Fool's Paradise (Cartwright Brothers Book 5)

by Lilliana Anderson

  Her eyes grew bigger. “My dad was going to kill someone?”

  Now’s probably not the time to tell her he’s killed quite a lot of people.

  “Well, yes. But he’s a terrible man. Really bad.”

  “My dad or the smuggler?”

  “The smuggler.” I was really fucking this up.

  “Why couldn’t he just call the cops?”

  “Because that would mean your father would have to explain how he knows the smuggler which would put him in jail. I don’t think any of us want that.”

  “He could bargain for immunity. They do that all the time on TV.”

  I ran my hand over my head, frustrated. “This isn’t TV, Lucy. I don’t think you’re understanding the gravity of our situation. It isn’t something the cops can fix. You’re being held to ransom by a very powerful man with powerful friends and powerful enemies. Your father is somewhere in the middle of all that, and I’m, well, I’m just fucked either way you look at it.” I laughed a little, even though nothing about this was funny. “But, since you’re OK and they’ve put us in a room with a bathroom and a window, I think we should be all right.” I reached out and patted her on the knee.

  “What does a window have to do with any of it?”

  I turned and met her eyes, so filled with confusion, anger and sadness. Powerlessness.

  “It’s just safer in these rooms,” I told her, trying not to even think about what happened in the rooms that didn’t have windows and bathrooms.

  “Have you been here before?”

  “Once.” I nodded. “I was here once.”

  “And you got away?”

  “They let me go.”

  “Well that’s good.” She perked up a little at that. Hopefulness widening her eyes. “We might be let go too.”

  “Yes,” I said, giving her a smile I didn’t feel. “I’m going to make sure they let you go, Lucy. I promise you that.”

  “OK. OK. So we’re not going to die here?”

  “No, Lucy,” I whispered. “I won’t let you die. I’m not sure how long we’ll be here for. But I promise you’ll get to go home.”

  “OK.” She breathed, nodding slightly as she looked about the almost naked room. “W-who is this bad guy we’re being held by, anyway?”

  “Did you ever read about a smuggler who was arrested over a big drug robbery about a year ago?”

  “Uh…yeah. Grey something?”

  “Grey. Yes. That’s who this belongs to.” I gestured around the room, my nervous heart skittering about in my chest as I hoped to god all of my promises could be made true.

  “And my father is a thief?”

  “His whole family is, actually.”

  “His whole family?”

  “Yes. He has four brothers.”

  “I never knew I had uncles.” Confusion knitted her brow. This was a lot for a frightened girl to take in. I was sure hardly any of it made sense, and she probably felt trapped inside a shitty dream. But the distraction helped, so I kept going.

  “You have aunties too. They’re all married and have kids.”

  “I have cousins?”

  I nodded. “Babies right now.”

  “What are their names?”

  I told her, detailing everything I could remember about them and all the other members of her extended family. She sat there wide-eyed, listening and asking questions; more questions than I had answers to. But I made them up just the same, because if we were talking she didn’t have time to be afraid. And if I was honest, neither did I. Talking to Lucy kept the walls from pressing in.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  FAILSAFES

  IF DAREDEVIL WAS AN AUSTRALIAN-BASED SERIES, Brendan Grey could play Kingpin. He’d have a salt and pepper goatee and a navy suit, but the rest of him would look pretty much the same: formidable stature, shiny bald head and beady eyes that showed little to no feeling. When he smiled, it came off as unimpressed and his laughter sounded empty. His voice was commanding and his movements arrogant. The man knew the world quivered at his feet. Just the sight of him caused my hands to sweat and shake.

  “You seem different from the last time we met,” he said as a waiter with a straight back poured red wine into oversized glasses.

  Grey had sent for me a little over an hour ago. A staunch looking woman escorted me into a dressing room and ordered me about as I changed into provided formal wear and had two other women do my hair and makeup, dressing me up like some glorified doll.

  “I suppose I am,” I said quietly, coaching myself to keep my cool as I nodded to the waiter and eyed the silver cutlery in front of me. Could I get across the table fast enough to stab him with that knife?

  “Yes. You’re calmer. More refined, perhaps.”

  “And you don’t have blood on your knuckles. So I guess this is different for both of us.”

  He smiled, his black-beady eyes creasing. “Perhaps I’ll take the refined comment back.”

  “You do whatever you like.”

  “A toast then.” He lifted his glass, and I did the same, mindful that my behaviour could cause Toby’s daughter undue pain. I was eager to get back to her, nervous that I couldn’t keep her with me. “To new beginnings.”

  “To new beginnings,” I parroted before taking a sip of the rich burgundy liquid, tart on my tongue.

  They served a first course of potato and bacon soup in gold rimmed bowls with wide lips. I wasn’t at all hungry, but I forced myself to eat, struggling to keep the food in my belly. He makes me sick.

  “I must apologise for my man, Irish. Had I known you’d taken up with Toby Cartwright, I would have called him off sooner.”

  “And if he’d blown me up, what would you have done then?”

  He spooned a mouthful of soup past his thin lips, swallowing before moving on without answering my question.

