Highest Bidder (A Bad Boy Romance)

by Mia Carson

  “I’m trying to tell you,” she yelled. “I’m sorry, I…it’s all my fault.”

  “No, it’s not. It’s mine,” Brianna argued as she hopped to her feet. “Sam, I’m Brianna, her little sister, and all of this happened because of me and it’s my fault she was going to meet with that bastard alone and why she even had to go to the club! It’s all my fault! And now I’m going to make it right!”

  Sam held out his arm when she tried for the door again. “No one is leaving until I get some straight answers. What are you two talking about?”

  Harley licked her lips and fought back the guilt eating away at her. “Brianna was involved with Ricky Delugio, who owns the Seven Deadly club,” she explained slowly. “He’s into drugs or something—or worse. She wanted to get away from him and whatever else he’s involved in, but…he…he wouldn’t let her go and there was a deal she messed up.”

  Sam nodded slowly but then shook his head. “And what does this have to do with whatever the hell this is?”

  “I made a deal to get her out of that life,” Harley told him, choking over the words. “I auctioned myself to make up the money and…and Saturday night…”

  “Harley, please, for the love of God, just tell me,” Sam pleaded.

  “She said she would sleep with the man I was meant to so Ricky wouldn’t come after me,” Brianna answered for her.

  Sam blinked quickly as he glanced from Brianna to Harley, wiping a hand over his mouth. “Saturday—this Saturday?”

  Harley nodded. “But I wasn’t going to! I never planned on doing it, not since we’ve been together! I lied to Ricky, but I was coming up with a plan to run, get away from him. I was never going to do it, Sam, you have to know that. But Ricky—he’s powerful and he threatened to hurt you and I was too scared…too scared to tell you the truth and I was going to run…run to save you, but then the baby and I just…I don’t know what to do anymore!” The tears came unbidden as she sobbed and she sank to her knees in front of him. She couldn’t get the words out fast enough to tell him how sorry she was and how it killed her inside to think of what this did to him. “If…if you want me to leave, I’ll understand,” she gasped. “I’m sorry for all of this.”

  She clutched her arms around her body as she sobbed. He dropped to the floor beside her and cradled her in his arms. He shushed her gently, smoothing his hand over her hair as he rocked her gently.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” he told her sternly, his voice strained. “And neither are you. Jesus, Harley, I love you. I’m not going to abandon you when you need me the most.”

  “But Ricky and this Devois man…he’ll come after us,” she said, tugging at his shirt. “We have to leave the city! He’ll hurt you, and I won’t let that happen.”

  “It won’t,” he assured her as he sat her up so he could see her face. “Whatever happens next, we’ll face it together and we’ll get through it.” Tears glistened in his eyes as he kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly. “No matter what happens, I will never regret meeting you that night, do you hear me?”

  She nodded fiercely and kissed him. “I love you. I’m sorry…I’m so sorry.”

  “Stop apologizing,” he told her. “I already forgave you.”

  “She was trying to save me,” Brianna said over them, sniffing hard as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I was always the fuck-up and I ruined your life, Harley.”

  She opened her arms and her sister sank into them. “I will always save you. You’re my sister.”

  Sam kept his hand in Harley’s. His eyes narrowed as he met her gaze again. “Devois—that’s who you said, right? Christopher Devois?”

  Harley nodded, but it was Brianna who answered. “Ricky had some deal with him. Something about bringing in new shipments from out of state. I was his girlfriend for a while, picked up a few things here and there. I was a hell of a lot nosier than I should’ve been, that and he thought I would never betray him. Too much of a scared rabbit he called me.”

  “Brianna, right?” Sam asked and she nodded. “How much do you know about this man?”

  “A lot. Spent the past three years around him,” she answered slowly. “Why?”

  “Sam? What’s going on?” Harley asked as he stood and pulled out his cell phone. He stopped short when he spotted Karen. “Oh, sorry—that’s my roommate and friend, Karen.”

  He shook her hand. “Right. Nice to meet you and I guess I should thank you.”

