by Ginger Ring
“Well, I’ve always liked Jasper. I haven’t known him long, but he’s a good man. I think you should go.” Madison placed the card back on the table before inhaling the fragrance again. “As they say, we don’t regret the things we do; we regret the things we didn’t do. Take my advice, and go out with him.” With that, she left, and Jackie studied the card again. Was she attracted to him? Yes. Did she want to get involved with someone with criminal ties? Absolutely not.
Jasper’s voice could be heard in the distance. She took one more whiff of the lovely blossoms and headed down the hall. The smell of hamburgers and fries increased with every step. Arlo and Jasper were chowing down on some fast food in the office the guys shared. They both looked up when she entered.
Arlo glanced her way, nodded, and returned to eating. She didn’t know him well, but he seemed to be a sour puss. Jasper winked and popped a fry into his mouth. Her eyes lingered on his mouth before she dragged them away. His jaw was lightly covered with sexy stubble and her knees felt weak.
Arlo gathered his food wrappers and stood up. “I’m losing my appetite. See you later.”
“Yeah, sure.” Jasper frowned at the man who left, but when he looked her way, his mouth turned into a smile. “I must say, I prefer your company to his any day. Have a seat.” He pulled a chair out for her.
“I can’t stay.” But she sat down anyway. “Is he all right? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in a good mood.”
Jasper shrugged. “He’s interested in a woman he can’t have. Good thing I don’t have that problem.” He winked, and it warmed her from inside out, even though it shouldn’t.
“About that…” she started.
“Do you like the flowers?” He seemed so eager to please her.
“Who wouldn’t? They’re the most beautiful ones I’ve ever seen.”
“Just like the person I gave them to.” He brushed her fingers with hers. They were slippery from the fries, but she didn’t mind.
“And the candy,” Jackie added.
“Sweets for the sweet.” The guy didn’t give up, and it was going to get harder and harder to say no.
“Jasper. I really appreciate them, but I’m still not going to go out with you.”
“And why not?” He tilted his head.
“I don’t know how to put this, but it needs to be said.” Although she really didn’t want to.
The cocky expression on his face softened, making him even more attractive. “Go on.”
“I know I shouldn’t be working here feeling this way, but I did some searching online. Madison’s husband is the son of a Chicago Mafia boss. He’s involved in crime. If you work for him, that means you are also. I don’t want any trouble.” There, she said it. It wasn’t that she didn’t find him attractive, Lord knew she did, but getting involved was crossing into dangerous territory.
“You aren’t in any danger. From what I heard, Maddy wanted nothing to do with Roman when they met, but he won her over anyway. They love each other, and from what I’ve seen, they are very happy. Despite what you think you know about me, I want that kind of a relationship also.”
Jackie stood up. “You’re right. I don’t know you, but you can’t have that kind of relationship with me.” Pain crossed his face as if he’d been stuck. As much as it hurt to say it, it had to be said. There was no future for them. He was charming, drop dead gorgeous, and would probably give her the best sex of her life, but she was just a simple girl. One that didn’t want her heart broken by a handsome gangster.
Chapter Seven
Jasper
It was Monday, and his bad temper had started to match Arlo’s. They both needed to get laid, but not just any woman would do. The weekend had dragged. He’d hoped to run into Jackie but didn’t catch sight of her anywhere. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask the tech guys to find her, but that bordered on creepy.
He’d felt like a hermit staying inside, so he’d called Dominic and Stephanie to go for a run along the lake on Saturday. Oddly enough, later in the day, Arlo invited him over to his place to watch a movie Saturday night. They’d enjoyed some booze, pizza, and John Wick flicks, while wishing they were with someone of the opposite sex.
Sunday, he’d slept in and lingered in the Java Shop like a lovesick teenager, hoping Jackie would drop in. There’d been several ladies who stopped to say “hi,” but he hadn’t encouraged them to stay longer. At least he had Madison’s assurance that the lady in question would be betting on him at the bachelor auction and winning.