  “The fact you’ve taken up with a Cartwright works to everyone’s benefit in the long run. I’ve been watching them for a long time. A rather industrious family. Interesting mother. I believe she handpicked each of her son’s wives as a way to strengthen their business holdings. Fascinating, don’t you think?”

  “Manipulative might be a better word.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, I suppose so. However, it got me thinking. If you were to marry the oldest Cartwright we could strengthen our business.”

  “Ours? Nothing in your life has to do with mine.”

  “You’re my daughter. It may surprise you, but you’re the only heir I have. One day all of this will go to you.” He moved his gaze around the large dining room, giving me a moment of panic as I realised what I was doing here. I didn’t want to be groomed to take over the helm.

  “I don’t want to be your heir. Give it all to someone else.”

  “I don’t recall saying you had a choice, Blair. I sent for you because my time on this earth is running short. I need to get my affairs in order, see my vision come to pass so I can leave this world knowing my legacy will carry on. Your marriage could create the biggest crime cooperative this world has ever seen. Thieves, smugglers, drug lords and bikers, all working in harmony towards a common goal: anarchy.”

  “That’s insane,” I responded. “None of them will ever go for that.”

  He grinned and picked up his wine, taking a sip. “I think they will. And I think Toby Cartwright is the man to sell them on it.”

  “Why would he ever do that?”

  “Because I have his daughter, and I have you. That man mowed down an entire troop of my best single-handedly because of brotherly love. Imagine what he could accomplish for his daughter, for his woman. Men have moved mountains for less.”

  “You really think he’ll join forces instead of gunning you down?”

  “I do,” he said, nodding his head.

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “The same reason you’re sitting here speaking to me instead of plunging that knife you keep looking at inside my neck—you’re afraid of what I can do.”

  “I
already know what a monster you are. I’ve experienced it firsthand.”

  “That pretty little thing you were brought in with doesn’t know that, and something tells me you’re both willing to do whatever it takes to keep it that way. And let’s not get into the safety of all those tiny babes Jasmine is so fond of showing off. I feel certain we can all come to an agreement that benefits us all and stops this silly little war we have going on. Don’t you think?” He’s psychotic.

  “When you said your time is running out, did you mean you’re dying?”

  He nodded once.

  “What of?” I had to fight the urge to smile.

  “I have an inoperable blood clot in my brain. It could cause an aneurysm at any time.”

  “So you’re walking around with a time bomb in your head?” How fitting.

  “Quite literally, yes.”

  A pang of something that felt like a mixture of regret and satisfaction radiated through my belly. Nature could possibly rob me of the chance to murder my own monster. I didn’t know how I felt about that.

  Moving my spoon about the bowl of creamy-coloured soup, I ran over the details of our conversation in my mind, worrying my lips as I wondered if this was the way the world always worked for men like Grey. Were they so powerful and far-reaching they could force almost anything to their advantage?

  “If I agree to marry Toby and he unites the different entities, what will our life look like?”

  “You learn the ropes and together, when I’m gone, you’ll rule over everybody.”

  The waiter returned, whisking away my barely touched soup and replacing it with scallops on top of caviar and some orange-coloured purée.

  I poked at it with my fork as I tried to imagine my life like that. Toby had slipped into this other kind of man since we’d returned to Torquay. He was still the man I loved, but he had pulled on a mask of detachment that would only fuse to his skin if we were to immerse ourselves in this world. I knew in my heart we could never be happy this way. The contrast to the Toby around his family and the Toby I’d met on that wharf was so stark I could barely marry the two personalities together. He was happy before, harsher now. I couldn’t imagine a future forcing him to make soul-eating decisions as the head of a criminal empire. I loved him far too much to do that to him.

  “What if I told you I didn’t want to marry Toby Cartwright,” I said.

  “That’s not what I’m offering.”

  “In that case, I have no interest in learning anything from you.”

  “No problem. I’ll just rid the world of the Cartwright family and send the daughter to work in my whorehouses.”

  “Then I’ll kill myself and you’ll die with nothing and no one.” I picked up my knife and held the tip against my throat, showing him how serious I really was. “Take it all away and I have nothing to lose.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t.”

  “I would.” I pushed the knife point into my skin and felt the heat of blood trickle down my chest, disappearing into my cleavage. It was tempting; pushing the knife in all the way. A moment of pain and it would all be over. My light would extinguish and I wouldn’t have to fight, I wouldn’t have to worry, I wouldn’t have to concede.

  “Do it, and I swear to you, I’ll kill them all. Are you really that selfish, Blair? You’d allow those babies to burn alive?” His volume rose with every word, chilling my bones as my hand shook.

  Fuck!

  “Blair!” Grey boomed, causing me to release my grip, dropping the knife with a clatter as our waiter rushed over and pressed a cloth against my wound. I sat there. Numb. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t end my life and condemn them all. Grey had me between a rock and a hard place and he knew it.

  I hate him, I hate him, I hate him.

