Cash Money (Bad Money #4)

by Ali Parker

  She turned and pressed her hands to her hips. "And what exactly does he think he knows?"

  Jon dropped down in the closest chair to him and chuckled. "That you're a good woman in a bad situation."

  "I don't need saving, Jon. We've gone over this a million times." She sat down a few chairs away from him, and he couldn't help but notice a sadness tugging at her.

  "What's going on? Something is up. Tell me." He moved to the chair beside her and pulled her hand into his, cupping it softly and rubbing her knuckles as he studied her.

  "Nothing. Everything." She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath.

  "What can I do to help?" He scooted closer and brushed his fingers down the side of her neck. "I'm here, you know."

  "Are you?" She opened her eyes, and some of the light he was used to seeing was dimmed... gone.

  "Hell yes, I am. Let's not start this again. I'm one hundred percent in, Kate. You know that." He moved in and cupped her face. "What happened?"

  "I want to see what's in the safe you kept for Adam."

  Her words slammed into him. She didn't trust him. She'd talked herself into believing that he was something he wasn't. Not that he wasn’t doing the same thing to her in his head half the night.

  "Of course. Let me throw on some clothes, and we'll get there before the bank closes." He kissed her once before getting up and walking to the bedroom. There was far more going on with her, but he would peel her back layer by layer. He wasn't willing to deny her if it meant alleviating some of her concerns. He glanced up as she stopped at the entrance to the bedroom and leaned against the door.

  "I want to see the safe, grab something to make for dinner and spend the night here. That okay?" She crossed her arms over her chest, drawing his eyes to the thick swell of her breasts.

  "Yeah. Anything you want." He pulled his shirt over his head and walked to her, sliding his hands over her hips and leaning down to kiss her deeply, fully. "Ask away, Kate. Anything you want to know. I don't want anything between us. No secrets, no lies, no untapped spaces."

  "Okay," she whispered softly as her fingers dug into his back.

  "What happened today? Tell me." He brushed his nose by hers and kissed her once more before moving back and getting his shoes on.

  "Billy wants me to go to New York for him, and Marcus is in Chicago interviewing for a position with another syndicate, or so I assume. He lied about it, so I have no clue what he's really up to." She pressed her fingers to her eyes. "The Billy stuff is silly and not something I'm concerned with, though maybe I should be."

  "The thing with Marcus is tearing you up?" Jon moved back to hold her, hating that Marcus or any other man had so much power over her. She was his, and only he should be able to have such an emotional hold on her.

  "Yes." She pushed back and turned, walking into the living room. "I keep trying to figure out how this is going to work out, Jon. I love you both. I need you both, but that's selfish and it’ll never work."

  "I agree." He grabbed his jacket and his keys before offering her his hand. "But, for now, neither of us is asking you to choose. One day we will, but that's not today."

  She nodded, not responding, but he was almost grateful for her silence. The last time he'd questioned her on who she would run to, it was Marcus.

  Hopefully things were changing, but something told him that he was living in a dream that would soon beckon him to wake up.

  And when he did? She would be gone.

  *

  "Where did you get all of this money?" Kate turned and looked over her shoulder as she stepped away from the large safety deposit box.

  "I stole it from Benton. Once I made the decision to get out of the syndicate, I knew I would need backup, and the best plan for a man on the run is usually cash." Jon chuckled and rubbed his fingers over his chin. "I owe Billy a debt of gratitude for taking out the old bastard. He would have killed me if given the chance."

  "Billy or Benton?" Kate closed the box and turned to face him.

  "Benton." Jon tilted his head to the side, testing the beautiful woman before him. She'd killed Benton, not Billy. Now was the time to see if she were willing to open up a little and start letting him in.

  Her teeth pressed into her bottom lip as she studied his face. "I killed him. He's the only person I killed before Victor, and I regret it every day."

  "Really? Plot twist?" He smirked and walked toward her. "Mike already told me."

