Dirty Money (Bad Money #2)

by Ali Parker

  Something didn't add up. He needed the rest of the file. Who the fuck had it? Either way, she was hiding something. The thought made him less willing to drop everything he had worked so hard for in order to bring her into his life, into his world. A leopard couldn't change his spots, but Jon was trying and had been for so long. He was almost there. Almost to the point of convincing himself that he was one of the good guys.

  He couldn't do this. Turning his life around years ago meant putting his most depraved desires to rest and never looking back. Kate was the exact replica of those things. The need to have her burned like fire along his insides, but left him in full awareness. He wasn't going to live the life that she was being forced to live. He needed to offer her the option of running with him or he would simply have to get out.

  Crime and death weren't a choice for him. He refused to be anything but one of the good guys. He had to prove himself good and right and true. If he had been more convinced of that earlier in life, Adam wouldn't have followed after his ways and would still be alive.

  If he had been better as a kid his father wouldn't have died and would still be around to take care of his mother. His mother wouldn't be lost in false religion and uncaring as she was. It was all his fault. He lived a life that beckoned death and disease to follow, and it had. There wasn't much left to lose, but what little he had - he couldn't fathom giving up.

  Jon finished his drink, ordered another one and texted Marcus. He couldn't talk to Kate just yet... she would dissolve his willingness to walk away. Just one look at her and he would be sucked back under.

  Jon: Count me out of this new lifestyle, Marcus. I can't do this shit. I wasn't built for it. Tell Kate.

  Marcus: Fuck you. Where are you?

  Jon: Feebers at the edge of town. I get it. It's whatever.

  Marcus: It doesn't work like that, Jon. Stay where you are. I'll be there shortly.

  Jon scoffed and slipped the phone back into his pocket. Of course it didn't work like that. The good guys never won. They never got the chance to redeem themselves. His mother's voice filled his ears as he closed his eyes and pressed his hands to his face.

  "Once a criminal, always a criminal."

  She was right... he would never be good again. It was a shame he couldn't force himself to stop trying.

  Jon glanced up as Marcus sat down beside him, the large thug looking more like a drug dealer than ever. His dark blue button up shirt fit snugly across his massive chest, matching his black slacks and dress shoes perfectly. It was his bald head and the tear drop tattoo under his right eye that labeled him something to keep away from.

  Marcus didn't speak until the bartender stopped in front of them both. "I'll have what he's having and bring him another. I'll drive his ass home."

  "Sounds good, son." The bartender smiled and patted Jon's arm. "Is it woman troubles or woman troubles?"

  Marcus chuckled and shook his head. "It's always woman troubles."

  Jon picked up his glass and threw back the remnants of his third drink. The liquor hadn't seemed to help numb the fear that everything was about to shift for the worst. How long had he been looking for love? Too long. Kate was the perfect girl for him, but her past screamed of everything he hated about himself. It would come back to haunt them forever... it already had.

  "What the fuck is up with you? This about Adam or Kate?"

  "It's about living someone else's life." Jon glanced toward Marcus. "I don't want this shit. I'm a cop, Marcus. I know you don't get it, but my whole purpose in life is to take down the bad guys. Now I'm being forced to become one."

  Marcus glanced toward him, his expression softening a little. "I get it. Kate went through the same thing a few years ago. The night we met she said something similar. It's the reason I helped to pull her out of it."

  "Yeah, some good that shit did." Jon rolled his shoulders and let out a long breath.

  "It did lots of good, but sadly enough, my own greed threw her into another cycle of it. If I would have just followed my gut, I would have never hired your brother and this shit would be someone else's problem. Seth offered me a substantial bonus to take on Adam as a protégé." Marcus shrugged as Jon turned his full attention to the behemoth beside him. "I never would have thought it was a fucking set up. I didn't give that bastard nearly the credit I should have."

  "I didn't either." Jon reached for the drink the bartender offered and drank of its promises deeply. "I don't want to fall in love with Kate. She's not at all the type of woman I want birthing my kids or to grow old with. It just doesn't seem her style."

  "She's exactly the type of woman I want for all of those things and more." Marcus looked down at his glass as Jon watched him.

  Thinking about Kate with anyone caused a sense of angst to lift inside of Jon, but something about Marcus made it less of an anger and more of a nausea. Marcus was Kate's savior, the one who had gone into hell and drug her back out. He was the kind of man who would do anything for the beautiful girl...

  But I would too... right?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Kate

  "This conversation is over. Let me know when you want to talk products or need me to negotiate a deal on our behalf. Otherwise, you and your fears are welcome to leave." Kate moved toward the opening of her office as her heart tried to beat its way out of her chest.

  Victor caused her to fear a loss of control. He knew no boundaries and seemed to put himself completely into who he planned on being, not who he was. How badly she wanted that confidence, the drive, that high.

  He caught her arm, pulled her to a stop. "I'll leave soon. First, take me up to your place and I'll remove the bugs that I had planted."

  She jerked her arm from him, anger rising in her. "How did you even get in there?"

  "I can get into any place I want to, Kate." He brushed his thumb over her arm before releasing her. "I'll get out of your hair after this and we can talk business tomorrow night. I want to understand your desires and demands for the ring."

