For His Pleasure

by Suzanne Rock

  “Deacon and his brother tried to steal money from Felicia years ago.”

  “Back when they were nothing more than a couple of con men,” the other agreed.

  “Our boss was too smart, however. She caught them and decided that instead of confronting them, she’d make them pay.”

  Ari found a set of keys on the seat across from her. It wasn’t much, but perhaps the jagged end could help her get through the bindings. She picked up the keys and rubbed them against the zip tie holding her hands behind her back.

  “Make them pay, how?” she asked.

  “By destroying them, of course,” the older one said. “She thinks the Stone brothers robbed her of her wealth. She won’t stop until they’re both destitute.”

  “And she won’t stop with money. Family, friends … she wants to take everything away from them.”

  “Just like they took everything from her.”

  “When Deacon discovered what she was up to, he gave her an offer she couldn’t refuse,” the younger one said. “He would help her get Jason, if she’d leave him alone.”

  “That explains why Deacon is helping her, but why are you two helping her?” she asked, wondering if there was something she could leverage against her freedom. “If it’s money—”

  “She’s giving the signal,” the older one said. Silently both men left the front of the cab.

  “Wait, come back. I swear I can help you if you help me.”

  The back doors of the van opened. “There’s nothing you can give us, child,” the older one said. “Nothing anyone can give us.” Both men moved as one as they grabbed her elbows, hauled her out of the van, and dragged her into the restaurant.

  * * *

  The young guard put the rest of the money back into the suitcase and looked up at his boss. “It’s all there, Ms. Burke.”

  Felicia nodded and pointed to the back door. “Then go get her.” The room fell silent as the man set the suitcase by her side and moved to go get Ari. Footsteps echoed along the hardwood floors, grating on Jason’s nerves. He wished that they would just get on with it already. The sooner Ari was back in his arms, the better.

  Muffled cries rose up from outside, causing panic to shoot up through Jason’s chest. He straightened in his chair, but one of the loan shark’s bodyguards put a hand on his shoulder, keeping him still. Jason shot a glance out the window, but couldn’t see anything. He knew that Leo was out there, somewhere. Hopefully he had a handle on the situation and could get Ari to safety.

  “If you harm one hair on that poor woman’s head…”

  The loan shark laughed. “Don’t worry, my dear. I wouldn’t harm your little plaything. Although she does have a certain charm.” She tapped her lips with a well-manicured finger. “I can see why you like her. She has a lot of spunk.” She tilted her head and considered him for a moment. “My offer still stands. I’ll forgive your debt if you come and work for me. I’ll even let your little woman come, too.”

  “I have my own business, Felicia.”

  “For now.”

  What the hell was that supposed to mean? Jason went to ask, but then the door opened and a furious and gagged woman stumbled into the room ahead of the thug who had left moments ago.

  “Ari.” Jason started to stand, but was shoved back into his seat. “Hey.”

  “Be patient, my dear.” Felicia waved her hand and motioned for the thug to bring Ari to the table. Her eyes went wide when she saw Jason. She tried to say something, but couldn’t through the gag.

  “Did you really have to do that?”

  Felicia smiled. “Like I said, your girl has a lot of spunk. I had to tie her mouth and hands for my people’s safety.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  Felicia shook her head. “You haven’t changed a bit, have you, darling? Very well. I will remove the gag, but I’ll tell you now that you won’t like what she has to say.”

  The loan shark waved her hand, signaling her follower to remove the gag. As soon as he did, Ari started coughing and sputtering.

  “Ari, are you all right?” Jason asked.

  “It’s a trap.” Ari’s voice sounded hoarse and strained. She had to say the sentence twice before Jason understood her.

  “A trap?”

  “You didn’t pay her, did you?” Ari asked.

  “It was a condition of your release. I should have paid it long ago. I’m so sorry.” He reached out for Ari, but she shrunk back.

  “Get it back.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The money, get it back.”

  “I can’t do that.” He shook off the goon behind him and went to Ari’s side. The men around the room started closing in, but Felicia waved them away, just like she always did. It sickened him how she made human beings into her playthings. Hopefully, within the hour they would be done with her and would never have to deal with her ever again.

  “Forget about the money. It’s not important.” He rubbed Ari’s arms and searched her face for signs of abuse. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you?”

  “Jason, listen to me.” She grabbed his shirt and yanked him close. “She’s after revenge, not settling some gambling debt. She wants to ruin you.”

  “What do you mean, ruin me?”

  “She means that Felicia wants to humiliate you, and cause you to lose credibility with your investors and the press,” Deacon said as he came out of the shadows and stood at Felicia’s side. “It’s one of the many things we have in common.”

  Chapter 23

  “Deacon.” Jason shoved Ari behind him and shifted his gaze between Felicia and his brother. “What are you doing?”

  “I offered you an escape.”

  “I couldn’t leave Ari and Leo—”

  Deacon held up the phone from the bathroom between them. “This Leo?” He shook his head and studied the phone. “Too bad he got sent on a wild-goose chase.”

  “How?”

