“There’s a tiny camera inside them. For close-ups,” I squeaked, and I swore the corner of his mouth twitched.
I should run.
Run, you idiot!
Turning on my heel, I took off—well, that was the plan. Instead, I took a single step, probably only a half step if I’m honest, before he caught me by the arm and pulled me to his side.
“I think you need to come with me.”
“I’d rather make you come first.” I wasn’t above offering sexual favours to get myself out of a sticky situation.
He quirked a brow. “You couldn’t handle me.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“It’s a fact, little girl.”
I tried to tug my arm free, but his grip was like a vice. “I’m not a little girl.”
“Is that why you’re acting out like one?” He started towards the function centre doors, pulling me along with him.
“I wasn’t acting out. I was simply advertising a fact.” I ran along beside him, knowing from experience not to bother fighting. It wouldn’t get me anywhere. When I first came in contact with this family, I’d tried to fight against the groom—Sam—and he’d simply held me under his arm while I kicked and punched and twisted until I gave up and just hung in place. You know how The Rock is this massive dude and everyone around him looked like children by comparison? That was basically how the Cartwrights were too—a family of Rocks. I was like a hobbit next to them. Minus the hairy feet, thank God.
“A fact?” He met my eyes. “What’d Kristian do? Fuck you and forget to call?”
I scoffed. “I would never.” OK, so the twin I was after was Kristian. At least that was cleared up. Although, I still had to work out how to tell them apart.
“Then why is he a cunt? That’s what you were writing, correct?” I opened my mouth to respond just as recognition lit up his eyes. “Wait. I know you. You’re the girl with the colourful language…the one from the beach. You stole Kris’s car, right?”
“And he stole it back.”
“So you should be even.”
“It’s not that simple. He took more than just the car.”
“Because you took his money.” I may have stolen his wallet too.
“He still took more.”
“You’re playing a dangerous game, girl.” The muscle in his jaw ticked as he pulled me inside the function centre then looked around. “What’s in there?” He pointed at a door near reception.
“Linens.”
He pulled me towards it then pushed me inside.
“Oh, kinky,” I said as the light flicked on. “I thought you said you were too much for me.”
“I need you to come to the foyer, second door to the right of reception.” At first I thought he was talking to me, but then I saw his phone pressed to his ear. “We’ve got a problem.”
I shrugged. “I’ve been called worse things in my life.”
He pointed a finger at me. “Stay.”
I barked.
He rolled his eyes and left the room. Normally, I’d wait a couple of minutes and leave, but I had a feeling he was on the other side of the door waiting for whomever he called.
Pressing my ear to the door, my suspicion was confirmed when I heard Toby relaying the details of our meeting to someone, the words ‘your car’ telling me it was Kristian, AKA my nemesis.
“Are you fucking serious?”
“Kris!” Then a sigh.
“What’s his problem?” A new voice entered the conversation and Toby relayed the information again.
“Oh shit.” The other guy chuckled. “Not his precious Ute.”
“He’s out there having an aneurysm over it now.”
“I should film it so we can laugh later.”
“Don’t.” I heard a thwack, like someone just got hit in the arm or something.
“Fine. What’d you do with the girl?”
“She’s in there.”
My heart leapt into my throat, and I jumped away from the door so I wouldn’t be caught eavesdropping. I leaned against the shelving casually just as the other twin, Abbot, opened the door.
“Fuck you,” I said when I met his eyes. He laughed and shut the door. I rushed back over and pressed my ear to it again.
“She seems like a sweetheart. What are we gonna do about her?”
“That’s up to Kris.”
“What’s up to Kris?” Another voice. Great. Seemed we were having a family reunion over this. Things were explained again.
“That chick’s like a cockroach; can’t get rid of her.”
Thanks, arsehole.
“Don’t be stupid, brother.” I heard the warning in one of the brother’s voices just before there was a scuffle of feet and a growl that said, “Get out of my fucking way.” I had about half a second to get out of the way myself before the door burst open and a very angry-looking twin burst through, nostrils flared.
