“He’s trying to get a face to the main guy. Then he’s planning on seeking his own revenge. In the meantime, Cash and Zane think that we should be extra careful around here. I’ve already double-checked our deliveries, and the health department isn’t due around here for another week.”
“Good. I really want to know what this guy looks like. I want to know why he wants our business and Uncle Vick’s so badly.”
“This is more than just key location. Do you remember what we learned about Viper and Peter?”
"You mean about them not being on the up and up as they used to be?”
“Yeah, well, I can’t help but to think about some things from the past.”
Flynn eyed Jett strangely.
“I mean things we never talked about again. Missions involving certain individuals we’d never want to meet up with again and especially not as civilians.”
“You’re reaching, Jett. You also sound paranoid. It has to be some thug, a modern-day gangster who doesn’t respect shit and thinks that money and violence get him what he wants. Let Uncle Vick look into identifying this guy. That’s more his speed. We’re civilians, like you said. If it makes you feel better, then I’ll start carrying my bigger gun again, instead of the small one.”
“Stop being such a wise-ass.”
Flynn looked at Jett and then smiled.
“I need a drink.”
“No, you need to go to bed. Alone. Come on,” Jett said as he gave his brother a slight punch in the shoulder and then they walked back into the main area of the club.
Immediately, Flynn sought out Adelina. She was wearing a gorgeous green dress, thigh length, and high-heeled boots. Her hair was half up, half down. She looked stunning and energetic, and the night was nearly over.
She pulled out her cell phone and she looked like she was reading a text message.
It was probably that asshole she was seeing. He wondered what he was telling her.
You looked stunning this evening, Adelina. I want you in my bed tonight. I want to feel your creamy thighs wrap around my hips, while I slam my cock deep into your pussy, as you call my name. Fuck. I’ll kill the motherfucker. With my bare hands. How am I going to get through this?
* * * *
“You’re seeing Raymond again tonight, Adelina?” Kaitlin asked.
Adelina was fixing her hair. She glanced at the yellow envelope. Just one more payment. One more and they would be free of Margliado and Sergio. She took a deep breath and exhaled.
“As soon as I deliver this payment to Sergio. I put in eight thousand. I had to scrape the barrel, but I just want to be done with this. I can drop off the two thousand by end of this week.”
“I know it scares you to go there. I could go—”
“No. You don’t need to expose yourself to him again. Keep caring for Bryer, and helping him to get better and be happy. That’s all I ask.”
“I’m sorry that you need to do this for me.”
“I know you are. We’re almost done. By this time next week, our debt will be paid.”
“My debt. It’s all my fault.”
“Are we going to go down that stupid road again, Kaitlin? I don’t think so. We make decisions based on our hearts, our situations, and our fears. You had no choice. If you didn’t borrow the money, then Bryer would have suffered.”
“Bryer would have died,” Kaitlin said as the tear rolled down her cheek.
Adelina pulled her into a hug.
“I love you. There’s no need to worry about the past. I’m fixing this, so that you and Bryer will be safe. Always.”
“I know you are, Adelina. Without you, we’d both be dead.”
“Nonsense. Now zip up my dress. I want to look nice for Raymond.”
“It’s getting kind of serious pretty quickly,” Kaitlin said as she zipped up her sister’s dress.
“I guess. I mean I like him. He’s very charismatic and charming.”
“Have you slept with him yet?”
Adelina shook her head.
“And the reason? Or should I say the two reasons?”
Adelina released an annoyed sigh. “I know. I’m lame. I get that, I accept it, and when I’m truly ready to have sex with a man, I will not think about Jett and Flynn.”
“Yeah, right. You adore them. You want them.”
“And they do not want me. We’ve been over this. Like a broken fucking record. It’s done. Anyway, maybe just doing it with Raymond could help. You know, ease my mind off of the ones I can’t have.”
Kaitlin snorted and laughed.
“What? You don’t think I could go through with it?”
“Honey, you can go through with it, but you’ll regret it. You do not want to try and sex Flynn and Jett off your mind. If anything, you should go after them first, make sure finally that they aren’t interested, and then have sex with Raymond. That makes more sense.”
“Not from my perspective.”
“I just don’t want you to get hurt. Flynn and Jett seem so trustworthy, and so sexy and resourceful. What do you really know about Raymond?”
Adelina turned toward her sister.
“I know that he runs his own businesses. He invests in businesses and backs them financially. He seems very sophisticated and sure of himself. He always compliments me and pays complete attention to me whenever we’re together. It really means a lot for a man to look into my eyes as I’m speaking and to know that he cares, that he’s listening, and that I have his full attention.”
“Sounds nice. Chester never even listened to my wants and desires. He used me, and I fell for his charms. Just be careful.”
“Hence why I haven’t slept with him yet. That will take some time and some trust. I just don’t think we’re at that point yet.”
“But he’s a man, he’s older, and if he’s as sophisticated as you say he is, then he’s going to want all of you. He’ll want a woman who can please him in bed, as well as look good on his arm.”
