what the text from Chrissie’s phone revealed. I did well not to throw up right where I stood, instead sliding down the length of the wall, my knees unable to hold me up for the first time in my life, my arse hitting the floor with a solid thud.
Fuck.
Numb to everything, I sat there, the phone loose in my hand, my mind shutting down on me. It wasn’t until the warm hand of Taylor’s on my skin that I flinched and came back up for air.
“What’s wrong?” she asked gravely, no doubt knowing the answer. It was only then I realised I’d been sobbing, probably crying loud enough to have woken her up.
Taylor took the phone from my hand and threw it off to the side then climbed into my lap, her gentle hands holing my shoulders as she pressed her forehead to mine.
“Chrissie...” was all I managed to choke out, watching as Taylor’s face crumpled in sorrow.
“Is she...?”
“No.” She wasn’t dead but had probably suffered a fate worse at the hands of that beast.
She blew out a breath and straightened her spine, taking charge. “Who do I call?”
My fierce woman. God, I loved her more than life.
“Lucca.” Always Lucca. The man was my strength, my staunchest ally behind Taylor, always had my back. He’d know what to do. “And Tony. I think.”
Taylor’s fingers ghosted over my lips before she bent for a simple kiss that lasted no more than a second or two. “I love you.”
I gave her a wane smile, one she’d understand and then repeated her words back to her. Her answering smile was enough to drag me into action, set my grief aside and light a fire within my simmering veins. Anger came swift, so savage I thought it would choke me where I sat. I shook from head to toe until Taylor wrapped her body around mine and gave me those few desperate minutes to compose myself.
“I want everyone together.”
“I’ll call Lucca, then sort the rest. If you can bring her home, then you do it. But you come home too, Ryder. Promise me. Emily and I need you, always. Say it.”
“I promise, baby. I’ll be home.”
Whoever had Chrissie, this Yannick guy, he didn’t want me, I was simply a means to an end, the man with the money. They’d done their damage already, I felt safe in the promise I made Taylor, but I didn’t know if I could control the anger that burned hotter with each passing moment. Lifting Charlie’s books and handing them over would be a pleasure, the money... Well, it was exactly that. Money.
Until Chrissie was safe, I had to keep my head cool, then I’d make whatever moves I needed to afterwards. Because no matter who this fucker was, there was no way he was getting away with what he’d done to my sister.
Not in my lifetime.
* * * * *
“We just walk right on in there?” Lucca asked as he climbed out the other side of my truck, Tony and Shaun getting out from the back.
“Why the fuck not?”
“I doubt there’s many of his blokes hanging around. It’s likely he’s been cleaned out because his monkeys aren’t exactly loyal, you know,” Shaun said wisely. “The books might not even be there.”
“You said he locked them up. Not many people know where they are.”
“True. He didn’t trust much anyone. But he left his books in plain sight. I just don’t think anyone was clever enough to realise what they were.”
“Except you.”
“Look, Ryder,” Shaun blew out a frustrated breath. “If the books are there still, I can get them. But I haven’t been under him for a long time and if he had any brain at all, he moved things.”
“Well, best get inside and have a look then.” I reached back into the truck, flipping open the glove box and pulled out the gun I’d purchased last year after the one Lucca had was destroyed. “Has anyone heard from Warren yet?”
“Woah, what the fuck?” Lucca gripped the top of my arm harshly. “Ryder...”
Gritting my teeth, I glanced down and stared at his hand until he moved it. “I need those fucking books.”
“Like this? Seriously?”
“You know any other way? These fucks don’t listen and with Charlie not having shown face for a while, they’ll be jumpy. I brought along a method of persuasion, that’s all. I’m not going to use the fucking thing, Lucca.”
Shaun sighed loudly from behind me. “He has a point. And no, Warren is nowhere to be found.”
Jesus, I had to look at the real possibility he was with Chrissie. It meant she had support at least, but my bargain was for Chrissie, not him. Warren hadn’t been mentioned so it was just a waiting game. I gave him more credit than I would have someone else. He loved her, probably didn’t recognise he did, there was no way he’d run. There was no point worrying over what if’s for now, I wanted inside this building.
There were four of us walking down the alleyway to the door of Charlie’s office building, I’d brought Tony along for the appearance of muscle and meaning business. Shaun, because this was his old haunt and knew what he was looking for, could probably get us in the door with some charming speak. And Lucca... Lucca went where I did, especially if he saw a hint of trouble. I wasn’t sure exactly what the plan was, but I needed inside that building and in Charlie’s office. Those books were the only thing that mattered right now.
