I finally have something amazing—I can’t lose it—not now.
15
Liam
Something wasn’t right. I could feel it in my bones. Gerard told me that Billy borrowed money from Robert Townsend. That wasn’t true. I had always trusted Gerard, and he had never done anything to give me a reason to doubt him. I wanted to believe he had been lied to by Robert Townsend. It just scared me to think of the alternative if what he found out was so bad that he had to lie about it. All we could do was wait for his return and hope that he was able to deliver the money without any sort of incident. I agreed with his decision to be the courier—I definitely didn’t think Billy should try to do it—but that was before I knew there was more to the story. Billy might have returned with the money required to buy his wife’s freedom, but he had inconvenienced a very dangerous man—even that was enough to earn Robert Townsend’s wrath if his reputation was to be believed.
“It’s been two hours.” Rachel followed me into the kitchen. “I’m starting to get really worried.”
“Yeah, me too.” I pulled out my cell phone and sent a message to Gerard, hoping that he would reply.
“Billy is going to take Sugar back to our Dad’s place. They’re tired from the drive, and there really isn’t anything we can do until Gerard gets back.” Rachel put her palms flat on the counter. “Can you just hug me and tell me it’s going to be okay?”
“I don’t want to lie to you.” I walked over and pulled her into for a hug. “We don’t know what is really going on. I’m starting to get concerned that Gerard made some kind of deal with Robert Townsend when he thought we weren’t going to be able to come up with the money.”
“What would a man like that want from Gerard?” She leaned against my shoulder and sighed.
“I have no idea.” My sigh matched the one that rushed across her lips. “It’s terrifying to think about—but Gerard has always done what he thought was best.”
“Don’t I know it…” She pulled back from our embrace.
Rachel still hadn’t completely gotten over what Gerard did to her, and I could tell that those emotions were coming back as two hours turned into four. Gerard wasn’t picking up his phone, he wasn’t returning my text messages, and the silence was getting more terrifying by the minute. Billy and Sugar left, but we promised to call Billy if there were any new developments. I was surprised that he had been so accepting of my relationship with his sister—especially when he found out that it wasn’t just the two of us. I wondered if he would have a different opinion once he had time to process what we told him without Robert Townsend’s shadow hanging over our lives. Billy’s approval didn’t really matter to me, and I wasn’t ready to completely forgive him for putting us in the situation, to begin with. He could have told us. We would have done anything to help him—we were supposed to be best friends.
“You should try to get some rest.” I leaned over and took Rachel’s hand. “Seriously, there’s nothing we can do here but wait…”
“There’s no way I can go to sleep right now.” She looked over at me and shook her head. “This is hard for me because I’ve been in this position before—waiting.”
“I know.” I slid closer and put my arm around her.
And I listened to Gerard tell her that he’d never do it again—never abandon her. Never in a million years did I think he was anything less than truthful when he said that.
The next day
Worry had passed. I was in full-on panic mode. Gerard didn’t come home, he still wasn’t answering his cell phone, and I was terrified to think of the worst-case scenario. I was doing my best to suppress the thoughts and keep them from registering on my face because Rachel needed a rock. She needed me to keep telling her that things were going to be okay—even if I no longer believed it myself. I needed to go to Robert Townsend’s club. I needed to see if I could get any sort of information that would give us the answers—but I didn’t want to abandon Rachel. I certainly couldn’t take her with me. I even considered calling the police, but Chief Dade’s conversation replayed in my head when I stared at the screen with the number ready for me to press a button and call them. If Chief Dade was right and Robert Townsend had the entire police department in his pocket, a call to them might make things worse—if they could be worse than they already were. I only had one choice—one that was probably going to tear Rachel apart when I told her.
“I have to go to the club.” I prepared for wrath—fury—and tears.
“I know.” Her words were the exact opposite of what I expected. “I realized that last night—I was just waiting for you to get the courage to tell me finally.”
“No matter what…” I walked over and grabbed both of her hands. “I will be back. I will not let anything stop me from holding you in my arms again.”
“I believe you.” She forced a smile. “And I know you’ll do everything in your power to bring Gerard back too.”
“Yes.” I nodded quickly. “I swear it.”
I just hope that’s an option—I probably should have gone with him—I should have never let him walk into that club alone the first time.
My thoughts were spinning when I left our apartment. I spent so long lost in my own thoughts after my last relationship crumbled. I truly believed I would never find happiness again. I certainly didn’t expect the most amazing woman in the world to walk into my life and captivate me from the first moment I saw her. I never thought I would be open to having a relationship that involved me sharing the woman I cared about with another man—much less Gerard. But I wanted that more than anything else in the world—enough to fight for it. The night of passion the three of us shared couldn’t be the only one. She couldn’t go through that with Gerard again. I had to unravel the lies, face down a man so powerful that he could take my life with the snap of his fingers, and somehow walk out of his club with Gerard at my side.
I’m sure that’ll be a piece of cake—maybe if I tell myself that enough before I get there, I’ll start to believe it.