“Well, trust is earned. I’d better get going. I need to drop this off and then meet Raymond. It was like pulling teeth to get him to agree to me meeting him at the restaurant. He wanted to know where I was going.”
“So what did you tell him?”
“That I had an important errand to run and that I needed my privacy.”
“How did he react?”
“He said we’ll talk more when we meet.”
“Oh, sounds like he may want to punish you for your naughty behavior.”
“Hey, none of that talk. Bryer might hear you.”
“He’s napping. Besides, we both know about what types of books you like to read, and how you wish Jett and Flynn would share you.”
Adelina felt her cheeks warm and her belly tighten. It was a mix of wants and desires, mixed in with guilt.
“What’s that look for?”
Adelina grabbed her purse and the envelope of money. “Guilt. For some strange reason, whenever I go out with Raymond, I feel guilty, like I’m cheating on them. That’s so stupid, isn’t it?”
Kaitlin walked closer and had a sympathetic expression on her face. “Not stupid, honest. If you were being at all honest with yourself, you’d see that you’re dating Raymond to get your mind off of Jett and Flynn, and possibly make them jealous. You did say that they look upset when Raymond comes into The Phantom to see you.”
“They have rules about personal lives separated from work lives. All the employees have to abide by those rules.”
“Rules that neither man has to follow. Unbelievable. It must be nice to be billionaires and not give a shit about anyone?”
“Now don’t get like that. They’re good men. I’ve seen them help lots of people in need. They’re very generous with their money for those who need help.”
“Well then, we should have asked them for a loan instead of Margliado. Then at least you could have had sex with them as partial payment.”
Adelina shook her head at Kaitlin.
“You’re sick. Do you k
now that?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I just want the debt and the worry off our backs. I want happiness for you, and I still think that Jett and Flynn can give you it.”
“It sure doesn’t seem that way.”
They walked out of the bedroom. Adelina kissed Bryer good-bye as he slept, and then she smiled at Kaitlin. “I’ll see you later.”
* * * *
Al Walters, head of main security for Cash Corbin and Zane Heston, sat inside the van outside the little Irish bar. They were just starting off for a night of surveillance. Earlier in the week, they discovered that Sergio worked for this guy who was after Jett and Flynn Greyson’s place, as well as their uncles. Al’s snitches informed him that Sergio worked out of a back room at this bar, O’Connor’s.
As he and his partner, Jinx, watched the place, they saw the commuter bus stop and one person get off. Whoever she was, she had a nice set of legs on her.
“Damn, if the view was this good in the beginning of the week, I wouldn’t have been complaining so much about working tonight,” Jinx stated, obviously locking onto the same thing he did.
As the gentle breeze blew her long brown hair, she pushed it from her face and turned to look around.
“Oh, fuck.”
“What? You know her?”
Al swallowed hard. This was bad, really fucking bad. “This isn’t good.”
Jinx gave him a smack to his chest. “Spill, man. Who the hell is the sexy brunette?”
“I don’t like what I’m thinking right now, Jinx. That’s the manager for The Phantom.”
Jinx sat forward, looked at Al and then back at the woman as she entered the bar.
“A woman, huh? Their own fucking manager is fucking them over? Holy shit. What are you going to do?”
“Time this, will ya?” Al stated as Jinx immediately hit the time watch on the dashboard.
“Let’s see how long she’s in there for, and whether she comes out in one piece.”
“You gonna call the bosses?”
“Hell, no. Not until I have concrete evidence that she’s involved with these guys. Maybe she’s meeting a friend there? I don’t know. Adelina is a really nice woman. She’s sophisticated, sexy, and—”
“You fuck her or something?” Jinx asked, and Al gave him a dirty look.
“She’s not like that, and I don’t have a death wish.”
“A death wish?” Jinx looked away and then back at Al. “What do you mean?”
“She belongs to Jett and Flynn. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
“Well, they’re going to be pretty pissed if she’s been using them to give information to this Sergio and Margliado guy.”
“I know. I hope for her sake, she’s not involved. I’ll call Cash and Zane later.”
* * * *
Adelina hated this damn place. She hated the men that stared at her as if she would spread her legs for all of them. She hated the stale smell of alcohol, the sticky sensation on the old hardwood floors as she walked across them, and the look on Sergio’s face as he eyed her over. She wore a sweater jacket to cover her dress, but it wasn’t doing much to stop attention from being drawn to her. The only other women in the place looked like used goods, currently working over some of the losers.
“You look incredible! Hot date? Or did you dress for me?” Sergio asked as she entered the office.
“I have the money. There’s eight there. I’ll have the last two this week, then we’ll be done.”
He took the envelope and skimmed through the money.
“I don’t think there’s enough here.”
“What?” she asked, hearing her anger in her voice. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach. What game was Sergio playing?
“I gave you just about everything to pay off our debt. I owe two thousand more, that’s it.”
He shook his head and made a sound with his lips as if patronizing her.
“You see, honey, there’s a thing called interest.”
“Interest?” She swallowed hard. She could feel her heart racing, and she thought she heard the door to the office opening but her ears were pounding and she thought she was going to be sick. He was screwing her over.
