Cash Money (Bad Money #4)

by Ali Parker

  Jon blinked a few times and let out a long groan. "What the fuck did you do to me last night?"

  "I fucked you. You're welcome. Now get up." Marcus gave a cheeky grin before pulling the phone to his ear and walking to the window in Kate's bedroom. Why they'd decided to stay at the club and not one of their houses was a mystery to him.

  "What?" he barked into the phone as he tugged the blinds up.

  "Marcus. It's Izzy." The girl's voice sounded like sex. She and Kate would either get along beautifully or hate each other with a passion.

  "Hey. You here?" He glanced back at Jon, glad to see the guy getting up and moving toward the bathroom.

  "Yeah. I'm stationed at the hotel across the street. You're going to need to take the target up to the top of the building. There is a great opening to the roof that would give me perfect access to the guy. That, or I'll just come to the party as your date, and kill him in the elevator."

  Marcus chuckled. "I think I'm going to like you."

  "Everyone does. It would be a shame to be the odd-man out." She let out a sensual huff. "I gotta get ready. I'll be around the edges of the night watching you guys. Text me later with what the hit's wearing. I've seen him before, but let's make sure we're on the same page with who's not waking up tomorrow morning. Try to make it happen around eight thirty."

  “Will do, and Izzy... thank you." Marcus dropped the call and turned to find Jon watching him. "What?"

  "Who was that?" Jon brushed his teeth with his finger as he grimaced.

  "Kate has a toothbrush in there. Just use it. I do." He smirked at the look on Jon's face. "She's all right, Jon. Billy isn't going to hurt her. He worships her. You don't get it, but if you'd ever seen him around her before, you would."

  "I don't want to see it. I want her back." Jon moved back into the bathroom.

  "That was one of the girls that runs tricks up in Chicago. She plays gunman when the boss needs something up there. Our job is to get Billy on the roof as soon as possible, and she’ll be waiting in a sniper position to take him out at the hotel across the street."

  "And how the fuck are we going to explain that to the cops?" Jon poked his head out of the bathroom.

  "Who cares? It's not on us. It's on the girl, and I'm pretty sure these guys in Chicago know how to cover their asses for a murder." Marcus pulled his keys from his pocket. "I need to get to the house to shower and change. You headed back to your place?"

  "Yeah. Black tie?" Jon walked out, wiping his mouth on a towel.

  "Yeah. Look the part, and I'll meet you around eight outside in the circle drive of the Marriott. The one a few blocks from here." Marcus walked to the door. "Lock up. You know the code?"

  "Yeah. Be careful, and I'll see you in a little bit." Jon disappeared back into the bathroom, and Marcus jogged down the stairs and walked to his car.

  Billy was moving around the city, which was smart of him. The news late the night before showed the New Orleans Police Department out at the rundown plantation home he was using last. They were gathering evidence, but knowing Billy, that's all they would get. He didn't mind being implicated in a million murders. They were trophies to add to his collection. They built his fame. What they wouldn't find was the trail to his next location. The bastard was a chameleon that blended into ordinary settings with ease.

  Marcus would have to remind Jon to let his cop friends know that Billy and his boys were going to be at the hotel, or maybe it was better that they didn't know. Things would go down smoothly if the cops didn’t get involved. It was impossible to keep them stealthy, and if Billy believed that he was walking into a trap, he'd run, and the fucker would take Kate with him.

  "Not happening." Marcus started the car and called Zak. "We're meeting at eight at the Marriott. Be there to help us out tonight, all right?"

  "Of course. I'll stick to the edges of the room in case you need something. Probably best to keep one of us out of sight." Zak coughed away from the phone.

  "You doing all right?" Marcus glanced in the rearview mirror, unable to shake the fact that someone was following him. It was paranoia thanks to all the shit he'd been through, and the night they had ahead of them, but he couldn't help it.

  "Yeah. Just ready to get this over with. There's nothing worse than having to look over your shoulder all the time."

