by Suzanne Rock
Jason thought back to the handful of conversations they’d had and shook his head. “He’s just upset that I’ve changed. I’m no longer the conning gigolo who would blindly hand him money to manage.” Jason shrugged. “He’ll get over it once he realizes that I no longer want to revive the old business.” He tightened his hold on Ari. “I’ve moved on.”
“Maybe.” She widened her eyes and put her finger to her mouth. “Oh my God. Jason, I forgot.”
“Forgot what?”
“Deacon saw me while I was waiting for you. He told me to tell you that plans had changed and the loan shark wanted to talk with you personally.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I’m so sorry.”
“I was an idiot to let my brother do this on his own. This isn’t his problem. It’s mine.” He glanced at his watch and realized that if he left now, he’d make it just in time. “Come on. Let’s go check you in.”
She glanced down at his outstretched fingers. “Check me in?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, no, you don’t. I’m going with you.”
He shook his head. “You can’t. I won’t risk your safety again.”
She glared at him.
He let out a long breath and took her fingers. “I can’t concentrate if there is a chance you could get hurt. Humor me on this. Stay here, where it’s safe, and I’ll come back for you when this is all over.”
“I’ve been sitting on the sidelines all my life, Jason. I refuse to do it anymore.”
He ground his teeth as he tried to think of a solution that would appease them both. “Okay, here’s the deal,” he said as he hooked his finger under her chin. “I’ll send my driver—”
“No.”
“Don’t be so stubborn.”
“No, you don’t be so stubborn. Let me do this, Jason. I want to help you. We’re a team.”
“Your safety comes first.” He lifted his finger, shutting her mouth as she was about to protest. “Humor me on this. I need to have my head clear to deal with this situation, and I can’t do that when I know that there is a possibility that you might get into trouble.”
She considered him for a moment before responding. “Okay, how’s this. I stay with my family until this blows over.” She inched forward. “I just can’t stand the thought of being down here, so far away from you, when you’re dealing with so much back in Boston.”
He relaxed his shoulders as he considered the compromise. With Leo, Marco, and Dante watching out for her, she’d be much safer there than in some run-down motel with no one to look out for her. It would mean confessing his problems to his rival, but he felt his relationship with Leo was beginning to turn a corner. A little honesty might not be so bad after all.
“Okay, we’ll go to the Palazzo first.” He opened the passenger’s side door and motioned her inside. As she got into the car, he realized that she’d given in a little too easily. He wouldn’t put it past her to have some plan up her sleeve, but he didn’t have time to think about it. He had to get her back to her family before the exchange was to take place.
The ride back to Boston was mostly quiet, for which Jason was thankful. An accident on the road caused traffic to back up, which in turn made them late getting back to the city.
“You need to go straight to Stone Suites,” Ari said as they pulled off the highway.
“Not until you’re safe.”
“Be reasonable, Jason. If you were to drive up to the North End now you’d miss the exchange.” She waved her hand in the air in front of them. “Just go to Stone Suites. I’ll stay in the car and out of sight while you and Deacon do your thing.” She slid out her cell phone and waved it in the air. “I’ll even call my brother if things get too intense.”
Jason glanced at the clock on the dashboard and realized that she was right. There was no time to get back to the Palazzo before the exchange. Steeling his jaw, he considered her offer.
“Okay, but promise me you’ll stay out of sight.”
“I will.”
A sense of foreboding rose up inside of him as he pulled into the Stone Suites parking garage. Nothing seemed out of place, and no strangers were milling around. Despite this, he couldn’t seem to shake the uneasy feeling in his stomach.
He glanced at the clock on his dashboard. It was ten minutes past eight, ten minutes past the time the exchange was supposed to take place in the parking garage. Deacon was nowhere to be found. Neither was the loan shark or his goons.
Jason pulled into his parking spot, grabbed Ari’s hand, and tugged her closer. Ari gasped and he took advantage, sliding his tongue across her lips and into her eager mouth. He groaned and placed his hand on the back of her head as desire surged up through his bloodstream once more.
“Get down,” he said as he pulled away.
She wrinkled her brow. “There’s no one here. Are you sure it was supposed to happen at eight o’clock?”
“Plans may have changed,” he said. “I’m going to find out.” Jason opened the driver’s side door.
“There you are.”
Someone grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the car.
“Wait.” Jason grimaced as something hit him on the back of the head. He fell to his knees as stars blinked in front of his eyes.
“That’s for trying to get out of your appointment.”
He tried to stand, but everything was spinning. “I don’t understand. My brother was supposed to be here—”
Something long and hard hit him across the shoulder blades. Jason fell forward and barely got his hands up in front of him before his face hit the concrete.
“And that’s for leaving your brother to do your dirty work,” someone said as a foot hit him in the ribs. “You’re lucky that our boss is forgiving. If it was me you double-crossed, I would have killed you.”
Ari screamed from somewhere behind him. Jason turned his head and saw a man pull her from the car. To her credit, she fought hard, but she was no match for the large man. The thug easily pinned her arms behind her back and started pulling her away.
“Wait.” Jason pushed himself up, only to get kicked in the ribs one more time.
