“You’re such a brat.”
“Yeah, I know.” She didn’t sound concerned.
“Hey, I'm makin’ you banana pancakes. What more do you want?” Jasper flipped one in the air, just to show off.
“How about the truth?” Mary had an edge to her tone.
The hair prickled on the back of his neck. Somehow, Jasper got the feeling she wasn’t talking about him and Vick.
Jasper ignored what she’d said. “Speakin’ of gossip, you heard anythin’ about Vick datin’ a biker?” Was he the only one who’d been left out of the loop on this?
“What?” Mary coughed, and then pounded her chest. For a minute there, he thought soda might spurt out of her nose. “Which biker?”
“I take it that’s a ‘no.'”
“I haven’t heard so much as a peep, so fill me in.”
Jasper gave her what details he knew, but he wanted to hear the whole story from Vick. And since she was just up the street, he felt like marching over there and demanding answers, which was ridiculous.
Vick had the right to date whomever she wished. He had no claim on her. Right?
Jasper sniffed the air. Something smelled like it was burning. The pancake! He’d forgotten all about it.
Jasper slid a spatula beneath the blackened sludge and tossed it into the trash. Then, he poured in the next one.
“Bugs you, huh?”
“What does?”
“Vick datin’ somebody else.”
“No, not even a little bit.” He cleared his throat. “Let’s talk about Rebel and Brax. They certainly have taken a shine to you.”
Dammit, I can’t think about what Vick might be doing with the stupid biker anymore. I’ll drive myself insane.
Mary shrugged. “Yeah, but there’s nothin’ to tell. Neither one of them is my type.”
Personally, Jasper was relieved. Mary could do a hell of a lot better than those two. If she’d had the slightest inclination to go out with either of them, he’d have kicked some preemptive ass in case they got any foolish notions about hurting her.
“Any guys at school?”
“Not really. I’m focused on my studies. I’m gonna be a cardiothoracic surgeon, so college and my career is priority number one.”
Jasper wasn’t an expert, but from what he’d gathered, the road to becoming a physician was a long one. But Mary had a good head on her shoulders, and she wasn’t afraid of a little hard work.
“You’re gonna make us all proud.”
“That’s the plan anyway.” She smiled.
“Want some advice?”
“Hmm. You don’t want my advice on your love life, but you’re gonna give me some?” Mary placed a hand on her hip.
“Yeah, well, I’m older and wiser.”
She snorted.
“Meet a man in Boston, and become one of those big deal surgeons in a fancy hospital.” She deserved a spectacular future, far away from this place.
For a long time, Mary said nothing. He could almost hear the gears humming in her mind.
Meanwhile, Jasper finished up the pancakes and handed her a plate. He should’ve kept his fool mouth shut. Maybe she’d forget all about this line of inquiry if she had a distraction.
“If I ask you a question, will you give me a truthful answer?”
Jasper tensed. “Depends.”
“What business is my grandfather really in? He told me he works in security, but a lot of things don’t add up.”
Oh fuck. She had to ask about it now?
“Like what?”
“Let’s see. He makes an awful lot of money for security work. He’s puttin’ me through an Ivy League school with cash. I’m one of the few people graduatin’ without a ton of debt. We live in a mansion. Granddad drives a fancy SUV, wears tailor made suits, drinks top shelf liquor. Should I go on?”
“All of those are good things, right?” Jasper ate a forkful of pancakes. He wished for the good old days when he could distract her with a game of Angry Birds.
“Yeah, but none of it makes sense.”
“Why the sudden interest?”
Her brows drew together. “And why are you evadin’ my questions?”
Aw hell. Neither one of them spoke for a moment.
“Fine, I’ll answer your question.” Mary rolled her eyes. “For once, I’ve got a breather. Over the past few years, I was tryin’ to get into Harvard, then once I got there, I had to give all my energy and effort to get good grades. When you’re competin’ with a group of people who are also intelligent and driven, it’s hard to stand out from the crowd.”
