Breaker's Point Bad Boy Billionaires Boxset

by Morgan, M. G.

  “Nobody is going to miss her, Holly, nobody but you is going to know she’s here. And if you’re a good little girl and do everything I say, then you won’t have to worry about her, I won’t lay a finger on her… But if you’re not…” His voice had taken on a dark tone as he tilted Holly’s face up towards his.

  “If you’re not, then I’ll do everything to her that I wish I could do to you.”

  Holly’s vision blurred with tears as Marcus shoved her away from him.

  She stumbled, catching her balance as she gripped the side of the couch.

  “We made a deal, I won’t marry you…”

  Marcus started to laugh and the sound grated on Holly’s ears.

  “The deal was that you’d marry me and I wouldn’t hurt Reynolds or your father. You never bargained for your mother and even if you did, it wouldn’t matter. You’ll marry me to keep her safe, to protect her from me.”

  Holly wanted to scream, hurl abuse at him, wrap her hands around his neck and choke the life out of him. But there was nothing left in her, no fight, no will to carry on.

  What was the point? Every time she went up against him she lost and each loss was demanding a higher price from her.

  Instead she watched as he grabbed the blonde he had called ‘Nessie’ by the arm and dragged her upright.

  “Get cleaned up. I’m having a business dinner this evening and I want you at my side, you’re after all my bride-to-be. And don’t try anything stupid or your mother won’t have time to settle in before I’m forced to make a painful point.”

  He headed for the door, dragging the still-sobbing Nessie after him.

  Holly dropped onto the couch and buried her face in her hands.

  “Are you alright?” Victor asked.

  Holly started and scrubbed her hands across her eyes in an attempt to brush away the tears. He’d been so silent she’d forgotten he was still in the room with her.

  “Did you know?” she said, the words coming out as little more than a whisper, an attempt to keep the tremor out of her voice.

  “Yes.”

  “And you didn’t tell me?”

  “You’re not my boss, he is. I don’t owe you anything.” Victor’s voice had taken on its usual arrogant tone.

  Holly stood and faced him, balling her hands into fists at her sides as she stared at him.

  “I thought you cared for me. Last night…”

  Victor didn’t wait for her to continue, cutting her off before she could finish.

  “You thought wrong. I intervened last night because I know how important you are to Marcus’ plans and, in turn, George’s. If Marcus fails, it’s a setback for George that he doesn’t need.”

  Holly started to storm past him. Clearly she’d misread the situation entirely. Victor’s hand closed around her arm, jerking her to a halt.

  “Just don’t do anything stupid. Do as he asks and everything will be fine… Please?” Victor’s voice was soft, and his normally cold grey eyes were filled with an emotion Holly had never expected to see there.

  Tenderness.

  It was strange to hear him plead with her and the moment seemed to pass as quickly as it’d arrived.

  Holly pulled out of his grip and started out the door, her legs picking up pace as she held the torn and tattered remnants of her dress in her hands, keeping it from tripping her on the steps.

  If she was to believe Victor, then she’d misread the situation, but the look in his eyes spoke of something else entirely. Something she could use to her advantage.

  Chapter 13

  “I was wondering when you’d show up,” Anderson said, leaning back against the cream leather of his sofa.

  Riley shifted uncomfortably against the hard leather of the seat he sat in. He’d never understood why Anderson insisted on having furniture that was more form over function.

  As far as he was concerned, just because it looked vaguely impressive did not make it a pleasure to sit on.

  “Look, about last night, there’s a lot you don’t…” Riley started to speak but Anderson waved away his words, his expression hardening.

  “Don’t give me that crap, Riley. You wanted nothing to do with the situation, a situation you created. You talked me into attending that mess last night only because I thought you’d finally gotten serious about getting Holly back. Instead it was just another way for you to stroke your ego in front of the entirety of Breaker’s Point.”

  Riley bristled. Anderson’s words stung and despite the fact that they weren’t remotely accurate, what he was saying was indicative of what the rest of Breaker’s Point thought about him.

  “That’s not what happened and you know it. Holly caught me off guard with one of her questions, is all.”

  “She caught you off guard? Considering the position she finds herself in, I’d have thought if you really cared for her nothing could have caught you ‘off guard’ as you so aptly described.” Anderson’s sarcastic tone was enough to tip Riley over the edge into anger.

  Pushing to his feet, he balled his hands into fists and fought to suck in enough calming breaths to stop himself from crossing the room in order to choke Anderson with the tie he wore.

  “You know how much I care for her. I wouldn’t have asked you to get involved if it wasn’t serious and you know that. Now cut the crap and tell me what Marcus had to say.”

  Anderson sighed and a look of discomfort flashed across his face that had Riley instantly curious.

  “He has some business proposals that he wanted me to look at and when I asked him to elaborate he made a joke about the flesh trade. The worst part is even though he described it as a joke, I think he intended to gauge my reaction from it.”

  Riley shook his head, a cold sweat breaking out down his spine, causing his shirt to stick to his skin.

