Sinner: A Bad Boy MC Romance

by Romi Hart

  “We’ll see about that. Here’s what you need to do, Jasper. You’re going to walk to the corner of 187th and Grand Concourse. Sam’s waiting there with the truck. You’re going to get in and go with him, and we’re going to have a nice little chat. Do you understand?”

  “Tell you what, Eric,” I countered, sounding far more confident than I actually felt. “I’ll go along for the ride because I have every intention of cooperating. I told Sam that the other day. But all of that changes if you harm a hair on her head. I have always insisted no one gets hurt, and if I’m going to continue to be a part of this, that doesn’t change. You get me?”

  “Right back at you. Do what I say, and the little doll will be just fine.” He hung up, leaving me no choice. If I ran, they’d kill her. If I didn’t go to Sam and tried to find them on my own, I’d be too late. I couldn’t even stand here and debate if there were other options. I did, however, have four blocks to walk, so I dialed another number, hoping Scott hadn’t gotten too far away.

  “Forget something?” he asked with amusement when he answered.

  “Scott, they have Mina. And they’re forcing my hand.” Now, I let the panic set in. I needed help, and I didn’t know anyone else who could help me.

  “Where are you?” he asked, and I could hear the change in his demeanor.

  “I’m headed up to 187th and Grand Concourse.” I gave him the description of the truck and the partial of the plates I could remember. “What do you want me to do, Scott?”

  “Stay calm,” he replied. “Go with it, and text me the number of the guy who has her. I’m going to call in a GPS tracking on him. Everything’s going to be fine, Jasper. You just have to stay calm and do what they ask.”

  I scoffed. “What if they want me to take them straight to the goods? What do I do?”

  There was silence at the other end of the line, and I hoped Scott was trying to think of the right move and not feeling defeated. “I’m going to get a team in place, watching and waiting. If you all show up, they go straight to jail or get a bullet.”

  I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that. A wayward shot could catch me, too, and I wasn’t in the mood to die today. At the same time, it was either risk my life or risk Mina’s, and there was no question which I would rather do. If I didn’t take care of this, get it handled right away, they’d kill her anyway. She’d seen their faces, knew who they were, and could turn them in if she lived. I knew the drill. It was an admission of planned murder if you took off your mask. I learned that in the military.

  “Are you with me, Jasper?” Scott asked.

  I nodded to myself. “Yeah, I’m with you. I’m also about to round the corner, so I have to hang up.”

  “Okay, be safe.”

  Be safe. I didn’t care if I was safe. I cared if Mina was safe. And as I spotted Sam’s truck, I broke out in a cold sweat, rage clouding my vision. I needed to stay calm, but every instinct told me to twist the bastard’s head off his shoulders. I couldn’t, or I might never find Mina, but I imagined all sorts of scenarios where the police stood back and let me do the damage when my former friends got caught and handcuffed. Crushed noses, punctured lungs, missing digits. I’d cut out their tongues in small pieces, not all at once. I’d skin them alive.

  The violent tendencies I had came to the surface, and I fought to bury them again, knowing I couldn’t give in. Sam stood waiting, leaned against his truck, still heavy and slovenly but different. Meaner. With less of a grip on reality. His eyes were wild and angry, and he all but snarled at me as I approached. I held my hands up in surrender and shook my head. “I’m not armed, Sam. I just want to get this over with so I can get back to my life, okay?”

  For a big guy, he still moved fast, and he had pushed off his car and lunged, sucker punching me in the solar plexus, before I could block him. It knocked the wind out of me, and I battled with a quick round of nausea before I could straight up. “What’s wrong with you, you stupid prick?” he growled. “You think I can’t figure out what you’re really up to? How long have you been fucking the target?”

  I glared at him. “Are you jealous because you’re too disgusting to get a nice piece of ass?” I shouldn’t have goaded him, but my hands were tied in every other way.