“You are gonna pay,” he said, his voice eerily calm as he shoved the door closed and flipped the lock, his brothers urging him to calm down from the other side.
Oh shit. What are you supposed to say before you die? Bless me, Father, for I have sinned? Is that it? Or was that just what you were supposed to say before bed. Fuck. I had no clue. I was going to die and go to hell because I didn’t pay attention during scripture at school.
Stalking towards me as I skittered backwards, Kristian’s eyes narrowed, the redness of anger crawling up his neck.
Oh God.
My back hit the shelving and I gulped. This was the end. He was big enough to snap me like a twig. At least it would be over fast. And really, I’d had a good run. Twenty-seven years of being a less-than-ideal human being, my greatest accomplishment was managing to stay out of prison the whole time. There wouldn’t be a great hole left by my absence, not a lot of people mourning my loss—Maree would be upset, but that would pass. It would be OK. Nothing was really tying me to this world.
“Just do it,” I forced out, my eyes locked on his blue but dark and stormy ones, my chest heaving as I tried to keep my cool.
He was so close, his hands holding the shelving above my shoulders, caging me in with his thick arms. I could smell his cologne, his skin, the champagne they’d been drinking, a hint of the meal we’d served.
“Are you stupid?” he asked, his voice far calmer than I expected from the aggressive vibe I was getting from him.
I shook my head, but then I said, “Stupid, or stubborn. Take your pick.”
He stared and studied my expression. I held my breath.
“The flat tyres, the syphoned tank, they were you too, right?”
I looked away and kept my mouth shut, but yeah, they were me. I fucked with his car every chance I got.
He slammed his hand on the metal shelving, causing me to jump. “Answer!”
I didn’t. I just clenched my jaw and met his dark glare. He brought his face so close to mine I could barely focus.
“I’m gonna make you wish you left town.” He hit the shelf again then withdrew from me completely, stalking out of the room muttering something about me being lucky I was a girl. Was I?
The door opened and slammed shut then all of the air rushed out of my lungs while my blood roared through my ears. Holy fuck, I was so sure he was going to hurt me then.
Breathe, Ronnie. Breathe.
Pulling the elastic from my hair, I ran my hands through the wavy blonde locks and stared at the closed door. I had to figure a way out of this. Sitting in here like a duck wasn’t going to work. But how was I supposed to get out with them blocking the door? It was an internal room with no windows. The only way was up. Escaping through the ceiling always worked on TV.
Looking up, there was a fluorescent light and an air conditioning vent set inside sectioned panels. If I used the shelves as a ladder, I might be able to climb between this room and the office next door. It was definitely worth a try.
Working quickly, I pulled the linens from the shelf and set them on the floor, clearing
the shelf space then testing it for durability. It was that beige-coloured aluminium shelving that was practical but never pretty. It wobbled a little, but I was fairly sure it would hold my weight—I was five foot six and less than fifty kilos, so there wasn’t a lot of me.
Placing my foot on the lowest shelf, I pushed up through my thigh, hefting myself toward the ceiling. This is going to work. I’ll be free in no time. I smiled, feeling pleased with my ingenuity. MacGyver had nothing on me.
Just as I reached the top, I lifted my arm above my head, pressing my fingers against the panel, expecting it to lift. Except it didn’t lift at all. “Come on,” I hissed, placing my knee on the very top shelf so I had better leverage. I used my shoulder and back to push more weight against the panel. It resisted, then all at once, it relented with a crack.
“Whoa! Shit!”
The shelving tipped back, taking me down with it. I braced myself for the pain, knowing that the concrete floor was going to slam against my body no matter what I did. I’m going to die.
I hit the ground with a whack and a loud clang, the air whooshing from my lungs on impact. “MacGyver is full of shit,” I muttered. Then my world went black.
