“Let’s see. Well, Courtney liked money, and she was pretty good at gambling, running numbers, too, but she wasn’t smart. I tried to get her to go to college and get a real job, like on Wall Street or something and use her skills legit, but she got involved with the wrong crowd. Eventually, she got involved with some bad men.”
“Is that what got you into trouble?” Cavanaugh asked.
“Pretty much. You see, I tried so many times to get her out from this group of guys. I don’t know if you know anyone who runs numbers but some of these guys that bet, would slit your throat if you cost them a hundred bucks.”
“Some would do that for ten,” Cavanaugh stated, and she locked gazes with him.
“So you tried to get her away from these guys?” Carlyle asked.
She nodded. “It was months of fighting and then not seeing her for a while, but I heard on the streets and in the dojo who she was with. This guy Javier and his buddies Brock and Gavan were trying to do a bunch of crazy illegal jobs. They had connections to drug dealing, guns, a whole lot of stuff. Whatever was profitable. They used her number skills to scam certain people, until she scammed a heavy.”
“What did you do?” Carlyle asked her.
“I stopped trying to help her. I was so angry because I put my life on hold for her. I did those jobs, risked my life gambling, running numbers to save her and to give her a chance at a better life. She threw it away as far as I was concerned. So I went on living. Working out at a dojo, working at a bar with a bunch of jarheads and law enforcement guys. Then this guy comes into the gym and tells me he heard she was in trouble and was on the run. I initially wanted to help her but then Benson, this trainer I was friends with, he told me to keep clear of her.”
“Just a friend?” Magnum asked.
She nodded. “There was a time I thought he could be more, but he was a lot older, and the chemistry wasn’t there. Not even when he kissed me.”
“He kissed you?” Cavanaugh asked.
“Yeah, the night I found out my sister was in trouble and he showed up at my place to give support.”
“He wanted to sleep with you,” Cavanaugh snapped at her.
“He didn’t. We kissed and both felt the friendship. He was the closest thing I had to family. I didn’t have friends really, just acquaintances. It was hard to trust people.”
“But you trusted him?” Cavanaugh pushed.
“Yes.”
“So where the fuck was he when you got into trouble? Where is he now?” Carlyle asked.
“You know how I talked about people betraying me? Well, Benson did and so did my sister.” She looked away.
Cavanaugh ran his hands through his hair. “Explain. Please,” he stated, and she looked at him.
“I don’t want you to hate me. To think the worse of me because of what I was forced to do. No one needs to know,” she said and tears filled her eyes. Carlyle felt more than concerned.
“What did you do that would make us change how we feel about you?” Cavanaugh asked.
“I was forced to do things to save my sister. The night I left the dojo, Gavan, Javier’s guy, was there telling me that Courtney was hurt and in trouble and she asked for me. I had no choice and went to Javier’s place where he was having a party or whatever, and when I saw my sister, she had been raped and beaten by some guy she tried to trick. Actually, I don’t even know if that was true. Javier owed him money and Courtney’s life was threatened.”
“The guy rapes her and beats her and her boyfriend, the guy she’s been with, didn’t do anything?” Magnum asked.
She shook her head. “This guy, the one they owed money to and that was going to kill Courtney, only let her go because Courtney promised that I would do him a favor.”
“What the fuck kind of favor?” Cavanaugh asked.
She swallowed hard and took a few moments to answer. “Transferring money from numerous bank accounts to others overseas without getting tracked.”
“What?” Cavanaugh asked, and Carlyle was shocked.
“You knew how to do that?” he asked.
“I’m really good at computers, besides numbers and things.”
“Hacking, you mean?” Magnum asked and sat forward in his seat.
“Don’t look at me like that. I had to learn in order to save my sister and get custody of her. Then I was on a roll and just messing around and learned a bunch of stuff. I hadn’t really done it often enough for it to be a crime.”
“You do it once, it’s a crime,” Cavanaugh stated firmly, reprimanding her.
She worried her bottom lip. “This was a do or die situation and my sister was going to get killed.”
“So you do this job for this guy to save your sister? What did you do?” Carlyle asked.
“I just needed to transfer funds from a few accounts to banks overseas, Swiss accounts, without getting tracked.”
“Jesus.”
“Listen, it was fine, and I wasn’t charged when the Feds showed up at the warehouse for me to hand over the thumb drive to this friend of Duvou.”
“Wait, back up and explain,” Magnum told her.
Carlyle was trying to process the situation. She was out of her mind. She could have been killed.
“So this guy, no face, no name, shows up, and you hand him the thumb drive, then what happens?” Cavanaugh asks.
“Javier shoots and kills my sister, right there, just like that. Says she tricked me into this and that they all just made a shit load of money. Next thing I know Conan, Duvou’s guy, is dragging me out of there. It’s all a setup. Duvou is going to own me now. My sister was just killed in front of me when suddenly the place lights up and FBI agents swarm the place. I’m fighting off Conan, and he hits me. I grab his gun, he charged me, and I killed him. Then I hear my name, I turn and look and it’s Benson.”
“Benson? What, did he follow you and call the Feds or something?” Carlyle asked.
