I nod. “I did do that. And I’m sorry if that hurts you.”
He snorts. “Hurts me? You think I give a shit that you’re running off to marry the first bitch who licked your wounds? I’m pissed that you almost cost me my career. Something that we have spent the last five years working on. All for what? A piece of ass?”
He stands there, breathing heavy and nostrils flared. I’ve never been more pissed at him, and I’ve never felt more hurt. Brecken has been there for me when no one else was. He was the one who talked me out of suicide. But right now, he’s a stranger who just talked shit about the woman I love. So instead of biting my tongue and be understanding, I do what he just did and tell him how I feel. “If the reason I came here was to ask you to watch over the club, I would have just done it over the phone. I came here to ask you to be my best man at my wedding but never mind. I wouldn’t want you to stand up for me. I’m just playing house anyway with a bitch who licked my wounds.” And with those words, I walk out of the office, slamming the door shut.
CHAPTER THREE
BRECKEN
I fall down into my seat and place my elbows on the desk. Then I allow my head to fall into the palms of my hands and let out a long sigh. I just yelled at my best friend. I also just called the woman of his dreams a bitch all because I’m having a bad day.
I lean back in my chair and pick up the piece of paper that sits on the desk. The same piece of paper I just read an hour ago. It’s what caused me to be a dick. It made every feeling that I’ve ever bottled up come to the surface.
I pick up the light purple invitation and run my thumb over it as I read over it for the hundredth time.
You are invited to the fortieth wedding anniversary of the loving couple Margaret and Terry Hawke.
Then it reads the address to the home I left many years ago. In the town that I ran from with Case. I wanted to escape that hellhole just as much as Case did. After Nicole had been taken from both of us, we needed to get away from a town where every person you saw was looking at you with pity. A town where everywhere I looked reminded me of something she and I shared. It was a living nightmare. She was everywhere yet nowhere at the same time. She was a lingering ghost that haunted not only my nights but also my days. So we ran.
Case has been the only friend there for me, and he just came to me to ask me to be his best man, and I treated him like shit. I sounded like a jealous little bitch. But I am, aren’t I? I’m jealous he found what I lost. Nicole was the love of my life. She didn’t choose to leave me; she was taken from me.
We ran into her parents’ house and prayed that Nicole was sitting on the couch with their parents, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
“We have found that there have been seven other abductions with the same M.O. as this one,” the police inform us.
“Abduction?” Case questions. “I don’t … I don’t understand,” he stutters. “You never said you thought someone had taken her,” he says in horror.
“We kept certain details from the public …”
“Which are?” I demand.
The officer sighs heavily. “Her purse. Her car keys were left in her car on the side of the road. Her cash was still in her wallet. So obviously, not a robbery.”
“Then what was it?” Case snaps. Police are fucking worthless.
“We called the surrounding counties, and we got a call back this morning from Craig, about fifty miles from here. A girl matching your sister’s description had pulled over on the side of the road to help a woman whose car appeared broken down. Moments after she stopped to offer her services, another car pulled up behind her. A man jumped out and pretended to help them, but when the girl turned her back on him, he jumped her.” My heart stops. “Another man jumped out and helped place her in the back of their car. The woman who was pulled off the side of the road jumped in her car and drove off.”
Case holds up his hand to stop him. He takes a deep breath and rubs his forehead before asking, “How do you know all of this?”
“The girl was able to escape. She opened the car door while the two guys were driving down the road. The men stopped to grab her, but another car was approaching so they fled. The girl was taken to the hospital. Due to her jumping from a moving car, she has broken bones but is expected to live.”
“I don’t understand what this has to do with my sister,” Case grinds out. “Why are you here telling me about another girl when my sister is still out there?” he demands.
“The girl has been questioned by the police. I guess they had roughed her up pretty badly, and she pretended to be unconscious while in the backseat. She overheard them discussing the other girls …” He takes a deep breath. “They were traffickers.”