  "Very true. It's black tie, so dress pretty." Marcus tossed the phone in his passenger side seat and pulled up to his place. Billy should have called by then, but maybe he wasn't interested in talking anymore. Marcus had hit Zak up during the night when he was dealing with Jon's torn up ass, asking for help. The other man had gotten the information they needed from Victor's safe on the New York supplier without a question over why. He was a good guy. The right guy to join Marcus in Chicago.

  They were set and ready to go, though everything inside Marcus was tight, tense. Billy was a loose cannon. Things wouldn't go as expected. They never did with killers.

  Sad that he should know.

  *

  "You clean up nice." Zak smiled and moved up to offer Marcus his hand.

  "You do as well." Marcus glanced around the lobby of the ornate hotel and pulled at his tie. "I hate these fucking things."

  "The gala or the tie?"

  "Both." Marcus glanced down at Zak. "Have you seen Jon?"

  "Yeah. He's in the bathroom. I'm not sure the cop is handling this too well." Zak ran his hand over his scruffy beard and glanced around. "I wouldn't either if it were someone important to me."

  "Yeah, well, part of making sure we all get the fuck out of here tonight is keeping our wits about us. Billy and Kate should be here already. I'm going to look. Tell Jon to find me when he gets out of the bathroom. You stay around the edges of the room and try to be inconspicuous. I don't want them to know we have you with us. Got it?" Marcus barked his demands and tugged at his tie again.

  "Crystal clear. Relax. We're going to pull this off. There are too many of us involved not to." He patted Marcus's chest. "Go find the girl."

  "Right." Marcus walked up the large stairs in front of him toward the sound of music and laughter. There had to be several thousand people in the enormous ballroom at the end of the hallway before him. He stopped and took a shallow breath.

  "My life isn’t worth much, but I'd give it up for her. If that's what's required tonight... take it." He tugged at his tie one more time before shoving his hands into his slacks and walking toward the party.

  The strobe lights forced him to narrow his eyes a little so that he could better make out the faces of everyone moving past him.

  "Masks. Fuck." He mumbled and moved to the bar, ordering a beer and accepting the silky black mask the pretty girl pouring drinks offered him. There was no way he was going to find Billy. He'd have to let the fucker find him.

  "Where's your boyfriend?"

  Bingo. Billy pulled his mask down as Marcus turned and gave him a tight smile.

  "He's taking a piss. I heard he's got a huge dick. You up for holding it later tonight when he's too drunk to hold it himself?" Marcus smirked and let his eyes move around quickly, trying to find Kate.

  "Funny boy. Always good for a laugh, right?" Billy tilted his head and waited until Marcus turned his attention back to him. "She's here, but you'll not find her until I'm ready for you to. How about you gather your boy and meet me on the patio?"

  "How about the roof? The view of the city is great, and if we get tired of each other's company, you can throw me down, and I'll not have to wake up broken and pissy in the hospital tomorrow." Marcus lifted his beer to his lips.

  "Always such a good time, aren't you, Marcus? Much like Kate, and yet not at all like her." He smiled and turned, walking back into the crowd. The assumption was that he'd agreed to meet on top of the building, or at least, that was what Marcus was betting on.

  Chapter 22

  Jon

  "Pull it together, goddammit." Jon stared at himself in the mirror and took another shaky breath. He'd lost too many people over th
e last few weeks to even contemplate losing Kate. She was it. All he had left, and part of him knew that she was slipping out of his grasp too.

  Letting his head drop, he took a shallow breath and forced himself away from the sink. It was go time, and Marcus was probably already dealing with Billy - alone.

  He dried his hands and pushed the door to exit the bathroom, a little surprised to find Zak still standing out in the lobby as if waiting on him.

  "Marcus isn't here yet?" Jon rolled his shoulders and glanced around.

  "Yeah, he's up in the middle of the party, looking about as good as you do."

  "Was that a compliment?" Jon's lip lifted in a smirk. He couldn't stop himself from searching for Kate with everyone that passed by him.

  "No. You both look like you've been throwing up your damn shoes for the last three days." He patted Jon on the back. "Get up there. I'll be a shadow, but know that I have your backs."

