Jardin’s Gamble

by Roberts, Laylah

  With a groan, she rolled onto her bottom, cradling her hand to her chest. Shit. Fuck. That hurt so much. The jerk laughed.

  Douchebag.

  “Here’s the bitch, boss.”

  She glared up at the thug then around her as she sensed movement. Her breath left her in a whoosh as she saw her father tied to a chair at the other end of the rectangular container. His head was drooped forward, and blood splattered his dirty wife-beater.

  She bit back a cry of horror. Of fear. She didn’t know if he’d passed out from pain or too much alcohol. She couldn’t even tell if he was breathing.

  “Now, Marcus, is that any way to treat a lady?”

  Two men stood on either side of her father. One was enormous. Even bigger than Carrick with meaty fists and a hard, cold face. Not cold like Jardin; this man was dead inside. On the other side, stood a slimmer built man. He wore a charcoal suit with a white shirt. His hair was slicked back.

  Sleazy. Nasty. He stepped forward with an oily smile meant to lure you in. Only she knew better. He held out his hand to her. She wanted to spit at him. She wanted to hurt him.

  You have to be smart about this, Thea.

  False bravado was going to be her downfall. She could be feisty. She did things without thinking through the consequences.

  She stared at his hand. She really didn’t want to touch him.

  “Maybe you need to hire a higher class of thug,” she suggested as she forced herself to reach up, to let his hand clasp hers. A shudder rushed through her she hoped he didn’t see. But from the way the smile on his face grew she thought he did.

  He helped her up. She had to force herself to stand there when he didn’t immediately let go. Instead, his gaze roamed her body, studying every part of her until she felt like she needed to scrub her skin clean.

  And even then, she wasn’t sure there was enough soap in the world to feel completely clean again.

  This man oozed menace, danger, and pain. And not in a sexy way. No, in a completely creepy, downright terrifying way.

  “Hello, Thea. I’m Derrick Silvers. It’s so nice of you to join us.”

  “Wasn’t aware I had a choice.”

  His hand tightened on hers. Thank God it was her uninjured one. Although, if he tightened his hold any further, it wasn’t going to stay that way.

  “When someone holds a gun on me, I’m kind of inclined to do what they want. I’m weird like that.”

  No, what was weird was her inability to stop spewing shit.

  Shut. Up. Thea.

  His gaze narrowed, and she stopped breathing.

  Then his hold lightened. And he laughed. “Got a mouth on her, doesn’t she?”

  “Want me to beat it out of her, boss?” Marcus asked.

  The meathead standing by her father hadn’t said a word yet. He just watched everything calmly.

  Moving so fast it shocked her, Silvers let go of her and stepped in front of her to slap his hand against the side of Marcus’s face. “No, I don’t want you to beat her, you dickhead. We don’t beat women.”

  “We don’t?” he said, dumbfounded. Obviously, it was something he’d done in the past. She shuddered.

  “We don’t. Thea is here as our guest.” He turned back to her, straightening the lapels of his jacket. “So sorry about that.”

  “I hear it’s hard to get good goons nowadays.”

  The boss stared at her for a long moment then laughed again. It didn’t sound natural. Did he practice that creepy sound in the mirror each morning? The nausea in her stomach bubbled. Marcus laughed along, although the sound was more hesitant, as though he didn’t understand what was so funny.

  “Ah, Thea, you’re not at all what I expected.”

  “You’re not what I expected either.”

  And he wasn’t. Even though she’d seen images of him on the news, they hadn’t done him justice. He should be as ugly on the outside as he was on the inside. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. In fact, she could see why women flocked to him. The good looks, the power, the money. She got it. But she wondered how many of those women made it out with their souls and with their lives intact.

  “I’m going to hope I’m even better than your expectations.”

  Don’t say it, Thea. Don’t even think it.

  She had to forcibly hold in her need to tell him exactly what she thought of him.

  “Why have you brought me here?” she asked.