  “It’s not deep, sir,” he said, checking the tiny slice in my skin. I wished it was deep. I wished I wasn’t sitting here listening to my monster and his distasteful plans. I wished I had the power to stop him. I wished I knew what to do. But I was lost. I was broken. I didn’t know how to fight anymore when no matter which path I chose, people I cared about suffered. I don’t know what to do, Toby. I’m sorry.

  We sat glaring at each other as the waiter took care of my cut, retreating from the room and quickly returning with antiseptic and a bandage.

  “He’ll still have to broker a truce,” Grey said as the waiter withdrew from my side, the knife removed from my possession.

  “What?” Was I hearing right?

  “Even if you didn’t marry him, he’d still need to broker the truce.”

  “Will you release his daughter when he does?”

  “Yes.”

  “Untouched. No one defiles or even torments her.”

  “She’ll be treated as a guest.”

  I stared at him, not sure if I could trust the words his lips were forming.

  “What happens after Lucy leaves?”

  “As long as the truce is upheld, nothing. The Cartwrights, the Grim Order and the Cartel can go about their business as I will mine. You will sever all ties, work for me, learn from me and become the heir I should have made you in the beginning.”

  Did he really mean that? If I joined him, he’d let everyone else go?

  I’d have to give up my future, so they could have theirs. But that was something I was more than willing to do. I didn’t give a fuck what happened with the bikers or the cartel, but to Toby, well, I loved him. That meant I would protect everything important to him, and I’d protect it with my life.

  How could I say no?

  “OK,” I agreed in a whisper, my chest feeling so tight I could barely breathe.

  “Good.” Grey smiled, satisfied that he had what he wanted.

  I forced a tight smile, reminding myself that those babies deserved a life without a smuggler breathing down their necks, and Toby deserved the chance to be a permanent fixture in his daughter’s life. That would be my gift to him, given in love. I could endure anything if it meant he would be free.

  And if I was lucky, nature would soon take care of Grey and I’d be free too.

  Free to be with Toby…

  Grey clicked at the waiter who quickly scurried from the room. “I’ll have the paperwork drawn up immediately with the appropriate failsafes in place.”

  “Failsafes?”

  “So you can’t kill me in my sleep, or kill yourself the moment that girl goes home. You will be bound to me, to my organisation, running things exactly as instructed or my reach will extend from the grave, killing them all while you’re forced to watch.” A shudder ran down my spine. “Is that understood?”

  “Yes,” I whispered, my last shred of hope shrivelling.

  Toby. I’m sorry.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  FOREVER YES

  THREE DAYS LATER, I was sitting in Grey’s ‘conference room’ which was just a concrete basement with no windows, a steel door, and no other entry or exit point. It smelled of dirt and damp and echoed every time you moved.

  Beside me, my father was dressed for the occasion in his signature three-piece suit. I wore pinstripe pants and a white silk blouse because that’s what was set out for me when I woke this morning. My treatment in Grey’s home had been far different than it was during our first meeting all those years ago. Back then, I’d been just another inconvenience before I became a surprise. This time, I was the prodigal daughter coming into the fold. I felt sure that Grey was revelling in the fact he’d found a way to control me. The moment I showed any sign of a fight, he reminded me of the stakes. Dangled Toby’s life from the tips of his fat fingers.

  Perhaps love was a weakness.

  During the past days, I’d been immersed in the business side of Grey’s world, an intense training regime that saw me shadowing him through almost every step of his day. I had my own living quarters—locked from the outside—but was allowed to visit with Lucy for one hour each evening. She seemed okay. I’d taken her books and magazines to keep her from going stir crazy.
While it didn’t really make up for the fact someone had kidnapped her, at least it was something. At least she was safe. Despite not growing up with Toby’s constant presence, she exhibited a similar amount of strength and fortitude that most women in her position wouldn’t have. Toby would have been proud that she was handling her confinement like a trooper.

  The one bonus was that she didn’t have much to fear besides captivity. Grey had given his word she would remain untouched, and that’s how she stayed. One thing I had learned about my father was that he was nothing if not a man of his word and never reneged on a deal.

  “They’re here,” Grey said, checking the message that lit up his phone, those two simple words sending my heart into rampaging rhythm in my chest.

  They’re here.

  Toby is here.

  I was going to see him.

  I also had to say goodbye….

  If you’d asked me a week ago if I could ever imagine joining my father’s organisation, I would’ve sneered and insulted you, calling you insane. But stranger things could happen. When a person was backed into a corner with compliance the only foreseeable option, anything was possible, unlikely alliances were drawn.

  “Agree with everything I say,” he reminded me, hard eyes on mine. “Understood.”

  Pressing my fingertips into the top of the table, I nodded. “I do.”

  Working this close to the man, I’d had many opportunities to commit patricide as planned. And every time I didn’t take that chance it cut me a little deeper. The satisfaction of ridding the world of his stain was an intoxicating thought. But I couldn’t risk the reality. If Grey died by my hand, the cost would come in blood. No matter how much I wanted the satisfaction of revenge, I couldn’t seal another person’s fate that way. And so I stood by, played the dutiful daughter and learnt how to be a crime boss. My unwanted apprenticeship had begun.