Jericho

by Tess Oliver

  chapter 9

  Roxie

  Trace had taken Jericho around to introduce him to friends. The president of an outlaw club like Bedlam was somewhat of an anomaly amongst a group of slightly nerdy, overly pampered business people. Trace paraded him around like he’d just become best friends with a rock star. The fact that the prez had shiny black hair, penetrating blue eyes and a tattooed physique that would make him perfect for the stage only helped add to the mystique.

  While Jericho and his two partners definitely looked like guys who could take care of themselves, I’d still felt the need to warn him about Trace’s propensity for underhanded schemes. I knew that better than anyone.

  Trace deposited his extremely breathtaking new buddy with a group of women who worked as black jack dealers in his casino. I’d started out as one of those card dealers in Trace’s small casino on the south side of the lake. It had been a good gig at the time, and I’d been thrilled to the get the job. School had left me with huge debt and an economics degree that was about as worthless as the paper it was printed on. Never in a million years could I have foreseen the events that’d taken me from just another Gamble employee to Trace’s possession.

  The black jack dealers got the beautiful biker, and I got a sneer and a pinched elbow from Trace. “Walk with me, sweetheart. Everyone has been remarking that you are practically invisible. Time to mingle.” He stopped to survey me. “You’ve got something right there.” He used his thumb to wipe away a smudge of something from under my lip. It was a gesture similar to Jericho’s on the stairway, but this one made me clamp my teeth tight. “See those two men over there, the one with the terrible toupee and the one with the round belly, they are investment bankers.”

  “I’m already bored and I haven’t even talked to them,” I said dryly. I knew it would anger him, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself anymore.

  As expected, Trace’s fingers clamped harder on my arm. “Well, get unbored and be ready to push out those gorgeous tits. Be useful for something for a change. They want to start a casino in Atlanta, and I want to be in on it.”

  I looked at him as he hurried me briskly through the people meandering on deck. “Atlanta? In Georgia?”

  “That’s right. It’ll be fun. I’ll buy one of those historic antebellum mansions, and you can flit about there all day and order the servants around.”

  “I won’t leave my family.”

  “Do you mean the family that exists only until I break them up?”

  “Fuck you.” I turned and tried to pull from his grasp, but he only gripped me tighter. He didn’t even seem to care that others noticed the way he was holding me. He liked this level of control. As I spun back around, I caught a glimpse of Jericho. The women surrounding him were talking excitedly, putting on their best smiles, but his attention was on the ugly scene between Trace and me. His blue eyes darkened with anger. The last thing I wanted was to get anyone else involved in my horrid life. I stopped pulling and went obediently to Trace’s side.

  Trace pressed his hand possessively against my lower back. He leaned close enough for me to smell his obnoxious cologne. “That’s better, sweetheart. Now be a good little girl and smile nicely for these guys.” His hand moved down and he smacked me sharply on the ass. I flinched but recovered quickly. I hated being anything but stalwart and hardened in front of him. Even if inside, I was crumbling into someone who had lost all sense of who I was.

  chapter 10

  Jericho

  As the moon took the sun’s place in the carpet of stars above, the lake took on an eerie quality as if the boat was passing along some unexplored lake on an unknown planet. There was great food and an unlimited supply of beer and whiskey, not to mention a garden of pretty women to talk to. Reed seemed to be enjoying his evening with Pepper. They were oddly suited for each other. Jacko had bounced from girl to girl, some welcoming his attention, some not so much.

  All the elements were there for a good time, but my mood was dark. I’d spent half the evening searching out Roxie and the other half watching to make sure that bastard Gamble didn’t mistreat her. She was always stiff and uncomfortable in his presence, a sure sign that the asshole wasn’t beyond abusing her. None of it made sense to me. She was smart, confident and unbelievably gorgeous. I couldn’t think of any scenario that would keep her in his greedy hands. But apparently there was a scenario, a reason behind the whole relationship that I was too dense to see.