  Karen tilted her head. “For what?”

  “For being there for Harley,” he told her simply, lifted his cell to his ear, and planted his free hand on his hip. “Yes, Agent Higgins, this is Samuel Benson. I have someone you should meet. The latest girlfriend of Ricky Delugio and she may have information on Devois you’d like to hear.”

  Harley made it to her feet, her eyes locked on Sam’s. “Agent Higgins?”

  “Yes,” he said into the phone. “I’ll be waiting.” He set his phone on the table and held out his hand for hers. “You’re not the only one who’s been hiding secrets.”

  Sam ran his hands over his face again as they waited for the feds to show up at his place. Harley’s sister and roommate were in the living room, talking quietly while he dragged Harley back to the bedroom so they could talk for a few minutes before Higgins and his team arrived.

  “Sam?” She grabbed his arm. “Who’s Agent Higgins?”

  “An FBI agent who’s been in contact with me about Christopher Devois for the past few months,” he explained sharply. “A man they’ve been trying to put away, and you…you were going to sleep with him.” The words burned as he said them, and he stalked away from her.

  “I was never going to, not when we started dating officially. When I realized what I felt for you was real,” she whispered.

  “But before?”

  “Before, I was trying to save my sister,” she hissed. “Before, I didn’t expect to fall in love with the man who bought my virginity. Damn it, Sam, what was I supposed to do? Let Ricky take her into that fucking club? Use her for years—or hell, maybe even kill her?” She sucked in a harsh breath at the words, and Sam turned around to see her bury her face in her hands.

  He thought he knew what real anger felt like before, but the rage flowing through his body now was hotter than lava. Thinking about that criminal with his hands on Harley, to even imagine what could’ve happened to her tomorrow night, infuriated him.

  “Of course not,” he said finally.

  “So you would’ve done the same, then?” She wiped the tears from her eyes and glared fiercely at him. “If you’re going to be pissed at me, then be pissed. Yell, because I won’t deal with this subtle anger shit you have going on, not on top of everything else.”

  “Of course I’m pissed!” he raged. “I’m pissed that the woman I love was too worried about protecting me that she didn’t think of keeping herself safe! I’m pissed because there’s a very powerful man after you who I might not be able to stop!” He pressed his hands to his temples as he forced himself to breathe. His arms fell limp at his sides as an image of Harley hurt flashed through his mind. “I can’t lose you, do you understand me? I can’t lose you and I won’t let anything happen to you.” He stalked across the room to her. “You and I are meant to be together, Harley, and we will be, but you have to let me save you.”

  “Brianna…I can’t let anything happen to her, or you, or Karen,” she whispered, pained. “I can’t.”

  “Nothing will happen to me,” he promised and dragged her into his arms, resting his chin on her head. “Remember that day you said you would never let my dad hurt me ever again?” She nodded against his chest. “Let me do the same for you, please.”

  She clung to him as she leaned her head back so she could see his face. “You really think Agent Higgins will catch Devois and Ricky?”

  “They’ve had their eye on him for years, but only when he became my client did they find any hard evidence of what he was up to,” he told her shortly. “Devois thinks he owns everyo
ne in this city, but he doesn’t own me.” He kissed her, needing her to feel his love for her. “He won’t get your sister, I swear it.”

  He held Harley safe in his arms until a loud knock echoed through the penthouse. “Ready to do this?” he asked her as he let her go reluctantly.

  “Ready to put the bastards away who ruined my sister’s life and threatened me?” she asked with a new fire in her eyes. “Yeah—yeah, I’m ready.”

  Sam led the way out of the bedroom, and as Harley joined her sister, he answered the door. “Mr. Benson,” a tall muscular man said as he held out a hand, “Agent Higgins. This is my team. May we come in?”

  “Mind showing me your badges first?” Agent Higgins nodded and handed it over. Sam handed it back satisfied and stepped to the side. “Make yourselves at home.”

  “Who are they?” Higgins asked once his team was inside, and Sam closed the door.