In the afternoon, he’d visited his grandfather, Frankie. The man was getting up in years, and Jasper had found a nice place in Genoa for him to live. So far, things were going well, and he was adjusting nicely to the smaller city after living in Chicago for such a long time. Even that didn’t improve Jasper’s frame of mind.
Finally, Sunday evening had rolled around. The only thing keeping him sane was the fact he’d get to see his Angel Monday and hopefully send Richard Harrison to hell.
It felt great to be back at work, and he’d been with Roman most of the day. They had to deliver some of the bigger high-end merchandise to their new owners. For the most part, Jasper enjoyed the variety of things he got to do in Genoa. Roman was an underboss, and his father was the boss, but they kept their businesses separate, unless his father needed help.
It was unheard off for Roman to do business that way, but he said it was the new age of doing things.
Arlo and Jasper were both made men and had taken the oath. They were in it for life. There was no getting out, and neither would ever dream of it. Jasper’s father had been a capo before being killed, and his father, Frankie, was in the family as well. Only age and health had caused him to retire.
They were done around three. Roman left with Oscar, and Jasper met Arlo in town. Dom had stayed all day at the winery. He was working on some of the construction, so that was a nice change of pace for the guy.
“Let’s go visit Ricky a little after five. He’ll be alone then.” Arlo took a final sip of coffee and tossed it in a nearby trash can. “What did you find out from the boss?”
“I talked to Roman, and he’s okay with offing the piece of shit today.” Jasper couldn’t wait to get rid of the guy fast enough. He didn’t want the risk of Ricky hurting his wife, if the man figured out that she’d set him up.
“Good, finally a little excitement.” He rubbed his hands together. “Who’s with Maddy, if Dom’s got to get rid of the body?”
“We’re not getting rid of the body.” Jasper and he had just left the donut shop and were now walking to Arlo’s SUV.
“Why not?” He flipped his sunglasses off his head and onto his nose.
“Can’t collect life insurance if there’s no body. I had the techies check. The only policy on him is through his work. If we make it look like an accident, Connie will get some money for having to put up with that asshole.”
Arlo just nodded and got in the car. “Then let’s do it.”
They waited down the road until the last car left the garage where Richard worked. Then Arlo parked the vehicle behind the building, in case someone chose to drive by.
Ricky was changing the oil on a Jeep when they came in the back door.
Jasper strolled up to the vehicle, while Arlo stayed back. They didn’t want to panic the guy any more than they probably were. Jumpy people made things messy and complicated, and that was more work than it was worth. They looked out of place as it was. Two guys in suits in a greasy garage. The smell of oil and rubber lingered in the air.
“Working late so you can earn some extra money, or do you have it for us now?”
Rick jumped. He dropped the wrench in his hand, and it clinked on the concrete floor. “Oh, hi, fellas. I was just going to call.” He wiped his hands on his coveralls.
“Yeah, well. Just hand over the money,” Jasper barked, hoping he wouldn’t have it as Connie suggested.
“That’s why I was going to phone. I need more time.” The guy shook lik
e a leaf. “I was going to save you the trip.”
“Always thinking of others, aren’t you?” Arlo stepped out in view, and Jasper approached Ricky slowly. “Well, you’ve run out of time.”
“What do you mean?” Ricky glanced from one man to the other. “I get three visits.”
“This is your third visit,” Jasper stressed. “You didn’t have the money the last time.”
Ricky’s mouth dropped open. “What the fuck? I gave it to you. You came to my house. Connie can vouch for me.”
“The cash you gave me belonged to someone else. You can’t pay with stolen money.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” The man reached for a rag and wiped his hands.
“That belonged to your wife.” Jasper smirked.
Ricky shook his head. “Are you shitting me? We’re married. Her money is my money.”
“Not when you gamble it all away and she has to scrape by. It’s not your money when she has to hide it so she can get away before you beat her again.” Jasper approached, and Ricky took a step back until he bumped into a table.
“You believe her?” he sputtered.