  He turned from her to her father then looked at her again. “You obviously take after your mother. There’s very little of him in you.”

  “Something to be thankful for.”

  Silvers grinned. “Indeed. You don’t like him.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “You haven’t asked if he’s breathing, if he’s all right. You haven’t tried to go to him. To help him. To call me a monster for having him beaten. Not that we’ve done much damage, have we, Milo?”

  Milo, the big gorilla-like man, just grunted.

  “You’ll have to excuse him. He’d rather use his fists than words. Would you like a drink?”

  He moved over to the small table that held a decanter. It looked so out of place that she had to blink a few times to make sure she wasn’t imagining it.

  “I always bring my own glassware,” he told her. “That way I can be sure of the quality.”

  Weird.

  Focus, Thea.

  “No, thanks,” she told him, trying to swallow past her dry throat. “Why am I here?”

  “Ah, well, I thought that would be obvious, yes? You’re here because your father stole from me.”

  “Stole from you?” What the fuck?

  “Yes. See, your dear old dad has a bit of a gambling problem. And a drinking problem.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know,” she replied.

  “Careful,” he whispered in a cold voice. “I won’t allow any disrespect.”

  Holy shit. Her heart raced, making her feel ill.

  Calm. Calm.

  “How much does he owe you?”

  “Fifty thousand dollars.”

  “Fifty thousand dollars?” she asked with a bark of laughter. “You’re joking, right?”

  “Do I like to joke about money, Marcus?” Silvers asked.

  “No, boss,” he said. “You do not.”

  “How can he owe fifty thousand dollars?” She reached up with her hands to tug at her hair. Fuck! This was worse than she’d thought. “How could you let him get fifty thousand in debt to you?”

  Suddenly, she found herself slammed against the wall of the container, Silvers’ hand was around her throat, pressing down on her airway.

  She raised her hands, trying to tug at the hand that was tight around her throat, but he just pressed down harder.

  “I warned you not to push me. You’d do well to heed me; I’m not a man you want to get on the bad side of.”

  He let her go and she slid to the floor, coughing as she attempted to force air into her lungs.

  Shit. Shit.

  Her entire body trembled in reaction.

  “I didn’t let your father do anything. He is the one who made bad bets. And I’m not a bank. My interest rates are rather steep,” he said calmly, moving over to grab his glass he’d left on the table while he was strangling her. Wouldn’t do to spill a drop of booze, obviously.

  And she just bet they were steep.

  She forced herself to stand, although she stayed leaning back against the wall. “I don’t have fifty thousand dollars.”

  And even if she did, she wouldn’t want to spend it to get her asshole dad out of debt. Why had she come out tonight to get him?

  Even if she hadn’t, she had no doubt those guys would have found her. Maybe when she had the boys with her. She shuddered at the thought.

  Silver looked her over. “That much is obvious. I brought you here tonight to test your suitably to do some work for me.”

  Work? She could just imagine what sort of work he was talking about. She swal
lowed back the rising bile.

  “I’m not prostituting myself to pay back his debt.”

  He strode back toward her, and she froze, terrified. Prey waiting for the predator to lash out. He raised his hand and she tensed, waiting for the pain. Instead, he tucked her hair behind her ear. Much like Carrick had earlier.

  But with Carrick, she hadn’t had to fight the urge to vomit. She hadn’t been shaking in terror.

  God, had it only been three hours ago she’d been laughing with him on his back porch. That seemed so far removed from the situation she now found herself in it was laughable.

  “You know, there’s something about you, Thea. It’s strange. I’ve never liked my women mouthy. I like them obedient. I like them quiet. Maybe that’s where I’m going wrong. Maybe all along I needed someone strong to stand by my side.”

  “Stand by your side?”

  “Hmm. Like I said, I was going to give you an ultimatum. Work for me or I’d kill your father. But now . . . now I think I want something different. It’s time I had something more permanent in my life. I need an heir.”