“Where do you think you’re going, buddy?” A man standing outside Robert Townsend’s club stepped forward as I approached and pushed a hand underneath his jacket.
“I don’t want any trouble; I’m just looking for my friend.” I paused but kept my eyes locked on his hand in case he tried to pull his weapon.
“The only people who go through this door are invited.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “I don’t remember seeing you on the invitation list.”
“You—don’t even know my name.” I titled my head to the side. “Maybe I was invited.”
“Don’t fuck with me.” His hand jerked, but he didn’t brandish his firearm.
“I’m looking for Gerard. I know he’s inside. Why don’t you ask him if I’m invited?” I felt my jaw tighten.
This is a considerable risk. If something has happened to Gerard, I might get shot if they realize I’m looking for him.
“Hold the fuck on. Stay right there.” He grunted and opened the door.
I felt fight-or-flight taking over. There was no way I was going to be able to take down a guy with a gun if he opened the door ready to fire. What if he came back with some other people from Robert Townsend’s crew? I contemplated quitting while I was ahead. I had one question answered—whether or not Gerard was inside. If he weren’t, the guy wouldn’t have even bothered to check and see if I could come in. Before I could really decide what my next course of action should be, the door opened, and I prepared for the worst. Thankfully, the worst didn’t come. The man quietly stepped outside, held open the door, and motioned for me to enter. I took that as a good sign—or a sign that it would be easier to kill me when I wasn’t standing in the street. I swallowed any fear that was trying to build and walked past him. The instant I got inside, I saw Gerard sitting at the bar sipping a glass of whiskey.
“Gerard!” I walked towards him with a purpose. “What the fuck, man?”
“Keep your voice down.” He narrowed his eyes at me.
“I told him you were my guest.”
“Your guest? What—you’re a part of this now?” I looked around the room, noticing several dancers and men who had started to look my way, so I lowered my voice.
“No, it’s way more complicated than that.” He sighed and shook his head. “I wasn’t able to buy my way out—by the time Billy came back; it was too late. I had already made a deal with Robert Townsend, and he wasn’t willing to negotiate even when I had the money in hand.”
“A deal?” I sat down beside him. “Are you fucking crazy?”
“No!” He snapped at me but kept his voice from raising. “I was trying to keep Rachel safe. Robert Townsend was going to take her—we only had until midnight. I didn’t think Billy was coming back…”
“You made the deal earlier today when you left.” I exhaled sharply. “Fuck!”
“Yeah.” He pulled out the envelope Billy had given him and tossed it on the bar. “You might as well take that back to Billy. It ain’t worth shit to Robert Townsend now.”
“Okay, we’ll find a way out of this.” I scooted closer. “Come on, man. Rachel is worried. You can’t abandon her again.”
“She’s got you.” He sighed. “That’s going to have to be good enough now.”
“You asshole…” I shook my head back and forth. “You promised her…”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “I know—and I’m going to break that promise again.”
“There has to be another way.” I glared at him, unable to even recognize my best friend behind his expression.
“There’s not.” He sighed again. “You need to go.”
“You realize what this is going to cost you-you got a second chance with her.” I felt my stomach twisting into a knot.
“I know, and I didn’t deserve that one, so I sure as fuck won’t get a third.” He turned to face me. “But like I said—you need to go.”
“Fine…” I pushed back from the bar. “I’ll go be the man you can’t be.”
I couldn’t believe Gerard was actually willing to go through with whatever deal he made with Robert Townsend. I understood his desire to keep Rachel safe—I would have walked over broken glass to make sure nothing happened to her—but I would never lie to her. I would never betray her trust. I certainly wouldn’t fuck up a second time if I finally got forgiveness after breaking her heart the first time. He didn’t even seem interested in trying to find another way—and I believed there had to be one. Robert Townsend was powerful, but he wasn’t invincible. At the end of the day, he was just a man. Gerard had made his choice, and I couldn’t do anything about that. I would just have to console Rachel, try to help her get over his betrayal—and hope that we could come out the other side of it with what we had intact.
16
Gerard
Earlier that day
“Ah, Gerard.” Robert Townsend smiled when I stepped into his office and looked at his watch. “Cutting it a bit close aren’t you?”
“I waited until I didn’t have another option.” I sighed and sat down. “I have some money, but not all of it. I want to discuss giving you that and buying a little more time so I can figure out how to get the rest.”
“This wasn’t a negotiation. It’s all or nothing.” He shook his head back and forth. “So, will Ms. Lawson be dancing for me later tonight or are we going to discuss the deal I’d like to offer you?”
“You’ll never lay a fucking finger on her.” I felt my eyes burning with intensity. “Never—ever—and if you even think about it…”
“There’s no need for hostility. We’re both honorable men. I told you that I had a deal in mind and now we can talk business.” He reached over and picked up two glasses. “Let’s have a drink.”
“Sure.” I nodded, mostly because I didn’t have a choice.