She shook her head. “He was an FBI agent working undercover. He pretended to be someone he wasn’t in order to catch Duvou and Javier. He betrayed me, just like my sister had.”
“Holy crap,” Cavanaugh stated and he stood and pulled her into his arms.
“Please don’t hate me, Cavanaugh, because I had to do those things to save my life and my sister’s. I didn’t know I was being tricked. I didn’t know that Duvou made a deal to keep me as his woman either.”
He pulled back. “What?” Cavanaugh asked. Carlyle and Magnum now standing next to her, too.
“He and the other guy, the one who got the thumb drive, were trying to kill me when I was under federal protection. Benson realized that someone in the bureau was working for Duvou and this other guy and he got me to safety. It was his decision, his connections to Darius and Caspian that got me out of there and here. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay here. You three need to know that.”
Cavanaugh pulled her close and kissed her head. “Baby, we are going to protect you with all we have. Now that we know the details, we can do what’s necessary to keep you safe and in our lives forever.
She pulled back, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I won’t let them hurt you. I’ll leave the second I hear they may have found me and could be coming.”
He gripped her arms tight. “No, you won’t, or there’ll be hell to pay. You’re our woman. We protect what’s ours.” He kissed her and then she hugged him tight as Carlyle locked gazes with Magnum and could tell his brother was just as scared and shocked as he was.
Chapter 8
“Okay, it’s true then, you are seriously dating the Mather brothers? I can’t even believe it. I should have known by the way Magnum shot daggers at all the guys checking you out,” Essie said to Precious. They met outside the dojo and were heading into class.
“What do you mean shooting daggers?” she asked.
“Oh, honey. He had it bad for you from the start. It was awesome to see. I wish I could find a man or men who looked at me like that.”
“That’s swee
t. You’re not dating anyone?” she asked her.
Essie shook her head and lowered it. “I kind of had a bit of a situation a few months back.” Essie looked around them and Precious took her hand and pulled her to the side to talk privately.
“What happened?”
“I went out with some friends and we met some guys. They seemed really nice, but this one guy, who I thought was a god, turned out to be a stalker. I mean, I never even went on a date with him. Never kissed or had sex or anything. He was crazy.”
“What happened? Did he try to hurt you?”
“I was attacked one night after leaving work in the city.”
“Oh God, no. Don’t tell me.”
“No, he didn’t rape me, the guy just beat the hell out of me. I was in the hospital for weeks and couldn’t return to work.”
“Did the police arrest him?”
“No, because there was no proof it was him. Precious, I didn’t even see his face. He wore a mask, and the only indication that it was the guy stalking me was that friends saw him watching me at a club an hour before the attack. I was dancing, having fun, and a couple of guys were flirting, but because of the experience I had with that guy being a stalker, I was extra careful. He must have been watching me.”
“The police couldn’t do anything?” Precious asked.
“No. When he started calling, sending me things, and asking to get together, it became too much. I got an order of protection against him and he flipped out. My car was damaged. Someone broke into my apartment and tore it apart and left a knife in the pillow. He had an alibi, but it just kept looking like I was causing trouble and making accusations. I was so scared that I called my parents and told them I wanted to move back home to live with them, but they were so worried about him finding me that they called my aunt and uncle, who live out here. I moved here three months ago.”
Precious pulled her into a hug and then Essie wiped her eyes and eased back, chuckling.
“God, I haven’t told anyone that story.”
“Well, I’m glad you told me. I never really had a good friend. Someone I felt comfortable talking to,” she told Essie.
“Really? But you’re so pretty and friendly.”
“I got a chip on my shoulder, too.”
“I bet your Marines likes that.”
“Hey, Precious, are you taking Magnum’s class today?” She looked to the side and saw Carlyle’s friend Cobra and his three brothers. All of them checked out Essie, who shyly turned away.
“Yes, I am. What are you guys doing here?”
“Checking out the place, seeing if we want to take Magnum’s offer up of doing some special self-defense classes.”
“Awesome. This is my friend, Essie. Essie this is Cobra, Ford, Max, and Turbo. They’re good friends with the Mather brothers,” she said, and Cobra reached out his hand. Precious saw the way the guys checked Essie out. They towered over the poor thing. Essie was all of about five-foot-three. They were all over six-foot-three.
“Should we head inside?” Precious asked, and Essie nodded and hurried up to go in first. Precious looked over her shoulder and saw Ford checking out Essie’s ass in her spandex pants. Then she felt Turbo’s hands on her shoulders as Ronin stood next to him. He whispered into her ear. “You working at Carlyle’s Friday night?”
“That’s the plan,” she said and tried pulling forward, wondering why he was whispering into her ear and holding her shoulders, then she spotted Mangum standing there looking pissed off.
“Whisper something to me gorgeous, I want to make him spit fire.”
“Not a good idea, Turbo,” she said and stepped from his hold and went right to Mangum. He didn’t hug her or pull her close. He was pissed. She cupped his cheek. “Hey, what’s the matter?”
“What the fuck was he doing with his hands on your shoulders and whispering into your ear?”
“Trying to make you spit fire. I didn’t know you could do that. Can all Marines?” she asked and then kissed the corner of his mouth. He glanced at her and clenched his teeth.
