by Naomi West
I couldn’t take it anymore. I had tried to be calm, to let Dad work out his frustration at this terrible situation. But knowing that his plans were to essentially keep me prisoner until he could marry me off to the last man I wanted to be my husband, well, that was the final straw. And on top of everything, the idea of never seeing Tiger again, the father of my child, was too much to bear.
“No,” I said, my voice hard.
Dad glanced at me over his shoulder.
“I’m sorry?” he asked. “Did you just tell me no?”
“That’s what I said.”
Dad turned around slowly and stared at me with more anger than I’d ever seen on his face.
“I don’t know how much clearer I can make this, Nikki—you don’t have a say in the matter. You’ve put me in a horrible goddamn position, and now you’re going to make it right.”
“That’s all you care about,” I said, drawing on a strength that I didn’t know I had. “All you care about is how you might look if this blackmail gets out. You don’t give a damn about me or what I want.”
He shook his head.
“How deluded and immature are you to think this way?” he asked. “I’m doing what I’m doing because you clearly can’t be trusted to make adult decisions. Look what happened—I gave you free rein over one weekend in Vegas and you ended up … sleeping with the worst sort of garbage this goddamn town has to offer! You’ve got a perfectly good potential boyfriend just waiting for you and you pick the first tattooed thug that you can find—unbelievable!”
“If you think Marcus is some stand-up guy then you’re wrong,” I said. “He’s been spending his time in Vegas going to strip clubs and getting escorts and all other kinds of bad shit.”
But Dad only waved his hand dismissively through the air.
“He’s sowing his wild oats,” he said. “I know Marcus, and I know what kind of family he comes from. Once you two’re married, he’ll calm down. And he’ll be able to provide for you the way a girl like you deserves. Though, these days, I’m starting to really reevaluate just what it is that you deserve, exactly.”
“So you’re fine with me marrying some lowlife, just as long as he’s the kind of lowlife that you approve of.”
He narrowed his eyes in anger.
“Not another goddamn word out of you,” he said.
Right at that moment, it struck me that it was time to lay it all out, to tell Dad just what was going on in my life, to put everyone out there, come hell or high water.
“I’m pregnant.”
Dad’s face scrunched a bit, as though he wasn’t sure just what he’d heard.
“I’m sorry?” he asked. “You care to repeat yourself?”
“I said, I’m pregnant. And it’s with Tiger’s baby.”
What Dad did next, I’ll never forget. With speed that I didn’t know he was capable of, he rushed around the near end of the table, got right in my face, and grabbed me hard by the wrist. Then, he raised his hand in the air, as though ready to bring it down hard on my face.
“What are you doing?” I asked, gripped with fear.
I cowered and covered my face with my free hand. I knew it was useless, however—if he wanted to hit me, he was going to do it.
“You stupid, stupid girl!” he shouted, his hand still raised. “Never in my life did I think I’d bring up a daughter who’d make such terrible decisions!”
“Are you really going to hit a pregnant woman?” I asked, shivering in fear. “You wouldn’t dare!”
“I need to do something to get some damn discipline into you,” he roared.
“Oh yeah?” I asked. “What if someone’s watching? I bet if they’ve got pictures me from the club, they’ve got people watching us here!”
Still cowering, I waited for my dad’s next move, wondering if he really had it in him to hit his pregnant daughter. After several long moments, I felt his grip loosen on my wrist. Then he stepped away, quickly putting distance between us.
“You and I have a meeting with Angus later today,” he said, his voice back to its usual calm. “You’re going to stay here until then. Don’t even think about leaving the hotel.”
I couldn’t figure out if the reality that he had been about to hit his daughter had finally dawned on him, or if it was only the threat of potentially being caught on camera that finally got some sense into him. Either way, I was relieved to be out of his grasp.
Dad then stepped out of the hotel, leaving me alone with nothing but my fear and a longing for the man I wanted more than anyone else.
Chapter 19
Tiger
The night arrived, and I knew that I needed to see Nikki. When she’d laid it on me that she was pregnant, the news had been strange, almost dream-like. But now that it’d had time to settle in my mind, I found myself reeling at just what it meant. I was going to be a dad, and the mother was a woman who I cared for more than just about any girl I’d met in my life. I knew that I needed to find her, to get this whole situation sorted out.
“What’s the sitch, Tiger?” asked Mace.
The boys and I were at one of our usual hangouts, some dive bar a little off the Strip. We were gathered at a few tables in the back, pints of beer here and there in front of us. Part of me wanted to just get shit-hammer drunk and hope that I’d come up with some plan. But the better part of me knew that I needed to have a clear head if I was gonna navigate this fucked-up situation.