  She popped his chest. "Why the fuck did you just act like you thought it was Billy?"

  "Because, Kate, you're reserved around me. I know you and Marcus go way the hell back, but I don’t know hardly anything about you. I trust you as far as I can throw you, which obviously is how you feel about me too." He motioned toward the safety deposit box. "What were you expecting to find?"

  "Evidence that you're pulling the strings behind all of this." She pressed her hands to his chest. "Are you?"

  "No. I'm a cop looking for a future, a family and someone to love." He touched her cheek. "I want you to be that woman so fucking bad, but I'm not sure that's what you want at all."

  She nodded. "I'm not sure what I want either. It's not as easy as you think to turn away from everything you know and walk away, Jon."

  "I actually do know that path quite well." He pressed himself against her, trapping her between his thick frame and the table behind her. "It's hard as hell, but it helps to have someone walking beside you who knows the way out. That's me, baby."

  "Let's go." She lifted to her toes and kissed him softly, ignoring his comment.

  "Did you find what you were looking for?" He kissed her once more before stepping back and taking her hand.

  "Yes. Thank you for letting me snoop." They walked out and Kate moved to the door, crossing her arms over her chest as Jon wrapped things up with the bank manager who was assisting them.

  "Let's grab something for dinner. You want to cook at my place or go out?" He wrapped his arm around the back of her shoulders, feeling like they'd gotten over some odd, unseen hurdle.

  "Your place." She got on the back of his bike and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

  Jon started the bike and took off to the closest grocery store, trying to work through how to tell Kate that letting Marcus go was going to be much easier than watching him go of his own decision. The big guy seemed to have made up his mind on moving out of New Orleans, and trying to start another life elsewhere.

  Surely he wouldn't expect Kate to go with him, or be a part of it.

  Surely he wasn't that fucking selfish.

  Chapter 12

  Kate

  After gathering everything to make spaghetti at the store, they rode home as the sun set in the far end of the sky. Peace and calmness had settled over her sometime during the ride, and by the time they got back to Jon's place, she wasn't concerned with the future, or even what might happen later that evening. Living in the moment was too appealing to worry about it for a while.

  "You cooking, or am I?" Jon brushed his hand over her butt as they walked to the door. The playful smile on his lips was refreshing. Having visited the safety deposit box tore down some of the barrier she was starting to resurrect against him.

  "Let's do it together." She moved back and let him open the door, enjoying the view of his ass in his jeans far more than she thought possible. "I like these jeans."

  "I think you like what's in the jeans." He chuckled and turned on lights as he moved to the kitchen.

  "That too." She set her bags down next to his and started to open cabinets in search of pots and pans.

  "Hey. Last tough subject for tonight, I hope." His voice was soft, inviting.

  She stood up from her bent-over position and gave him her attention. "Sure. What?"

  "You're not going after Billy Turner. You had your revenge with Victor. Billy's mine. Understood?" He moved to stand in front of her and gripped her chin, half expecting her to swat him off and bite his head off.

  She nodded and pres
sed against his hold. "Yeah. Take him. I'm tired anyway."

  "Good." He leaned down and licked at her mouth. "I wanna own you tonight, Kate. Just us. No drama or worries of dying tomorrow. No Billy or Victor. No Marcus. I need tonight for us."

  "Okay," she mumbled as tendrils of pleasure raced across her skin. Her indecision over next steps with Jon and Marcus were going to have to find their proper place. Life wasn't just about who you spent your nights with, but where you were going, who you were becoming.

  "Now, cook me my dinner, woman." He chuckled as she picked up a spatula and swatted his side.

  "Better watch it. I don't mind the black widow title. It's kinda sexy." She wagged her eyebrows and worked to get the hamburger meat in the skillet. "Fix the salad and tell me where you want to see yourself in ten years. Just be honest. If you could have anything you wanted in the future, what would it look like?"

  He ran his fingers over her lower back as he moved around her, gathering the items needed for the salad. "Hmmm... that's a hard one."