  A low, wordless growl came from deep in his throat, and he shoved me face first against the truck, frisking me roughly. “How am I supposed to trust you to give me what I want, when your dick’s doing the talking? What were you going to do, give me some fake information and hope for the best? Use her money to leave the country and pray that we didn’t find you and cut your balls off? How would she like you then?”

  I refused to give him the satisfaction of admitting my feelings. “It’s just a job, Sam. It’s always been a job. You put me in a tough spot, and I did what I had to do get what I needed.” I shoved him off me and shook my head. “That doesn’t mean I want her hurt. You know the rules, Sam, and you’re already far past that gray area.”

  He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “And I guess sleeping with the enemy is a gray area?”

  I shrugged. I had to be convincing. “Think about all the things we did overseas, Sam. Think about the women we seduced to find the men we needed to kill. But did we ever hurt the women?”

  “We broke hearts. Are you going to tell me that’s not cruel?”

  I clenched my jaw. “They lived. They moved on. They were perfectly healthy and in one piece. That’s what counts. When this is over, are you planning to let Mina Cohen live?”

  Shoving a finger in my chest, he said, “That depends on you. Now, get in the truck. We have to go.” He opened the driver’s side door and pushed my shoulder, urging me in and across the seat. I guess he wasn’t taking any risks that I’d go around and run. I leveraged my weight across the bench seat, glancing around furtively for a sign that someone was here to follow us. I couldn’t be sure. It obviously wouldn’t be a black and white, and I didn’t have a chance to scan thoroughly. But I hoped the argument had delayed us long enough for someone to have gotten on our tail.

  As he started the engine, Sam sighed. “I know you think I’m stupid, Jasper, but you’re wrong. I haven’t made it this far without being observant. You’re not just sleeping with that woman. It’s all over your face and in your eyes. And this whole hiding the girl thing you’ve been doing? That only proves my point. You should have been more careful, Jasper. I put it together the minute you didn’t want to talk about whoever the hell was warming your bed.”

  I didn’t believe him. Sam knew me better than that, and the way I’d fallen for Mina was completely out of character. “No, Sam, you figured it out because you were already staking out her house. Long before you ever approached me for the list. Right?”

  “She’s a mark we already knew, Jasper. It makes sense. And the other night, when you showed up, I wanted to believe you were there to double cross us. I wanted to think you had this in your back pocket. It was a lot better than the truth. You’re a damn fool, you know that? How the fuck did you get her to forgive you?”

  Someone had hit the panic button inside me. I was sweating and jittery, and I could barely hold it in. I took several deep breaths to slow my heart rate and clear up my nausea, and then I glared out the window. “My life is none of your business, Sam.”

  “It would never have worked, Jasper. It would have come back around to the idea that you betrayed her family, that you tried to take something from them that didn’t belong to you. The infatuation would have worn off, and she would have broken your heart. I’m doing you a favor.”

  His words only pissed me off. “Shut up, Sam. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “So, it’s true. You’re in love with her.” I didn’t say anything. I didn’t have the power in me to deny it, but I refused to confirm it out loud, even if my silence said it all. “I can’t believe it. Look, when this is over, you’re going to thank me. You’ll be free to live your life, and you’ll have the money you should have gotten years ago
.”

  “I don’t want the fucking money,” I seethed. I rounded on him. “In case you forgot, the money wasn’t for me anyway. It was for Cindy. She’s gone, and I don’t need it.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You don’t sound too broken up about it. That’s strange, considering you were still moping when we picked you up from the joint. You were worried about being alone. Are you sure you’re not just latching onto this chick because you’re lonely?”

  “I was alone for eight years, Sam. What makes it any different out here than in there? At least in there, I knew who I could trust and who I couldn’t. I never thought my brothers, who claimed they would always have my back no matter what, would turn on me and blackmail me.” I shook my head. “It’s amazing what you find out about people too late.”

  “I could say the same thing,” Sam grumbled. “Don’t make me hurt anyone, Jasper. I don’t want to do that, especially you. For better or worse, Jasper, you’re my brother, and you always will be. We may not see eye to eye on everything, but you’re family, and losing you would kill me.”