“What does that mean?” Case snaps.
“That means they take young women who have the same physical characteristics of your sister, and they sell them … into sex slavery.”
Do you know what it’s like to live with such agonizing pain? To wonder every day what she went through? What horrifying acts of violence she had to endure? Much less her death? It eats a person alive. It makes a good person do very bad things. We were seniors in high school. I was in love with my best friend’s sister, and although we both loved her differently, we had both lost her.
I truly am happy for Case and Taylor. I’m happy that he could find his one in a world of billions. I’m also happy for Taylor. She deserves as much of a happy ending as Case does. She didn’t have it easy, by any means. Hell, her mom overdosed when Taylor was twelve. And her father has been in and out of prison on drugs ever since. Her brother had to raise her.
I just ruined what was supposed to be a happy moment for him. I’m supposed to be supportive and understanding. That’s what a friend does.
I reach out to pick up my phone on my desk to call Case to talk to him, but my door swings open. “Hey, man,” Miller, the head of our security, says standing in the doorway.
“What?” I ask with bite, and he frowns at me. I ignore it.
“There’s a man downstairs asking for Case. He said his name is Rusty.”
I smile on the inside. I was gonna have to go chase his ass down after the club closed tonight, but instead, the fucker came to me. Perfect. “I’ll be right down,” I say looking back down at the invitation on my desk. Who knew a piece of paper could ruin my entire night? I look to see the date is in two weeks and then I wad it up into a ball and throw it into the trash. I won’t be going to that. I’ll send my parents a gift like I do for every holiday, birthday, and anniversary and call it good.
The club is packed. People dance around like idiots and drinks flow like a waterfall. I walk past them trying not to get shit spilled on my white button up and make my way to the back hallway. I find Miller standing outside the room marked Greed, and I walk in as he opens the door for me.
A man standing around five-foot-nine with short dark hair and stubble on his chin jumps from a black chair when he sees me. “Brecken?” He looks over my shoulder. “I am here to see Case.”
“He’s out of town,” I lie and then gesture to the chair. “Have a seat,” I order, and he plops down as he swallows.
Case and I have a reputation in this town. Case is a little more on the lenient side. He wasn’t always but what can I say? Pussy has made him soft. I, however, will beat you unconscious. And then wait until you regain it, and then beat you again. My tattooed knuckles aren’t scarred for nothing.
“I … I, uh, can wait for him.” He looks at Miller, who stands by the now closed door. “I’d hate to keep you if you’re here alone.” He gives me an awkward smile. One that makes him look like he’s constipated and confused.
“No need,” I reply simply as I sit down across from him. “Have something for me?” I ask getting down to business.
He nods quickly. “I do.” He leans back in his chair as he digs into his right pocket of his skinny jeans, and I refrain from rolling my eyes at him. After a few grunts and long seconds later, he pulls a wad of
cash out and holds his hand out to me.
I just stare at him. “Count it out on the table,” I order.
“Oh, uh ... okay.” He tosses the wad of cash onto the glass coffee table and starts sorting it out. Ten one-hundred dollar bills. Then some twenties. And I frown when I see he only has about half of what he owes us. Once he’s done, he sits back and looks up at me expectantly.
I tap my finger on my jeans as I try to think why this guy would be happy that he hasn’t paid all of what he owes. “You think that’s enough?”
The smile drops off his face, and he licks his lips nervously. “I ... uh, well, this is what I was given.”
“What you were given?” I question already knowing what he means, but I want him to explain.
He nods his head quickly. “I’m just the middleman.”
“Did you or did you not come into Seven Deadly Sins two weeks ago and ask Case for drugs?”