I walked up to the door first, the three men at my back, and rapped my knuckles hard on the wood. Glancing up at the camera, I noticed it didn’t
move and there was no light to suggest the thing was even working. That was a good sign, if Charlie’s thugs had ransacked his offices because he’d been absent then it made things inherently easier for us. Who’d care if we walked right on in and took what we wanted?
The door inched open and a bloke I vaguely recognised stuck his head out an inch, eyeing us warily. “He’s not here.”
“I’m not here to see that piece of shit. Open the door.” I put all the malice I had into those words, putting the fear of God into the kid.
He didn’t hesitate and swung the door wide, inviting us inside with a sweep of his hand. “By all means.”
Nothing had ever changed in Charlie’s space. The corridor was dark and still smelled of stale cigarettes that evoked memories I didn’t care to think on. I wasn’t that little boy anymore, I had a different family. Lived a very different life with no thanks to him. A better one.
“Who else is here?” Lucca asked as he walked around me and stood towering over the young lad.
The young guy tucked his hands in his pockets and looked at the floor. “It’s just me. They all cleared out, took a lot of shit with them. If you’re here for Charlie’s drugs,” he paused as if weighing up his options and looking for the right one. “They ain’t here. I don’t have no place else to go and the old man hasn’t been here for a while. I figured I could stay until he got back.”
“What’s your name?” Lucca asked, studying the kid.
“His name’s Sam. He’s been a street runner for Charlie for a long time.” When I looked behind me, Shaun was regarding Sam with a softness I didn’t see often, only when he was looking at Ayden or Emily when he thought no one was looking. “He was a kid first time we met.”
“Hi Gripp.”
“It’s Shaun.”
The guy coughed and looked embarrassed. “Of course. Sorry.”
Shaun pushed past us all and hurried off to the back of the building where Charlie’s office was. I followed behind, and when I entered the room, he was crouched on the floor in front of a beast of a filing cabinet I was all too familiar with. He was fiddling with a lock he took no time to pick, then hauled the drawer open once done. Sitting back on his haunches, his hands on his thighs, he heaved out a laugh.
“Stupid fuck.” Grabbing at the ledgers in the bottom of the drawer, he handed them over his shoulder to me. “Five books. I’ll check the other drawers.”
“Nobody wanted to touch the files,” Sam said from the doorway. “I guess no one was brave enough.”
There was nothing else in the other drawers except a wad of cash and a document I hadn’t seen in over a year. It looked like he held all his wordly possessions in three drawers, sad state of affairs if you asked me. I passed the hotel contract over to Lucca and he raised his eyebrows at me. “I think that’s yours.” The Q was back in the hands of its rightful owner. I had plans for it, and hopefully Chrissie would sit at the helm, she deserved it. I just had to discuss it with Lucca first.
“Is he coming back?”
Shaun got up from the floor and gave me a look. Nodding my head to the side, Sam sat in the chair I’d motioned to. He looked uncomfortable, the poor sod. I didn’t know what I was doing here with him, but he looked lost, hadn’t been hostile, so I gave him a minute of my time.
“Charlie won’t be coming back, no.” I perched my butt on the side of the desk taking note of the computer that still sat there. That would be going in the back of my truck too, I’d crack it open later, see exactly what Charlie had to hide.
“Uh... Okay. I best get my shit and...” And what, I wondered. He hung his head and fuck if I didn’t feel sorry for him.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Go grab your shit, we’ll get you sorted.” Lucca laughed off to the side as Sam scrambled from his chair and hurried from the room. “Tell me I’m not making a mistake here, Shaun. Who is he?”
“He’s all right. Was just a street runner like I said, doesn’t have a shitty bone in him. From what I remember he was just down on his luck when he got tangled up in Charlie’s crew. Kid’s gay, think his folks threw him out or something. I’m not gonna stand here and vouch for him though, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“When you finally talk, man, your mouth runs a mile, you know that? Put him in the flat above the Chinese.”
“You fucking asked,” he grouched then stomped from the room.
“Let’s go,” Tony called from the corridor. I’d forgotten about the silent man, but he was right, it was time to get the fuck out of here. I was already running scenarios through my head to burn the fucking shit hole to the ground, never to set foot in here ever again.
“Make sure Sam grabs all his gear. He won’t be back.”
* * * * *
I wondered if the prick knew exactly what two million quid in cash looked like. Because it was a fucking lot and there was no way I could hand it over in a bag just like that. I’d texted Chrissie’s phone back and said as much, leaving out the attitude obviously. The reply that returned was clever, I’d give the fucker that.