“One more chance, you hear me? That’s all you get.”
“She has nothing to do with this,” he gasped.
“She has everything to do with this,” the man, their leader, said. “She’s our collateral.”
Jason started to protest, but someone else kicked him again, robbing him of breath.
Jason opened his eyes and tried to see through the pain, but the men had closed in around him. Ari was nowhere in sight.
“Let go of me, asshole.” Ari’s voice rose up through his haze of pain. “Do you have any idea who I am? Jason!”
“Ari!” Jason winced as blow after blow hit him in the ribs. He had no idea how many people were kicking him, and he didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was Ari.
Then suddenly, blissfully, the kicking stopped. Jason squeezed his eyes shut and curled into a fetal position as pain blasted through every muscle and organ.
“Tomorrow night. A courier will stop by tomorrow morning and give you the location. You better have the money, or the girl will experience an unfortunate accident.”
From somewhere in the distance, Jason heard a car engine start. It sounded like a large car, or perhaps a van. He tried to open his eyes so he could see the make and model, perhaps get a license plate number, but everything hurt too much. As the car peeled out of the garage, blackness hovered on the edge of his vision. He fought through it as a wave of nausea washed over him. It took forever to pass, but once it did, the reality of his situation hit him like a brick wall.
Ari was going to die, and it was all his fault.
Chapter 19
Jason struggled up into a sitting position and rested his back against the stone pillar. “Fuck!”
The outburst caused pain to blast out through his skull and vibrate along every bone in his body. Get your shit together, man.
She’s counting on you.
Jason squeezed his eyes shut as helplessness washed over him. He glanced over at his vintage car collection as his chest squeezed with agony. Most of the cars had been damaged. Some were totally destroyed. Windows were bashed in, tires slashed, and hood and doors were dented in. Only his McLaren had remained unscathed, mostly because it was parked away from the rest of the cars.
Not that it mattered. Jason was in no shape to drive. Even if he was, he had no idea where those bastards had gone with Ari, or what they intended to do with her.
Pay us, or you’ll never see your little woman again. Blackness hovered on the edge of his vision, and Jason ground his teeth as he struggled to remain conscious. Ari’s life depended on what he did next. He moved to pull out his cell, grinding his teeth in pain as his bruised fingers slid into the fabric of his torn suit jacket.
“Ah!” He winced as he pulled out his cell and swiped the screen.
Who could he call? His mind raced with possibilities. This situation, although desperate, needed to remain discreet. If word got out that the Perconti heiress was missing again, things were going to get ugly fast.
He had to get to her, and to do that, he had to figure out where they were taking her. Grinding his teeth to get through the pain, he dialed the only person who could give him any answers.
“You have reached the mailbox of Deacon Stone…” Jason leaned his head back against the pillar and closed his eyes as his brother’s voice mail droned on.
“Where are ya, bro?” Jason said after the beep. “Did you give ’em the money?” Another round of pain blasted through him, causing him to wince. “Get ova to Stone Suites. I need ya help.” He ended the call and did a mental inventory. He hurt like hell, but nothing was broken. At least, he didn’t think anything was broken.
Ari. If those bastards hurt one hair on her head … Jason blinked back the surge of emotion at the thought of never seeing her again. If something happened to her, he’d have no one to blame but himself. What would he tell the media, or her family? Fuck, Leo would blame him, of course, not that he didn’t deserve it. If only he had taken her someplace else and not to the hotel. He had been so obsessed with getting his dick back into her that he didn’t consider the fact that those goons would be waiting for him. Now Ari was in trouble, and it was all his fault.
He had been a fool not to acknowledge what was growing between them, what had been growing ever since that first date. He could see that now. She needed more from him than a casual fuck. She deserved more. The woman knew all about his sordid past, had even accepted his dysfunctional brother, and yet she still wanted him. Ari deserved so much more in life, and he had held her back. Now, thanks to his selfishness, she could be facing her death.
“Fuck,” he said again. He was so stupid. If he ever got them both out of this mess, he was going to tell her just how much she meant to him. Jason couldn’t imagine his life without Ari in it in some way. He’d do anything to protect her, even if that meant running his own business, a hotel empire that had taken over a decade to build, into the ground.
He swiped the screen of his phone and punched in his assistant’s number. “Micki,” he said, not waiting for her greeting. “Come out to the staff parking garage as soon as you’re able.”
“Sure thing, Mr. Stone.”
The phone clicked, signaling the end of the call. Jason’s muscles protested as he slowly slid his feet underneath him and used the pillar to ease himself into a standing position. “Damn.”
He closed his eyes and leaned on the pillar, waiting for his muscles to stop screaming. His side hurt like hell. One of those guys must have had a boot with a steel toe.
“Oh my God, what happened?” Micki said from the door to the hotel. She dropped her duffle bag and hurried to his side. “Are you okay?”
“No.” He wasn’t okay, and he wouldn’t be all right until Ari was safe and back in his arms once more.
“You need to see a doctor.”
“Not now.” He swiped his phone. Micki grabbed it from his fingers.
“What are you doing?” he demanded.
“I’m not letting you do anything until you tell me what happened.”