  Gamble had kept her glued to his side for most of the night, and she’d sipped drink after drink, seemingly to take the edge off. The second she managed to slip away from him, I made my way through the crowd to follow her. I found her standing at the bow, gazing out at the moonlit lake and holding her sweater tightly shut around her.

  She glanced back as she heard me walk up. Then she faced the water again. I stood next to her at the railing. We both watched as the dark blue water rolled underneath the bow. The lights of the pier were just off in the distance. We were almost back to the cove.

  “So are you having a good time?” she asked without looking at me.

  “Not really my kind of thing, socializing and making small talk. I grew up in sort of a strange place, and I was pretty sheltered.”

  She leaned against the railing and smiled up at me. The drinks had definitely softened her mood. “Tell me about it. After listening to financiers and investors and worst of all, Trace, talk all night, I could do with an interesting story.”

  I raked my hair back with my fingers. “Not sure if it’s interesting. Sketchy, yes. But interesting, no promises. I pretty much grew up in this life.” He pointed to his cut. “My dad was the vice president of the club for many years under the old president, Dreygon Sharpe.” He shook his head and seemed to have drifted momentarily back in time. “He was a crazy, salty old fucker, that Dreygon. Anyhow, my mom left when I was just a kid. She didn’t like the club life. And my dad loved the club more than he loved her, so they parted ways. She felt no need to take me with her.”

  “See, I don’t get that. I hear stories of women leaving their kids behind to look for a different life, and I don’t get how that’s possible. Sorry, go on.” She reached out and brushed my hand. It was barely a touch, but she might as well have wrapped her hand around mine.

  “I think she figured she wouldn’t be able to handle me on her own. I was a bit of a crazy, badass fucker myself, even at twelve. A few years later, my dad was out on his bike on the highway when an eighteen wheeler took him out.”

  “God, I’m sorry.”

  “Happened a long time ago. Anyhow, Dreygon took me in. He was a paranoid, old bastard, and he owned a big piece of land out in the desert. He had built himself a giant cement fortress, an off-the-grid compound. A bunch of us lived there. The people inside were like my family, but Evangeline, or Evie as I call her, was my best friend. I couldn’t have survived without her. She was tough and super smart and beautiful, and she was sort of a prisoner in Dreygon’s bizarre world.” I looked at her. She’d been listening to every word with interest. “In fact, you remind me of Evie.”

  “From the way you’re speaking of her, I will consider that a compliment, even if one of the things we have in common is being imprisoned in a strange world.”

  “She’s not anymore. Evie’s free of that weird life and living happily with her prince.”

  Roxie turned to face the water. “Lucky girl. I’m glad for her.”

  “It will happen for you too,” I said confidently, even though I had no real way of knowing for sure. There were far too many secrets surrounding this woman. Secrets I badly wanted to unravel.

  “Just like that fortress you grew up in, my circumstances are rock solid.”

  “The walls were cement and the gate was locked, but we got out. We all got out.”

  She sucked in a deep breath and faced me.

  I should have stopped myself, but then I was notorious for losing all sound judgment around a beautiful woman. And Roxie was making my head spin. I
pressed my hand against her face and paused, waiting to see if she would pull away from me. She didn’t. She stayed right there, silently pleading with me to kiss her. I lowered my face to hers, focusing completely on her lips, lush lips that parted slightly as I moved my mouth closer.

  “Prez,” Jacko called.

  I lowered my hand. A rush of disappointment swirled around Roxie and me.

  Jacko walked up to the bow. He shot me an ‘are you fucking kidding me’ look. “Gamble is looking for you.” He looked at both of us. “In fact, he should be up here in just a second.”

  “That’s my cue to leave,” Roxie said. She brushed against me as she moved quickly toward the railing along the side of the boat. I watched as she disappeared behind the pilot house.

