Drug Lord

by DeRosa, Mila

  She stood, head tilted back to maintain eye contact. “Name the price—I deserve it.”

  He nodded. She was making it too easy for him, but not in a way that was off putting, entirely the opposite. “Dinner. Tomorrow night. With me.”

  Again, the wince more noticeable with her hand still in his. “I have to work.”

  “Then I shall chat with your boss about paid leave for a few hours.” She hadn’t said no, even if out of fear of having to cough up for cleaning costs, so there was no way she was going to let her maneuver her way out.

  “Do I have another option? A payment plan, perhaps?”

  “Certainly. Every Friday night for the next six months.” She walked herself into that one and he loved to watch her squirm.

  “What? No way.” She laughed. “That’s not fair.”

  Releasing her hand he held both of his up as if to surrender. “Hey, you asked for it. I was merely accommodating.”

  She shook her head, still laughing, eye contact broken. “Not a chance. A dinner for a stain.”

  Reeves tilted the tray in her hand, more liquid spilled. “That’ll be two dinners and a kiss.”

  Bryn dropped the cloth on top of the small puddle and then glanced up to meet his gaze. “Two dinners, no kiss.”

  Reeves reached up and gently brushed her cheek with his knuckles. “Two dinners—and then we’ll see what happens.” Over confident wasn’t going to win it for him, but it wasn’t in his nature to bow out prematurely.

  Bryn raised her eyebrow and smirked, but refrained from arguing. “I’ll fetch your coffee, shall I?” Her voice took on a slight husky tone, obviously she wasn’t completely immune to him as she made out she was.

  “Don’t spill it.”

  * * *

  The sun was beaming through her bedroom window, an unwelcome early morning wake up call. She groaned as she swiped the pillow from the vacant space beside her to use as a shield from the glare. Late night shifts and little more to do than clean, the last thing Bryn wanted was to be up at first light, to draw out the day until her shift started at six.

  With a bit of luck Sally would be back on the floor. Thursday payday brought in a larger than usual crowd, more in the pool of women for Reeves to choose from. It’d be interesting to see who he’d summoned to his lair tonight now that he had her locked in to dinner the following evening.

  She groaned again. With her mind working overtime there was no chance of drifting back to sleep. It was going to be a long day.

  Too restless to stay in bed, she padded barefoot to the kitchen to fix some breakfast. Busy most of the night, and not wanting to eat so late as she got home, breakfast had become her main meal.

  Sick of eating eggs in every form imaginable, Bryn opted for a toasted sandwich. Quick and easy was the extent of her cooking of late, so cheese and tomato was as fancy as it was going to get. Arms loaded with bread and filling, plus milk for her tea, Bryn set it down on the bench and got to work.

  Dread didn’t even begin to describe how she felt about going out with Reeves. For one thing, what was she to wear? Her entire fortnightly wage was no doubt equivalent to one shoe of the women he was accustomed to dating. There was no way she could afford to dress according to expectation. Not to mention, what on earth were they to talk about without her lousy waitressing skills to focus on.

  Not only did she have to worry about one, but two dinners. And, requesting a kiss to be added to the burden she was to entertain, the most daunting part of all. She had no interest in getting mixed up with Reeves on a personal level. Her life was messy enough as it was without adding him to the mix. So much for feeling safe.

  Caught up thinking about Reeves and the disaster to come, the pain came before she realized she sliced her finger. “Oww.” Dropping the knife, she snatched her hand away. Citric acid from cutting tomato prior to herself burned, enhancing the pain. Despite knowing that flushing her finger under running water was going to hurt, she had to do something to stop the sting before dressing her wound. A plaster on the finger of a waitress wasn’t the most appealing look—something else for Reeves to give her shit about.

  If she thought the citrus burned, it was nothing compared to how the water felt as soon as it hit her finger. Biting her lip and closing her eyes, she willed herself to put up with it for a little longer to ensure it was clean. Blood stained the water red, although it didn’t appear deep enough to need stitches. After turning the water off, she crossed the kitchen to retrieve paper toweling from the cupboard, tore a sheet off, wrapped her finger and held tight. The pressure relieved some of the pain, so she abandoned her meal preparation for the time being and wandered over to sofa.

