by Sam Crescent
“The only part of our arrangement I didn’t keep was staying too close to you. You think I didn’t know there would be consequences of staying close? That woman has all four of you by the balls. One snap of her fingers, and I’d be dead and Ashley would be free. I’m not that desperate and I’m certainly not an idiot.”
“What about dealing with our fathers’ prior arrangement to have Emily killed?” I asked, speaking up for the first time since he arrived. “What do you have to say about that?”
“I told you, I broke one part of our agreement. The other, I took care of. There wasn’t a threat to Emily’s life. All of the prior negotiations and bounty are over. I know how your fathers handled that mess, so I knew how to get rid of it.”
This made me tense. I stared at Earl.
He wasn’t a stupid man. “You knew how to erase it because you put it in place,” I said.
Earl smiled. “Well, well, well, I had to wonder who would figure it out eventually. The fact it was you, I’m rather impressed.”
“Cut the crap. You did this to start with. You gave them the ammo they needed to take Emily from us?” Caleb asked.
Earl sighed. “I need a drink.” He stepped toward the drinks table, pouring himself a large shot of brandy. “Do you want one?”
In response, I glared.
“That’s our booze, asshole,” River said.
“I know.” He took a sip, smacking his lips together. “Your fathers, they came to me with so many … options and concerns. They truly felt this girl, Emily, my intended, was a problem. Of course, she was supposed to be my sweet virgin, but we’ll call that water under the bridge.” He waved his hand across his face, then took another sip. “So good. They first wanted to kill Emily. To get one of their MC contacts. Make it look like a complete accident.”
“Let me guess, you decided against that out of the goodness of your heart?”
He laughed. “I’m not that stupid. I’m a man who has built his empire from the ground up. I know you all have had this handed to you on a silver platter. It was so easy for you all, you merely took it. But for those of us who came from nothing, we had to bleed. You know nothing about me, and anything you do find out, well, it’s not exactly the truth.”
“Why don’t you cut the crap and get to the part where we don’t want to kill you? Right now, I’m feeling mighty ready to kill you,” I said. My fingers were still wrapped around my gun, and it would be so much fun to just off him. To take his life. I wanted to more than anything else in the world. When I thought of Emily, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I loved her and I knew if there was anything he could do to keep her alive, I’d take it.
“Patience. Your fathers are not going to take a hit out tonight. They’ve lost one of their own. Congratulations for taking care of him. Ace, he’d been more for me killing Emily.”
“You weren’t down in that basement,” River said. “You don’t know what went on.”
“I do know what they intended and I was the one who played out what would happen if your guys ever found out what they did. With their own personal sense of loss, they saw my reasoning was sound. They weren’t exactly the sanest people around now, were they?” He finished off his shot. “So, I got them to make a deal. If you arrived, I would do as was negotiated. I’d put a hit out on Emily in the case of you following her. I was the one who set it up. Your fathers, they funded it. If you didn’t arrive, they were going to handle Emily their own way.”
“You think this is your helping your cause right now?” Caleb asked.
“Yes.”
Vadik charged toward Earl and his guard drew his gun. I pulled out mine, aiming it at Earl. Caleb and River did the same.
The only one not carrying was Earl. He chuckled.
“Seven years. We’ve been in control for a lot longer than a couple of months. You had the power to bring us what we wanted. Why didn’t you?” Vadik asked.
Exactly my thoughts.
“You think I’m just going to hand you what you want? I knew you were all time bombs waiting to go off. Your fathers believed with Emily out of the way, they could control you. Week after week, month after month, I heard the damage you all were responsible for. At first, I had to make sure you had taken real power. Your fathers have a lot of friends, which I’m sure you’re more than aware of. Then, I had to go see Emily for myself, to see that she was still alive, and that she’d even work to fit into my plans.”
“Where does Ashley fit into all of this?” River asked.
“She’s my reward.”
“Do you hurt her?” Caleb asked.
“You’ve seen her for yourself. Does she look hurt?”
“I know there are a great deal of bruises that don’t show up.”
Earl snorted. “I don’t hit my women.”
“Don’t treat us like fools. We know what you’re capable of. The bodies that mount up from women you can’t control,” I said.
“Actually, that is business, and I have nothing to do with their deaths. To put your minds at rest, I can order Ashley in here to strip and you can see every single inch of her if you’d like, and while you’re checking over my woman, I’ll go to a room, and let’s see what would happen if I was left alone with her for as long as you check mine.”
Vadik charged forward and all of a sudden, Earl had a blade within his grip.
“I take my protection seriously. You think I won’t protect what is mine? Ashley is mine. Try to take her from me, and I will make you all suffer in ways you’ve only ever imagined.”
We stayed perfectly still.
Earl was a threat. One we didn’t need, at least not now. I waited for Caleb to give the order. Killing Earl would be a mistake. We don’t know the kind of power he held. If what he said was true, there was a great deal we didn’t know. I hated those odds. Emily’s life was too damn precious to all of us to waste it.
I waited.
Finally, Caleb cleared his throat. “I think it’s time we get down to business and allow our women to catch up.”