  "Right. Thank you." Jon turned and jogged up the stairs, not quite sure he was ready for the night to come, but without choice in the matter. "Just like the rest of the shit I'm dealing with."

  The music pumped out of the large room before him, and he walked straight to the bar, picking Marcus and his big bald head out of the crowd easily.

  "Hey. Sorry I'm late." Jon turned to the bartender. "Shot of whiskey. Two, actually."

  "You sure that's a good idea?" Marcus turned to face him and lifted an eyebrow.

  "Yeah. I gotta find some way to slow my heart down a little. I've been through a lot of shit, Marcus, more than you can imagine, but nothing has ever bent me over quite like this is." He reached for the shots and took them one after the other, grimacing at the strong burn of the liquor as it lit his chest on fire. "A beer please. Whatever you have in a bottle."

  "Yeah, I get it." Marcus lifted his beer to his lips and glanced around the room. "Billy just found me, but he didn't have Kate with him."

  "What? Why not?" Jon jerked around as angst filled his insides.

  "She's here, he's just got her tucked away. We're supposed to meet him on the roof." Marcus took another long drink of his beer and set the empty bottle on a tray as someone passed by holding one. "I have the information from Victor's too. Zak got it for us last night."

  "About last night..." Jon shook his head.

  "It's all right man. I needed to see you fucked up. Leaving Kate is going to be the hardest thing I ever have to do, Jon. Knowing that you love her enough to lose your shit like that is comforting. You love her like I do. Everything is going to be okay." He smiled and nodded toward the other side of the room. "The elevator is over there. Let's go. Let's get this shit over with."

  "Right." Jon followed after him, downing his beer and trying hard not to think through all the things that could go wrong with the night. He wanted to ask Marcus why him and Kate fucked in the store room. Did she need the attention? The release, or was it because she knew he was leaving and was hurting over it? Did she love Marcus more than him?

  "Stop thinking so much." Marcus elbowed him as the doors to the elevator closed.

  "Does she love you more than she loves me? I asked her once, and she said yes, but I need to know how she feels now."

  "No, you don't. You need to help me save her life and worry about the rest later. Keep your head in the game right here and now, Jon. You're going to lose her if you don't fight hard and smart over the next few minutes. Don't turn into the guy you've been lately when shit goes wrong. Grow up and fight for the woman you want beside you, like I’m doing." He popped Jon in the chest as the door opened. "Do that, and she's all yours."

  Jon nodded and bent down to set his beer down beside the open elevator. The wind was fierce on top of the roof, but it felt good. It reminded him that he was alive.

  The sound of Billy's voice sent a shiver of fear down his back, though the man had nothing on Jon other than holding the most precious cargo he might ever know.

  Kate.

  "There you boys are. I thought maybe you had decided to stand me up." Billy chuckled as he pulled Kate to his side, his arm wrapped around her tightly. "No sudden moves from either of you. I have my boys waiting in the wings to take each of you out if you get excited and start pulling guns."

  Jon's eyes moved over Kate, the tight blue dress fitting her like a glove.

  "He didn't hurt you, did he?" Jon barked out, unable to stop himself.

  "No. I'm fine." Kate's face was a mask of indifference, and he could see quite clearly why Marcus was assured that she was okay. She wasn't the sensitive woman Jon wanted to make her into, but she wasn't the cold-hearted bitch Marcus knew her to be either. She was somewhere in the middle. A beautiful conundrum.

  "Give me the supplier and the cop, and you walk away with the girl." Billy turned his attention to Marcus. "A deal is a deal."

  "True dat." Marcus walked toward Billy as Kate pulled away from him a little.

  "Marcus. No." She turned her attention to the big bald guy as Jon forced himself to stay put. Marcus knew what he was doing, and though everything inside of him screamed that he'd been betrayed, he refused to believe it. They'd grown too close, and life wasn't so cruel as to deal him such a shitty hand to have Marcus leave him with Billy as partial payment for Kate.

  At least he prayed that it wasn't.

  "Shut up, Kate." Billy jerked her back toward him as he took the paper from Marcus.