  Tired, from too little sleep, she stretched out, resting her head on the cushion, then dragged the throw over her legs. With a bit of luck she’d be able to drift off for a few hours, or else her finger wouldn’t be her only worry. Fear of spilling a tray full of drinks in the lap of her boss was a nightly concern for her, and lack of sleep would only add to her clumsiness.

  * * *

  Startled by the sound of a fist pounding the front door woke Bryn, sitting up and on edge immediately. The second knock came soon after, fast and urgent. Still, Bryn didn’t rush over to open it. Silence was her security system. Whoever was in need of attention would move on if they believed no one was home. The third knock was followed by a familiar voice. Despite recognizing the cry to be from Jodie, Bryn took the time to peep through the eyepiece to ensure she was alone.

  With Josh so possessive and directly connected to Baxter, she wasn’t taking any chances.

  Slumped against the door Bryn could barely make out her petite frame. There was no doubt she was alone, and in need.

  Three locks released, Bryn was careful as she opened the door so Jodie didn’t fall, her body slid to the floor where she slumped over the threshold to her apartment. Unmoving, with dried blood streaking her hair, didn’t prepare her for the mess that was Jodie’s face.

  Bryn squatted beside her and brushed hair out of her eyes. “I know you’re hurting, Jode’s. We have to get you inside so I can close the door and keep you safe.” Hand rested gently on he shoulder, she didn’t shake or squeeze to get her attention for fear her body had taken as much of a beating as her face. “Just a little bit further and you can rest.”

  Slowly, Jodie dragged herself the rest of the way in, and Bryn quickly shut the door, ensuring all locks were set in place.

  With the way Baxter and his crew worked, a front door, even one fitted out with top-notch locks, wouldn’t be enough to keep them at bay. Concealing her whereabouts was the only security she could rely on.

  Again, she squatted alongside Jodie and tried to coax a response. “Tell me where you’re hurting. We need to make sure the baby is okay.”

  A groan was all she managed, but, as though the mention of her baby gave her strength, Jodie forced herself to stand and stagger to the sofa on the far side of the room. Cream suede would be as forgiving as her pale skin already beginning to bruise.

  Chapter 6

  “Honestly, Bryn. I’m alright now.” Jodie struggled to sit, no doubt dizzy from being bashed around the head so much. “Oh, no. Look what I’ve done to your sofa.”

  “Forget about that. Lay down for a little longer and rest whilst I make you a cup of tea.” Bryn rocked back on her heels and pushed off the floor to stand. Kneeling for so long made her legs ache, proof she wasn’t in such great shape as she once was.

  Jodie did as she was told, so Bryn left her side to put the kettle on.

  “I still think you should go to the hospital, or your doctor at least.” She busied herself in the kitchen, setting teacups on a tray, along with a packet of biscuits she kept should she have a visitor. Although, beside Jodie, no one knew she was even in town.

  “He didn’t touch my stomach, he wouldn’t hurt our baby.” There was doubt in her tone, but there was no way she’d voice what was really running through her mind.

  Bryn sucked in a de
ep breath, there was absolutely no getting through to her that Josh was not the good guy she had him pegged as. The guy was a jerk. The state of Jodie’s face was enough to prove the loser that he was. “Don’t be fooled, Jodie. You really need to take a step back and look at the risk you are placing the two of you in.”

  “I didn’t come here to get another lecture on how bad you think Josh is.” Hand to her head, Jodie sat up. “You don’t know him.”

  “You’re right. I know of him, from the information you’ve delivered. With the way you defend him so fiercely, I wonder whether he’s worse than I actually think he is—from what I can see, he has little self control, and, if you’re not going to do it for yourself, you owe it to your baby to protect it.” She was dishing up a lecture, which probably wasn’t the best approach, but why she was so blinded by the guy, she had no idea. “I don’t want to upset you, Jodes. I just don’t want him to keep hurting you. You deserve better than that.”