“I believe that business should be casual, and both sides should profit from the discussion.” He poured our drinks and pushed one over to me. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
“I don’t feel like I’m going to profit from this.” I grabbed the glass and sipped the whiskey. “I’m just doing what I have to do to make sure the debt is paid—because the other way will just end in bloodshed.”
“Yes, yes it will.” He nodded and picked up his glass. “Because you’re too honorable to let me take her.”
“You’re damn right.” I nodded quickly.
“Excellent.” He smiled. “The deal I have in mind will be quite lucrative for you—but like any deal, there is a price.”
“Just tell me what I have to do.” I took another drink. “The faster I’m done with this, the sooner it’s over.”
“Not—quite so simple I’m afraid.” He chuckled and put down his glass after downing half of it in one gulp. “What I need from you will be a lifetime commitment—or at least until you retire.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“I need a man on the inside—someone that I can trust. I don’t know if I can trust you yet, but I know you’ll do what’s necessary, and that’s good enough for now.” He nodded.
“Inside? Inside of what…” I tried to make sense of his words, which sounded like riddles.
“You may not know it yet, but Chief Dade is about to announce his retirement. It’s an early retirement—sad really, but necessary.” Robert Townsend nodded. “Once he’s gone, someone will need to step up and take his place.”
“Well, there are plenty of people who can…” I shook my head in confusion. “What does that have to do with me.”
“You will be the man who takes his place.” Robert Townsend lowered his head slightly. “You will be the new chief.”
“What?” My eyes got wide, mostly because I was bewildered by his statement. “How? I’ll never get that job. I haven’t been there long enough. There are lots of firefighters with more experience—and they’re a lot more deserving.”
“None of that really matters. The only thing that matters is that once it’s all said and done, you’ll be the one who gets it.” He nodded. “An arrangement that benefits us both—that’s what I want from you. Once you’re chief, I’ll give you some instructions that I expect you to follow—nothing major—but, you’ll be well compensated on top of the salary.”
He’s not kidding — holy shit.
“But—how?” My face couldn’t hide my confusion.
“You leave that part to me. All you have to do is agree to the terms of my deal, and the debt will be cleared.” He reached for his drink. “Think carefully about your response, because I’m not the kind of man who likes to have to resort to persuasion—and I don’t negotiate.”
I sat there stunned for several seconds—hell, it might have been minutes. I had no idea Chief Dade was considering retirement, or why he would even walk away from his job. I didn’t think Robert Townsend had any sort of good intentions for me if I ended up taking Chief Dade’s position. There were rumors about the south side, and some of those rumors suggested that Robert Townsend had a hand in deciding who their new chief would be after the last one retired. He intended to make me a puppet—a parrot in a cage that repeated what he said when the time was right. I hated the thought of it, but the alternative was worse.
I couldn’t let anything happen to Rachel, and I was just one man—taking on Robert Townsend alone was impossible. All I could do was accept his offer. I was selling my soul—and there was no other way to make sure Rachel was safe. I just hoped she would be able to forgive me if she ever found out how steep the price was that I had to pay for her brother’s betrayal.
A few hours later
I went from being absolutely horrified by what I was going to have to do, to ecstatic that another alternative had presented itself. Billy was back—and he brought the money he owed Robert Townsend. I didn’t have to sacrifice my dignity. I didn’t have to sell my soul. I just had to deliver the money and put an end to the nightmare. That would take me back to Rachel—back where I wanted to be. I no longer had to worry about hiding
it or swallowing the guilt because I was with my best friend’s little sister. Things were going to be better. They had to be. We were there—finally. There was just one more piece of business to take care of.
“Mr. Townsend.” I walked into his office with a purpose in my step. “I have your money.”
“You do?” He tilted his head to the side.
“Yes, sir.” I pulled out the envelope and tossed it on his desk. “That’s everything Billy owes you. The debt is paid.”
“Hmm.” He picked up the envelope and thumbed the bills. “I don’t seem to recall having a debt with Mr. Lawson.”
“What are you talking about?” I narrowed my eyes. “That’s the twenty-five grand he owes you.”
“No.” He tossed the envelope towards me, and it landed on the edge of the desk. “That has already been handled. You and I made a deal.”
“That was because I didn’t have the money!” I slammed my finger down on the envelope. “I have it now. You said I had until midnight.”
“Well, yes.” He nodded. “But that was the original arrangement. We made a new deal earlier today. I never go back on a deal—and neither does an honorable man.”
He’s going to fuck me over—son of a bitch!
“I’m not going to be your pawn.” I snatched the envelope off his desk and held it out to him. “This is everything Billy owes you, and you need to honor the original deal!”
“I would have, but that option was closed the moment you agreed to help me with my little problem.” His words got more intense. “That’s the new deal, whether you like it or not. I don’t think I have to tell you what will happen if you don’t honor it.”
Blaze & Bind: A MFM Firefighter Romance (Surrender to Them Book 10) Page 12
