by Mia Carson
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.
“You remember the plan?” she whispered on a breath to her sister.
Brianna nodded. “I remember.” She reached over and took Harley’s hand. “Thanks for doing this with me, sis.”
“I wouldn’t let you do it yourself.”
The car pulled up outside the club, and Harley swallowed her fear and settled on glaring straight ahead instead. She was allowed to be pissed, she figured. Ricky wouldn’t question her anger, but he might be suspicious if she was too nervous. The door opened, and Ricky waited for them on the sidewalk.
“Ladies, Mr. Devois is waiting for us,” he told them and stepped aside.
Harley stepped out first, her sister following, and smoothed her dress. “You couldn’t have picked something longer?” she snapped, letting her anger take over to mask her growing fear.
Ricky leered closer and breathed her in. “You’re lucky you’re wearing a dress at all. Inside. He does not like to be kept waiting, and we have much to discuss tonight. Brianna, you look beautiful, as always. Are you sure you won’t reconsider my offer? Either of you?”
“Don’t talk to her,” Harley warned. “She will not join you and neither will I.”
“Of course not. You have Samuel Benson to keep you warm at night now. Tell me,” Ricky asked as they reached the door to the club, “does he still enjoy spreading your legs? Does he know what you’re doing tonight? Maybe it even turns him on a little.”
Harley raised her hand to smack him, but he shoved his jacket aside to show the pistol. She dropped it quickly. “No, he doesn’t know.”
“That’s too bad. He’ll find out. I’ll be sure to send him ample video.”
Harley’s mouth fell open in shocked rage, but one of Ricky’s goons came up behind her and Brianna and shoved them inside. The club was empty of patrons. No music played, and as far as she could see, there was no one there except Ricky’s goons. They walked through the main club, down to the Seven Deadly club, and finally, into the room she’d spotted those men disappear into before. Ricky grabbed their arms and dragged them inside beside him.
“Christopher, my gift, as promised,” Ricky announced loudly. “You will not be disappointed a second time.”
Harley shifted her body to be sure the button cam caught Christopher Devois in his fancy, black, silk suit. He held a rose to his nose as he strode towards Harley and ran his fingers along her cheek. They were rough, and she sensed the potential for violence in that one touch. She flinched, but he pinched her chin in his fingers as she glared into his dark blue eyes. If it wasn’t for the coldness in his eyes, he might have been an attractive man.
“You are an exquisite creature,” he mused. “Ricky assures me you will make up for what your sister lacks in spirit.”
Harley’s lips almost lifted in disgust, but she caught herself in time and forced a smile. “Save some for later, hon.”
He released her chin, snickering. “Later, good point. Later you will be all mine, my dear. Ricky,” he said, turning away from the sisters, “let’s get this business dealt with. I’ve had a long day and want time to thoroughly enjoy your gifts.”
“Of course. If you’ll step over here.” Ricky motioned for Devois to join him at a long table, and Harley turned to be sure she caught them on the video.
Devois glanced back at her and Brianna. “And them? You sure you want to do this in front of them?”
“They won’t talk,” Ricky assured Devois as Harley’s mind raced with what to do if Devois made them leave the room. Nudging her sister, she gave him a sultry smile, and Brianna did the same. “They’re on my payroll and know what happens if they talk.”
Devois tucked the rose in the lapel of his suit jacket and sighed. “Good.”
A duffel bag sat on the table beside several silver briefcases. They were talking almost too quietly for her to hear. Her hands twitched at her sides, knowing that if she could barely hear, they wouldn’t be able to hear anything on the video. She pressed her hand to her sister to steady her own nerves and Brianna’s trembling body before she sauntered across the room to stand right beside Devois. Praying Sam didn’t lose it and run in there, she ran her hand down Devois’ chest and draped her other over his shoulders, pressing her whole body against his side.
Ricky watched with narrowed eyes, jealousy shooting across his face, but Harley didn’t care about him at the moment. Devois glanced at her, and his face broke into a hungry, wolfish grin that sent a shiver down her spine.
“She’s certainly better than her sister,” Devois pointed out. “Have you had a chance with her yet?”
Ricky shook his head. “I’m afraid not. I saved her for you,” he snapped, and Harley heard the bitterness in his words. “Back to business, then?”
“Of course.” Devois winked at Harley. “Soon, love, very soon.” His hand slipped to cup her ass, and Harley bit her tongue to stop from cursing and stepping away. “This is the new batch. I think you’ll find it’s more potent than the last. The street value is much higher, as well.”
Ricky drew a knife from his belt and opened the duffel. The inside was filled with white powder bricks. He poked the blade into one and drew out a small amount, tasting it with the tip of his tongue. “It’s good. I can move it through the club if you can guarantee me a way to provide clean funds.”
“Clean money isn’t an issue. What do you think I’ve been doing since I opened those damn casinos?” Devois informed him. “Ace of Marketing hasn’t figured out what I’m up to yet, and they’ve audited my accounts four times now. They claimed it was an error from their end. Idiots, all of them. I can get you the clean money as long as this moves.”
“That’s what the Seven Deadly is for,” Ricky said sharply, his eyes narrowed. “Ace of Marketing, you said. Are all your accounts run through them?”
“The important ones,” Devois said, and Harley fought not to panic as Ricky turned his suspicious gaze on her. “So do we close this deal? I would like to begin the celebration of our new partnership.” His arm snaked around Harley’s waist and he dragged her against his bo
dy.
“Stop,” Ricky snarled. “You bitch!”
Harley stiffened and pushed away from Devois. “What the hell is your problem?”
“You and your sister…you thought you could pull a fast one on me, did you? Where is he?” Ricky snapped as he stalked towards her. He snapped his fingers and one of his goons grabbed Brianna’s arms. “Huh? Where’s your new boy toy?”
“He’s not here!” she yelled. “I told you, he doesn’t know about this.”
“You’re lying! You’re trying to set me up—me, Ricky Delugio. Oh, sweetheart, you should’ve just slept with Benson that night and left him out of this. Now he’s going to join you and your sister!”
“I didn’t sleep with him that night, you asshole!” Harley shouted. “Because, unlike you, Sam is a decent man and he is not here right now!”
“No? You think it’s just coincidence that you’re involved with the CEO of the company who controls his accounts?” Ricky yelled, pointing a finger at Devois.
“What?” Devois glanced from Harley to Ricky, glaring. “You idiot! You told me they were safe.”
“I thought they were.”
Devois zipped up the duffle bag of drugs. “Keep your fucking money. I have to clean up your mess now,” he snapped. “Do not contact me again until this situation is cleaned up, understand me?”
“Harley!” Brianna tried to pull herself free, but the man was too strong.
Devois rushed out of the room, taking the duffle bag and half the men in there with him. Ricky didn’t try to stop him and didn’t even watch him leave. He only had eyes for Harley as she continued to back away, searching for a way out. Suddenly, shouts echoed down the hall and Ricky whipped around, giving Harley a chance to dart away from him, but he caught hold of her hair and dragged her back. Shrieking in pain, she fought to get away from him, but he didn’t let go as he spun her back around and pressed her against the wall.
“You really thought you could do this to me? Do you have any idea who I know in this city? Who I control?”