Chapter Two
None Of This Makes Any Sense
This is the way the world ends.
This is the way the world ends.
Not with a bang but a whimper.
*
I had never been much of a student. But that quote always stuck in my head. My English teacher had been crazy passionate and spent a whole lesson talking about the truth and power behind such meaningful words. I guessed it resonated with me on some level, because it was my first conscious thought in a situation where I knew my life, as I’d come to know it, was over. I’d gotten myself into some serious shit this time.
“Is she breathing?”
“I think so.” Male voices.
“Where’s Leesh? She’s good with this stuff.”
“She’s entertaining the guests with Holland. We can’t all disappear.” The last voice was female.
“What are we going to do with her?” That was another male.
“Kill her.” Same female. “I’m not having our family threatened again because some girl doesn’t know her place.”
Wait, what? Who are they talking about? I cracked my eyes and blurry figures came into view. It took a moment for me to figure out why I was on the floor in the linen closet, but when I looked up and saw the hole in the ceiling, my memory cleared. Fuck.
“No.” The word came out as a growl. “Scratching up a car doesn’t deserve the death penalty. Get your head on straight.” I recognised that guy. What was his name again? He didn’t want a blowjob…Toby! Toby. I agreed with Toby.
The woman spoke again, and I was pretty sure she was their mother, she had a similar look but was obviously older than the men. “This girl has gotten in the way too many times now. She’s a problem.”
“You’re being insane,” Nate said, his arms folded across his broad chest. “Just let her go. We’ll make her leave town and the problem is solved.”
“As if that’s gonna stop her,” one of the twins put in. “She’s got some lady boner for my Ute.” Kristian. “You know, I’ve had to fix four flat tyres over the last six months. Four. That can’t be a coincidence.”
“So get a different Ute,” the other twin, Abbot, fired back. “Problem solved.”
Shit. I wish life was that easy for all of us.
“I shouldn’t have to. She can fucking pay to fix it then leave it the hell alone.”
“She’s never going to fix it, brother,” the tallest one, Sam, said. “Look at her. She’s a mess.”
“Gee, thanks,” I mumbled, pushing up on my elbows to try and sit. My head hurt so bad.
“She’s probably got a concussion,” the mother said without an ounce of feeling in her voice.
Toby knelt down beside me. “Can you sit?”
I struggled and he helped me up. “Everything hurts.”
“Take a deep breath. Is your chest hurting?” I did as he asked and shook my head.
“I think I’m just bruised.”
Placing his hands on either side of my face, he looked intently into my eyes. It was kinda unsettling, and I snatched my head away. “What are you doing, creep?”
“Checking to see if you have a concussion. Your pupils are a bit messed up.”
“What does that mean?”
“Concussion,” the twins said in unison, something told me they had first-hand experience.
“We can’t leave her like this,” Toby pointed out.
“That’s not our problem,” the mother said. “She’s the idiot who climbed the bloody shelving.”
“We should at least make sure she gets home to that boyfriend of hers. What was his name again?” Sam said.
“Johno,” Kristian told him, glaring in my direction. He remembers his name?
“Johno and I are history. Broke up months ago,” I said.
“Lucky Johno,” Kristian scoffed.
“Fuck you,” I spat. “You don’t know anything about me.”
He crouched down in front of me, levelling me with his intense blue eyes. I could smell him again, woodsy, manly. Why are my nipples hard? “I know you’re a piece-of-shit thief who doesn’t know what she’s doing or who she’s taking from.”
“Well, who the hell are you, the newest member of the backstreet boy mob?”
He smiled in a way that was kinda scary before he licked his lips. “I’m the guy who owns your arse.”
I scoffed. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t you fuckin’ dare,” Abbot said, shaking his head. “We’ve just finished with this kind of shit.” Maybe as twins they could read each other’s minds.
Kristian glanced at his twin and smiled before looking back at me. “You heard me right. You belong to me. Until I decide your debt to me is paid, you’re my slave.”