  "Try for me?" She glanced over her shoulder, wanting to know him more. Needing to.

  "Yeah, sure." He grabbed a few beers from the fridge and offered her one. "I want a small house, a lot like this one. Two or three bedrooms at most. I want a couple of kids, a job that leaves me proud to be involved with it, and a wife that loves me almost as much as I love her."

  Foreign emotions danced inside of her. There was no place for Marcus and her to continue to see each other if she and Jon were to create that future together. The question was whether she wanted it to.

  "I like it." She smiled and worked on the meat.

  "Your turn." He moved up behind her and moved her hair from her neck before pressing his mouth against her and wrapping his strong arms around her. "If you could have anything you wanted. What would it be?"

  She swallowed and pursed her lips for a minute before answering. "Freedom. Freedom from the oppression of guilt, shame, love."

  "Oppression of love? Love binds you?" He kissed her again and ran his hands over her hips to cup her mound. "Love or pleasure?"

  "Both." She turned her face enough to enjoy the attention of his lips against hers.

  "What does this freedom look like, baby?" He moved up to suck the bottom of her earlobe into the warmth of his mouth.

  "I don't know," she responded breathily, unable to stop her heart from racing with his touch combined with their domesticated actions. "I've never felt it really."

  "Interesting." He kissed her neck once more. "And kids. Do you want kids?"

  "I can't have them, but yes, I think I would have liked to if it were possible." She pulled away from him, a little sensitive over the topic. The only man that might be okay with having a barren woman was Marcus. Maybe that was part of the draw toward him too. To already be enough even in the midst of her lack.

  "We can adopt." He moved back to the salad and loaded up two bowls. "We'll try for kids, and if you can't have them, then we adopt. It changes nothing. We'll love them until they’re sick of us either way."

  Tears blurred her vision. "Do you think that's possible? I've killed and stolen. I've been in the darkest alleys in the world doing things that I'd not utter in the light. Do you really think there is a future where all of that can honestly go away and never rise again to steal everything from me?"

  "Baby." He pulled her back from the stove and brushed away her tears. "That future is right around the corner. You have to stop expecting the worst and look for the chance at a new beginning."

  "I want to, but I'm honestly not sure how." She slid her hands up his chest and let out a soft sigh. "I'm ready for brighter days. The ones filled with laughter and fun. All of this darkness is starting to permeate the center of me again."

  "Then we get out. Marcus is the only anchor holding you in place, Kate. We'll get Billy, I promise, but you have to work on letting Marcus go. He loves this life." Jon kissed her forehead. "He'll always be in our lives, but he has to stop being your life, Katie."

  She nodded, understanding the decision all too clear. "I thought we were going to have fun tonight."

  He chuckled and wiped away the rest of her tears. "We are. No more of this shit. It belongs in another day, but not today."

  "Good. I'm tired of it. It's the same conversation I have over and over in my head nonstop lately." She pulled the package of noodles from the bag beside her and started to drop them into the pot.

  "Wait. Crazy girl. You gotta break them into thirds. Have you never worked at an Italian restaurant?" He moved up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and broke the noodles as she snuggled back against him.

  The simple things in life were what seemed to be missing. She'd never really had them, so to experience them was almost overwhelming though it felt trite.

  "I've never worked anywhere but the streets and the club." She let Jon finish the noodles as she stood trapped between him and the stove.

  "Really? I could tell you some stories then. Restaurants are the best. The guys are fun and outgoing, and the girls just wanna chance to see your dick. As a kid... it's awesome." He chuckled and kissed her cheek before moving back.

  "A chance to see your dick? Wow. Sounds like the best place on earth for a horny, unwanted young guy." She shrugged and gave him a cheeky grin.

  "Unwanted? What the fuck's that supposed to mean?" He reached over and pinched her side. "I was hella wanted. Once the girls figured out that I was hiding this beast?" He grabbed his cock and wagged his eyebrows.