One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
Slowly, I made the first move in putting my gun away. Emily didn’t need this tonight, and Ashley, well, we’d find a way to protect her, if she even needed it from us.
Chapter Fifteen
Emily
The moment we were far away from our men, I pulled Ashley into my arms. In the past seven years, Ashley had turned me into a hugger. I hadn’t been one to show too much emotion.
Living with my dad and brother, as well as my driver, to survive, I’d learned to be cold, almost wooden in feeling and movement.
Ashely had not had the same troubles that I had. She felt so much and loved a great deal. She’d never been afraid to show it either. If we watched a sad movie, she’d sob her heart out and sniffle all the way through. When someone made her mad, she’d growl, scream, and even hit a pillow. I’d seen it. The person who had done the aggravation was never around when she let go.
“Are you okay? Did he hurt you? I’m so sorry for not being there. I’ve been trying to get you back. Are you okay?” I kept repeating the same questions over and over.
Ashley chuckled. “Stop, Em, stop.”
I hugged her close, feeling so much guilt at what I nearly caused her.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay, Em. I’m right here, and I’m fine.”
I pulled away and started to lift the arms of the dress she wore. I didn’t see any signs, but all of a sudden, she pulled away.
“You’ve got to stop.” Ashley held her hands up.
“Does he hit you? Beat you? Rape you?”
“No!” Ashley yelled the word. “You’ve got to stop and calm down. Get your shit together or something.”
“I’d say,” Drake said.
I glared at him. “You get to be quiet. You don’t have a single say in this.”
“Thank God. You’re acting like a crazy person. We don’t know how long they’re going to be, or how this is going to end. So shut up and let her speak.
”
I opened my mouth, closed it, and opened it again. I was a little taken aback by the sheer force of his words, but I couldn’t deny it. I wasn’t letting Ashley get a chance to speak and that was on me.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Shut up, Emily,” Drake said.
I placed a hand on my mouth and smiled up at my best friend. “I’m sorry.”
She chuckled. “It’s good to know that since I’ve been away you’ve found your voice.”
“You’d be surprised.” This from Drake again.
“I remember you being a lot more childish,” Ashley said.
“I don’t remember you at all,” Drake said, winking at her. “But I’d like to get to know you.”
“Stop it,” I said, taking Ashley’s hands and walking her all the way back to the sofa. Caleb’s office wasn’t exactly comfortable. Even the chairs left a lot to be desired in the comfort corner. “Tell me. Talk to me about everything. Is he good to you? Are you happy? Don’t leave anything out.”
Ashley sighed and looked toward Drake.
“I’ll stand outside but I’m not going anywhere else.”
“If you need us to take care of you, we will. I know my guys, they’ll protect you.”
“Emily, stop it. Okay. Yes, in the beginning, I was terrified. One moment I’d been asked to deal with a client who wanted to talk to me, and the next, I wake up on a boat or a yacht. I think it was more of a yacht. Anyway, Earl, he told me about the deal he made. Saving you, bringing you back here, and in return, he got me, or more importantly, my virginity.”
“He has raped you.” I stood up, ready to go and slice the prick up, but Ashley grabbed my hand and forced me to sit down.
“You need to stop. I’m still a virgin. We haven’t had sex, okay?”
I frowned. “You haven’t?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Ashley laughed. “Have you ever considered Earl might be a gentleman?”
This time I snorted. I couldn’t help it.
“Emily!”
“What? I’m sorry. A gentleman doesn’t make a deal to protect one woman, while he has every intention of taking her friend for sex.”
“We haven’t had sex and he has been so nice to me. I can’t even begin to tell you how … he is. I think he’s sweet.”
“Honey, that’s Stockholm syndrome talking.”
“I thought that, but Emily, he’s … he makes sure I’m happy. Yeah, I mean, at first, it wasn’t easy and it has only been a couple of days, and he was a dick and he can be a pain in the ass, but, I … I think I kind of like him.”
“Kind of like him?” This was a huge fucking deal. I mean, I don’t even know how she could be thinking in terms of liking this asshole. He was only interested in getting a virgin.
Ashley shrugged. “I know it makes me sound like a pushover.”
“You sound like you’re protecting him.”
“Maybe I am. He hasn’t been bad to me, Em. I’m not an idiot. I know what he’s all about. He’s told me, but he’s not the worst monster we’ve seen, is he?”
I paused.
“Your dad. He killed my mom and well, look at the mess he got us all into. I’d say he was our biggest problem.”
I didn’t want to admit that she was right, but she really was. My dad was a grade-A selfish asshole. If it wasn’t for my men, we’d have both been dead, and the life we had together wouldn’t have happened.
“I felt so guilty,” I said. “They bargained your life for mine. I couldn’t stand it.”
Ashley cupped my cheek. “You know, in high school, I could see how devoted they were to you. I guess nothing ever changes.”
I put my hand over hers. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You’re not going to lose me. I’m right here.”
I couldn’t help but pull her into me for another hug. I hated the way I felt. The guilt was still there. Ashley held me and I closed my eyes, hoping she was happy.
“Please tell me you’re happy.”
“Don’t push it,” Ashley said, laughing. “I know there are a lot of things in this life I was never going to get.”