  Was he . . . was he saying what she thought he was?

  “Are you seriously asking me to carry your child?”

  He smiled. It wasn’t pretty. Or handsome. Or kind.

  “Of course not.” He wrapped his hand around her hair and tugged. Hard. She couldn’t stop the whimper that crossed her lips. “I’m telling you that you’re going to carry my child.”

  She shook her head. No. Not happening. Tears filled her eyes, but she wasn’t sure if they were due to the pain he was inflicting or fear. She forced herself not to let them spill. She couldn’t show weakness.

  “Nobody tells me no, Thea. Is it really such a bad proposition? Instead of becoming a whore, you’ll be the mother of my child.”

  He was seriously delusional. How could he think she would have his child? Why would he even want her? Then again, she was under no illusion her usefulness would eventually run out.

  But, wisely, she said nothing. Her breath heaved in and out of her lungs.

  “Instead of living a life in poverty, you’d have everything you could desire. Money. Power. Your life. Think of your brothers. Don’t you want them to have the best of everything?”

  She wanted them to be free. She wanted to be free.

  “What if . . . what if I can find the money?” She couldn’t. There was no way.

  His face grew cold and he stepped away from her. “Be very careful you don’t insult me, Thea. I’ve just given you an offer thousands of women would take up in a heartbeat.”

  Shit. Fuck. She’d just made a stupid move; she could see that. She waited for him to explode. To turn to his goons and order one of them to shoot her. Instead he took another sip of his drink.

  A knock on the door interrupted the tension and she turned to watch as Marcus opened it. Someone spoke on the other side, too quietly for her to hear.

  “Boss, best you hear this.”

  Silvers left the container along with Marcus, leaving her alone with her father and Milo. She guessed she should probably use this chance to escape. Except there wasn’t anywhere she could go that Silvers wouldn’t find her. Plus, Milo looked like he could crush her with his pinky. She didn’t think he was going to let her just waltz out that door.

  “Is he alive? Can I check on him?”

  Milo just stared at her. He didn’t say no, so she stepped forward and raised a shaking hand to her father’s neck. His pulse was a bit slow, but it was still there. She reached out and raised his head, her stomach revolting as she took in his swollen, bloody face.

  He didn’t wake up and she figured that was a blessing. She carefully let his head drop back and then took a step away. And another one. Until suddenly, she was on the other side of the container, staring at Milo and her father with horror.

  The door banged open and Silvers stepped in, a frown on his face. “Milo, get him out of here. Put him in the trunk and take him to storage.”

  Maybe she should protest. He was her dad, she should try to defend him, but she found herself at a loss. Plus, she was angry at him. Furious. More furious than she could ever remember being.

  This was all his fucking fault. He’d put her and the boys at risk.

  Silvers turned to her. “Come here, my dear.”

  She didn’t want to move, but she made herself shuffle forward. He wrapped a hand around her sore wrist, and she winced. She didn’t miss his smile at her show of pain.

  Fuck.

  He cupped her face between his hands. They were cold and clammy. She had to work hard not to vomit up her dinner.

  “Yes, such an unexpected surprise.” Abruptly he stepped back. “I have business to attend to. Thea, I can be a reasonable man.”

  He could?

  “I can see all this has shocked you. You’re obviously an innocent. I’ll give you a chance. You have one week.”

  “One week?”

  “Come up with fifty thousand dollars by next Saturday, and I’ll never bother you again. But fail, and you’re mine.”

  Jesus. There was no way she could do that. But what choice did she have? She could run, but how did you hide from a man like him? She’d be forever looking over her shoulder, worried he’d be coming for her. And it wasn’t like she had the money to run with.

  But what was the alternative? Find the money? No chance.

  Give herself to this man? Sacrifice herself to save her father?

  “I don’t care about him,” she whispered harshly.