“I bet.” He imagined most folks at Harvard were overachieving, Type A personalities.
“Since I’ve got some time on my hands, I’ve been thinkin’. And now I’m embarrassed. I should’ve asked questions a long time ago. So, talk to me.”
“I can’t, Mèimei, I’m sorry.” Jasper couldn’t give her what she wanted, nor did he want to lie to Mary, even if it’d comfort her.
“Why not? I’m not a child anymore, Jasper, and whatever’s goin’ on, I can handle it.”
“Do yourself a favor and drop this.”
Her face went ashen. “Now I’m really concerned.”
Shit. He’d just made it worse.
“Don’t be. You ain’t gotta worry about a damn thing.”
“Yeah? It feels like I do.”
“This ain’t got nothin’ to do with you.” Jasper took her by the shoulders and looked Mary square in the eye. “Trust me. It’s in your best interest to let it go.”
“What aren’t you tellin’ me?”
Jasper shook his head.
She backed away from him. “What are y’all involved in?”
“Don’t look at me like that.” The look on her face made his guts twist.
“Can’t help it.” She sucked in a deep breath. “Well, since we’re dolin’ out advice to each other tonight, I’ve got a bit more for you, so listen up.”
“Okay.” He’d never seen her so serious.
“Why are you sittin’ here with me? I’m not sure what’s goin’ on between you two, but work it out with Vick. It’s obvious you care about one another. If you don’t get your butt in gear, that biker’s gonna sweep Vick off her feet.”
“It’s not like…” He trailed off. “I can’t.”
Her smile was a touch sad. “Well, now. Neither one of us gonna do what’s in our own best interest, huh?”
Chapter Thirteen
Someone’s here.
Vick’s eyes snapped open to the sound of creaking floorboards outside her bedroom window. The master bedroom was in the front of the townhouse, near the front porch.
With a hiss, Bast retreated under the bed from her usual place at Vick’s feet. Vick grabbed her glasses and shoved them on her nose.
Vick briefly thought about turning on the lights but decided against it. She doubted company called at this hour.
One of her friends or co-workers would’ve announced themselves. Jack was in the spare bedroom, snoring up a storm. Jasper wouldn’t be at her door since things had gotten so awkward for them.
Which left Simon. Please don’t let it be him.
Vick contemplated the gun on the nightstand for what felt like a century. Now was the time to use it. She clutched the handle, and it felt heavy in her hand, like a lead weight. Vick cautiously tucked the firearm into the pocket of her pajama pants. They were roomy enough to disguise the weapon. Vick also grabbed her car keys, in case she had to make a hasty exit.
On shaking legs, Vick approached the front door and peered through the peephole.
Whoever it was, stood off to the side, so she only saw a shadowed face in profile. Another terrible sign.
“Show yourself!” Vick wished she sounded authoritative, and not scared spitless.
The man turned, and his features came into view. She clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out.
“Simon.”
“You’ve been lyin’ to me for years
, Victoria Hale.”
Oh, God. He knows. Ice froze in her veins.
Her first instinct was to protect her identity, but the jig was well and truly up. No point in pretending anymore.
“Let me in, Victoria.”
“No.”
“I’ll make a scene. Want your neighbors to get an earful?”
Including Jasper?
“You wouldn’t.”
“You know I will.” He leaned in, his voice low and urgent through the door. “I’ll wake them all up. Tongues will be waggin’ for weeks.” She missed living in an anonymous big city where not even her neighbors knew a darn thing about her.
Steeling herself, Vick unchained the latch and opened the front door. Simon stood on the other side of her screen in the pale moonlight. His features remained partly hidden by the dark.
“How’d you find out?”
“Private investigator. A lot of things didn’t add up, so I got some answers after the biker boys tried to shake me down.” He stood there, staring at her reproachfully, as though she’d betrayed him somehow.