  “It will get better. It came as a shock, that’s all.”

  The kettle boiled, so Bryn distracted herself by preparing the pot. She’d said all she could, the rest was up to Jodie. All she could hope was that she opened her eyes to who he really was, and didn’t stick around until after it was too late.

  Bryn carried the tray to the coffee table and set it down. “I don’t have to leave for another couple of hours, but you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you want. I could even call in sick tonight if you’d prefer not to be alone.”

  “I’m fine, honestly. If you don’t mind, I’ll have a shower here and clean myself up, and then I’ll see how I feel. I don’t want to make Josh angry.”

  Bryn nodded, then set about pouring tea. There was no point trying to understand her, or their situation, because she just didn’t get it. Josh was a runner, a shit kicker for the mob, so it wasn’t as though Jodie would have to go into hiding as she would if she were breaking away from the hierarchy. He didn’t want the baby, so that wouldn’t cause Jodie a problem either. How she could stay, and love someone so brutal was nothing less than an illness.

  “So are you really going to go out with Reeves Walker? I mean—what if he recognizes you?” Turning the conversation a full one-eighty, an indication she’d not taken in any of what Bryn had said. Before she left for work she intended to revisit the Josh subject again.

  “I was thirteen years old the last time he saw me—more to the point, the last time he looked through me.” She paused, the memory so vivid as if it were weeks ago and not the eleven years it’d been. “Besides, he hasn’t pinned me so far, so I think I should be safe.”

  “Especially if your skirt is short, and your heels are high. If his reputation is anything to go by, he won’t be able to stop thinking about having your legs wrapped around him for the rest of the night.”

  “No chance of that happening—I’m due back at the club after our dinner, no doubt to watch him leave with the one who’ll be wrapped around him for the night.” The thought alone was enough to make her cringe.

  “You like him.”

  “What? I don’t like him. The man’s a slut and that’s not my style.” She shrugged, there was no point hiding how she felt about his lifestyle. It was the one thing she held onto to remind herself not to get mixed up with him before she actually did like him, as she had before.

  “Maybe he is. Or, maybe he’s just been searching for that one woman who wraps her legs around him for a second and then a third night too.” She fluttered her eyelids, then stopped. “Ouch.” She held her palms to her temples and closed her eyes.

  “And you think you don’t need to go to a doctor. You’ve probably got a concussion.”

  “Nah. I’ve got a hard head.” Eyes open, she lowered her hands. “So, if you fall for Reeves, does that mean you’ll stick around.”

  “I’m not going to fall for Reeves, so don’t hold your breath.”

  “What about staying in town?”

  Bryn didn’t answer immediately. There was little to do in a town crawling with some of the vilest human beings in existence who’d be happy to see her dead. But, moving from town to town meant making any decent money was impossible. Although it restricted her social life, the last place Baxter would look for her would be on his turf.

  “Yeah, I’m staying.”

  * * *

  Jodie was getting restless. Bullshit messages from Josh apologizing for the beating he dished up were enough to make Bryn gag.

  The guy was a loser, what Jodie saw in him had her baffled. Scrawny and filthy looking with acne from lousy lifestyle choices, the only temptation Bryn would experience in his presence was to throw him a bar of soap and blast him with the garden hose. From photographs she’d seen teeth missing or blackened from substance abuse, the thought of Jodie kissing him was enough to make her stomach turn.

  Such an intelligent girl, with so much good to offer, and she’d wound up with a jerk like him.

  “I know he feels bad, he always does after thinking about what he’s done.”

  “Yeah, so bad he does it time and time again.”

  “He’s getting better though. It’s been more than a month since the last incident.”

  “Incident?” Bryn arched an eyebrow and scratched her head. “Oh, you mean the last time he beat you senseless and you spent five days in hospital before the sensation in your legs returned? Honestly, Jodie, when are you going to wake up and realize that he’s never going to change? At least not until he kills you.”