  He should have thought about that before he started down this destructive path. I didn’t consider him family anymore. I hated how things had turned out. I’d trusted Sam with my life, and he’d been there when I needed him. But I also wondered now if that had all be due to selfish intentions instead of a sense of loyalty. A part of me wished I’d never learned how conniving and ruthless he and the others could be, but mostly, I was glad my eyes had been opened, even if it did seem like it was too little, too late. I still believed Mina and I might get through this and come out the other side mostly unscathed. But I’d had to put my faith in strangers this time. How well did I really know Scott? Would he come through for me?

  Shit, I hoped so.

  Mina

  My head throbbed, and I was disoriented. I blinked, but I couldn’t clear the fog in my eyes. I tried to lift my hands to rub it out, but they were stuck, and something pulled and scratched at my wrists. I frowned, trying to make sense of why I was sitting up, asleep, and couldn’t move my arms.

  And it all came flooding back.

  The tall man.

  The attack.

  I didn’t scream, not knowing exactly where I was and unable to see my surroundings clearly, but my heart thundered against my ribs, and my breath came in short pants as I fought against the panic coursing through my veins. The man hadn’t been Jake, but he must have been one of the guys we were hiding from. They’d found us, and now, they’d gotten their hands on me.

  Where was Jasper?

  I tried not to worry too much. Jasper was tough, and he could take care of himself, I hoped. Then again, he wasn’t made of steel and wouldn’t be able to survive a bullet. What if…

  “How could you do this?” I heard that voice, close but not too close, and I pressed my lips together against a whimper of fear. “All you had to do was get in her good graces so we could slip past. And instead, you screwed around and tried to cut us out. Does she even know what you’ve taken yet?”

  I was confused. Who was he talking to? I squeezed my eyes shut, over and over, trying to see straight. Finally, I managed to focus, though it sent a sharp pain through my head. Chloroform. I’d known the smell, and now, I was suffering the side effects. My head hurt, and my body begged me to go back to sleep. But I was too alert now, too busy trying to follow the conversation that was happening on the other end of the long room.

  “We had it all worked out, Jasper.” Something tingled down my spine. The man was talking to Jasper, but something wasn’t right. “You were supposed to stake out the place, and then you were supposed to earn her trust. Then, we were supposed to go in, get what we wanted, and disappear. But you thought you could get away with it on your own, you selfish son of a bitch. Well, now, both of you are going to pay the price.”

  He set the cell phone on the small table by the door, one of the few pieces of furniture in the room aside from the chair I sat in, and turned to look at me. That smirk came back, the ugly glint in his eyes. “You’re awake.”

  I had a feeling he’d already known that, considering the self-satisfaction he exuded. My mouth felt like sandpaper coated in peanut butter, and I couldn’t talk, but I glared at him. I didn’t feel fear, only anger and hatred. Maybe I was in shock. Maybe the fear would come later. For now, I’d use the burning inside me to stay strong.

  “Your lover double crossed us,” he said flatly, and I narrowed my eyes at him. I knew Jasper, inside and out, despite the fact we hadn’t been together long. In fact, it looked like I knew him better than the men who had known him most of his life, because there was no way he would have used me like they said. His emotions were raw and honest, and I didn’t believe for one second he could fake all that.

  “Bullshit,” I choked, wishing I hadn’t tried to answer when I broke out in a fit of coughing.

  “You think so?” He sneered. “Come on, bitch. He came into your house, tried to steal from you once. Why wouldn’t he do it again? You really think a man changes like that? If so, you’re an idiot, and you deserve whatever hell comes your way.”

  I hated him. I’d never hated someone so passionately before, not even Jasper. He’d been a figment, just a thought. I’d never faced him, so I’d never felt the need to claw his eyeballs out of his head and snap his genitals from his body. But this man infuriated me so much I wanted to break each and every tooth in his head, slice through skin and muscle, and pour salt in the wounds. My violent reaction shocked me; I hadn’t known I could imagine such horrors. But then, I’d never watched anyone treat someone the way this man treated me, the way he and his friends had treated Jasper.