  "Beast? I've seen a lot bigger." She glanced down at it, lying like a dog, but rather enjoying the growl that left him.

  "Oh no you didn't." He wrapped his arms around her and picked her up, hustling her to the darkness of the bedroom and dropping her on the bed only to lie down on top of her. "You're a damn liar. I remember our first time. Your fear over not being able to take me was fucking hot."

  He bucked his hips and drove into her as she swatted at him and laughed loudly, needing the moment far more than she realized.

  "I did not. I was scared I might not know when we started fucking because you were so tiny, itsy-bitsy." She laughed as he growled loudly and thrusted again.

  "You're such a bitch. I love it." He moved down and pressed his lips to her breasts, tugging at her and tightening his hands around her waist. "God, I love you, baby. You might not realize it, but you're everything I want in a woman."

  Kate ran her fingers through his hair and watched him as he worshiped her with soft sensual movements. "You deserve better. Way better." She touched his cheek and gave him a sad smile. "You know you do."

  "No, but you do." He moved back up and forced her legs open so that he could settle in between them. "I'm gonna make this right. Start working on trusting me. We need that between us. I'd do anything for you, Kate, and I know you would for me too. What you gave up for my freedom with Victor sickens me that you felt the need to save me, but I'd do it in a heartbeat too."

  "Dammit. Did Marcus tell you that?" She growled and pushed at his chest. "You weren't supposed to know about that shit."

  He pulled her hands high above her head and dry humped her slowly, using his entire body to spread tingles across her skin.

  "Well, I do know. I've never been loved so much by someone. I'm going to make it up to you every day for the rest of our lives." He leaned down and nuzzled her. "Start letting Marcus go, Kate. There's not room for us both."

  She started to respond as the smell of smoke filled her senses. "Fuck! The meat."

  Jon jumped up like his ass was on fire and ran into the kitchen as she followed him. The noodles had boiled over and the ground hamburger was black.

  He laughed and looked over his shoulder. "Looks like take out. Chinese?"

  She rolled her eyes and grabbed his keys. "I guess. You and your shitty cooking skills."

  "Me? Oh, hell no."

  She squealed as she turned and raced for the front door with Jon hot on her heels. It was a night that wasn't like any other
she'd experienced. It wasn't about being tough or even being right. It was about simply being her.

  It had the power to change everything.

  Chapter 13

  Marcus

  "Do you know anything about these people?" Zak asked as they rode in the back of the taxi to meet Demetri on the west side of Chicago at an Italian restaurant named Gino's.

  "No, but Jeffery said they were an old school syndicate, not that the kid would know his ass from a hole in the ground, but whatever. What do we have to lose?" Marcus glanced over at Zak. "We meet with them and see what they're looking for and what we have to offer, then we get back on a plane and mull the shit over."

  "All right. Old school as in mafia structure?" Zak lifted his eyebrow.

  "I guess. I think it's more about family, respect and honor, though they're just as nefarious as we are." Marcus chuckled and leaned forward to address the cabbie. "How much longer?"

  "Right up here, sir. Sorry traffic was so bad. Just the time of day here when people get out for a long lunch." He glanced over his shoulder and smiled.

  The car stopped, and Marcus paid the man before getting out and walking with Zak into the quaint restaurant. It was packed with people and the line was halfway out the door.

  "I'm sure he has our name on a list," Marcus mumbled and moved forward to talk with the hostess. Sure enough, Demetri had a room reserved in the back, and Marcus was ushered through the crowd with Zak right behind him. "He doesn't know you're coming, so let me introduce you as my associate."

  "Sure. Whatever you want." Zak stepped up beside him as they moved into the large, empty room. A tall guy with broad shoulders and a deep accent stood at the far end of the room with his back to them, barking into the phone at someone.

  "I don't fucking care what you have to do. Fix it, or I'll send Izabella to see you, Charles. Understand where I'm at with this." He glanced over his shoulder and nodded. "I have to go. Stop pulling my chain. You're out of links."