“I did, but—”
“But nothing,” I interrupt him. “I don’t work for free. Do you work for free?” He shakes his head quickly. “I know your wife doesn’t work for free,” I say, and his face pales. “Geena, isn’t that her name?” I ask, already knowing it, and I see his eyes harden. “What would you do if she fucked men for free?” I ask tilting my head to the side. His wife works for a pimp I know. Rusty here lost his upscale job, and his stay-at-home wife had to find a job that would make them a lot of cash and fast. He allowed his wife to fuck other men for money. I wish I could tell him that she was already fucking them for free before he lost his job, but if he’s stupid enough to let his wife fuck for money instead of being a man and finding another job, then he deserves whatever she did to him before that. “Then she would just be a cheap whore.”
He stands quickly and leans over the coffee table as he slams his hands down on it. “You son of a—”
I stand just as quickly and yank his arms out from underneath him causing him to fall face-first onto the table. I then place my knee on his back as I yank his right arm behind it. I pull, and he lets out a cry of pain. I’m thankful for the music pounding outside the door. The club goers won’t be able to hear him scream.
“Where is the rest of our money?” I demand as I pull on it a little more.
His body squirms underneath me as he tries to fight the pain. “That’s all I was given,” he says through gritted teeth.
“Bullshit! You think you can screw us?” I pull back a little more, and he screams again.
“No!” He lifts his head up off the coffee table and shakes it quickly. “I’m not—”
“This is not a negotiation!” I lean a little more weight on his back, and he tries to suck in a deep breath. “Because you haven’t paid in full, I must break your arm,” I say simply.
I pull it back more. “Wait. Wait. Wait.” He rushes the words. “I have some information for you.” He spits onto the glass coffee table as he speaks with the side of his face pressed into it.
I pause. I look over at Miller, and he just shrugs carelessly. He doesn’t care either way what I do to the man. “I highly doubt it.” I snort. I know everything that goes on in this town.
“Gen,” he says, and I look down at him, waiting for him to say more. When he doesn’t, I pull his arm back even more. He tries to twist his body with it, but my knee on his back prevents it. “No, please. Don’t break my arm,” he cries out. “Gen is a new drug. It’s out on the streets,” he says in a rush. “I can get it for you,” he adds just as quickly.
I pause. “You’re lying. I would know about it.” This is what Case and I do. It’s why we own a club. So we can sell to those who put it out there on the streets for us. I know several big dealers in Chicago, and we all have our own sections, but we always know when something new is on the streets.
“I promise you. It’s called Gen. It’s a liquid—”
“Who is selling it?” I interrupt him.
He shakes his head as blood runs down the side of his mouth from where I banged it into the coffee table. “I’m not sure. I was at a party the other night, and I heard a woman saying that she had taken it.”
I look at Miller again, and this time, his jaw is tight, and his nostrils flare. New drugs mean someone is out there making random shit in their garage. People these days are always looking for a better high. And it means that anyone can get a hold of it. We need to put a stop to it. I bend down a little allowing my mouth close to his ear. He continues to suck in breaths as he tries to breathe with my weight on top of him. “This is what I’m gonna do for you. You’re gonna get in a cab, go tell your boss that he owes me more money, and then you’re gonna find out who has that drug. I’ll give you five days. Understood?”
He nods his head quickly. I let go of his arm and remove my knee from his back. He rolls off the coffee table and holds his arm against his chest. “Five days,” I tell him then look at Miller. “Make sure he makes it home.”
I walk out of the room and go to pass the bar when our bartender raises his hands to flag me down. What now? I go over to him and lean over the bar. “What?” I snap over the music.
“There’s a woman here for you. Says her name is Skye.”
Skye? Don’t know a Skye. “Don’t know her. And I don’t have time for her. Send her away.” With that, I head back up to my office to try to get some peace and quiet and forget about that fucking invitation my parents sent me.
***
The night didn’t get any better. I had to break up three fights. Had to have Miller put two more guys in a cab and had a waitress go home sick after she threw up on a customer. I’m just ready for this night to be over. I wanna go home, lay down in my bed, and pass the fuck out.