  He walked closer, and I wished my mouth wasn’t so dry so I could spit in his face, especially when he crouched in front of me to get to eye level. “You know, maybe it’s you. Maybe there’s something about you that turned him soft. Do you have a magic pussy?” His eyes fell to the juncture between my legs, and I squeezed my thighs together. He disgusted me, especially as he licked his lips. “What’s wrong? You’ll give it up for the guy who broke into your house but not to his friends?”

  I scoffed, forcing my voice this time, regardless of the pain in my throat and the ache in my head. “You were there, too. I know all about it. And I know that all of you are ungrateful, greedy assholes for putting him through this when he literally saved your lives.”

  I didn’t see it coming, but the sting when he backhanded me, coupled with the ringing in my ears, definitely left its mark. “You don’t get to talk to me like that,” he hissed. He pulled a knife from his pocket and pointed it at my throat, but I didn’t flinch. If he was going to kill me, I couldn’t do anything to convince him otherwise. “Here’s what’s going to happen now. You’re going to lead us straight to the goods. We’re going to take what we want, and if you want to live, you’re going to let us walk away.”

  I stared at him in disbelief. “Why go to all the trouble? Why not just ask me for the money?”

  “Too easily traced.” He shook his head. “Besides, we can make more at auction, or on the black market, than you could pull together in liquid assets. Even you don’t have that kind of money.”

  That showed how well they’d done their research. “You think so?” I shrugged. “That’s your problem. No wonder you needed Jasper. He’s apparently the only brains of the outfit.”

  He lifted his hand again, but a sharp voice called out, “Eric! Stop!”

  I knew that voice, too. I remembered it from when he’s shown up at Jasper’s apartment. Jake. He stood in the doorway, looking like some demon ready to storm the world, and he stalked into the room, shoving Eric away so hard he stumbled and fell on his ass. “You know the rules. We don’t touch her, for now.”

  “You’re delusional, Jake,” Eric spat. “We can’t let her go, no matter what.” And that was what I’d heard behind his lies, the truth of the matter, the promise that I wouldn’t make it out alive. Of course not. I watched enough movies to know th
at, once you’d seen the villain’s face, it was all over for you. I didn’t know why he’d bothered lying in the first place.

  “Not true,” Jake countered, which surprised me. He’d been so violent before, so crazed, that I would have assumed he’d be the one adamant about getting rid of the witnesses. He looked at me and scowled. “Did you hit her? You stupid shit!” I wasn’t sure how he knew until I realized that I could taste blood at the corner of my mouth. Great. I was bleeding, and the side of my face was likely swollen. Maybe it was vanity, but that disturbed me, especially when I thought of Jasper looking at me, kissing me, making love to me.

  If I ever saw him again.

  It wasn’t death I feared. It was the separation, and I shoved that deep inside, under the rage that threatened to boil out of control. “Why can’t you just find a job?” I exploded. “Why can’t you work to earn your money like every decent human in this world? You know, if you’d come to me and asked for a job as security, or something like that, you might have been surprised. But I don’t feel sorry for you. Any of you. Because you can’t seem to understand that nothing is free.”

  Eric growled and lunged at me, but Jake held him back as he screamed, “What would you know? You had everything handed to you on a silver platter, didn’t you?”

  “No, I didn’t,” I countered. “The cost of my fortune was my father. And before that, my mother. And before that, the chance to live a normal life, going to school with normal kids. I know that doesn’t sound painful to you, but trust me, everything comes with a price.” I shook my head. “And turning on your friend? A man who lied to make sure none of you suffered the way he did? How dare you talk to me about being handed something for free? The only thing he’s asked in return is for you to leave him the hell alone.”

  “Twenty-five million.” Jake’s voice echoed in the room, cutting off whatever Eric opened his mouth to say. “That’s the price for all of this to go away. You hand it over, free and clear, and you both walk away.”