  Gamble appeared on the opposite railing with that smug smile I already hated. “You boys are set then.” He handed me a slip of paper. “Here are the addresses and times. I have a strong feeling about this partnership.”

  I glanced in the direction that Roxie had just run. “Yeah. I’ve got a feeling too.”

  chapter 11

  Roxie

  I was just going through the motions, as they say. My mind bounced around all over the place from deciding what kind of coffee I’d have this morning to wondering what Trace’s newest employee wore to bed. Something told me the only thing that man slid between the sheets wearing was his mosaic of ink and a smile. And what a smile it was. Thinking about Jericho while Trace was slamming into me, the headboard behind my head smacking rhythmically against the wall as he brought himself to climax, was probably completely warped. But somehow, thinking about Jericho helped the disgusting five minutes go faster. For some reason, it was taking longer than usual, and I gritted my teeth as Trace frenzied his pace. He didn’t care at all that I didn’t even try anymore. Just the motions. That was all it was for me.

  My phone buzzed on the nightstand, and I reached for it.

  “Don’t even think about answering that fucking phone,” he growled into my ear. He was getting frustrated too. He reached between our bodies and clumsily kneaded my nipple, hoping apparently to work up something that resembled an erotic moment between us, but it was useless. There was nothing the man could do to bring me back to his side, to make me think maybe I could tolerate being with him. And yet, he held onto this stupid arrangement as if everything in his life depended on me being there with him. Trace hated not having control of things.

  He finally finished. I sighed with relief as he pulled out of me. Sadly, I wondered if he’d ruined sex for me forever. I wondered if I would ever be able to reach orgasm again. I wondered if I could ever feel sensual and aroused in a man’s arms again. That quick moment on the boat when Jericho nearly kissed me had stirred me physically more than anything Trace had done in the entire past year.

  I reached for the phone. The call had been from Sean. It was early for him to be calling. Trace got up and went into the bathroom. I pulled on a robe and called my brother back. He answered fast. “Roxie, glad you called back.”

  “What’s up? Everything all right?” It was a question I always dreaded hearing the answer to. Mostly because things were always going awry for my brother and his wife.

  “Everything’s fine¸” he said hesitantly. “To tell the truth, Nancy hasn’t been doing too well. She’s hardly eaten, and she hasn’t gotten out of her robe for three days. I’ve got two job interviews set up, but I don’t want to leave Easton alone with her.”

  “Shit, Sean, I’m supposed to be at work at ten.” The shower started. “You know what, that’s fine. I’ll come by and pick them up. Tell Nancy to get out of the damn robe and put on her bathing suit. Trace will be gone, so we can hang out here. I’ll take Easton down to the lake.”

  “You’re the best sister a guy could have.”

  “If that isn’t the fucking understatement of the year,” I said the words, and quickly wanted to take them back. They were really meant to stay in my head, but it was too late. “Sean, I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t you think I know what a fucking loser I am? For fucksake, Rox, I wake every morning living with the reality of what I’ve done. And you’re the one bearing the burden of it all. Sometimes I think I’ll just turn myself in.”

  “No, Sean. No. I’m fine. All that matters is that you’re there for Easton.” My throat tightened, and badly, I wanted to kick myself for blurting out the thoughtless words. “I’ll be by to pick them up in an hour. Get ready and good luck in the interviews.”

  “Thanks for doing this, Roxie. Easton will be super excited.”

  ***

  Nancy looked far more fragile than I’d imagined. She’d pulled on an old gray t-shirt over her swimsuit. The gray fabric nearly matched her complexion.

  “I think that new blonde color really suits you,” I said cheerily as we drove back to Trace’s house.

  Nancy reached up and tugged at a white blonde strand of hair. “Do you think? I’m not too sure. I’m already so pale.”

  “Well, you’ll get some color today.”

  “Rocky, will we see water?” Easton called from the backseat.

  “See the water? We’re going for a swim, buddy. I’m going to teach you how to swim.”