  "My desire is to do just enough to keep you out of my life." She walked toward the club entrance door from the dark hall. The sound of Victor's fancy shoes clicking behind her filled up the small space, but her thoughts were suddenly consumed with saving Jon and Marcus. Could she get them released? Let them have a chance at life?

  Marcus would never go for that. Jon... He might.

  "I'm going to be in your life for a long time, Kate." Victor moved up beside her and held the door open.

  She moved out and walked across the empty dance floor as various employees buzzed about, trying to get the place ready for the large crowd that was sure to show up. No one knew of her decision to let Marcus sell the drugs from the location, and she hated herself for having to do it. It put all of them in danger.

  "I want four men guarding the club and the doors. I can't afford to hire them and they wouldn't know what to look for anyway." She walked to the large ornate door that opened to Bourbon Street at the front of the club and paused, looking over her shoulder at him. "Can you do that?"

  "Protect you? Is that what you're asking me to do?" He moved in behind her, the heat of his breath on the back of her shoulder causing chill bumps to break out along her skin.

  "Yes. Don't make me demand it." She pushed the door open as he chuckled under his breath. There was a way to deal with men like him. A little push this way and a small shove that way, giving in to his need to be in control while tugging the rug slowly out from underneath him. She just hoped to survive long enough to see him tumble over. She would love to be the one to put an end to his empire. The question as to whether or not to dissolve it or take it all for her and Marcus really relied on Jon's decisions.

  He was the good in her world, or was supposed to be. Not having seen him in a week left her wondering if the reality of everything had set in and sent him packing. She tucked her thoughts away for analyzing later. Victor required her full attention, and she didn't want to miss anything he might be up to. He was a snake and w
ould have himself wound around her and squeezing the life from her lungs if she looked away for more than a moment.

  She paused at the door to her apartment, the wood almost blending in with the brick. Victor reached around her and entered the code, the button flashing green. She pulled it open and jogged up, needing to unlock the next door herself. The fact that he could get to her without any protection or barrier left her bare and wide open for an attack. She unlocked the next door and moved into her small apartment, letting out a shaky sigh before he walked in.

  Kate turned and watched him close the door, his eyes hooded as they locked onto her. "You have to learn to trust me."

  "Is that a joke? How can I trust you when I don't know you and you seemingly hold the cards?"

  "I'll give you back any card you want, but you'll owe me something to slide into its place. I like holding a full hand."

  Kate walked to her kitchen and pulled out a bottle of vodka. She turned and lifted it. "You want a drink before you go?"

  "Yes, I'll have a shot with you." He walked toward her, his gait like a lion stalking his prey.

  She poured them and felt her heart almost stop when he moved in behind her, his hands sliding from the middle of her back to her shoulders and squeezing. She turned and started to warn him, but his closeness stole her breath. She needed to get away from him, to run hard and fast as soon as possible. He didn't take no for an answer and his sights seemed to be locked onto her for his next victory.

  Turning, she lifted the drink toward him. He took it and licked his lips before lifting the glass to his mouth. "To us. Whether you choose to recognize it or not. We will become a powerhouse that breaks anything that comes up against us."

  "To our partnership." Kate nodded and threw the shot back, needing the world to dissolve and soon. There was nothing she wanted more than to look up and see Marcus or Jon standing in front of her.

  He set the shot glass down and began walking around the room, as if looking for something. He paused by the air conditioner panel and tugged the front off, a tiny silver device dropping into his hand. He lifted it toward her and winked. "Only three more."

  She stood in stony silence as he finished taking the rest of them. The asshole had bugged the apartment in every room. She hadn't done anything in the last few days that he didn't know about. It had only been a few days... right?

  "When did you bug my apartment?"

  "A few weeks ago." He slipped the bugs into his pocket and pulled out a small bag from the other one. "I didn't listen to too many of the tapes myself. I'm not interested in spying on you now, Kate. I want to build trust."

  "Which tapes did you listen to?" She felt her blood run cold at the realization that he might have heard some of the most intimate moments of her adult life. She had never made love to anyone before Jon. Fucking was her means of finding physical release, but making love was too intimate, to damning. She lived in the reality that Jon had given her a moment of hope that was quickly slipping away.

  "Tell me what you really want to know. Be direct and bold as I know you're capable of being." He opened the pouch and pulled out two small white pills. Pressing his fingers together above his open palm, he crushed them into a powder.

  Kate started to take a step back and forced herself to do otherwise. Weakness wasn't an option. He would offer the drug, she would refuse. "Did you hear me fucking Marcus and Jon?"

  "I heard you fucking Marcus. I heard something very different with Jon." A smile lifted his mouth as her stomach shifted, causing her breakfast to rise into her throat. "I'm almost jealous."

  "Don't be. I'm a whore at worst and a liar at best. Keep your distance or I'll rip your heart out." She glanced toward the powder on his palm. "I don't do drugs, so don't expect me to start now. It's not happening."

  "What card would you like to pull from my fingers, Kate? I hold all of them right now. Let's even the playing field. What would you have me release?"

