We?
A few hours ago I was hell-bent on leaving Kristian and the insanity he called family. Since when did I start thinking like I was one of them?
Since they gave you what you wanted and treated you like you belong. I knew the answer right away. All I’d ever wanted was to belong. I’d told Jasmine as much earlier. Now, here I was, being given exactly what I’d wanted. Could I trust it?
“If anyone has a better idea, I’m all ears,” Jasmine said to the room. “I want this dealt with as soon as possible. We’re pulling off too many high-risk jobs to meet payments, and I’m not willing to have another family member go to prison during my lifetime for these rat bastards.”
“Our father is in for life,” Kristian whispered, filling me in. “Job gone bad. Someone died.”
I nodded, that probably sucked. I had had zero relationship with my dad, so I didn’t really understand the loss. But if they’d been as close to him as they were with Jasmine, I imagined his incarceration was quite the blow.
Jasmine looked my way and waited. “Is there something you can think of, Veronica?” Why was she singling me out? Was this another test? Something I needed to do to prove my worth? I furrowed my brow and dug deep, wanting desperately to impress.
“Uh…maybe.”
“Then tell us. There are no stupid ideas when brainstorming.” Her smile was encouraging, but I’d seen it slip into indifference to know it wouldn’t take much to lose her favour. Still, I could think of one other option.
“Have you heard of the smuggler around here? His name is Brendan Grey, lives on this big property farther inland. It’s basically this den of pleasure—drugs, whores, gambling. Anything you want, this guy can get it, or he already sells it.”
“We know the name. What about him?” Sam asked, his long legs crossed at the ankles.
“Well, maybe we start a rumour that Grey is planning to take over the heroin supply now that Conway’s running low. Maybe even put the idea in Grey’s head and he’ll do it for real—start a turf war where any deaths that come after that are blamed on either side. If we’re lucky, Grey will take out all these guys for us. I met him a while back, and he’s very keen on killing anyone who gets in his way. If it works, you’ll get what you want, and it won’t cost a thing besides some well-placed word of mouth.”
Jasmine’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “How long do you expect this plan would take to come to fruition?”
“I…” Suddenly, I felt very stupid for suggesting such a long shot. “You know what? I think the contract killer idea is the best one. A group of mercenaries—bang, bang, they’re all gone. Ignore me.”
Kristian gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “Don’t backpedal. Your idea is crazy enough that it could actually work.”
“Kristian’s right,” Jasmine said. “I think this is worth pursuing, at least as a backup, even as a cover story. We know enough people to start talking about whispers we’re ‘hearing’.” She used air quotes. “Anything about conflict spreads like wildfire. Do you know anyone in Grey’s camp?”
“I know someone who can get to him.”
She nodded. “Then make contact and tell them all about Conway’s lack of product to get the ball rolling. Meanwhile, we’ll look into this mercenary business. Toby, Nate. I want you both on that.” They both bobbed their head in understanding, with Toby giving Nate a sidelong, slightly wary glance.
“What if they realise the rumour came from us?” Alesha asked. “If Grey’s side turns around and says it’s bullshit, it could get traced back this way. Or, Conway hits back hard and takes out Grey, putting us in an even tougher position than we’re in now.”
Way to poke holes in my scheme, Alesha. I was pretty sure she would pull apart any plan I suggested. She’d been the only Cartwright to refuse direct eye contact or conversation with me so far. Seemed she still harboured ill feeling towards me since our first meeting, which was kind of shit, because I was the one who got fucked over while she got all of this.
“Grey has more than just a few goons,” I said, glancing between her and Jasmine.
“So has Conway,” Alesha put in.
“Well, I’ve never heard of Conway before today, so I have to defer to you on the size of his operation. But I have seen Grey’s outfit, and at any given time, he has at least twenty guys around him, not three like Conway. And those guys are packing some serious heat. Plus, I’m pretty sure the guy I used to run with, Dazza, is working for him now. He was real eager to take something to his new boss. If I go to him tomorrow, apologising for putting ash in all his”—I held my hand up and gestured toward my entire face—“face holes, then offer him some information out of ‘guilt’”—it was my turn to use finger quotes—“then he’ll get the ball rolling for us. I really can’t imagine a man like Grey passing up this kind of opportunity. In fact, I’d be surprised if he wasn’t already looking into it. We can just help bring that information public.”
“I like this plan a lot.” Jasmine grinned as she looked at me. “She is so smart, Kristian. Wonderful choice. Make sure you help her do that, OK?”
Kristian nodded and smiled my way, his fingers brushing lightly against the back of my neck. “Great work, doll. Told you this was what you wanted.” He leaned a little closer, his lips brushing my ear. “And for the record, I never called you a bimbo. I happen to think you’re fuckin’ perfect.”
I turned and looked into his eyes, trying to find the truth in his words. Perfect? No one had ever called me that before.
“I thought I was a shit liar.”
He grinned. “You are. But that’s part of your perfection. I know what’s real with you. And what’s fake.”
Closing my eyes, I pressed my lips together for a moment, the hurtful words I spat at him earlier revisiting me. “I said a lot of really shitty things to you today.”