  “Yay!” His little foot kicked the back of the driver’s seat as he cheered.

  I glanced over at Nancy. “I’ll pull out the beach chairs, and you can add some pink to those sallow cheeks.”

  Nancy smiled weakly in response.

  I knew she couldn’t help the way she was, and I couldn’t imagine how hard it would be to fight off depression, but there were times when it angered me. I knew it was unreasonable for me to feel that way, but I couldn’t help it. Nancy had this amazing little boy who lit up every room he toddled into, and she had a husband, who while he wasn’t great at making money, loved and worshipped her as if she was the only woman on earth. In my eyes, she had it pretty damn good. But this disease had gotten the better of her, especially in the years following Easton’s birth. She just couldn’t seem to get a grip on it.

  “I’m going to be trying some new medication next week.”

  “Oh good,” I said with forced enthusiasm. Every medication change brought with it the uncertainty of new side effects, like the one that’d made her think little bugs were crawling beneath her skin. New medication also brought with it new hope, hope that was usually dashed about two months later when the initial effects had worn off, and Nancy returned to her dark shell.

  We pulled up to the house. I got out and leaned into the backseat to help Easton out of his toddler seat. He threw his little arms around my neck. “I love you, Rocky.” He smooshed his wet little mouth against my cheek and I laughed.

  “I love you too, Easton. You’re the best part of my day— every day.”

  chapter 12

  Jericho

  Jacko was in front of the gray van. Reed and I were behind it. It was our third and last run of the day. So far the job hadn’t entailed much more than a leisurely cruise along a curvy mountain road. The scenery was great, the weather was perfect, and, so far, we hadn’t come across anything more harrowing than a squirrel running across the highway.

  Gamble had a string of clubs and small casinos between Tahoe’s southern shore and Reno. The man was swimming in cash. We’d made over ten grand already, and by the end of the day, we’d have five more. We kept a quarter of it for the small house we’d found to rent and to feed ourselves and keep the beer flowing. The rest went to Rick, the treasurer, to add to the club’s assets. Reed, Jacko and I had been the logical choices for the job because it required living up in Tahoe. None of us had families back in Reno, and I, for one, liked the idea of living near the lake. So far, the only thing I didn’t like about the gig was the boss. Gamble was an arrogant fuck, who I was just as happy not to deal with directly.

  Pete, the driver of the van that did most of the transporting, was an O.K. guy. He liked to talk, that was for damn sure. After a few days of following him around, covering his ass
and making sure the squirrels didn’t get too close, I decided to get some information. I figured I could do it without it seeming like I was prying. The last thing I needed was to have him go to Gamble and tell him I’d been asking questions. The money was too good to give up. But Roxie’s warning had stuck with me.

  After the last delivery, I needed to stop by Gamble’s house to pick up a check, but four hours on the road had made us hungry. Jacko was cranky when he needed food. Before heading back to the lake house, we all decided to go inside our last stop, a small club that served food, and have a sandwich. Pete was happy to join us. It was a small restaurant and casino with a few rows of slot machines and one roulette wheel but nothing more. We sat at a booth and ordered sandwiches and beers.

  “Don’t let the size of the place fool you,” Pete said. “They hold high stakes poker games in back every Friday night. That’s what the cash delivery was for. You have to have big bucks to get in on it.”

  “How long have you been driving for Gamble?” Reed asked.

  “About a year.”

  “Guess you’ve seen it all, huh?” I said. “I mean with robberies and everything.”

  He shrugged. “There were a couple of minor incidents, but to tell you the truth, I was sort of insulted when Gamble told me he was hiring a security team. I mean, it wasn’t really necessary. Besides, he’s got security cameras all over the damn place.”

  The waitress put our beers on the table. Pete took a swig and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. I found with Pete, you just needed a little patience and he’d start blathering on about any subject that popped into his head. “I thought he might hire that other club though.”