“I do, and this will be your last visit.” Jasper took a deep breath. He’d enjoy getting rid of this piece of shit.
“You can’t do this. That bitch is lying!” Ricky yelled.
“Bruises don’t lie. That’s why we have to make your death look like an accident.” Jasper glanced toward Arlo, who was now circling around to Ricky’s side. “She can collect the insurance money from your death.”
“Jesus.” There was a green tinge to Ricky’s face.
“He can’t help you now.” Arlo pulled a pair of leather gloves out of his pockets and slipped them on.
“Come on.” Ricky appeared on the verge of bolting. “Give me a break. I’ll disappear. She’ll never see me again. You’ll never see me again.”
“No, it’s time to die.” Jasper smiled. This guy had it coming.
“Well, if you think I’m going to make this easy for you, you got another thing coming.” Ricky reached for the wrench he had dropped and started waving it around.
Jasper pulled a taser from his pocket and hit the button. Ricky dropped to the floor like a bug that ran into a zapper. “Yeah, good luck with that.”
Arlo now stood next to him. “What should we do with him?” He glanced around the garage. “Run his arm through a saw and have him bleed to death?”
“It’s a garage, not a lumber yard.” He sneered. “Does anything look like it could catch on fire or explode?”
“What do I know? I drive cars. Changing the oil and the occasional tire change is the extent of my mechanical abilities.” Arlo was as out of place here as he was.
They both explored around the building, but nothing really stood out. “Where’s Dominic when you need him? He good at staging shit like this.”
“Probably done for the day.”
Ricky moaned and struggled to his knees. Arlo kicked him in the ribs, and the man fell over. “Hey, no bruises.” Jasper scolded before walking over and kicking him between the legs. Richard let out a blood-curdling scream.
“A boot to the balls. Hurts like hell and leaves no marks.” Jasper raised an eyebrow toward Arlo.
“You’ve been watching too much CSI. It’s fucking with your head and making you a smartass,” Arlo teased.
“You can’t be too careful. These days, cops can find a nose hair and track down a killer.” Jasper approached a full-sized pickup truck. “You really have to stay on top of that stuff. I once heard of a case where, during the interrogation, the cops told a guy this story about how a person sheds a ton of skin cells every day, and they found some of his at the crime scene. They hadn’t, but the guy was so freaked out, he confessed to everything.”
“I miss the old days when you could just shoot a guy in the head, chop him up into pieces, and toss the rest in the lake. Nowadays, if you did that and got caught, they’d probably tag on extra time for illegal dumping or some other EPA bullshit.”
“True.” Jasper eyed the truck again. “Is this on a lift?”
“Looks like it.” Arlo circled to the back.
“Find the button to raise it.” They both searched, until Arlo found it on a nearby post.
Ricky groaned and started to crawl away. Jasper tried the taser again, but the charge was spent.
“Here, try this.” Arlo handed him a long rod with a red handle and two prods on the one end.
“Cattle prod.” He nodded toward Arlo. “Good choice.” Jasper gave the man on the floor another jolt.
“Maybe we could just crank it up and give him a heart attack?”
Jasper frowned. “If only it were that easy. We don’t have that much time.” He motioned to the truck. “Let’s raise that and drop it on him.”
“I like that idea.” Ricky whimpered and rolled onto his side. Between the voltage and the hits, he wasn’t in the best shape to put up much of any disagreement.
Arlo pressed the button and raised the truck up a couple of feet. They grabbed the bully and placed him under the front tire.
“Any last words, dumbass?” Jasper shook the man.
Ricky’s eyes rolled around in his head. He would probably pass out soon from the stress alone, but he managed to speak. “Go to hell, and tell Connie that too.”
The fucker was getting the easy way out. Jasper would love nothing better than to make him pay in long and agonizing misery for hurting his wife.
“She won’t be going there, but you sure will.” Jasper gave Arlo the thumbs up to hit the switch, and the wheels lowered onto Ricki’s chest. “Punch a hole in the hydraulics.” Arlo did as told, and a hiss echoed from the hose as the truck lurched to the ground. Ricky made one last wheezing sound, probably from all the air exiting his lungs as his chest was crushed.