  Deacon returned his focus to Jason. “Turns out the phone wasn’t broken after all. It was just low on batteries.” He swiped the screen, and the phone lit up in his hand. “Someone drained them, I’m afraid. Good thing I had a charger on me.” He dropped the phone to the floor and stepped on it with the heel of his boot, crushing the screen. “Now it’s broken.”

  “This is a new low, Deacon, even for you.”

  Deacon shook his head. “You should have taken my advice and left when you had the chance, bro.”

  “You wanted me to abandon my company, my friends, and the woman I love.”

  “Love?” Ari asked. Jason ignored her.

  “And in exchange I was offering you something better. Life, excitement, unpredictability.” He shook his head in disgust. “Remember when old lady Crosby came home and found us eating her brownies in her kitchen? How we jumped out the window and through her garden while she chased us with a stick?”

  “We were ten and seven.”

  “We were wild. And then, when we got older, we took that priceless piece of art out from under Mrs. Holmes’s nose. And she thanked us for it.” He shook his head. “That was amazing.”

  “It was stealing.”

  “You convinced her that the abstract would be better suited in your hands than hers. What did you say?” He paused and pretended to think. “Oh yes, it would be more appreciated in your museum, rather than in some private living room. As an art appraiser, you know just the people to make sure that the painting will be seen and appreciated by thousands.”

  “I was a different person back then.” Jason glanced at Ari, who was staring at him with wide eyes. “And I gave her money for the painting.”

  “Despite her refusal. The woman gave you the painting willingly. It was money in the bank.”

  “It was handed down through her family. It wasn’t right.” He fisted his hands at his sides.

  “You’ve changed, brother, and not for the better. It used to be that you’d get so excited about the prospect of running a con. Now … now you may driv
e fast cars and hang out with fast women, but your life has gotten stale and boring.”

  “My life is what I want it to be. No one can change that, Deacon. Not even you.”

  “Oh, I think I already did,” he said as he put his hand on the back of the loan shark’s chair. “After you left me to pick up the pieces with Felicia, we came to an understanding. We’ve been working together for quite a number of years, my friend, the fruition of which we didn’t see until today.” He picked up the suitcase beside her and ran his hand over the side. “Ten million. One million for each year we have been apart.” He turned his angry gaze to Jason. “One million for each year I was forced to fend for myself.”

  “Not so fast.” Felicia plucked the suitcase from Deacon’s fingers and motioned to her thugs. “Don’t worry, my friend.” She patted his cheek. “We shall reap the fruits of our labor soon. First, we have a few more appointments to keep.”

  “You won’t get away with this,” Jason said as she picked up the briefcase.

  The loan shark raised her brows. “It’s always the same with you men. You’re all about who wins.” She let out a long breath. “Rest assured, I have thought of every angle. Even as we speak, my people are leaking to the papers how you have been hiding Ari from her family, lavishing her with gifts while your business suffers.”

  “I’ve done no such thing.” Jason glanced out the window, wondering what had happened to Leo.

  Felicia scoffed. “Like I said, we have a lot of appointments to keep. Shall we?”

  “It’s not too late to change your mind,” Jason said to Deacon as Felicia led her thugs to the door. “You don’t have to follow her.”

  “And if I don’t follow her? What then?”

  Jason shrugged. “You can come and stay with me.”

  Deacon shook his head. “And continue to be talked down to and brushed aside? Sorry, but I think I’ll pass.” He turned to go.

  “Why Felicia, Deacon?”

  He glanced over his shoulder. “Why?”

  “I mean, I get why you hate me, but why follow her after everything she’s done to us?”

  “Because she treats me like family, Jason. She cares for me, which is more than I can say for my own flesh and blood.”

  Jason swallowed the lump in his throat and watched him leave the building. Within seconds, the sound of engines revving filled the air as the group made their getaway.

  Seconds later, Leo burst inside the restaurant. “Did they leave?”

  “I’m afraid so,” Jason said, pulling Ari close. “What’s on your head?”

  Leo winced as he touched the cut on his temple. “Deacon called and told me he found something in the alley out back. I went to check it out and someone struck me in the head. When I came to, I saw the cars pulling away.” He scanned the restaurant until his gaze settled on his sister. “Ari.” He rushed forward and enveloped her in a bear hug. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

  “It’s okay, Leo. Jason saved me.”

  Leo flashed Jason a skeptical look. “I wanted to be there for you.”

  “Where is she?” Dante said as he stormed inside. Marco quickly followed.

  “God, you guys run faster than the wind,” Sabrina said as she and Karin brought up the rear. At Jason’s questioning glance, she explained. “I called them for backup, but it took them a while to get here. I stumbled into Karin as she was looking for Leo.”

  “He had been gone longer than expected and—oh my God!” She hurried to Leo. “What happened to you?”

  “I’m fine, cara.” He jerked his head away from her touch. “It’s just a scratch.”

  “It looks like more than a scratch.”

  Jealousy rippled over Jason as he stepped back and let the siblings hug each other and fuss over Leo’s wound. They had this easy manner with each other, as if nothing stood between them. All of his life, he had strived for that with Deacon, but somehow, it was never meant to be. Lately, he had been so concerned with preventing people from finding out about his past that he never allowed himself to get close to anyone. As a result, he had been missing out on some of the best parts of life.

