I thumbed the leather; it was an excellent quality gift. I opened up the wallet, noting his initials inscribed in gold, before flipping it open. Forty-three dollars. I pulled the money out and put it in my pocket. Then I started pulling out credit cards. “Any of these have money on them?”
He swallowed heavily, a wet sound filled the air. “Maxed.”
“Fuck, Frank. I didn’t want to do this, but you’ve quite literally left me nothing to work with.” I looked at Troy. “Have the twins take care of him, tell them to make it quick, we have a fight in less than an hour.”
Troy nodded once, then yanked on Frank’s arm, pulling his body up with little effort. He struggled, pulling against the hold Troy had on his bicep, refusing to walk like a man owning up to his mistakes, instead choosing to be dragged like a toddler not getting their way. “No. Stop, please. I’ll do anything. I can work, I can work off my debt!”
I nearly rolled my eyes. “Do you realize how long you would have to work for me to even make a dent in what you owe? No, I prefer loyalty, not forced labor.”
I nodded again to Troy, and he continued dragging him again, meanwhile leaving a trail of blood on my floor. Just as he got to the door, Frank screamed, “I’ve got a daughter. I’ll give her to you, she’s all yours.”
“Stop,” I yelled. “Do you honestly think your daughter would appreciate being gifted away? This isn’t the eighteen-hundreds any longer.”
He licked his lips. “No. But she would do anything to save me.”
“Do you think your life is worth that much?” I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling the pull of the tight material against my bicep.
“No.” He looked ashamed to admit it, but honestly, just this conversation alone proved this man was scum. “I don’t think my life is worth it, but she will.”
“What exactly are you proposing?”
“That I trade her, in exchange for my debt.” He stood up straighter as he said it like he knew he piqued my interest.
“You are so sure she would agree to this, that she would agree to fall into the hands of a monster like me?” The whole concept suddenly had me intrigued.
“She would do it. She’s my only family.” He looked sad about that fact, but I suspected it was partially his doing.
“What does this daughter look like?” I asked curiously.
He relaxed some. “In my wallet, the third picture in, that’s the most recent one I have.”
I picked up the wallet off my desk again and flip through it, finding a pretty girl with chestnut hair and piercing green eyes. Familiar, I thought, like I had maybe met her before and not put much thought into her afterward. “This picture is a bit dated, am I correct?”
“Yes, sir. But nothing has changed.”
I groaned, annoyed for a second that I even entertained this thought. “I can’t, it wouldn’t be right to trade her life without consent.”
Troy cleared his throat. “Um, I’m not trying to speak out of line, but I do believe Mama Russo would be thrilled.”
I stared at him a moment, not understanding what he meant until he held up his ring finger and wiggled. I nearly choked, but once my heart rate calmed down, I saw his reasoning. A wife? What better way to please my aging mother than bringing home a daughter-in-law. It wasn’t something I planned, obviously, but I thought I could make it work.
“Okay, new plans. Troy will fetch . . .” I paused, waiting for Frank to fill in the name of his daughter.
“Bianca.”
Hmm, I liked the sound of her already. “Troy will fetch us Bianca, and if she is willing to marry me in exchange for your life, then you have a deal. If this is not a deal she wants to partake in, then we go back to the original punishment, no guilt falls on her. Deal?”
He cleared his throat again. “Deal.”
I turned to Troy as he released Frank’s arm. “Troy, get me this Bianca, then meet me after the fight. Contact an officiant to be present just in case.”
I turned, dismissing them both without words, and continued with my work.
CHAPTER 4
BIANCA
The man standing in front of me was both threatening and passive all at once, and I couldn’t quite figure out how that was even possible. He sighed. “I told you not to scream, no one is going to hear you.”
I nodded in agreement because he was right, no one would hear me, and if they did, they would ignore it. It’s not like hearing screams at random hours was too crazy in this area. I took a step further into my closet, and he made no move at all. Crossing my arms over my chest, trying to shield my discomfort, I asked, “What do you want from me?”
“Well, first, I would like for you to not look at me like I’m ready to rape you. Also, could you tone down the high pitched, panicky voice a bit? I’ve got a bit of a headache.” He reached his hand up, completely relaxed as he tapped his fingers lightly on the top of my closet door frame. I glared, contemplating a nut shot to catch him off guard. “Don’t even think about it.”
Damn it, how did he know my thoughts? I took a calming breath. “Okay. Now, what is the real reason you have me trapped in my closet?”
“You really should make sure you’re keeping your doors locked. It was so easy just to walk in here. Not to mention how oblivious you are. You walked past me twice before I announced myself. Twice!” He went on, still not answering my question.
“Why are you in my closet?!” I screamed.
He blinked, looking at me like I was crazy while he mumbled, “Oh, he’s going to have fun with this wild cat.”
“Who? Who is going to have fun? Also . . . you? Closet? Answer!” The more time went by, the more positive I was this guy couldn’t hurt me if he tried. He couldn’t even keep his mind straight.
“Well, Bianca . . .” I shivered at the fact he knew my name, “I was sent here to fetch you at your father’s request.”