I walk out the back door, lock it and then click the unlock button on my Range Rover; the blinking headlights light up the parking lot.
“Excuse me? Brecken?”
I come to a stop and spin around to see a woman walking toward me. Her black shirt and dark blue jeans would make it hard to see her if not for my headlights. I’m already reaching for my gun in the back of my jeans. I’m not afraid of her, but you never know if she’s a diversion. Her boyfriend and a couple of his friends could be standing in the shadows just waiting to jump me. Well, I’d hate anyone to attack me tonight because I will beat them until they’re dead. “Can I help you?” I ask not knowing who she is. I take a quick look around to see if she is alone. I see no one but keep my hand on my gun and ready.
She comes to a stop two feet from me. Her dark green eyes narrow in anger, and her hands fisted down by her side. Her lips are parted as she breathes heavily. “Why wouldn’t you see me earlier?” she demands.
My brows pull together in confusion. “See you? What did I need to see you for?”
She lets out a growl of frustration. It’s cute, actually. Not many women I have met would stand in front of me in a dark parking lot, especially not one who looks like they want to rip my head off. “I told the bartender that I needed to speak with you. And he told me to leave that you didn’t have time for me.”
“Skye?” This is the woman I blew off?
“Yes,” she snaps.
I sigh. Just ready to go home. It’s almost four in the morning, and I’m tired. I let go of my gun and drop my hand to my side. “Look, I don’t have anything on me at the moment.” She’s breathing heavy, and she keeps rocking from foot to foot as if she can’t stand still. Nervous. I think she is having withdrawals. Which is a shame because she’s actually really pretty. Doesn’t she know drugs can fuck her up?
She tilts her head to the side. Long dark hair falls over half of her face. They make her eyes stand out even more. My headlights make them glow like diamonds. The more I look at her, the more she looks sober. She may be jittery, but her eyes aren’t glossed over. They don’t have that high look to them. “I don’t want any drugs,” she huffs.
“Then what …?”
“I need to know ...” She turns her back to me as she looks up and points at one of the video cameras that h
angs from the top of the warehouse that we turned into a club. That’s all that is out here. Abandoned warehouses. We’re the only place around for miles. “Do those work or are they just there for show?”
I cross my arms over my chest as my eyes narrow on her. “Why are you asking?” Who is this woman? She had asked to see me over five hours ago. Has she been sitting out here this entire time?
She hangs her head and runs her hand through her hair. When she looks back up at me, her green eyes are now soft. And I can see them start to glisten from unshed tears. “I need to know,” she says through gritted teeth. She looks like she’s about to have a freaking breakdown right in front of me. I don’t do well with women who are on the verge of breakdowns. I’m usually gone by the time those occur. “My friend was here last night. She never came home. Her phone is off. I need to know if you have her on surveillance.”
I stand and stare at her not expecting that to come out of her mouth. I shake my head. I do not get involved with these situations. The police come and start asking questions, and then I have rumors running around town about a girl gone missing from my club. I already sell drugs out of it. They would have me shut down in minutes. “This is a matter for the police. I can’t help you.” I turn around giving her my back and reach out to open my car door. She places her hand on my arm and jerks me back.
I yank my hand from her. “Listen …”
“I went to the police,” she says, interrupting me. This woman has some balls. Alone with me in a parking lot at four in the morning and now, she’s touching me? She called me Brecken, so she must know who I am. Someone women don’t usually mess with. “They wouldn’t help me. They think she’s with some guy in his hotel room somewhere, either drunk or high.”
“Maybe she is,” I offer.
“She wouldn’t do that.” She stomps her foot.
“Look …”
“Please,” she begs, and the tears she’s tried to hold back fall down her cheek. “Please help me. I just wanna look at the tape. I need to know if she ever showed, and if she did, who she left with. I give you my word that I won’t call the police.”
Obsession (Seven Deadly Sins Book 2) Page 5