  “What happened in here while I was out?” Leo asked Jason in an effort to draw the attention away from his wound.

  Jason relayed the events of the past hour. “So she got away with the money. I’m sorry, Leo.”

  Leo smiled and slapped him on the back. “You got my sister back, that’s all that matters.” He put his arm around Jason’s shoulder and led him into the group.

  “Thanks, man,” Dante said as he extended his hand.

  “Yeah, thanks. I don’t know what we would have done without our girl here,” Marco said.

  “I’d be outnumbered, for one,” Karin said as she threaded her arm around Ari. “Thank goodness you’re back, Ari. It was tough managing all of these men on my own.”

  As they laughed and fell into an easy banter, Jason realized that the Perconti siblings accepted him as one of their own. After all of the snide remarks, after all of the fighting for control of businesses, the Percontis were treating him as an equal. Even Karin, whom he had tossed to the curb, seemed to accept him into the inner circle.

  Then again, watching her interact with Leo, it was obvious why she’d forgiven Jason. She had moved on, and judging by Leo’s possessive arm around her side, she had made the right choice. As his gaze settled on Ari, he realized that he wanted the same for himself. Unfortunately, Ari was now back with her family, and he wasn’t sure if she needed him as much as he needed her.

  * * *

  Ari watched Jason with her brothers and her heart warmed. Despite being on opposite sides of the fence in business, they had managed to come together for a common cause—her. She hoped that this comradery would extend beyond clearing their names and getting back their money. Jason had offered to reimburse Leo and her family for the money, but her brothers wouldn’t hear of it. They knew to what lengths Jason had gone, putting his own life at risk in order to save their sister. They agreed that they would work together to get the money and reputations back. If they all made a united front, they should be able to squash rumors pretty quickly and boost the confidence of their investors. They all agreed that Ms. Burke probably wouldn’t be back, now that she had what she wanted, but they’d keep feelers out if either she or Deacon showed their faces in Boston again.

  None of them touched on why Ari had been staying at Stone Suites in the first place, or why Jason was the first person she ran to when she felt she could no longer go through with her wedding. She knew that this would have to be dealt with at some point, and Leo probably wouldn’t approve of her answers, but that was a battle for another day. For now, Ari decided that she’d take Jason’s advice and stop worrying about the future and enjoy this moment, or what was left of it.

  Sabrina had declared the rescue mission a victory, despite the loan shark getting away with a good chunk of change. Within the hour, she had large pasta dishes, salad, and sauce served as an impromptu celebration. Others were invited, and soon the restaurant was filled with family and friends. Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra—her favorite singers—streamed in over the speakers and Ari was surprised to find that Wes and Karin knew all the words. Soon they were singing and laughing, just like a regular old family reunion. Even Sabrina and Dante seemed to hold a fragile truce in order to enjoy the moment. It was amazing to have everyone in one place. Ari felt truly blessed.

  “You have an amazing family,” Jason said as the party began to wrap up and disperse.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  “I always wondered what it would be like to have siblings who cared about you more than making money.”

  “Well…” She nudged him in the arm. “They seem to like you.” She grinned. “They’re not your real brothers, but sometimes friends can be closer than siblings.”

  “Friends, I like that.” He brushed his finger under her chin.

  “I feel bad about Felicia taking your money and trying to ruin your b
usiness. I can’t believe that anyone would be so cruel.”

  He shook his head. “I realized something tonight.”

  “What?”

  “The business, the money, all of it, means nothing.”

  “You can’t possibly mean that.”

  “Oh, but I do.” He inched closer. “Everything I have, everything I’ve worked for, means nothing if I don’t have you.” He brushed his fingers over her cheek, sending heat rippling down her spine. “I really thought I was never going to see you again.”

  She touched his wrist and felt the electricity spark through her veins. “Me, too.”

  “If anything happened to you…” He pressed his lips together as some strong emotion crossed over his features.

  “Hey,” she said as she inched closer. “I’m still here.”

  “I know.” He glanced over her shoulder. “And I plan to take full advantage of it.”

  She furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

  He returned his gaze to hers. “Remember our game?”

  She widened her eyes in surprise. “Here? With my family? Jason, I don’t—” Before she could finish her sentence, Jason took her hand and tugged her in the direction of the coatroom.

  “Jason, stop.” She tried to dig in her heels, but he wouldn’t be swayed.

  “Stop fighting it,” he murmured over his shoulder. “You’ll make a scene.”

  “But my family.” She glanced around the room at everyone milling around the tables. How much time did they have before someone went to get their coat? Five minutes, ten?

  Jason pulled open the door to the coatroom. “Then that will just give you more incentive to win, won’t it?” He winked and pulled her into the darkened room, shutting the door behind him.

  Chapter 24

  Ari started to protest, but Jason kissed her hard, making her insides melt. She molded herself to his body as the fire inside her rose.

  “The counter…” She gasped as he pulled away for breath.

  “Good idea.” He grabbed her hand.

  “No.” She waved to the long, polished counter that connected the coatroom to the rest of the restaurant. “Anyone can see inside.”