Jasper squatted down to make sure the man was dead. “I think we’re done.” Arlo stood beside him, staring at the dead man. “You want to get a drink?” Jasper rose.
“You don’t have a date? What, your flowers didn’t do the trick?” Arlo teased as they made sure everything was in its place and the shop looked like they’d never been there. Well, except for the guy under the truck tires.
“I’m working on it.” They exited the back door and strolled toward their vehicle. It was a nice night and still pretty warm out. “I didn’t see her all day, but I sent a little gift to her, anyway.”
“Didn’t she used to be a reporter?” Arlo hit the key fob and unlocked the doors. “Those people are pretty nosy. What if she’s just using this job to snoop around?”
“She quit the paper and seems to like working with Madison. The woman’s smart and has to know what she’s doing. Madison wouldn’t have hired her if she were a threat.”
“Yeah, she doesn’t want to go out with you, so the girl must be smart.” Arlo laughed.
“Hey, before I’m done, Jackie will be begging me to marry her.” Jasper eased into the seat.
“You? Married? Tell me another one.” Arlo started the car.
“Hey, a guy’s got to bite the bullet sometime.” Marriage? Where had that come from? “But right now, I’d be happy with a date. How about you? Rumor has it there’s something between you and Madison’s sister.”
“Half-sister. And no, there’s nothing going on between Layla and me.” They pulled out cautiously from behind the building, but there were no cars anywhere in sight.
“But you’d like there to be?” Jasper asked.
“Who wouldn’t? She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
Jasper nudged him in the arm. “Now I know you have the hots for her because guys always think the one you love is the most beautiful.”
“Little good that will do me,” Arlo cursed. “She’s the sister-in-law to my boss, and a soldier never ends up with the queen.” The man’s voice dropped.
“Well, technically, she’s not a queen. More of a princess, since her father is a don,” Jasper corrected.
> “Either way, I don’t have a chance in hell.”
They spent the rest of the trip in silence before Arlo dropped him off at his place. Arlo may have given up on going after the woman he wanted, but that was something Jasper would never do. Jackie would be his. She just didn’t realize it yet.
Chapter Eight
Jackie
The past week had flown by. Planning an event in less than seven days was quite the undertaking. Besides the flyers around town, they’d also sent out private invitations. Tickets had sold out in a flash. Since they would be working late, Madison had given her the morning off, and Jackie was now savoring her caramel mocha at the Java Shop.
Her fingers touched the necklace around her neck. It had been waiting for her when she arrived this morning. As were other gifts that arrived each day from a certain guy who always caused her heart to beat faster whenever he was nearby. They always arrived in a white bag or box and were accented with a purple bow or ribbon. It was the last thing she should be wearing, but screw it. She loved it. The Brighton necklace with the large Swarovski pendant felt warm on her chest. Jasper hadn’t been around much this week, but every day, he’d sent a present, sometimes two. Most were more on the thoughtful than high-end price, which helped with the guilt of keeping them.
A fruit basket, a teddy bear, gift certificate to a spa, perfume, the latest bestselling romance novel, and today was the necklace. At first, she tried to give them back when he was there, but the man refused. He said they were gifts and non-returnable. Jasper didn’t ask her out anymore, either, which was odd. Did he think she’d just give in because he was trying to buy her affections?
It was getting harder and harder to resist the man. Gifts were something other girls always received, not her. Was it a crime that she wanted to enjoy the attention for however long it lasted? Jackie knew the necklace was pricey. It was a brand she’d always admired from afar but had never been able to afford. He either had great taste or could read her mind. The man also seemed to be giving her space. Almost like he knew she didn’t like being pressured but needed to weigh her options in her head first. It was working. Not only was she attracted to him physically, but he was starting to win her over with his patience. The man was an obvious charmer, but playboys never impressed her.