“If you’re waitin’ for an apology, I can’t give you one. I don’t feel guilty about protectin’ myself.” Vick lifted her chin.
“Aren’t you gonna invite me in?”
Vick couldn’t stand the thought of him standing in her home, touching her things, seeing where she actually lived. She’d been the one who came to him on all their “dates.”
She’d compartmentalized Veronica’s exploits from her own. It was probably some kind of head trip, but it worked. And now he wanted to climb the fences she’d kept between them.
“Nope.” Southern hospitality be damned.
“Fine, then come on out here. You owe me an explanation, if not an apology.”
The nerve. “I don’t owe you at all, which is the point. I paid my debt off and then some.”
“I’m not here for a fight. All I want is some answers.” He held up his hands, as though surrendering. “I promise.”
Vick hesitated.
Perhaps, this was all for the best anyway. It could be an opportunity to de-escalate the situation before it got any worse. Somehow, she’d explain it all to Simon. Then he’d leave her alone, and she could put her salacious past behind her.
Maybe then, she’d have a shot at a future with Jasper. If she hadn’t screwed it up already.
“Okay. Just to talk though. Nothin’ else.”
“Got it.”
“Fine.” The gun gave Vick a sense of security. Besides, they were on her front porch. Sure, everyone might be asleep, but they’d wake up if she made enough racket.
“Have a seat.” She pointed to the porch swing, and they sat together, gently rocking.
Vick stared at her bare feet on the stripped boards. Over the past two years, she’d worn the paint away. This had become her thinking spot. She’d rock for hours, contemplating her job, the struggles in her life.
And Jasper. Always Jasper.
“Why did you lie to me?” he asked after she didn’t speak up.
Right. Time to get this over with.
“I didn’t want to risk a criminal record.”
Vick almost laughed. Considering what she did for a living now, escorting seemed like child’s play. At the time, she’d felt rebellious, although a bit paranoid. Initially, she’d tensed every time she heard a siren going up the street, assuming they’d come to her place and take her “downtown.”
Perhaps she’d seen one too many Law & Order episodes.
He sighed. “I can understand your reluctance in the beginnin’. You didn’t know me well at the time, but why keep up the charade?”
“Once you start lyin’, it’s hard to stop.” Ain’t that the truth?
And she hadn’t wanted him to know the real person anyway. Deceiving Simon had never bothered her, per se. Sure, she’d feared breaking character, but Vick wanted to keep her true identity under wraps.
Vick also doubted she knew Simon, the real him anyway. They’d a pretend relationship—involving fancy nights out, small talk, and sex. Nothing more substantial.
It paled in comparison to her connection with Jasper. Except for this one deep, dark secret, he knew everything about her, even the painful reality of dragging her brother out of a drug den. Never in a million years, would she have asked anyone else for help doing that.
“I reckon.” It was an ambivalent answer. He didn’t seem quite as riled up now.
“And I lied for my own protection.”
Vick had messaged many cam girls, phone sex workers, and escorts, asking for advice and direction before she’d started doing sex work. All of them had cautioned her about privacy. They’d advised her to create a character, one who wouldn’t be as easily recognized in case any man became fixated on her.
She’d read horror stories on several message boards about women being followed and harassed. Veronica had a lot in common with Vick, but she’d changed a few things—where she lived, what college she attended, etc. As a cam girl, Vick had applied a lot of makeup before a show, wore different wigs, and never added her face to social media or the clips she sold.
There were other protocols she’d used—stripping metadata from photos and other files, using a virtual private network when internet surfing with a client. Sometimes, they liked her to watch porn with them, and she’d shielded her IP address, in case they had any connection to the sites.
Vick had also checked the camera line every night, to make certain she hadn’t left any identifying information out in the open like a bill, grocery receipt, or a takeout container from a nearby restaurant.
Some of it had been an abundance of caution, but she’d kept herself safe. Until now.