“Nothing I didn’t deserve.”
“I went too far,” I started before he silenced me with his lips against mine.
“It’s OK. You were scared.”
“You think I was scared?”
He nodded.
“Of what?”
Taking a deep breath, he tucked my hair behind my ear. “Of what this is.”
I sucked in my breath as his words rang true. I was scared. I was scared of falling too far, of becoming too reliant, of needing someone more than I needed myself. That was why I ran. Out of fear.
But then this family of misfits dragged me back. It was all so ridiculously fucked up, and I probably deserved a spot in a mental institution for thinking this, but today ended up being the best day of my life.
Why? Because I felt useful, I felt wanted, and most of all, they didn’t let me go. No one had ever brought me back before. They’d always been glad I’d left. Because of that, I wanted to stay.
I want to belong.
“Can I ask a question?” Holland yelled over the ruckus while everyone talked excitedly about plans. The room quieted as we waited for her to lower her hand and speak. “Do they have to get married now too?” She looked over to where Kristian and I were huddled together, and my eyes went wide. Married?
Jasmine laughed. “I don’t know that we have time for a wedding right now. But, yes, I think you should make her a Cartwright, Kristian. The family is a lifetime commitment.”
“Whoa. Back up a bit,” I said, holding up my hands in front of me. “Married? Don’t I get a say in this?”
Pretty much everyone in the room gave me this look that said ‘Sorry, luv’ as they shook their heads like it was no big deal. Meanwhile, I wanted to vomit.
I think I finally hit my threshold of crazy.
“It’s tradition,” Alesha said with a smile. “When you catch the eye of a brother and learn about the business, you have to become legally bound to the family. It means you can’t be subpoenaed to stand trial if the shit ever hits the fan—you know, that whole ‘spouses don’t need to testify’ thing.”
I looked at Kristian, blood pumping in my ears as I proce
ssed what was going on. I just have to accept this?
“Am I at least going to be asked?”
Then he got down to one knee in front of me, and grinned the most dazzling grin I’d ever seen on his face. I was already a puddle of anticipation, and I wasn’t even sure I wanted this. “Veronica Sutton, will you do me the honour of becoming my criminally minded wife?”
I couldn’t explain my reaction even if I tried. Blame it on the fact that I never thought any man would propose to me, and the fact I’d had the craziest of crazy days, but when he met my eyes and I saw legitimate hope inside his, tears formed in my eyes and I nodded my head.
He really does want me.
“Yes,” I whispered, sniffling. “I’ll marry you. Let’s do terrible things together.”
A joy-filled laugh bounced out of his chest. “I don’t have a ring, but I do have this.” He pulled one of the twine bracelets from his wrist. It was blue and had small shells woven into it. Then his family cheered as he tied it around my wrist before he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me like the fool I was.
But, I was a happy fool. I’d always dreamt of belonging. I thought I hated the Cartwright family because of their strong-arm tactics toward me over the last year. But since the wedding, my view of them had shifted. They loved each other. Gave a fuck. And I wanted that for myself. Like Kristian, I was ready for my life to change. I was tired of surviving. I wanted to live. Maybe with Kristian’s offer of marriage, and their offer to join the family, everything I ever wanted would finally come to fruition. Maybe it was my turn to get some good in life.
Chapter Sixteen
Knight In Stolen Armour
“You freaking out yet?” Kristian asked when the meeting was over and we were alone in the upstairs room. We’d seamlessly moved from the proposal to planning the next big job and breaking down tasks. It would be the first job I was actively involved with—an initiation of sorts. And it involved driving to Sydney and infiltrating a cult-like religious group that operated out of Katoomba. They didn’t believe in banks and demanded new members liquidate their assets and offer that money to the communal pool. We were being divided into teams—Sam and Alesha were our inside couple, Nate and Toby were surveillance, the twins and I were in charge of acquiring vehicles and sourcing tools. Jasmine and Holland would remain behind to keep the businesses they used as their front, running smoothly. Seemed there was quite an art to stealing then laundering your profits so you could safely use that money. It sounded like a lot of hard work to me, but it was exciting at the same time. I had the buzz of anticipation vibrating within my bones.
“I’m not freaking out,” I whispered, leaning against the closed door. “Just…decompressing. This. You. Us. It’s all pretty intense for me.”
His mouth curved up on one side, his playfulness cutting through the tension of our situation. “Because you like me?”
This so was not the time to joke, but I smiled despite myself. “Well, I don’t hate you as much as I thought I did.”
“I knew it.” Letting out his breath in a weighty sigh, he held his hand out to me. “Come here.” I moved so I was standing in front of him, placing my hands on his shoulders as his hands landed on my thighs then slid upward, over my arse before he dropped his head against my chest.
His hands on me feel so damn good. If he hadn’t made me his slave before, I certainly was one now.
“I was an arsehole earlier. I shouldn’t have thrown your housing situation and our relationship in your face like that.” His voice was muffled in the fabric of my shirt.
“If you’re apologising, can you at least look me in the eye while you do it?” I asked, my fingers urging him to tilt his head back.