“I don’t understand. I paid almost everything. I’ll have the last two—”
“No, Adelina.”
She heard the voice and swung around, recognizing it immediately.
She nearly fell against the desk as Raymond came into view.
“Raymond? What are you doing here? Oh, God, did they make you come here? Did they tell you that I owed them money?”
Raymond moved closer and then reached out for her hand.
“Sergio, please gives us some time alone. There are things that Adelina and I must discuss,” he stated very firmly. His eyes never left hers. Sergio walked out of the room, a smirk on his face.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
He stepped forward and she instinctively stepped back. Her rear hit the desk and she jerked, and gripped the wood.
“My beautiful Adelina. You have come to mean so much to me in such a short period of time.” He reached up and placed his palm against her cheek. She flinched at his touch, suddenly fully aware of that instinctual pull in her gut. Raymond wasn’t whom he said he was.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m going to explain exactly what I want from you, and what we will be from here on out.”
“I don’t understand.”
His eyed seemed to darken and his eyebrows furrowed. “Listen, do as I say, and it will all work out.”
He caressed his thumb over her lower lip.
“Raymond?”
“Shh, Adelina, I am going to tell you a story. You see, I wasn’t always such a successful businessman. Although I know I was meant to live this life, there were some bumps along the road. Four, actually. You see I was working for a major drug cartel in Columbia when some federal agents found out about my warehouse and distribution center. I thought I had managed to eliminate all the threats, but you see, the man who was in charge, my superior, for lack of a better word to describe the dumb fuck, wasn’t too smart. There was a raid by the feds and everyone went down. Most died in the process, and what we thought was a major operation with multitudes of undercover agents if not hundreds, was actually the work of four agents and their soldiers.” He caressed her hair with his hand and tugged on the one curl by her cheek. His knuckles grazed her skin.
“I had to escape, and wound up in a bad place, filled with very bad people who wanted my boss dead for losing the supply and the entire operation.”
His hand slightly shook as he told her his story. She had no idea what he was talking about, but obviously it had affected him. She still didn’t know what he wanted with her.
“I don’t understand,” she said, and he gripped her by her shoulders and pressed his body against hers and the desk. She gasped.
His dark gray eyes bore into hers. His teeth were clenched and she could tell that this wasn’t the same man who had swept her off her feet and that she considered sleeping with tonight.
“I learned things there. While I was tortured and beaten, I learned a lot. Like how to get a confession out of someone. How to make someone assist me when I need them. I can be very persuasive.” He gripped her arm tightly and squeezed. She gasped, lifting her shoulder a little higher in hopes of easing the pain.
“You are going to help me. Your debt is not paid.”
“I owe two thousand dollars to Margliado. I was promised no interest. I don’t want anything to do with this place, Sergio, or anything else. I just want to be free.”
“Ahh, but you’re too valuable to be let free. You’re mine now, Adelina. You are going to help me with a few things that have become quite important to me and my sanity.”
She shook her head.
He grabbed her hard on her waist and gave her body a shake. “You are going to listen to me or the first people to die will be Kaitlin and Bryer.”
“No. Oh, God, no. What do you
mean? Why are you doing this?” she asked as the tears hit her eyes.
“You are going to help me take The Phantom away from Jett and Flynn Greyson. You are going to sabotage their business so that when the health department comes in, they will find the place unsuitable for business. You are going to screw up their orders, cancel deliveries, and set them up for destruction. Ultimately, you are going to help me eliminate them.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m not. Who the hell are you?”
He grabbed her by her throat and yanked her forward. His evil eyes bore into hers. This was not the same man who courted her and made her imagine a committed relationship with a man who really cared. She was never so wrong about a person’s character.
He tightened his hold, and she instinctively grabbed onto his wrist. She was standing on her tiptoes. He towered over her. The strength in his hand was enough to crush her windpipe.
“You are going to help me and do everything I say, or the first to die will be Bryer and Kaitlin. Test me, Adelina, and see what happens.”
The tears stung her eyes, as he slowly took the pressure off his hold on her. She coughed as he stepped away.
The anger hit her belly, and combined with the fear she reacted. Badly.
“Fuck you, you lying bastard. I hate you.”
The hit to her gut was completely unexpected. He hadn’t smacked her or grabbed her hair. No. The bastard punched her in the gut. She nearly fell to the floor.
“Okay. I see that some of what I learned in Columbia might be needed right now.” She didn’t know what he meant. She wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to breathe. The pain in her stomach wasn’t nearly as bad as the fear she felt from Raymond’s words. What was he going to do? He mentioned being tortured.
He pulled off his dress jacket, and then undid his tie.
“Turn around and face the desk.” He ordered her. She shook her head as she gripped the wood. Adelina glanced toward the door. She could try to run, but then what? There were more than a dozen men out there ready to pounce or at minimum cop a feel. He walked toward the closet, opened the door. He pulled something from it just as she took a step toward the doorway.
“Don’t. The punishment will be worse.”
Phantom's Destruction or Destiny [Power Surge: The Billionaire Club 5 ] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 7