  “Your father? Hmm, now, I would understand if that were true, however I don’t think it is.” He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. The debt is no longer just his. He mentioned you several times. Told me how beautiful you were. I’m afraid I didn’t believe him. You understand I can’t afford to let him get away with this or everyone would be trying to take me for a ride. I’m a businessman first and foremost. Now, I don’t have time for this. I have to go. One week, Thea. And don’t bother trying to run or hide. I will find you. And it won’t end well for you.” He strode toward the door then turned back. “Oh, and I don’t need to tell you what will happen if you tell someone about tonight, do I? It would be a shame if something happened to those brothers of yours, wouldn’t it?”

  Oh, God. Oh, God. She shuddered at the threat. She was still standing there, trying to catch her breath, to force herself to move when she realized the place was fully dark and quiet.

  Shit! Fuck! Had they left her there?

  Gathering up her nonexistent courage, she opened the door and stepped out. There was no one there. No cars. No men. Nothing.

  She didn’t even know where she was. She heaved in a breath. How was she supposed to get home? Had he really just propositioned her and left? She turned to walk back inside hoping there was something in there she’d missed. A phone, something to help her.

  But she didn’t see anything. She was stuck there. A sob broke free from her lips. She dropped to her knees on the ground, wincing as her already bruised joints protested.

  What the fuck just happened? And how am I going to fix it?

  She didn’t know how long she knelt there, but eventually she realized she had to get up and moving. She didn’t even know what time it was. Or how she was going to make her way home. Struggling to stand she moved into the back of the container and looked around. There wasn’t much in there other than a table, the chair where her father had sat, and some blood stains on the floor. She swallowed heavily at that.

  Lights suddenly shone through the door, making her cry out. She looked for somewhere to hide as a dark car pulled up. But she was too late to leave the building without them seeing her and there was nowhere for her to hide in there.

  So, she stood in the doorway, frozen, watching as a short, squat man climbed out.

  “You Thea?” he asked.

  Oh, Christ. There was only one reason he’d know her name.

  “Yes.”

  “Boss said you’d be here. I’m here to ta
ke you home.”

  Home? Okay, so at least she wasn’t stuck there. But she didn’t want Silvers knowing where she lived.

  “Can you take me to the bar where I left my car?” she asked, hating that she had to ask this guy to do anything.

  “Sure.”

  Thank fuck. She walked down, shutting the door behind her. It all felt surreal. “They took my handbag.”

  He reached into the car and pulled it out. She took it with a nod. She knew she had to be in shock. She slid into the back of the car and let him close the door behind her, then he drove them out of the lot.

  What was she going to do?

  10

  Why the fuck hadn’t she texted him?

  He’d made it very clear she was to text when she got home safely. That was hours ago. And nothing. Had she been in an accident? Should he start calling hospitals?

  Why hadn’t he found out where she lived?

  Because you didn’t want to push too hard, too fast. That’s why.

  Carrick ran his fingers through his hair and blew out a breath. He needed to get some sleep. It wasn’t long until he’d have to get up and open the garage. He’d left Thea several texts and one voice message. But he couldn’t sleep until he found out she was all right.

  Suddenly, his phone buzzed in his hand. Relief flooded him as he saw her name. Then his gut tightened in anger.

  What the fuck?

  Sorry I didn’t text. My phone died. Something came up. Can’t come in to help you.

  He didn’t want sorry. He wanted a damn explanation. And saying her phone died wasn’t it. Where had she been for the last few hours? He hit the call button. It went to voicemail.

  Fuck!

  He resisted the urge to throw his phone against the wall. Was she sending his calls to voicemail? Had she somehow decided on the drive home he wasn’t for her? Had she been using him to get her car fixed and now that she had what she wanted, she was going to push him aside?

  Well, good luck with that. Because Carrick Jones wasn’t a man to be pushed to the background.

  Never. Again.

  “Thea? Thea?” Jardin frowned as his assistant didn’t even move or acknowledge him. What was she doing?