The mention of my father had my heart rate speeding. “My father? Is he okay? Is he hurt?”
“He is okay, for now. A little ah, beaten, I guess, but he will live. Probably.” He tapped the door frame one more time before bringing his arms down. “So, are you coming? Or do I have to carry you?”
He sounded so unsure about my father’s condition like he didn’t care either way. “What do you mean probably?”
He groaned. “He’s probably okay. He was alive when I left. Are you coming?”
“You are the most infuriating person I’ve ever met!” I tried not to, but I might have stomped my foot like a child.
He completely ignored my statement, but instead stepped forward, scooping me up and throwing me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing. A squeal escaped my mouth, followed by an oomph when my stomach hit his hard shoulder. I brought my fisted hands down on his back and pounded while trying to kick myself free, but his iron grip on me didn’t waver.
“Do you want the door locked?” he asked as we got to the front door. “It seems sort of counterproductive now since you didn’t lock it to keep people out, but who knows, maybe someone wants your outdated television.”
I growled. I couldn’t help it, he forced it out of me. “I don’t want my damn door locked; I want my feet touching the fucking ground!”
He tilted his face to look at me, a grin plastered on it. “Oh yeah, he’s going to have fun with you.”
He slammed my door, and despite my proclamation about not wanting it locked, he still managed to pull my housekey from his pocket, a key he obviously stole from me, and locked my door. He walked to the black SUV parked against the curb and opened the door, setting me down gently in the back.
He raised one eyebrow. “Just so you know, I have the child locks on.”
The door slammed before I could fully process the words. I screamed, letting my frustration consume his whole vehicle. When he walked around to the driver’s side, he muttered, “I hope I’m not around when they clash,” then he slammed the door.
We had been driving a few minutes when he looked at me through th
e mirror, “Seatbelt.”
I didn’t answer him but aggressively grabbed the nearest belt and pulled it as hard as I could before clicking the buckle in place. “Thank you.”
“Fuck off,” I muttered, and the jerk only smirked.
“I’m Troy, by the way.” His eyes met mine again, and I chose to ignore him. Instead, I crossed my arms in front of me, and turned my head, thoroughly annoyed with him and this whole situation. Why didn’t my father just call me? Why did he send this complete stranger to my house?
The drive to wherever we were going took about twenty minutes. He was driving through an industrial neighborhood when he suddenly turned through an opening in a chain-linked fence. His car drove through a space between lines of cars until we approached a set of large rusted double doors.
He rolled down his window and leaned out, speaking to a man who looked a bit gruffer then Troy himself did before he pulled back. He waited for the doors to open then drove through, the car suddenly going at an incline underground. “Where are you taking me? If my father is hurt, shouldn’t we be at a hospital?”
He ignored me, giving me a taste of the game that I was playing moments before. The car curved right before coming to a stop in a spot next to a line of other black vehicles. Without even glancing at me, he got out, walking to a man standing nearby. Whatever he said made the guy laugh, then they both looked toward the vehicle I sat silently in. There was another short exchange before Troy walked toward the door, opening it for me.
“You ready?” he asked.
“For what?” I questioned.
“Your life to change.” He laughed. I started to get out but was pulled backward. “Wow, so eager you didn’t even unbuckle yourself.”
“Screw you!”
He just laughed. “Oh, honey, my boss doesn’t share. Walk or carry?”
What did that even mean? I didn’t get a chance to ask because, apparently, I didn’t answer him quickly enough, and the next thing I knew, I was being tossed over his shoulders again. “This carrying me is getting old.”
“Well,” he shifted me so he could pull open the door. “Maybe you should have answered quicker.”
“Answer quicker? You hardly gave me a chance to speak!”
He shrugged his shoulders, the movement jostling my body. “Bossman is waiting.”
I mocked his words, and he just laughed, unaffected by my anger. “You talk like I know what any of this means!”
He smacked my ass. “Oh, you will, Princess, you will.”
He offered me no more information, and I gave up struggling, accepting that he wouldn’t put me down until he was good and ready. The further down we walked through the hallway, the louder sounds became. Men cheering and booing echoed through the hall until we burst through the door in the middle of a fight ring,
Sweat broke out along my spine, fear freezing me in place. I wasn’t exactly sure where I was, but I was positive that if it was in the middle of nowhere, in an underground facility, it couldn’t be good, and it most definitely could not be legal. I dug my nails into Troy, securing him to me as we walked past, ignoring all the whistles and taunts of the men directed right at me.
He walked directly around the ring, giving me a glimpse of two men, bloodied and fighting, before following a clear path to a door toward the back of the room. He exited through the door, the sound instantly dulling. Halfway down, he opened a new door, where he sat me in a chair in the middle of the room before walking out.
He fucking left.
Without a fucking word.
I didn’t know whether I should be fuming with anger or try escaping. I decided to try the door, not all that surprised that it was locked. I sat back down, my anger boiling over. How dare he treat me like this! I’m a Doctor! That title alone commanded respect.
Ten minutes.
Twenty.
A damn hour went by before Troy reappeared, a smile spreading across his face. “I knew you would be on fire by the time I came back.” I stood, ready to explode when he stopped me. “Come on, Princess, Russo and Frank are ready for you.”