  “He’s holding a business dinner and he wants me there. I didn’t flinch over the ‘joke’ and he seemed to take that as a healthy sign.”

  “What do you think the business dinner is all about?”

  Anderson shrugged. “I have no idea, Riley. All I know is that I want nothing more to do with that man. The sooner you extricate Holly from his grip, the better.”

  “Did you accept his invitation?” Riley asked. He struggled to keep the hopeful note from his voice.

  Anderson sighed and brushed his hand across his face.

  “I had a feeling you’d ask me that.”

  “And?”

  “Yes, I said yes. I want nothing to do with Marcus but I also don’t like the thought of someone like him moving into the town and starting up different business ventures.”

  “I think his ventures are just the tip of the iceberg,” Riley said. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach and the more he thought about Marcus and his plans, the more uneasy he became.

  “You think his joke wasn’t a joke at all?”

  “Well, you said it yourself, it felt like he was testing you more than making jokes. And, well, your family owns most of the shipyards and dock areas around Breaker’s Point. What you control could be highly valuable to someone like Marcus.”

  Anderson seemed to contemplate Riley’s words, his brow furrowed as he stared out the window.

  A moment of silence passed before Anderson finally seemed to recover his thoughts. Riley watched as he pushed up onto his feet and crossed the room to a dark oak cabinet sitting in the corner. He pushed his hand against the centre panel and it lifted away to reveal an impressively stocked drinks cabinet.

  Anderson pulled an almost full bottle of scotch from one of the glass shelves and gestured in Riley’s direction.

  “I need a drink, are you having one?”

  Riley shook his head, his stomach shifting uncomfortably as he recalled his behaviour from the night before.

  “After last night, I think I’ll pass.”

  “It was that bad, huh?” Anderson smiled as he poured a generous glass for himself. He swallowed it down before pouring a second one.

  �
��It wasn’t something I was proud of.”

  Anderson nodded before returning to his seat on the couch.

  “So how do you want to deal with the dinner?”

  “Well, he can’t exactly turn me away if I turn up with you. It wouldn’t look particularly professional in front of everyone else.”

  Anderson grinned and sipped at the scotch in his glass. “Are you sure that’s wise? It’s his house. What if he won’t even let you in the door?”

  It was Riley’s turn to smile. “And if he does that, he’ll also be turning away you. At least we’ll get a read on how important the port and docks are to him. I just find it hard to believe that Marcus could do all of this without some sort of outside guidance.”

  “Yeah, he doesn’t exactly come across as a shrewd business man. And yet his move to marry Holly is quite clever. Niall is a mess but his name still means something in this town.”

  Riley nodded. Anderson was right, Marcus’ move to marry Holly was a shrewd one and went against everything Riley knew Marcus to be. As time passed it was becoming increasingly more urgent to work out what his true goal was.

  “I don’t care how clever he thinks it is, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure his plans don’t come to fruition. And, as soon as Holly is safe, I’m going to pay him back for everything he’s done to her.”

  * * *

  Leaving Anderson’s house, Riley had contemplated going straight home but the sound of the waves crashing against the shoreline drew him to the path that led down from Cliff Road onto the beach.

  The breeze was cold against his face but the sting of the salt air against his lips was exactly what he needed to help clear his head of the last remnants of the night before.

  He hung his head as he crossed the beach to the shoreline where the water met the sand. The rhythmic slap of the waves only made his already tumultuous thoughts more hectic.

  The one clear thought in his mind was that of Holly. She wanted answers from him and he couldn’t blame her for that.

  She deserved answers.

  She deserved far better than he could ever give her.

  And yet he knew if given the opportunity he would take her in his arms and never let her go. He’d been a fool and he wasn’t about to let history repeat itself.

  Of course it was far more likely that once she found out the truth from all those years ago that she wouldn’t want anything more to do with him. And if that was the case then he’d have to just accept her decision.

  It wasn’t a thought that sat well with him and he had the overwhelming desire to push it aside completely and make her his no matter what it took to earn her trust back.

  His cell phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out and stared down at the screen. Stuart’s name flashed across it as the phone continued to ring. He pushed his thumb against the accept button and pressed the phone to his ear.

  “Riley?” Stuart sounded stressed and it instantly set Riley on edge.

  “Is there something wrong, Stuart?” he said. Stuart was a hot-head but he was good at camouflaging his true feelings, so the fact that he’d allowed enough emotion to leak into his voice so as to be noticeable didn’t fill Riley with confidence.

  “No, not as such. I did what you asked and contacted an old buddy of mine. He said he’d be more than happy to help.”

  “So why do I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming?” Riley said, turning away from the ocean and making his way back up the beach.

  “It’s going to take him a few days to get up here. He said he’s already got a job that he needs to get finished on.”

  “Stu, I’m not sure if I can afford to wait a few days, I want to get Holly out of there now.”

  “I told him that but his hands are tied. If we can’t wait, we’re just going to have to find another way.”

  Riley nodded before he remembered he was talking to Stuart on the phone and his brother couldn’t see him.