She didn’t think he could get so mad. As she went to step away, he snagged her around the waist and squeezed then said to Turbo. “You can fantasize all you like, but you can’t touch what’s mine,” he said and placed his hand over her ass and then kissed her.
“Lucky fucking bastard,” Max stated.
“You ain’t kidding,” Ronin chimed in. They all chuckled as she gave Magnum’s chest a slap and then pulled away.
“They’re all taking the class?” she asked as they filed into the dojo, grabbing boxing gloves and warming up.
“Yes we are, sugar, so get ready,” Ford teased her.
“Hey, don’t mess with her, man, she is fierce,” Ronin said and winked.
She pulled off her hooded sweatshirt as Magnum told them to partner up. When she turned around, the guys all surrounded her. “I’m with Precious,” Max said, eying her over.
“Cool it!” Magnum yelled. Max winked, and then they all separated and paired up. Conveniently, Magnum was her partner.
As they began to spar, he looked at her top and shook his head. “I need to take you shopping for workout clothes,” he whispered, but he said it kind of loudly.
“I don’t need anymore. These are fine,” she said and then took a shot and nailed him. He countered, and she ducked.
“They are perfect from where I’m standing.” Turbo chimed in.
“You’re not fucking kidding. She should start her own line,” Ford said.
“Focus!” Magnum demanded, and he was really getting angry. She chuckled and then the rest of the class ran smoothly. Before they walked out, Turbo stopped her.
“Hey, who is your little friend, the blonde you were talking to?” She smiled as she wiped her arms and then teased him. Turbo was very big. A little taller and thicker than Magnum.
“My little friend?”
“Come on, the petite blonde. Who is she?” he asked and placed his hand on the wall behind her.
“Her name is Essie. She’s very sweet, and shy, but really nice.”
“She from around town?”
“I believe so. I think she moved here recently. Why do you want to know?” she asked and squinted.
“What the fuck, Turbo?” Magnum interrupted.
“What? I’m having a conversation with my good friend, Precious,” he said and winked. She laughed, but took Mangum’s hand and held it.
“She’s very shy like I said. So if you want to ask her out, she may be intimidated.”
“By me?” he asked.
She raised both eyebrows up at him. “Turbo, you’re huge,” she said, and he smiled wide and then flexed.
“Thank you, doll.” He eyed her breasts and then shook his head and looked at Mangum. “Lucky fucking guy,” he said, and Magnum gave him an annoyed expression.
“We’ll talk about that class in a minute. Let me just walk Precious out to her car.”
“You don’t have to. Stay and discuss business. I’ll be fine,” she said as they walked out of the room. She saw Cobra wink at Essie and Essie’s eyes went wide as his brothers made their way around her, being sure to catch her eye. She tightened up and hurried to Precious.
“Want to hit the café?” she asked Precious.
“Sure. Sounds good,” she said and then looked at Magnum.
“Be careful. I’ll see you at the house in a few hours.”
“Okay,” she said. He pulled her close and kissed her. She stepped back and gave him a wink. He gazed at her body.
“Put the hoodie back on, please.”
“It’s hot out,” she said and then shoved it into her bag and walked out waving at the guys who waved and said goodbye to her and Essie. Essie grabbed her arm.
“Jesus, woman. Those guys are huge and so good looking.”
“And interested in you,” she told her, and Essie stopped short. She lost all color in her face and Precious realized she said the wrong thing.
“Oh God, are you o
kay? Shoot, you’re not okay. I freaked you out.” Essie nodded.
“They are gorgeous, though. Come on, we’ll talk more at the café,” she said, and as they walked, Essie’s color came back a little. She was really freaked out about those guys. That stalker really scared her.
“So, are you afraid of all men because of that stalker guy, or is that situation not over and you’re afraid he could show up and catch you with someone and hurt you worse?” she asked, and Essie froze in place and stared at Precious.
“My God, how did you figure that all out?”
Precious gave her a sympathetic smile. “Let’s just say, I can understand your fears. Come on.”
* * * *
Caspian was waiting outside Precious’s cottage with Darius Law. He got a call from Connecticut and needed to go over something with Precious.
“So she told you guys everything?”
“Yes, and I’m sure you can understand our concerns.”
“Of course. Benson explained in better detail about what went down, and the added information you shared helps, too. The poor woman was betrayed and was forced to kill to survive. No wonder she was so untrusting.”
“I know.”
“Made you come out of your shell there. This is the most you’ve talked in over a year,” Darius teased his friend.
“Very funny,” he said as they saw the jeep pull up and then Precious went from smiling to looking serious as she parked the jeep into the driveway. She got out.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” she asked in a panic. She went right to Cavanaugh, and he took her hand and gave her a soft smile. Darius pulled out his cell phone.
“I heard from Benson. They’re working on an angle and have some leads. They think they know who is working with Duvou and organizing these gun and drug deals. They’re making connections, Precious, and they found this one guy the Feds have been watching that they think is the rat in the bureau,” Darius told her.
“Okay, so what is the plan? What does Benson want to do?”
Love at Carlyle's [Love on the Rocks 8: Special Edition] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 13