  “He wouldn’t let it go that far—deep down I know he loves me.”

  “Well, that’s the saddest comment that’s ever escaped your mouth.” Bryn crossed her arms over her chest. She didn’t know whether to pity her for being so brainwashed by him, or reach boiling point due to her stupidity.

  “What?” Tears welled and hurt was evident in her eyes.

  “The fact that you admit that he knows what he’s doing enough to stop before beating you to death—” She shook her head, disgusted.

  Pout set firm, Bryn knew she wasn’t going to break through the barrier Jodie set in place to stick up for and protect Josh, so she softened her approach.

  “You’re my best friend, you deserve to be treated so much better than that, and so does your baby. I hate to see you hurting—inside and out.” Bryn closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. “I love you long time, Jode’s. I’ve got no one without you.” She doubted anything would break through, but she had to try. She’d never forgive herself if anything happened to her or the life growing inside her.

  There was nothing more Bryn knew to say. And, she’d repeated the same warnings since she arrived back in town. It was like beating her head against a brick wall. If Jodie didn’t see the danger when it was just herself she was looking out for, Bryn though that having a baby might open her eyes. To make her realize she had more than just her own life to fear, but clearly she was blinded as ever. All she could do was hope Jodie woke up before one, or both, of them didn’t make it to the end of the pregnancy—she’d worry about beyond that after the baby was born.

  “You’re welcome to stay here for as long as you need to. There’s no way Josh will know where to start looking for you if you’re with me.” As brainwashed, as she seemed to be, Bryn couldn’t help but fear her location would remain so concealed as she intended it to. “Just take some time to heal and get your strength back—if not for yourself, for the baby.” Long lengthy sermons were not usually her style, but surely something was bound to sink in eventually.

  “You’re right.” Jodie smiled through her tears. “I need to think about what’s best for the baby.”

  And yourself, Bryn wanted to scream, but one step in the right direction, even if it was more of a shuffle than a step, was a good one.

  Deep down she didn’t believe her. Jodie was a victim of abuse, and the damage was deeper than her care for an unborn child. It was only a matter of time before guilt got the better of her and she relented to h
is demand to return to him.

  * * *

  Turning up at work to see Luke cleaning out the deep fryer impressed her. True to his word, Reeves had obviously found him honest work to do. Food didn’t make up much of what they did at Highfliers, but the basics were popular earlier on in the night. No matter how minimal the task, at least they were keeping a close eye on him and ensuring he was too busy to work the streets.

  “Hi, Sally.” Bryn approached the bar.

  “Oh good, you’re here early.” Sally had a way of making everyone feel important, the warmth in her manner was an added bonus to be working there. “Reeves would like a chat, when you’ve got a spare minute.”

  Bryn grimaced. “Do I have a spare minute? Feel free to say no.”

  “I could give you something to do, but he’ll hunt you down pretty quick. He’s notorious for getting what he wants.”

  Bryn rolled her eyes. “That’s the understatement of the day.” Eager to get the audience over with, so she could distract her thoughts with work, she headed out the back to his office.

  The door to his office sprung open before Bryn had a chance to knock. It was creepy how he kept a constant check on them. In many ways, he was no freer than she was. Always checking the blind spots for someone who may be lurking.

  “Good evening, Bryn.” His smile as dazzling as a toothpaste advertisement.

  “Good evening.” She returned the smile, not so dazzling as an attempt to be polite. “Sally said you wanted to see me?”

  “Ahh, yes. Come in.” He took a step back and opened the door wide enough for her to enter. “Take a seat.”

  Reeves crossed the room and took his usual position on the couch.

  He waited until she was seated before he spoke. “I have a business proposition for you.”

  Bryn raised her eyebrows, and tilted her head slightly to one side, waiting for him to continue.

  “I have meetings that will take place at my cabin in the Blue Mountains, and I would like you to accompany me.”