  “This is Harley Smith, my girlfriend, and her sister Brianna Smith. They are the ones with the new information on Devois and one of his associates.”

  “Oh? And who might that be?” Higgins asked with an arched brow.

  “Ricky Delugio,” Harley said, her voice strong. “He runs the Seven Deadly club below Martinis on Rick.”

  “Delugio? You’re telling me you have a connection between Delugio—a known drug dealer and trafficker of humans and arms—and Devois?” Higgins asked, surprised.

  “Before she tells you anything, my sister will not go to jail for her dealings with Delugio,” Harley announced and stepped in front of her sister. “She’ll tell you everything you need to know and so will I, but you will not throw her in some jail somewhere because of that bastard.”

  Higgins crossed his arms. “Is that right?”

  “Do you want to catch them or not?” Harley asked and planted her hands on her hips. “We’ve both been in his club and we’re expected to meet with Delugio and Devois as they close a new deal…Saturday night.”

  Higgins glanced over his shoulder at the four men with him. “Her staying out of prison will depend on the quality of information.”

  Harley’s eyes narrowed, but she stepped aside and let her sister face Higgins and his other agents. “Tell them everything, Bri,” she whispered. “All of it.”

  Brianna sat down at the kitchen table, and as soon as she started talking, Sam wished there was a way he could go back in time and save Harley and her little sister from the horrible reality they found themselves tied to.

  Chapter 13

  “No, absolutely not,” Sam raged and slammed his fist on the table.

  Higgins’ lips thinned, and Harley placed a comforting hand on his arm. “If it’s the only way to do it, then we’ll do it.”

  “You are not going to waltz in there with those bastards,” Sam argued. “It’s not happening. I’ll do it. I’ll go with your sister if I have to, but you are not going anywhere near those men.” He pleaded with her through his eyes, needing her to understand what she was asking him to suffer through. “Harley.”

  “I have to do this,” she whispered. “Brianna can’t show up alone. They’ll know something’s wrong. If this is what it takes to bring them down, then I’ll do it.”

  He hung his head. “I won’t let you risk your life.”

  “We’ll have men outside the door,” Higgins assured Sam. “The second we hear what we need to, my men will move in and the Smith sisters will be removed from the situation.”

  Sam glared furiously at the man. It had been his idea in the first place for Harley and Brianna to keep their meeting with Devois and Delugio. “Can you guarantee me their safety? Can you? Without a doubt in your mind, can you look me in the eye and tell me they will walk out of the damn club in one piece?”

  “I have the best men on my team,” he told Sam. “If they do this, they will be part of the team bringing the two most powerful drug and arms dealers in the city of Las Vegas to their knees. Without a man on the inside, all we have are irregular accounts. It’ll never be enough. This deal on record will give us access to warrants to tear their enterprises apart.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  Sam pushed off the table and stalked around the penthouse, his mind racing. He couldn’t stand by and watch Harley and her baby sister walk into that club alone wearing freaking wires. What if they were caught? Higgins men might be the best, but no one moved faster than a bullet. He knew he was risking his life and his company when he got involved with Devois and the feds, but he’d been on his own then. Now, the woman he loved, carrying their unborn child, was suddenly in the line of fire, and he was torn between keeping her safe and doing what was right.

  Clasping his hands behind his neck as his stomach twisted itself into knots, he glanced at Harley talking quietly with Higgins. She turned as if sensing his gaze, and her grey eyes held his stare. He saw her fear, but he saw a deep and boundless love for her sister and for him, and the need to keep them both safe. If they couldn’t put these criminals away, she would never feel safe. She and her sister would always be at risk of running into one of their men, no matter where they went. Sam might be rich, but it only lasted as long as his business was successful. What if they came after him or his clients? The amount of people who could be affected by this going wrong grew by the second, and he sagged as the horrible truth slammed into him.

  He trudged back to the table, and holding Harley’s hand, he looked to Higgins. “After they do this, they’re finished. Done.”