  Jon realized that Billy had a gun in his hand almost a moment too late. He lifted it and pointed it at Marcus, but Jon had already pulled his piece out and fired off a round that hit Billy square in the chest.

  The door opened behind Kate and Billy, and Reni walked out and fired off three rounds. Another two rounds were fired from somewhere in the distance, and Jon stood in stony silence and watched Billy hit the ground. Reni was right behind him, as were the three others who piled out the door on the rooftop.

  The horror on Kate's face was confusing. She was stunning, even with tears running down her face as she bolted toward him. He tried to lift his arms to grab her, but they wouldn't respond to him. Time slowed significantly, and the world tilted as Jon let out a long exhale.

  Kate was fine. Marcus would take care of her and become the man Jon longed to be for her. The past would be forgotten and all the shit with Adam, and then Seth and Victor would be buried in the cold earth alongside them. Nothing more than a bad memory.

  Kate's voice was slurred horribly, as was Marcus's as they moved frantically above him.

  A smile tugged at Jon's lips as he forced his arm to move. He had to touch her one more time. To remember just how soft her skin felt. He cupped her face as she screamed something and tears dripped down her cheeks.

  He couldn't make out her words, but it didn't matter. She was safe.

  "I love you, baby." Jon closed his eyes and tried to open them again, but the warmth of the darkness surrounding him was almost too much. The taste of metal filled his mouth, and he let out a slow exhale as someone pressed themselves to the top of him.

  Kate. His girl. Forever.

  Chapter 23

  Kate

  "Kate. Come sit down, baby. Stop pacing the floor. Please." Marcus's voice was gruff and filled with far more emotion than she'd ever heard.

  "No. I can't." She pressed her shaking hands to her mouth and swallowed the bile that rose up inside of her again.

  A beautiful dark-haired woman in black leather pants and a tight shirt caught her attention, and she turned to lock eyes with the girl.

  "Marcus," the girl glanced over at Marcus, breaking the contact, "I'm leaving. You guys okay?"

  "Yes. Thank you so much." Marcus got up and walked toward the woman, leaving Kate to return to her pacing. She had to be from Marcus's new life in Chicago. Kate waited for jealousy to blast through her, but it didn't. Nothing could permeate the fear of losing Jon for good.

  Marcus walked back over to her and pulled her into a tight hug. "That was Izabella. She was a sniper for us tonight. She took out everyone that came ont
o the roof." He kissed the top of her head. "Let's go to the cafeteria and get-"

  "No. Stop fucking babying me. I'm fine. I just..." She pressed her hands to her face and let out a strangled sob. "I don't want to lose again. I don't want to try and dig through the ashes of losing him, Marcus. I can't. I won't."

  She sagged against his strong hold, wishing that her heart wasn't nearly as connected to the man who lay dying on the hospital table in the room just beyond her reach. Marcus should have been enough. He was the one she wanted in her bed, pressed to her body, loving her, taking care of her, saving her, but that was an illusion.

  A comfort of the past breaching the walls of the future.

  Marcus wasn't that man anymore. He would love her forever, and she would return the favor, but watching Jon go down on the top of the roof that night had ripped open the truth inside of her. She wanted a normal life with two kids and a house to clean, or laundry to do. She was done experiencing the wild side of life and wanted more than anything to create memories that didn't force her to her knees.

  There were so many bad ones.

  "Baby. He's going to make it, okay? He loves you too much not to." Marcus pressed his mouth to her ear and rocked her back and forth. "I promise you."

  She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

  "Hey, guys."

  Kate turned to watch Zak walk up. He gave her a quick hug and turned to Marcus.

  "I'm so fucking sorry man. I should have been up there with you guys. Me hanging around the edges of the damn room did no good with you on the roof."

  The door opened behind Kate, and she jerked around as Marcus and Zak hushed their conversation mid-sentence.

  "Are any of you related to Mr. Peterson?" The young doctor slipped his hands in his pockets and gave a sad smile that had Kate's insides souring.

  "She's his wife." Marcus moved up beside Kate and put an arm over her shoulders.

  "Ma'am. Come this way with me?" He reached out and Kate took his hand, moving on shaky legs away from Marcus.