Jason sighed. “It’s complicated. Basically, some guys jumped me as I was parking my car.”
“Oh my God.” Micki put her hand over her mouth. “Did you get a good look at them?”
“Where’s my security?”
“What?”
“I asked for extra security in the garage tonight.”
She furrowed her brow. “I didn’t know that. It’s been business as usual. I don’t think they ever got the orders.” She nibbled on her lip in thought. “I might be able to pull the security tapes. If we call the police—”
“No, no police.”
“Are you crazy?”
Jason winced and held out his hand. “Not crazy, just cautious. Give me my phone.”
She flashed him a skeptical look, then placed his cell in his palm. “I don’t like this. You need to go to the hospital.”
“Later.” Jason swiped his phone once more and tried a different number.
“I’m taking you inside.”
“No.”
“Humor me.” She situated herself under his arm as he dialed.
“Stone.” Leo’s voice crackled on the other end of the line. “What do you want?”
“Arianna is in trouble.”
“What?” Leo’s voice rose and tension crackled over the line. “If you’ve hurt her—”
“Not me.” He grimaced as Micki started walking toward the door to the hotel. “But yes, someone hurt her. She doesn’t have much time, Leo, and I need your help.”
“I’m on my way.”
* * *
Deacon’s cell buzzed, disturbing the perfect moment he had spent all day creating. Frowning, he glanced at the screen, noted the number, then turned the damn thing off. It had been a long time since he had been in a position like this, and he wasn’t going to let anything disturb him. Especially not his high-and-mighty brother. Let the bastard panic for a little while. It would probably do him good.
The waitress he had been eyeing all evening with a nose ring and purple hair glided over to his table and took his order. As she stood there, seductively chewing on the end of her pen, he appreciated how the tight, round globes of her breasts pushed over the edge of her low-cut tank. God, he’d love to taste those breasts. He had been sleeping with men for so long he had forgotten how wonderful the softness of a woman felt against his skin. It would be the perfect ending to a perfect day.
Everything was going according to plan and he was in the mood to celebrate. As the waitress winked at him and sauntered back to the bar to get his drink, Deacon considered taking her to one of the side rooms in Dark Desires and fucking her senseless, but then dismissed the idea. That woman’s ass was made for anal, but he had always preferred watching sex to participating in it.
Fucking always took stamina and strength. To do it right, you had to pace yourself and be in tune to another person’s needs. Deacon had to pretend that he gave a shit about his partner, at least until he got his rocks off. It didn’t matter if it was a man or a woman, people wanted to be complimented and cuddled before offering up their sexual wares. Everyone wanted to feel like a princess, even if it was only for a short while. No one wanted to just have sex anymore, and Deacon didn’t have the patience or the inclination to open himself up in that way to anyone.
No, he had learned the hard way what becoming vulnerable did to a person. He had trusted his brother once with his livelihood a long time ago, and Jason had betrayed him. Something had snapped inside of Deacon the day Jason had left their business to strike out on his own. In that moment of darkness, Deacon had learned a valuable life lesson and vowed to never be hurt like that again.
And so it began. The long journey of revenge that had brought him to this point in his life. It was a moment he was going to savor for months and years to come.
&nb
sp; “Your drink, sir.” Miss Purple Hair bent over low as she placed the microbrew on the table, giving Deacon a healthy view of her ample bosom. The woman’s breasts were perfectly round and pert, like two round, ripe fruit, waiting to be plucked. Fuck, they were lovely.
“How much do I owe you?” he asked, dragging his gaze up to meet hers.
“Oh, you don’t owe me anything.”
“I don’t?” He raised his brows.
“No, this drink is already paid for.” She moistened her lips and glanced over her shoulder at the scene being played out on a small stage not far away. “The woman over there paid for it. Said it was a ‘thank you’ for her new toy.”
Deacon looked up and met the gaze of a tall, thin domme with inky hair and crimson lips. He started to smile, but then caught himself. They were in public. His mistress had strict rules about public displays of affection.
“She said that I’m supposed to give you anything that you ask for tonight.” The waitress slid her long fingernails across his thigh. “So if you have any particular needs you want fulfilled…”
Deacon dragged his gaze away from the domme and focused on the waitress. “Not right now, sweetheart, but thank you. I’ll keep your offer in mind.” With a wave of his hand, he dismissed her. Miss Purple Hair sashayed back to the bar and he promptly dismissed her and her large tits from his mind. There were much more important things requiring his attention.
Deacon settled back in the chair of his private booth and raised his drink at the beautiful domme. She really shouldn’t thank him for finding the hottest BDSM spot in town. It wasn’t Deacon who had discovered Dark Desires, but the handsome Southern boy he had brought to her last night. As soon as Deacon saw the tall, thin blond in his brother’s hotel’s foyer, he knew that he’d be perfect for her. For them. Having a club to act out their scene just made everything that much easier.
But the Southern boy didn’t show up tonight, so they’d had to adjust. This new toy wasn’t quite as good as the last. He was far too accommodating for his tastes. Deacon liked some fight in a submissive. It showed some character. This one seemed as if he had already been broken by someone and was just going through the motions.