  Jon.

  "I want you to let Jon go. He's a good cop and if we force him to simply turn a blind eye, we can find someone else to take his spot on the police force. He's not a good liar and I don't want to rely on him."

  "Trouble in paradise?" Victor lifted his palm to his face and ran the tip of his tongue through the powder, groaning softly as if tasting something delicious.

  Kate had never witnessed a drug that was taken through the mouth instead of the nose except ecstasy. Having left the life of narcotics far behind, weed had been the only drug in her system for years. That and an occasional drink.

  "I don't want this life for him. It's mine and Marcus's future. Not his."

  "Consider him released. I'll take care of letting him know, but you owe me something to replace the loss I'll suffer at having had him so tightly by the balls and simply letting go. He would have been perfect." He moved a step forward, his tongue snaking out to run through the powder again. Kate had to force herself not to reach out and stop him.

  "What do you want in return?"

  "You know what I want." He took another step and she lifted her hand, pressing it into the firmness of his chest. Victor pressed his free hand to hers, locking her hand against him.

  "I'm not for sale, nor will I ever be."

  "A deal is a deal, Katelyn. You knew what you were signing up for in the warehouse that night." He smiled and slid his hand down her arm until he reached her throat. His fingers were tight enough to understand his intent, but not so much that they would leave a mark. "You for Jon."

  "You already had me. That's no deal at all."

  "I had you in theory, but I want you fully aware that you and me... we're going to happen over and over again until you’re lost in the need for my protection, my strength, my love."

  "Monsters don't love."

  He laughed and lifted his palm to his face, licking the rest of the powder from his hand before he leaned down toward her. Kate pulled back, pressing her other hand into his chest, but he was right. Victor being willing to trade Jon for her was an even trade. She would need to relent to him if she wanted it to work. She weakened her resolve, letting him move forward enough to press his soft lips against hers.

  His tongue dove into the center of her mouth, the drug pasty and tart as she let her physical acceptance of him sign the dotted line. Her fingers curled around the front of his shirt as he worked the kiss into something almost frenzied. She tried not to swallow the drug, but he left her no choice. He took her mind far from the need to keep the horrid liquid in her mouth. Kate fought hard against her physical attraction for him as he dominated her. It wasn’t him.

  It’s his power.

  Victor pulled back, his eyes glossy and full of passion. He tightened his fingers around her throat again and hovered just above her mouth, brushing his lips across her over and over. "Swallow it. I wanted you to try it first with me. It's going to change everything."

  Kate forced herself to pull from him, angry at him forcing a drug upon her. Him kissing her was enough to piss her off, but this was beyond vile. "Fuck you."

  "Yes. It's going to drive you mad as it does me. The latest enhancement to ecstasy. It will take effect in ten minutes and you'll be crawling the walls, begging me to cover this place in the sweet scent of our fucking."

  "No." Kate walked toward the sink, reaching up and taking out a glass. She filled it and drank the lukewarm water in large gulps.

  "Do you want me to leave? This is a moment of building trust between us, partner."

  Kate turned. "Yes. Get out of here. I don't want to be lost in a lust haze and you the only one around to help me through it."

  He smiled and walked to the door. "I'll release Jon because you've up'd the ante where you're concerned. I'll leave tonight simply to prove to you that I am in this for the long run. I might be a monster, but you are no better than me. I'll see you and Marcus at my house tomorrow night. You'd do wise to not disappoint me again. This is a two-way street. Let's keep it that way."

  CHAPTER SIX

  Mar
cus

  Marcus walked out of Jon's house shaking his head. It had taken forever to get the bastard to agree to let Marcus take him home. Something about showing Marcus where he lived seemed to be the issue. Marcus didn't want or need the other man's shit, but this was for Kate. It was always for Kate.

  Jon was a fucking mess and he needed to do something to get the other man freed from the situation. He wasn't going to do Kate or Marcus any good if he drank himself into a coma, which seemed to be his natural response to stressful situations. Jon could be with Kate on the side or something. Eventually the tide would turn again and Kate would be released from their partnership with Victor. Marcus had a plan to work hard enough to prove to the nefarious bastard that he was the one that should be in partnership, not Kate. She was simply a liability, and where he didn't believe any of that shit, he had to pretend like he did. He wanted freedom for her now as much as he had back when he went to deliver her to it.

  His phone buzzed in his pants pocket. He sighed loudly and pulled it out, half expecting it to be Jon telling him to come back. It was from Kate. All it said was to stop by soon. He called, but didn't get an answer.

  If she was hurt or in danger, she would have said so. Marcus pushed the feeling down in the pit of his stomach that something was off, and he got into his car. He needed sleep like a mother fucker, but stopping by for a few minutes wouldn't be that big of a deal.

  He made it to the club in record time, the streets packed with people and forcing him to park a few blocks away. By the time he walked into the club, he was covered in sweat and rather pissy. Marcus stopped by the front desk and asked where Kate was. They hadn't seen her.

  "Fuck," he growled and walked back out on the street before letting himself into her place. He jogged up the stairs and knocked loudly on her door. "Kate. It's Marcus, let me in."