“What else did your investigator find out?” Vick refused to give him any more information.
“You work for Dixon Wolf, and he’s rumored to be mixed up with the Lone Star Mafia.” He slanted a sideways glance in her direction.
“I see.” How’s that for non-committal?
“How’d did someone like you fall in with a hardened criminal?”
Good question.
Vick shrugged. “I’ve always had a certain moral flexibility.”
“I know.” Simon licked his lips. “You’re a very flexible girl.”
Ugh, the innuendo.
“I’m bein’ serious here. I grew up poor, Simon, so I didn’t have the luxury of high-minded ideals.”
“Horseshit. There’s plenty of moral poor people who’ve never turned to a life of crime.”
Simon shifted in his seat and laid a hand on the back of the swing. Vick scooched a bit further away. The air was thick with a familiar tension.
“You’re right, but I wasn’t content with my lot in life. I wanted to make somethin’ of myself, but I couldn’t do it while workin’ for minimum wage, so I signed up for college, took a couple jobs, and I still couldn’t make ends meet.”
“Well, I admire your work ethic. I had it a bit easier.”
An understatement.
“Your alias Veronica’s folks were alive and well, but your mom died when you were nineteen, right?”
She winced. “Yeah. So, it was my brother and me since then.”
“He’s the one you borrowed money for, this past time.”
“Yes, because he had a drug debt to pay off and I wanted to get him into a good treatment program.” Having a noble cause didn’t make it any better.
Simon considered her for a moment. “You must really love him.”
Vick hesitated. His tone made her uneasy.
She shrugged, as though it didn’t matter. “Yeah, well, he’s the only family I got left.” The swing creaked beneath them, a mournful sound.
“And what about Jasper Tan?”
“Who?”
“Don’t play games with me. Is he your friend…?”
Vick glanced at her feet once more.
“Boyfriend?” His voice dipped. “Lover?”
“Simon—”
“Tell
me.” He spit the words out.
“Friend.”
“Then, I don’t have any competition.”
Nope, we’re not even goin’ there.
She tried another tactic. “Simon, Veronica doesn’t exist. You paid me to be your dream girl, and that’s exactly what you received. She isn’t me.”
“You’re tryin’ to tell me none of it was real?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“It’s the truth.”
“I know you, Veronica…Victoria. You might’ve mixed up some of the details, but it couldn’t have all been a charade.” He reached for her, but she shrank from his touch. Simon persisted anyway and smoothed a piece of hair back, tucking it behind her ear.
“Yes, it was.” Vick resisted the urge to slap his hand away. Let it go.
Simon leaned down, eyes turning to smoke. “I’ve been inside you. If I close my eyes, I can still feel the heat of your snug little pussy wrapped around me. I made you come for me, Victoria.”
Her cheeks burned with shame. Often, she’d been faking it, but every now and then he’d given her an orgasm.
“I go by Vick. Yes, we had decent sex, but I don’t have feelings for you, Simon and I never did. I’ve never been in love with you.”
The girlfriend experience aspect of escorting could be dicey. The girls talked about men “catching feelings” for them and how to guard against it. She could see where it’d be confusing. Vick had hung on his every word. She’d complimented him, laughed at his jokes, and had always “come” for him.
He chuckled. “I’m not in love with you either, Victoria.” He said the name slowly, deliberately. As always, everything was on his terms. She resented the control he loved to exert on her.
“Then why pursue this?” What’s the point?
“I’m intrigued. Perhaps we’ve been deceivin’ each other.”
“What do you mean?” Had Hawthorne been right about Simon?
“I’m a lawyer, but you don’t know who I work for.”
She thought back to some conversations they’d had. He rarely discussed work matters with her, but she’d assumed he’d had confidentiality to protect. People paid lawyers for their discretion, so it hadn’t bothered her. Considering the FBI agent’s insinuations though, it was ominous.
Blood Money (Lone Star Mobster Book 3) Page 11