My shit with Nikki had been the talk of the Big Cats, and all of them were eager to see how everything was going to play out.
“The sitch is that Nikki’s pregnant, and someone’s blackmailing her family.”
The news hit the gang like a bolt of lightning.
“Then we gotta find out whoever the fuck it is and put ’em in the goddamn hospital!” called out Cutter as he banged his fist on the table.
The boys sent up a cheer, all of them eager to do some damage. I appreciated their boundless enthusiasm to cause trouble, but I knew this wasn’t a situation that we’d be able to punch our way out of.
“Nah,” I said. “This is my problem. You guys don’t need to get involved.”
Mace shook his head.
“Nope,” he said. “We’re at your side whether you want it or not.”
I couldn’t help but smirk.
“Fine,” I said. “But no busting skulls unless I give the word. I’ve already got enough heat on me with this blackmail bullshit; last thing I need is to make it worse.”
The boys nodded.
“Then what’s the next move?” asked Mace.
I thought about it for a moment.
“Next step is figuring out where Nikki is. I’ve got a pretty good mind to think that she’s at that same hotel where she was the first time she came into town, but we can’t just bust into the place and search it room by room. And I seriously fucking doubt that her dad’s gonna be down with me dropping by for a fucking social call.”
The boys laughed, all of them probably having the same mental image of the dozen or so of us gathered in front of the front desk of some fancy-ass hotel, asking if we could see the daughter of one of the wealthiest men there.
“So,” I said, “we’re gonna have to track down someone who knows where she is.”
“Probably that Marcus asshole who lives here,” said Mace.
“Yeah,” added Cutter. “That’s his hotel, right? He’s gotta know where she’s staying.”
I nodded.
“My thoughts exactly,” I said.
“But how the hell are we gonna track that brat down?” asked Mace.
I smirked. “Well, we found out the other night that the kid’s into paying for pussy, either with hookers or at strip clubs. So, I pulled his picture off his Facebook and sent it around town to the contacts I have at the city’s girly bars. He shows up at any one of those places tonight, and I’m gonna know about it.”
Then, with perfect timing, I got a text from the bartender down at Private Eyes, one of the strip
clubs nearby. It was a picture of Marcus and some of his boys gathered around the stage, wild, excited expressions on their faces and twenties clenched in their fists.
“This the shithead you’re looking for?” read the message.
I fired back a quick text confirming that it was him, along with a request to get them good and liquored up in the meantime.
“Kid’s at Private Eyes,” I said. “You boys ready to roll?”
The Cats sent up a cheer, and I knew it was on.
Ten minutes later, the crew and I were tearing across the Strip on our bikes, catching the eyes of just about everyone we passed. Soon, we pulled up into the parking lot of Private Eyes, the garish neon of the front of the building bright and inviting.
The boys and I rolled in like we owned the place. And, hell, with the amount of protection work we did for the club, we almost did. The inside of the place was awash with pink lighting, giving the girls on stage an otherworldly look. Raunchy music blasted from the speakers, and girls in skimpy outfits darted here and there with trays of drinks.
Sure enough, Marcus and his crew of preppy D-bags were at the stage, carrying on like a bunch of teenagers who’d never seen a titty before in their lives.
“Okay,” I shouted to the rest of the Cats. “You all form up behind me. I don’t want anyone making a move without my say so. Got it?”
The boys nodded. I strolled up all casual-like up to where Marcus and the rest of his crew were hanging out. The girls on stage took one look at us and started backing off, knowing that some trouble was likely about to go down.
“Yo!” shouted Marcus as the girls moved over to other parts of the large, curving stage. “Where the fuck you sluts going? You see this cash in my hands?”
He didn’t have time to wait for a response before he spotted me and the rest of the Cats had moved in right on top of him.
“What the fuck!” he shouted, he and his boys scrambling back away from us.
I turned to Tank and Rex, two of my biggest guys.
“Get him,” I said. “Just hold him down, though. No roughing up—yet.”
Tank and Rex nodded, small smirks appearing on their faces. They rushed towards Marcus with speed surprising to see from guys that big, grabbed the little brat, and forced him down into a half-circle booth with a small circular table in front. Rex and Tank sat on both sides of Marcus, holding his squirming body in place. The rest of my boys glared hard at Marcus’ friends, making it clear that this wasn’t something they wanted to get involved in.
“You know who his dad is?” shouted out one of them.
“I know exactly who his dad is,” I said, walking slowly towards the booth. “And that’s why I’m so fucking eager to talk to him.”
I grabbed a nearby chair, placed it on the other side of the table, and took a seat.
“What the fuck do you want?” demanded Marcus, his tone as indignant as ever.
I pointed casually to Rex and Tank.
“You see these two dudes here? The ones on both sides of you? Now, they’re patient men, but in case you can’t really tell by their scars and busted-up noses, there’s nothing they love more than a good fight. Now, personally, I don’t think you’d last more than five seconds against one of them, but it’d sure as shit be fun to watch.”
Marcus’ expression turned from pissed off to scared. And that was just how I wanted him.
“Is this about Nikki?” he asked. “You should know by now to stay the fuck away from her!”
“Now what did I just fucking say about asking questions?” I asked.
I gave Rex a little nod and he pulled his fist back and brought it down in a tight arc, stopping inches away from the kid’s face. Marcus let out a shriek of fear and covered his face. The boys chuckled at this display of cowardice.
“So,” I said. “First question: where can I find her?”
“She’s in the penthouse suite at my dad’s hotel,” he said. “But there’s no way they’re gonna let you assholes up there. Not a goddamn chance.”
“Hmm,” I said. “Then you’re really no good to me, are you? I mean, I could’ve figured out that they’d be in the most expensive suite in that place. So you’d better tell me something a little more useful, or I’m gonna let my boys have their fun.”
Rex and Tank flashed Marcus a pair of sinister smiles, making it very clear just what was on their minds.
A conflicted expression appeared on Marcus’ face for the briefest of moments. I could tell that there was something he wasn’t telling me, something that he knew he should keep to himself.
“Come on, Marcus,” I said. “I’ve got you by the balls, and the only way you’re getting out of this joint without a broken nose is if you give me something I can work with.”
“Fine,” said Marcus. “But you have to promise that you’re not going to hurt me. Please, please, please.”
There was such a pleading look on his face that it was a little pathetic. I sat back in my chair and glanced around. All of Marcus’ boys were seated here and there, each of them aware that they were one wrong move away from getting put in traction.
“You tell me what I want to know and don’t do anything stupid and sure, I won’t hurt a hair on that pretty little head of yours.”
Marcus looked relieved.
“Okay,” he said. “My dad and Nikki’s dad are supposed to be meeting tonight at one of my dad’s offices downtown.”
“Not at the hotel?” I asked.
“No,” said Marcus. “This is the office he uses when he has, um, non-hotel related business to deal with.”
This struck me as odd. What the hell sort of secret dealings would a guy like Marcus’ dad be doing that he’d need his own separate office. The name “Angus Goldsmith’ stuck in my head. It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on just why that was. I shook my head and focused on the matter at hand.
“So,” I said. “You’re gonna give me the address of the office, right?”
“Sure, sure,” said Marcus.
I gave a nod to one of the nearby waitresses. She slipped her order notebook out of her G-string and handed it over to Marcus along with a pen. The kid wrote down the address as fast as his hand would let him. When he was done, I nodded for him to give the paper over to Rex, who then handed it to me. I looked over the address. I recognized the street; it wasn’t too far away.
Flicking up my eyes, I watched as Marcus shook his head dismissively.
“Something you want to add, kid?” I asked. “If so, you might want to be very careful with your words.”
“It’s just ... you really think it’s a good fucking idea to march into the middle of that meeting? Just what the fuck do you think you’re gonna accomplish?”
I raised my eyebrows, letting him know that he was treading dangerously close to getting on my bad side.
“That’s none of your business,” I said. “And you’ve got quite a fucking mouth on you for a kid who’s sitting between two guys who’d love to pull him apart like a goddamn wishbone.”
Rex and Tank chuckled and cracked their knuckles. Part of me wanted to sic them on Marcus just for being good sports about the whole thing.
“I mean, shit,” said Marcus. “Haven’t you caused enough fucking trouble already? I mean, you’ve already got Nikki following you around town, meeting up with you at those goddamn strip clubs.”
Now that made my eyebrow rise.
“How the hell, exactly, did you know that Nikki had met me at the strip club?”
His eyes went wide, and I could tell that he’d just realized he’d said too much.
“After all, the whole reason Nikki’s in a world of shit right now is that someone hired someone else to take pictures of her. And whoever hired someone to take pictures of her was more than fucking likely behind stealing the security footage in the hotel.”
“Now, boss,” said Mace, “I’m no fucking detective, but don’t you think that someone whose last name is on the building would have
an easier time getting into the computers and shit than some other guy?”
“That’s why I like my boys,” I said with a smile, my eyes locked on Marcus. “They’re a real brainy bunch.”
I leaned over the table. “I’m gonna ask you this one time, Marcus. And I want you to be a good little truth-teller: Are you behind the blackmail?”
Marcus’ expression was about as freaked out as it gets. His eyes shot from person to person, as if someone was going to have some pity on him and save him from the hole he’d dug for himself. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that his boys looked on the verge of passing out.