  “I’m going over there tonight. I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Riley, the last time you went there he beat the crap out of you. You can’t go barging in there, not without his guards finishing what he started.”

  Riley couldn’t help but laugh. It was strange to hear concern over his welfare in Stuart’s voice. All the years they’d spent apart after their parents death had made Riley feel as though a relationship with his brother was completely impossible.

  But now everything had changed and Riley couldn’t help but feel grateful that he had a man as determined as Stuart on his side.

  “I’ll be fine, it’s not a surprise. Anderson has an invite to dinner and I’m going to tag along with him.”

  “Do you need me to come as backup? I wouldn’t mind getting the chance to wipe that smirk from Marcus’ face.”

  “No. This is strictly all business tonight. There will be no violence and anyway, Marcus is mine once the time is right. But, that can’t be what’s really bothering you, so spit it out.”

  Stuart sighed on the other end of the line and Riley could practically imagine his brother pushing his hand back through his short hair.

  “Griffin is back in town.”

  It seemed like such an innocent statement and yet it had the power to send Riley’s blood pressure spiking

  “Are you sure?” he said, hoping more than anything that Stuart was wrong. It didn’t matter that he knew it was impossible for Stuart to have made an error; he could still hope.

  “Yeah, I saw him in town after you left the diner. He didn’t see me, though.”

  “He always did have the worst sense of timing. Now is not the time for dealing with his drama.”

  Stuart chuckled but Riley knew it was just his way of covering his true feelings over their younger brother’s arrival in town.

  “As long as he leaves before I have to see him, everything will be fine,” Stuart said, his voice quickly losing all signs of its previous good humour.

  “You’re going to see him sooner or later. He’s your brother, Stuart.”

  “We’ll see,” Stuart said, and Riley sighed.

  His brother was hard-headed and stubborn and nothing short of a miracle would change that about him.

  “Let me know if you can get your friend to get up here sooner.”

  “Fine.”

  The line went dead and Riley was left staring down at the blank screen. The thought of going home now was the last thing he wanted to do. If Griffin was back, then Riley knew his brother would be at the house and who knew how many ‘friends’ or groupies he’d managed to drag back with him.

  Staring down at the phone, he contemplated calling his driver. He didn’t have to go home yet. He could go out—go anywhere—and clear his head before he had to face Griffin.

  With a sigh he shoved the phone back into his pocket and started down the beach. Putting off seeing his brother would only lead to a bigger mess and there was far too much at stake to risk it. Damage control was the only way forward and, where Griffin was concerned, the more the better.

  Chapter 14

  Sitting in the living room, Holly stared down at her hands as Paris continued to blather on blithely about the auction. It was a struggle to keep from screaming at her to shut up. She couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that someone could be so completely blind to what was going on around her.

  Holly remained silent, and smiled at intervals, in the hopes that Paris wouldn’t notice that she hadn’t heard a single word that had been said to her.

  There was only one real thought in her mind and that was how she could stop her mother from falling into Marcus’ clutches. He was a violent and unpredictable man, and Holly knew without a doubt that he wouldn’t wait for her to do something wrong before taking his temper out on the woman who had given her life.

  “Holly, are you listening to me?” Paris said, dragging Holly from the thoughts swirling within her mind.

  “Of course, the auction was a great success,” she said, widening her fake smile.

 
“Not that. I asked you what was going on with you know who?” Paris’ emphasis of her words left Holly in no doubt as to whom she was actually talking about.

  Her stomach flipped as her chest constricted, cutting off the supply of air to her lungs, making it almost impossible for her brain to function properly.

  “I— I’m not sure I know what you mean?” She stammered over the words and pushed up onto her feet. Her brain swirled and part of her wondered if she could run away from the conversation, but that wouldn’t change anything.

  There was nowhere she could run that would help her escape the pain she felt over Riley Reynolds. She’d been so certain that all of her feelings for him had been buried long ago, pushed deep down inside, never to surface again.

  But the ache in her heart said otherwise.

  “Of course you do. Everyone was talking about it… I mean, I know you and Riley used to date but that ended a long time ago and you’re with Marcus now. He can’t have been too happy about that last night?” The glee in Paris’ voice over the outcome of the auction bids left Holly feeling sick.

  If she felt that way, it meant the rest of the town did too and Marcus wouldn’t take kindly to being made to look like a fool.

  “It was nothing, really. Riley just wanted to do something nice for the charity.”

  The look Paris shot her told Holly she wasn’t buying a word of her excuses.

  “You do know if there was something going on, you could tell me.”

  For a moment Holly felt the urge to spill everything to the woman sitting on the couch. It’d be so easy to just start speaking and not stop until she knew the full story. Of course, she knew if she did that as soon as Paris walked out through the front door it’d be all over town and everyone would know.

  Would that be such a bad idea?

  The thought popped into her mind unbidden. If everyone knew the truth, then what could Marcus do? He’d have no hold over her anymore and she’d finally be free.

  The urge to spill her secret was so overwhelming that Holly clamped her hand over her mouth and fled from the room.