Shoving two black holdalls into lockers at the bus station in Brighton, I pumped in the twenty quid in coins to secure the locker for twenty-four hours and grabbed for the ticket. Holding that piece of paper for dear life, I made my way back out into the street and to the café I’d been told to meet at. I knew it wouldn’t be anyone of importance collecting that ticket from me, so I didn’t get my hopes up and shoved my anger away. A runner didn’t deserve to get the rough end of my wrath.
When I pushed the café door open, I stopped for the tiniest of moments, confused. Life couldn’t be this coincidental, surely? I was certain the woman I was looking at was the person waiting to collect the bus locker ticket worth two million quid. Laughing, I took in the irony of it, the absurdity, then let it wash away on a tide of anger this bitch absolutely deserved.
I knew who she was, although I’d never met her in my life, I never forgot a face. The one I was looking at right then just made everything a shit lot more complicated.
Stalking to the table, I slapped the ticket down in front of her. “Waiting for this?”
“Chrissie?”
The bitch smirked up at me and it took every ounce of constraint not to haul her from the seat and slap the woman stupid. Besides Stella and Alexa, I’d never wanted to harm another woman before as much as I wanted to this one. I could easily have throttled her right there and not batted an eyelid.
“Fuck you,” I growled getting right up in her face.
“If it’s not all there, you know the consequences.”
“Piss off, you know I’m good for it. Don’t goddamned insult me. Now, where the fuck is she?”
“Will take you an hour to get there.” She passed a scrap of paper with a London address on it. “If you’ve crossed Yannick, don’t expect to find her when you get there.”
“I would say thanks but...” I looked her up and down with disgust, then turned on my heel as quickly as I’d arrived eager to get away from the poison sitting at the table. Out into the sunshine again, I pulled out my phone, calling Lucca.
“Come get me.” He was just around the corner, I’d be in London in less than hour. I just hoped Chrissie was strong enough to hang on until I got there. I was going to make this right for her. Then I was going to find out what the fuck was going on. I didn’t believe in coincidences; Warren had some questions to answer.
Chrissie
I ached. Ached in places I’d never before. I’d been battered and trampled on many times, been a pawn in people’s games for years, but never had I felt as vulnerable and as broken as I did then. This man had stripped me, princess crown and all. Treated me like the whore I’d so often felt like I was in the past, even though he hadn’t actually stuck his dick in me. I was afraid he’d broken my last thread of sanity.
I was damaged beyond repair, no need to ask why me? I absolutely knew why. Standing back up after someone beat me down, was a given, but this felt different. This time I carried
a passenger who’d witnessed my fall from grace, which added to my struggle. I needed all my energy for me - how could I be what Warren needed too? How could I deal with him in the aftermath?
As degraded as I felt, the pain had been in the fists and bites. No one had ever treated me with such blatant disregard before and enjoyed doing so. No one had ever lifted a finger to me in that way, not as viciously and with such violent intent anyway.
Warren’s attempt to mend and clean torn skin and bruises had been too much, and the tears had spilled. He’d been made to watch, made to think it was more than it was. I couldn’t comprehend what must have been going through his head, how he could bear to look and touch someone as soiled as I was.
Trouble with a capital T.
That’s all I was to anyone who entered my life and stayed a while. There hadn’t been many, but they never remained long and if they did it was for all the wrong reasons.
Resting my head on Warren’s chest, I finally gave in and floated off into a little bit of peacefulness. A place where the sun shone, and I wasn’t the fucked-up mess that made mistake, after mistake, after mistake.
Some time later I was roused from a shallow sleep by the opening of the door. A man I’d never seen before poked his head around before pushing a trolley with a steaming basin of water through the opening. There were more clean clothes laid out.
“Come on,” Warren nudged. “Let’s get you cleaned up properly. Hopefully this means we’re on our way home soon.”
I looked up at him thoughtfully. Two million quid was the price. I had no idea what Ryder’s finances were like, they were none of my business. He had money; I knew this, but two million pound was more than I could get my head around. Would Ryder come through? If not, I dreaded to think about the consequences.
“He’ll come. You know he will.”
I didn’t, so I clung to Warren’s confidence in my brother and gingerly got up from the floor with his help. Muscles and joints were beginning to stiffen, what I really needed were some painkillers to take the edge off but for now I’d grit my teeth and get the fuck on with it. I didn’t even want to think what I must look like; I could feel the swollen parts of my body and knew I wasn’t a pretty sight.