“The cooking show?” I asked.
“Just, I don’t know. I think I pictured a life with a husband who adored me, and we’d have kids, a house, and a couple of dogs, cats as well. You know I’m crazy about animals.”
I chuckled. With us both working, we hadn’t been able to get a dog.
She sighed.
“Well, could Earl be the love of your life?”
Ashley shook her head. “I’d like to think there’s a chance, you know, but he’s made it abundantly clear he and I, we’re not going to … he wants one thing from me. When he’s ready, he’ll get it, and take me until he’s bored.”
Now I felt sick, angered, and wanted to kill the bastard. I stood up, ready to do just that, but again, Ashley caught my wrist.
“How about we stop talking about my men and we talk about all of yours,” Ashley said with a laugh.
“There are not that many.”
“Has Drake joined your harem?”
“It’s not a harem and ew, no, gross. Drake is … he’s my guard, I think. And I believe we’re also friends. I think so.”
“You only think so?”
“You know how it is.” I rubbed at my temple.
“I know how it was in high school. Clearly not a whole lot changed.”
I stared at Ashley. Her smile. It didn’t quite meet her eyes, and I hated myself for that. She was the optimist between us. The kind of woman to watch a romance film and wish she could find her Mr. Right. Earl wasn’t it. If he only wanted her virginity, then I knew without a doubt she was only heading for heartbreak, and looking at her now, with my understanding of Ashley, she knew it too.
I took her hand. “You can always come back here. You got me.”
Ashley squeezed my hands. “I know. I’m not afraid.”
“You’ve got nothing to be afraid of,” Earl said, startling us.
Caleb, Vadik, Gael, and River were by his side. I hadn’t even seen them come in.
I stood with Ashley, holding her hand.
“Dinner is served.”
I tried to read them, to see if I had any idea what had gone down. Nothing.
Gritting my teeth, I stared at all of them.
“I’d like to talk to Earl,” I said. The words spilled from my lips before I even realized I’d said them.
“Emily,” Ashley said. I gave her hand a squeeze.
“Not happening,” Caleb said.
Earl’s brow was raised.
“He sought me out, after all. I’d like to talk to him. I think I can ask for that.”
Ashley groaned. “You don’t need to do the best friend routine.”
“It’s fine, Ashley,” Earl said. “I understand.”
My men looked like they wanted to dispute it, but I refused to budge. Ashley was my best friend. They hadn’t looked out for her when I needed them to. Now it fell to me, and there was no way I was going to let her go to this monster without knowing firsthand what she was dealing with.
“No guards,” I said. “You know this room has no exit. We’ll come out.”
“It doesn’t stop him from killing you,” Gael said with a growl.
“I won’t kill her,” Earl said.
“And we’re supposed to believe you?” This from Gael again.
“Why don’t you just accept that I know how to handle myself?” I asked. “I don’t need any babysitters.” I’d taken care of Gael back in high school. It was time for them to realize if they wanted me as theirs, they needed to stop treating me like a child.
“Fine,” Caleb said. “We’ll be right outside the door.”
Ashley passed Earl, and he grabbed her. I watched him. It wasn’t a hard hold, but it was firm. I didn’t like it. All it made me want to do was hurt him.
She stepped out.
The door closed and we were alone. S
ilence rang out.
I stared at him, in no rush to end this.
He made my skin crawl. I never liked him, and looking at him now, I still couldn’t stand him.
“Is this where we have our little standoff, Emily?” he asked.
“I’m not having a standoff with you. I’m trying to get the correct words to say what I’m feeling, and if this was a standoff, I won.”
He smiled. “Touché.”
“Do you love Ashley?” I asked.
He laughed. “You’re such a woman still. To fuck someone doesn’t require emotion.”
“I know.” I glared at him. “You think I haven’t known what men are like? You have only one interest in mind and it’s popping a cherry then dumping her.” I’d surprised him with my language. Years of being my father’s punching bag, and knowing this world, I’d learned a thing or two. Women who spoke their mind, or were just plain blunt, well, it seemed to shock the men, and I’d do anything to have his focus on me than on my friend.
“You think that is all I want?”
“Ashley told me as much.”
He smiled. “First, Emily, you think whatever we discuss right here and now, I’d even agree to or listen to? I can. I can pretend all I want to, but you’ve got no power here.”
I stared at him for the longest time. In the back of my mind, I knew my men are going crazy, wondering what I was doing. What the hell I was talking with this asshole about. I watched him, waiting for the moment he’d give something away for what he’d done to Ashley. I couldn’t bear the thought of my friend being hurt by him.
“I think there is a lot more to your feelings about Ashley than you’re letting on.” I didn’t look away but gave him my full attention.
“You let your imagination run wild.”
“You’re a businessman. My father organized for you to have my virginity for a hefty price. I also know you’re a man who deals in women on a weekly basis. A virgin isn’t so hard to find, yet you wait. You’ve probably had your share of virgins, and if not, the one you’re waiting for is the person you intend to spend the rest of your life with. Women have biological clocks, but I also hear men have this need to gain an heir. To have someone to pass their legacy onto.”