“Fuck you,” I returned.
He looked me up and down then grimaced before meeting my eyes. “I’m not that desperate.”
I glared at him, not sure what the heck to think, or what I was in for. Should I scream? That would be pointless. Should I be scared? Probably. It was pretty obvious that the Cartwrights weren’t the good guys in this situation. I wasn’t really sure what that made me. The lesser of two evils?
“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Our staring competition was interrupted when the mother threw her hands up in the air. “There’s a party going on out there and we’re ignoring it for this nuisance. Do whatever you want with her, Kristian. She’s your responsibility so keep her in line. Samuel, Nathaniel, I’m sure your wives are wondering where you are. We’re done here.” Turning away with a dramatic twist that caused the skirt of her dress to flare, the mother left the room with Samuel and Nathaniel following her.
“Make sure you sort this shit out,” Nate said as a parting note. I noticed Toby clench his jaw and roll his eyes a little. There was definitely tension there.
“Come on,” Toby said, his voice gentle as he put an arm around my waist and helped me stand. Pain sliced through my leg and I gasped in shock.
“I think I’ve twisted my knee.”
“Can you stand?”
I nodded. “It just surprised me.” I tested my ability to hold my weight then transferred most of it to my other leg.
“Maybe we should get you an X-ray.”
“No. I’m fine.” The last thing I wanted was to spend all night in emergency when this was more than likely a sprain, or maybe just a jar.
He studied my expression then nodded. “I’ll get you home then.”
“No,” I practically yelled while at the same time Kristian took a hold of my arm.
“You’re not taking her anywhere,” he argued. “She owes me a new paint job, among other things. The girl is mine.”
“Am I the only one who feels like bursting into song right now?” Abbot said, ignored by everyone but me.
Toby kept his eyes on
Kristian, his expression creased in a way that showed concern and distaste. “You’re walking into the darkness, brother. Once you go down this road, there’s no coming back.”
Kristian set his jaw then scooped me up in his arms like I was a bag of feathers. “Fuck you, Toby. I’m not gonna rape the girl. What the hell kind of person do you think I am? I’m gonna make her mow lawns and shit until she pays me back. You’re so doom and gloom these days.” Wait. What? Mow lawns? Who the hell were these people? I was completely lost.
“Come on, Abbot, we’ll take her out to the surf shack, take turns watching her so she doesn’t get away or die from a swollen brain or something.”
“Wait, you can’t take me. I’m supposed to be working.” Maree would have a fit when she realised I was gone.
“Don’t worry about it,” Kristian said. “Tobes’ll take care of it.”
With that, he carried me out the door, into the parking lot, and over to the desecrated Ute. Abbot followed us, Toby stayed behind. The party kept raging unaware.
“Are you seriously kidnapping me to make me mow lawns?” I asked when Kristian put me in the back seat and clipped me into the seatbelt like I was a child. Although I didn’t complain over that. I was actually feeling a little ill and pressed my hand to my stomach.
“Yep,” he said simply.
“That’s all?”
He met my eyes. “Do you want me to do more?”
“What? No. I just…I don’t know, you gave the impression that… Your whole family acted like…” I couldn’t really explain. I swore they were all on the same page, and that I was about to punished in any number of ways that bad guys usually punished women. What the hell is going on?
“Yeah. I know what you thought, and when you quit messing with us, maybe we’ll quit messing with you.”
“None of this makes any sense,” I whispered. Maybe it was the concussion causing this to feel crazy.
“It doesn’t need to,” Abbot said, jumping into the passenger’s seat. “All you need to know is that we’re in charge and you do as we say.”
A sudden wave of nausea rolled through me. “Oh God, I’m gonna be sick.”
“Not in the car!” Kristian said, even though it was already too late. It happened before I could stop it. The seat was covered in it.
Foolish Games: Cartwright Brothers, book 3 Page 2