Meeting my eyes with a mirthful gaze, he pulled me a little closer. “I’m not apologising, just admitting to wrongdoing. Cartwrights don’t ever say sorry, doll. That’s something you’ll have to get used to.”
I smiled and ran my fingers over the golden stubble on his cheeks. “That’s funny. I don’t do apologies either. But for the record, I was an arsehole too. When I was asking you questions and you wouldn’t answer, it made me feel like you didn’t really want me here, that you didn’t really want me.”
He gripped me a little tighter and growled. “I want you, doll. Can’t stop wanting you.”
I placed my hands on his shoulders and pushed a little. “Not just sex, Kristian. Me. I want you to want me.”
His eyes grew serious as they stayed locked with mine. “I do.”
“Then why did Toby come and get me? Why didn’t you?”
His tongue wet his lips before he released his breath. “Because I was here convincing Jasmine you could work with us.”
“Because I knew too much?”
“Partly. And because after spending a couple of weeks with you, I’m nowhere near ready to let you go.”
“So you needed permission from her to what? Keep me?”
He nodded. “Like I said earlier, we’re careful who we bring in. Toby thoroughly vets every person we do business with—he thought you were a good fit. But Jasmine needed to work through the pros and cons with me.”
“Because she wanted you to marry me?”
He nodded. “That’s kind of how it works with us. We don’t really do relationships because love can turn into hate, and hate wants revenge.”
“We started out hating each other.”
“Yeah. And you’ve been a fucking pain in the arse this entire time. But you know what? I wouldn’t change it. Because it proved to us you had guts, tenacity, and some serious skills.”
“I liked being mean to you. I blamed you for everything that happened to make me homeless.”
“I get that. But even so, you never sold us out. You had the connections to fuck us over but you didn’t. Why is that?”
I shrugged. “That’s not who I am. And I fight my own battles.” He nodded at me, yet he had no idea how true that was. His family wasn’t like anything I’d seen before. I’d never had anyone fight my battles for me…with me. But before he could press too hard, I added, “And also because Grey scares the shit out of me.”
“And we don’t?”
Grinning, I leaned into him. “You’re too pretty to be scary.”
His response was to laugh. “God, I like you, Ronnie. I like you a lot.”
“Enough to marry me, it seems.”
He nodded.
“This is insane, you know? It’s even crazier than those people who get married in Vegas—at least they’re wasted when it happens. We’re making a conscious decision to get married after sleeping together for only a week.”
“It’s been a great week, though. And people have gotten married for a hell of a lot less and had it work out. I say we jump on board the crazy express and ride it all the way to the station. I have no fucking clue if it’ll work out, but maybe Jazz knows what she’s doing. She made the others marry, and they’re happy as fuck. Maybe we’ll be the same.”
“And if it doesn’t work out?” I was pretty sure that wasn’t an option, but I really needed to be sure.
He shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. It would depend on Jazz and the circumstances at the time.”
I get it. Family is for life. This marriage really will be till death do us part. Guess I just need to work hard at this thing.
I ran my fingers through his hair, silky brown strands brushing against my skin. Up until this day, I never thought marriage would be an option. I thought I was destined to struggle all my life, to be a loser with no home, no hope, and no one to care for her.
I want someone to care for me. To care about me, and whether I fail or thrive.
I wanted to have a place in this world. I wanted to have a chance at being more than the ‘problem’ I’d been repeatedly called. I wanted to take a chance. How often did a knight in stolen armour come along and invite you into his criminal organisation? For a girl like me, that might just be the fairy tale.
“Crazy together forever, huh?” I whis
pered, too afraid to give volume to my voice in case it made me think too hard.
“When you know, you know, right?”
“Yeah.” And I did know. This past week had been the first week in my life where I actually wanted to remember every detail. “But am I supposed to be afraid?”
He let out his breath. “You’re supposed to be terrified.”
I closed my eyes, because he was right. I was. “Just shut up and kiss me, Kristian, and we’ll worry about the rest of this shit later.”
Doing just that, our emotions quickly intensified, our clothing shed until he hooked his fingers into my panties and paused. “I thought I told you no underwear today.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have pissed me off.”
“I can’t promise I won’t do it again,” he said, dragging said panties down my legs.
I reached between us and wrapped my hand around his cock. “That’s why I only kind of like you,” I gasped as I sank myself over it, taking him inside me with a shudder.
“Really? I’m fucking crazy about you,” he whispered, holding on to my face as he kissed me and I rode his length, my movement growing faster as I pushed his words to the side and chased my orgasm.
I could handle his family. I could handle being his. I could handle marrying him, even. But having him tell me I’m perfect and he’s crazy about me? It freaked me the fuck out.
“Slow down, doll,” he whispered, flipping me over so I was on my back and he was in control. “I don’t want this over just yet. I’ve been waiting all day to be inside you.”
His hips swivelled, slow and deliberate. His eyes focused on mine, hands searing heat all across my skin. This wasn’t fucking. It was something else. I’d never been treated so carefully by a man where the experience of fucking transported us to another plane of existence all together. In that moment, there was only us. We were everything. And I didn’t know how to process that. What is this? What is he doing to me?
Foolish Games: Cartwright Brothers, book 3 Page 13