  “After we catch them and the Smith sisters write their statements about everything, then yes, they’re finished, and you will be too. All we’ll need is the account information from your company.”

  Sam shifted his intense stare to Harley. “If anything happens to you…” Words failed him and he could only look at her.

  “Nothing will. We’re going to walk in and sit down. There’s no reason for us to do anything else,” she promised. “I’ll come back to you, I swear it, and after this is over, maybe we can move out of the city for a while.”

  “How about permanently?” he suggested. “You’re the bravest woman I know.”

  “Or the dumbest,” she said with a nervous laugh. “It’ll all be over soon enough and we can get on with our lives, right? No looking over our shoulders and worrying.”

  Sam wanted to believe that it would all go right, but he couldn’t stop his mind from racing through all the possible outcomes if it went wrong. “I want to be there,” he told Higgins. “And if you tell me no, I’ll show up anyway.”

  “Fine,” Higgins agreed. “We’ll be back in the morning to run over the rest of the plan, and Saturday, it’ll be go time. Harley, Brianna, I can’t thank you both enough, truly.”

  “You’re welcome…I hope,” Brianna muttered, her face pale and hands trembling.

  Higgins and the other agents packed up their files, leaving the rest of them to wait anxiously for the next day. Brianna and Karen walked to the door, too, until Sam stopped them. “Where are you two going?”

  “Back to our place,” Brianna said, but Sam was already shaking his head.

  “I have a guest room with a king-sized bed. You’re staying here for the night,” he said sternly. “I’m pretty sure Harley will agree with me.”

  Harley held out her hands for Brianna and Karen and led them down the hall towards the guest bedroom. Sam stayed in the kitchen for a few more moments, itching to call Marcus and tell him about the situation. Tomorrow. He’d call Marcus tomorrow. His feet walked him to the fish tank and he wished more than anything he could pretend none of this was happening. The vibrant fish chased each other around the stones, but there was no enjoyment in watching them tonight. Instead, when he closed his eyes, all he saw was Devois grabbing Harley…hurting her, touching her…

  “Sam,” she whispered from behind him. He drew her quickly into the warm embrace of his arms. “I know. I’m sorry.”

  “Stop saying you’re sorry,” he muttered, resting his chin on her head. “If Marcus was ever in
that sort of trouble, I’d do whatever I had to do to keep him safe.”

  “I wish this didn’t have to happen, but…but I’m glad you know everything now.”

  His hold tightened around her and he kissed the top of her head. “And here I thought the worst thing I would have to worry about with us was arguing over what to cook for dinner.” She chuckled with him and raised her face to see him better. “I love you, Harley, without any doubts.”

  “I think I love you more,” she replied and kissed him gently. “If it goes wrong tomorrow—”

  He cut her off with another kiss, deeper and longer. “No,” he grunted. “We’re not even going to entertain those ideas. You and your sister will walk out of there and that’s it. If I start thinking of what else might happen, I won’t let you go.”

  They stood in the living room in the light of the fish tank for a long while, talking quietly of where they would move to and what type of house she wanted. Sam hoped it would distract him from the chance Harley was taking, but by the time he scooped her up and carried her to bed, his heart pounded with fear and his hands were clammy. She was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Sam smoothed her hair from her face and stayed up most of the night, watching her and praying this would not be one of the last times he had the chance to do that.

  Brianna reached up to the button on her skimpy black dress. “Bri, stop playing with it,” Harley whispered and knocked her sister’s hand away. “They won’t know.”

  “Sorry. I’m nervous,” she muttered.

  The car Ricky sent to the apartment to pick them up was right on time, and they were maybe five minutes out from the club. The sisters wore matching black dresses picked out by Ricky, showing off their cleavage and barely covering their asses. Harley wondered what Sam’s face would look like when he spotted her on the video feed. He was with Higgins and the other agents set up in the building next door to Ricky’s club. The street was packed and traffic was crazy. Harley’s hands clutched together in her lap as she prayed tonight would go as it was supposed to.