That piqued my interest. Russo? Who was he and what did he have to do with my father? I followed, willingly, on my own two feet, without having Troy shove me. He walked me to the last door down the hall before opening it and gesturing me to go inside. I gave him a chilled look as I passed, then turned into the room and froze, a very familiar face looking back at me.
CHAPTER 5
ROYAL
It wasn’t until Bianca was standing in front of me, her hair a wild mess, her clothes skewed and her eyes, those fucking mossy mesmerizing eyes shooting fire at me, that I realized just why the picture looked so familiar.
“Bianca Moretti. Or should I call you Doctor Bianca Moretti?” I leaned back in my chair, my fingers laced together comfortably.
It took her a second, then her eyes sparked with recognition. “How’s the tooth, Mr. Russo?”
I smirked as she eyed me with a challenge, “Well, thank you, although I’m in the market for a new dentist, my current one is . . . subpar.”
The corner of her lips turned up. “I don’t think the dentist was the issue in this case.”
“Regardless, there are other conflicts of interest that will be swaying me in a different direction.” I looked past her to the back corner. “Frank, you never told me that this was your daughter.”
She whirled around, spotting her father in the back, and rushed toward him. Her hands going all over his body, checking out the damage. “What did he do to you?”
“I’m fine,” he rasped, even though he clearly wasn’t.
She spun again, placing her father at her back, her arms splayed as if she could protect him from us. The gesture was cute but useless. “What did you do to him?”
Her glare was ready to slice me in half, and I fucking liked every second of the attention. “I did nothing to him.”
“Liar! Look at him. He’s bleeding. His hand is broken, and possibly a few ribs. He’s missing teeth. Why? Why would you do this?” Her voice broke toward the end.
“I told you I didn’t do this, and I would never lie to you, Bianca,” I informed her. “That was Troy’s work, and your father knew it was coming long before it happened.”
She looked between myself and Troy in confusion. “Troy? Him, Troy?”
Her delicate little fingers pointed at my deadly sidekick. “Yep. That Troy. By my instruction, of course. You see, Frank owes a large sum of money.”
Her demeanor fell. “I gave him all I had to pay you. It’s not his fault that you keep charging an astronomical amount of interest. No one can pay that!”
I laughed, I couldn’t help myself. “Is that what Frank told you, Love?”
Her eyebrows furrowed at my pet name, and her head shook. “Don’t call me that. Of course, he told me he has nothing to hide from me.”
“Amore,” I taunted. “That isn’t the case. You see, my interest rate is low, your father’s spending is high.”
She put her hands on her hips in challenge. “That can’t possibly be true.”
Even as she said it, she looked uncertain. “The money you gave your father to pay off his debt to me, he bet elsewhere. I never received a dime.”
The fire in her eyes began to dim. “It’s not true. I don’t believe you.”
“Then ask him.” I gestured for Frank to come forward, and he did slowly. She looked toward him with hope, and I already knew he would disappoint her. He didn’t speak, and after a few long moments, I had to nudge him. “Frank.”
He nodded, then looked to the ground. Too much of a fucking coward to look at his daughter when he hurt her. “It’s true. I lost it all. I thought that if I could just double it, then I could pay you back. But, I lost it all.”
I cleared my throat. “Are you going to tell her how you chose to pay me, Frank? Be a man for once in your miserable life and look at her when you say it.”
“I . . . I . . .” he stumbled over his words. “I told Mr. Ru
sso he could have you.”
A look of betrayal and disgust contorted her features. “And if I refuse?”
“I die.”
Her head whipped back in my direction so fast, I was shocked she didn’t hurt herself. “What? There has to be another way.”
“He owes a lot of money.”
“So, you kill him?” she screamed.
“No. I take you,” I confirmed.
“I’m not something that can be traded.” She stepped toward me in challenge.
“Then, he dies.” It was simple, really.
“You say that like it’s nothing. It’s death. Murder. Of my father of all people.” She stepped closer, and the anger she expelled was adorable.
“Look, Bianca, Amore. The decision is in your hands. You say no, he goes and takes a ride with Troy. You say yes, that man over there, seals the deal.” I pointed to the officiant in the corner.
She followed my finger to the man then turned back in my direction, “You say it’s my decision, but there really isn’t one. If I disagree with your terms, he dies.”
“It’s still a decision.”
She growled. “Not a reasonable one.”
“I think I’m a reasonable man, Bianca. He’s had ample opportunity to pay me back, but has failed to do so.” I steeped my fingers, giving off a bored appearance. “I’m not invested in his life, only my own. The troubles that plague him are of no concern to me; the consequences, unimportant. I care about my money and my money only. He doesn’t have the money; therefore, he suffers the consequences of a faulty deal. He offered you in exchange as if you were a mere possession to offer. I’m fair, I see the flaw in his offer, that is why I’m asking your permission to make the trade.”
“But a person can’t be traded,” she argued.
I checked my watch, noting the time. “Take it or leave it, Amore. I have other business to attend.”
“Trading whores at this hour,” she mumbled.
Resisting Royal (The Repayment Series) Page 2