The Debt Collector: An Underground Bad Boys Romance

by India Kells

  Locke had given her the orgasm of her life, her thighs were wet, which surprised her as she’d never had a female ejaculation before, and her lover slowly helped her down on the soft carpet, holding in a tender embrace, whispering sweet nonsense to her as her body shut down and she drifted into an orgasm-induced slumber.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Tessa couldn’t sleep, her mind reeling even as her body felt like noodles. She had passed out from the moment Locke had cradled her in his arms until her heated skin touched the cool sheets of the bed. However, she waited until the door closed behind him before opening her eyes. She could see the light dimming behind the curtains covering her bedroom window. Her body and mind were completely upside down and inside out.

  And after a while, with ideas and scenarios swirling inside her head, Tessa pushed the sheets aside. This was not a rom-com. This was not a situation where she could feel emotions for a man with a shady life. Beyond everything else, she had accepted his protection, and his body, for a very clear reason: stopping Luther. The orgasms were a bonus, but nothing that could lead to anything deeper. There was her work, her colleagues, her friends, and that was it. Locke had no place in her life, even if she longed for more.

  With new resolve, she flung her legs on the side of the bed and headed for the bathroom. A quick shower erased any remnants of Locke, even if she knew that what she felt was not only on her skin, but a little deeper. Another point of order was to call her boss, who along with Mabel, would be out of their minds with worry as she had been AWOL for two days now. As she finished rubbing her skin with the thick towel and saw more of her clothes in the room, she made a mental note to ask Locke how he’d accessed her apartment. It probably wouldn’t be an answer she liked. At least he’d brought some of her yoga pants and tops, which she appreciated as she didn’t feel like dressing up. Comfortable was the word for the moment.

  Refreshed, Tessa tentatively opened her door. The entire apartment was silent, mostly in shadows. Streetlight came from the huge windows and filtered through the fabric. On the couch, with his back to her, Locke was fast asleep in the same pair of jeans she had seen him in earlier, his muscled back bare. His presence there surprised her as she half expected him to be in bed in his own room with Gage. After all, the men were intimate enough to have wild sex together, why not share a bed to sleep?

  As silently as possible, Tessa padded to the master bedroom to take a peek and check if Gage was all right. Cracking the door open, it appeared she wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep. The man was lying down, his eyes on the ceiling. He detected her presence immediately when she moved, his blue eyes landed on her, a grin on his face. The swelling around his eye had almost gone.

  “Doc! Glad I’m not the only insomniac in the building.”

  It was impossible not to smile at him. Despite the danger oozing from the man in repose, she didn’t feel threatened by him. And why would she? Maybe she was thinking about what had happened earlier in the living room. After all, she didn’t know how Gage felt about Locke. It could be much more complex than it appeared.

  “I wanted to check on you. I’m surprised to see you awake at all. The painkillers should have put you under at least until much later.”

  His smile grew even more. “I have a fast metabolism. Medications and drugs never work as expected on me, that’s the reason I never take any. And even if I was in a drug-induced sleep, your screams would have woken me. God woman, you have the most incredible voice when you come.”

  Tessa opened her mouth and closed it. Not knowing how to respond to that, she crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re hallucinating.”

  Gage’s chuckle turned to a groan of pain as he touched his side. Tessa went to him right away, ignoring her own embarrassment. A quick examination put her fears at ease. No fever. His bruises looked impressive but were improving. His shoulder looked even better.

  “How’s the pain?”

  Gage exhaled, dismissing it. “I’ve been through worse, I’ll survive.”

  Tessa continued her assessment. “The icing helped. As did the anti-inflammatory injection I gave you. I wish I had access to X-rays. I don’t doubt you have a broken bone or two with the number of bruises I can see.”

  “If something was broken, I would know it. No X-rays needed for that.”

  She ignored his smug look and once satisfied, pulled the sheet up again. “Don’t play the caveman with me, Mr. Gage. If there’s something I can’t stand, it’s lies. If you don’t want to answer, just say so, or tell me to shut up.”

  She was about to turn around and walk out, when he caught her hand. She wasn’t angry, but she felt as if she was walking on thin ice, her morals, and her sanity were already shaken, she couldn’t add lies to the mix, not here, not now. She could bare her body, but there was no way she would submit to untruths inside these walls.

  “Call me Gage, Doctor.” The way he pulled at her arm, gently but firmly, there was no way not to sit beside him on the bed. Although she didn’t like being forced into something, Gage had the good sense to let her go as soon as her butt touched the mattress.

  “May I know your name? Locke calls you Doctor, but I doubt that’s the name your parents gave you.”

  Gone was the attitude, and in its place, she saw tiredness. So heavy as if things had finally caught up with him.

  “Tessa.”

  She saw his lips move, as if testing her name on his lips. “What can of worms have you opened, Tessa? A poisonous one I dare say if Locke brought you here to his private lair. I’ve been his friend most of his life, and having a stranger here is no small feat, that I can tell you. He’s … peculiar.”

  Images of him at the hospital and in his kitchen popped into her mind. His habits, the way he moved and looked at things. It was only cursory, but it spoke a lot.

  “And still, he welcomed you into his house, helped you. And you’re lying in his bed, Gage. Perhaps he’s not as peculiar as you think.”

  The smile was back, but this time amusement colored it. “You are defending him. Good. But there’s much more than meets the eye concerning Locke. But you probably know that by now, as you saw what happened between us earlier.”

  Astonishment must have shown on her face because Gage nodded. “I know when I’m being watched. Years of living on the street do that to a man. I saw you move at some point too, it was from the corner of my eye, but as you were the only other person around…”

  Now, Tessa was scrambling to form a sentence, either to deny or dismiss, but nothing intelligent came to mind.

  “It’s the first time someone watched us having sex. I’m not an exhibitionist, but I like your eyes. I like you.”

  Tessa opened her mouth and closed it, unable to form a coherent thought.

  “There is something about you, