“Are you going to be finished by tomorrow?” she asks on Monday afternoon.
“Done.” I hold up the chain, letting the fake emerald pendant spin and wink beneath the overhead lights. “Voila.”
“Wow. You’re amazing!” The praise heats my face. She shakes her head. Her brown hair bounces over her shoulders. “I don’t know how you do it.”
“Thanks. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Do you want me to call Cash?” A worried frown creases her forehead. She twists the pearl ring on her right hand, a familiar sign of her distress.
“I already did.” The thought of seeing Cash again stirs butterflies in my belly. “He’ll be here tonight.”
“And then you’ll be done with him, right?” Nudging me aside, she pulls up a stool at my side.
“Of course.” Ignoring the implications of her question, I push to another subject. “Are you going out with Tony this weekend?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Do you have any plans?”
“Doubt it. There aren’t exactly a lot of choices around here.” Less than three thousand people live in this town. The few men my age are married. And, deep down, I’m still not ready for a relationship. “I’ll probably download some movies and drink some wine.”
“I’m sure Tony has a friend who would love to go out with you. Want him to fix you up?” Her face brightens with hope. “We could double.”
“I appreciate the offer, but no.” Since beginning my new life, I’ve gone out of my way to avoid relationships. Thanks to Cash’s kiss, however, I’ve started to wonder if I’m missing out. It would be nice to have dinner with someone other than Emeline or Mr. Mercer.
And maybe there will be sex. Goodness, how I miss it.
“Come on. It’s time to get back out there.” She waggles her eyebrows. The bell over the front door tinkles. Em pops up from the stool. “I’ll get it.” Thirty seconds later, she’s back. “It’s for you.”
“Is it him?” I frown at the clock over the door. “That was fast.”
“No, it’s a big, gorgeous blond guy with a beard and enormous guns.” To demonstrate, she lifts her arms in a bodybuilder’s pose.
“Okay.” Using the utmost care, I place the necklace into a velvet box and try not to analyze my disappointment. I should be relieved Cash sent a courier. The less interaction I have with Cash Delacorte, the better for everyone involved.
When I brush past her, she grabs my arm. Concern adds gravity to her usual happy countenance. “Wait. Don’t go out there. Let me take it.”
“What?”
Her fingers tighten. “I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling about this.”
“You’re being paranoid.”
“Am I?”
“I’ll give him the necklace, and we’ll never see him again.” My words are confident, but inside, I know it’s a lie. This is only the beginning.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Her grip on my arm loosens. I push through the door and trip over an enormous black leather boot. Em crashes into my backside. My gaze travels up a muscular leg covered by faded denim and comes to a halt on a pair of blazing blue eyes.
“Jagger Jones?” The man’s voice is deep and commanding. Full lips and chiseled cheekbones give him a fierce, Viking-like appearance.
For an instant, I consider lying, which is ludicrous. Who else would I be? I clear my throat. “Um, yes. That’s me.”
“You got the necklace?”
“Yes. Here.” I thrust the velvet box toward him.
He shakes his head, refusing to take it. “The boss wants you to deliver it.”
My heart rate begins to escalate. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. I can’t leave the store right now.” Straightening my shoulders, I give him a polite smile.
With an exhausted sigh, he takes a step closer to me. “That’s not the deal.”
“If you think I’m going to get in a car with you, you’re delusional.” I try to maneuver around him, but his buff body blocks my path.
“My instructions are clear. You deliver the merch, or I’m to initiate Plan B.” He jerks his head toward the door.
“What’s Plan B?” Emeline asks, her voice higher than I’ve heard it.
He scratches strong fingers through the scruff on his chin. “I’d rather not say, but I can guarantee you won’t like it.”
“I’m calling the police.” Em withdraws her phone, holding it in shaking fingers.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The man snatches the phone out of her hand in a lightning-fast swipe. “Is she going to be a problem, Jagger?”
I shake my head. “Let’s all stay calm. I’m sure we can work this out.”
Em, being the fierce protector that she is, tries to wedge between us. “You can’t make her go against her will.”
“It’s okay.” Drawing on all my internal strength, I give her a reassuring smile. “I’ll drop off the piece, get the money, and be back before bedtime. No worries.” Except I won’t be paid. I’ll be in debt to Jimmy for the fake stones and to Mr. Mercer for the other materials. I look to our visitor for confirmation. “Right, sir?”
“Sounds reasonable,” he replies. The tension eases from his shoulders. He sweeps a hand toward the door. “After you, Ms. Jones.”
Five
Jagger
From the back seat of the Escalade, I recount all the stupid actions that led me to this moment. The deceptions, the forgeries, the money. Too late, I remember the pepper spray in my bedroom closet. I stopped carrying it a few months ago. The lazy pace of small-town living has made me careless. Comfortable. Regrets, however, won’t save me. I stare out the tinted window as the cornfields turn into subdivisions then city streets. Each passing mile brings me closer to judgment day and him. The handsome devil with bedroom eyes and sinful lips.
“Where are we going?” I ask the driver for the tenth time. He’s silent. Not even a flicker of emotion crosses his face. “Can you at least tell me your name?” Maybe I can play on his sympathies. If this meeting heads south, an ally might be nice.
In the rearview mirror, his cool gaze flickers to mine. “Gage.”
“Do you work for Cash?”
“Sort of.” His answer does little to satisfy my curiosity.
“Did you know my sister Calliope?”
Those intense blue eyes flicker over me, like he’s considering whether or not to answer. After a long pause, he nods. “Sure.”
“I miss her.” The thought of her mischievous smile brings the threat of tears. I swallow down the lump in my throat. If she were here, she’d know how to handle Cash. Then again, if she were here, I wouldn’t be in this situation. A twinge of anger curbs my nostalgia. This is partially her fault. If she hadn’t stolen the money, Cash would never have entered my life. “Were you friends?”
“No more questions.” Gage’s gaze snaps back to the road.
Keeping my eyes on the passing scenery, I dig through my purse for anything to defend myself. Tampons, paper clips, ink pen, lipstick, keys—keys. I clutch the ring holding my store and house keys in my palm, arranging the blades of the keys between my fingers. It’s not a great weapon, but I can probably blind someone. A few seconds is all I need to make my escape.
The car rolls past dilapidated houses with junk cars and boarded windows before coming to a stop in an empty parking lot across from the dock doors of a sketchy warehouse. In the distance, the skyscrapers of Indianapolis stretch toward the darkening sunset. By my calculations, we’re somewhere on the east side of the city, an area known for its violence and crime.
“Now what?” My voice cracks. Hiding my growing panic has become a testament to my self-control.
“We wait.” He shifts in the seat, getting comfortable, and rests an elbow on the door.
I study the unfamiliar street, the alleys, and graffiti-covered storefronts. If an opportunity to escape presents itself, I need to know my options. My best bet is to run like hell an
d hide. I rub my palms along the tops of my thighs, over and over, finding focus through the repetitive movement. A couple of boys in red bandanas stand on the opposite corner of the intersection, phones to their ears. The shorter kid breaks from his conversation when a Mercedes sedan pulls up next to him. The boy passes a brown paper bag to the driver. The car speeds away. Quick and efficient. Having dated a drug dealer, the process is all too familiar.
Minutes later, a black Range Rover with shiny rims and tinted windows parks next to us. The car door opens, and Cash hops to the ground. His face is barely visible beneath the lowered edge of his knit cap. He flips up the collar of his denim jacket, shoves his hands into his pockets, and nods at Gage. A third car pulls into the lot. This time it’s an old, rusty Oldsmobile, the kind my grandmother used to drive. It parks a dozen yards away.
“Get out,” Gage says.
With shaking hands, I open the vehicle door. An icy wind blows trash across the faded white paint of parking lines. I shiver. Cash walks forward, his gaze sweeping over the messy bun on the top of my head, my gray hoodie, jeans, and sneakers. On days spent at my workbench, I don’t dress up.
“Walk with me?” Although presented in the form of a question, his words demand my compliance. I fall into step beside him. We head toward the Oldsmobile. He’s quiet. The silence sets my frayed nerves on edge.
I sneak a peek at Cash through my lashes. The angles of his jaw and cheekbones are cruel, but the bow of his lips suggests vulnerability and kisses that deliver all the feels. Threads of auburn shoot through the thickness of his eyebrows. He arches one. Heat burns my face. I drop my gaze to the asphalt and the blades of brown grass shooting through the cracks.
“I have your necklace,” I say, hoping to curtail this expedition. I withdraw the box from my purse and hand it to him.
He opens the lid and runs a fingertip over the simulated emerald. “Nice. You did good.” His praise heats my insides but doesn’t chase away the chill of his brown eyes.
“If we’re done here, I’ll be on my—”
“Got some business to take care of first.” He’s so cool, unruffled and calm, as he slides the box into his pocket.
“Is this going to take long?” My voice breaks. I clear my throat for a second attempt. “I mean, I need to get home. Someone’s waiting for me.”
He ignores me. I stare down the deserted street. One of the boys on the corner stares back. He gives me a wink, sticks out his tongue, and grabs his crotch. Crude bastard. I snap my attention back to the broken pavement. Cash picks up the pace. I trot to keep up with his long strides.
“Don’t you worry about them?” I jerk my chin toward the corner workers, wrapping my arms around my waist.
“Nah.” He rolls his shoulders, like he’s warding away tension. “They work here because I let them.” When we reach the Oldsmobile, he halts and knocks twice on the trunk. The lid pops open to reveal a bound and gagged man.
One glance at the reddish-brown hair, pock-marked skin, and panicked green eyes above the gag makes the world spin. Jimmy. Instinctively, I retreat and run into Cash’s hard chest.
“Easy, girl.” Taking my elbow in his firm grip, he moves me aside. Gage gets out of the Escalade. He shoves a pistol into the back of his jeans then leans against the hood. Jimmy blinks up at us in fearful confusion. Cash rests a hip against the fender, orienting his body to face me. “You two already know each other, so I’m gonna skip the introductions.”
It takes a few seconds for the implications of this statement to wash through me. When the truth arrives, it strikes me with painful fury. He knows. He knows. He knows. He knows everything. Perspiration dampens my forehead.
“Yeah. I know what you been up to.” Cash nods, like he can understand Jimmy’s garbled pleas behind the tape on his lips. “Ain’t no use lying about it.” He knocks on the side of the car. Two unkempt men climb out of the Olds. They roll up their sleeves to reveal tattooed forearms as they stride toward us. Cash’s voice is scratchy but quiet. “I’m gonna need some answers.”
This is bad. Oh, so bad. A wave of calm washes over me. Until the breath leaves my body, I have a chance. If I’m going to make a break for it, it needs to be now. I squander precious seconds to scrutinize my adversaries. The two thugs from the Oldsmobile have beer guts and probably couldn’t run twenty feet. Cash could be a problem. He’s at least a foot taller than I am with long legs. Although he’s wearing multiple layers of clothing, the gray hoodie and denim jacket can’t hide the body of a man who works out religiously. I might be able to sprint faster than he can, but he’ll catch me in a long chase. Gage worries me most. Sometime in the past few minutes, he’s shed his jacket. His biceps bulge against the sleeves of his T-shirt as his inked arms cross over his chest. I’ll have to act fast and hope that he can’t hit a running target.
“Who wants to go first?” Cash lifts an eyebrow, his head turning between me and Jimmy. He rips the duct tape from Jimmy’s mouth.
“I had nothing to do with it. It was all her idea. I give her the fake stones. She makes the pieces. I have no idea what she does with them afterward.” The words pour out of Jimmy’s mouth in a rush. “You know me. I would never cross you, Cash. She came to me. I didn’t even want to do it, but she can be very persuasive.”
Cash cocks his head, turning his frown in my direction. “Jimmy says you’re the culprit, sweet girl. What do you gotta say?”
“I only made the one piece. That’s it.” I roll my eyes in what I hope is a convincing denial.
“Don’t play dumb. It makes you look weak.” A muscle ticks in Cash’s jaw, but his voice remains even, controlled. “It wasn’t one time, Jagger. You and this guy here have been exchanging your fakes for originals all around the city, and you’re cutting into my business.” His eyes darken to obsidian black. “For a girl, you got some big balls.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” To underscore my innocence, I lift both palms into the air, hoping he’ll believe me. As my felonious mother used to say, deny, deny, deny.
“Come on, sweetheart. Do I look like I was born yesterday?” At my continued denial, his eyebrows raise. “Ah, so it’s like that. Okay. Let me guess.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “You, little girl, case the high-end jewelry stores, copy their pieces, then switch them for the fakes. Jimmy here fences the goods to someone like me and gets a cut of the sale. Very enterprising. I’m impressed.”
“You’ve been selling to him?” My blood pressure climbs until spots swim in front of my eyes. I grab my head with both hands. “Jimmy, how could you be so stupid?”
“You never cared what happened to the stuff as long as you got your cut,” Jimmy snaps. He squirms against the spare tire, his feet slipping on the worn carpet, and turns his attention to Cash. “She’s the mastermind. All I did was move the merch.”
“You lied to me, little girl.” Ice forms in Cash’s dark eyes. “And there’s nothing I hate more than a liar.”
Gage unfolds his arms and takes a step toward me. I shift from one foot to the other then launch in the opposite direction of the parked cars. The soles of my tennis shoes slap on the pavement in a furious rhythm. I’m not going to die. Not today, and definitely not like this.
“Fuck.” Cash’s enraged growl echoes in the distance. “Go get her, man.”
I put everything I’ve got into my escape. I run like a crazy woman, pumping my fists and stretching my strides. Footsteps pound behind me. Thank goodness, Gage is wearing heavy leather boots. I need every advantage I can get. Adrenaline burns through my veins. I don’t look over my shoulder to check on my pursuer. A childhood spent running from bullies trained me for this moment. At the end of the warehouse, I hang a right and head toward the abandoned lot across the street.
“Come back here, you crazy bitch!” Gage’s shout is close enough to send a chill up my spine and a new spike of adrenaline into my limbs.
The cold air ignites in my chest, but I don’t let up until I reach the chain link fen
ce of the lot. Digging my fingers into the wires, I scramble over the top. The ground on the other side is hard and unyielding. I land on my hands and knees. Pain shoots up my leg. The warm trickle of blood drips down my calf. Gage grunts as he lands behind me. I sprint forward. His hand tangles in my hair. With one yank, I’m jerked off my feet. I land on my back. The impact knocks the breath out of me.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” He struggles to capture my flailing arms. “Calm down.”
“No,” I gasp. By this time, I’m crazed beyond all reason. I haven’t been this worked up since my uncle tried to steal my car. The sharp edges of my nails scrape across Gage’s face, leaving angry red tracks on his cheek. “Let go.” My foot connects with his stomach. It’s hard like steel and has no effect on him. He presses a forearm to my throat. I sink my teeth into his wrist.
He hisses at the pain. “Jesus.” In two expert motions, he flips me onto my stomach and jabs a knee into my back. With my face in the pavement, I’m rendered helpless. He mutters beneath his breath while he secures cable ties around my wrists. When he’s done, he rolls me onto my back and sits cross-legged next to my head. He scrapes a palm over his face. “You’re fucking nuts.”
“You have no idea.” I squirm against the restraints then shout in frustration. “When I get out of this, I’ll show you crazy.”
To my surprise, he chuckles. “Looking forward to it.” Using a bandana from his back pocket, he wipes the sweat from his forehead. Although I’m breathless from the run and too exhausted to continue fighting, he’s barely winded. A wry grin gives a handsome light to his rugged features. “For the record, I’m impressed. I never would’ve guessed you’re so fast.”
“I ran track in high school.” His nod of approval does nothing to soothe my irritation. “You’re pretty fast yourself—for a big guy.”
“Thanks.” Humor curves the corners of his mouth. “I still hold the record for the hundred-yard dash at my high school.” He stands and helps me to my feet. “I’d love to sit here and chat some more with you about sports and whatnot, but the boss is waiting.”
Absolute Power (Absolute Power Duet Book 1) Page 4
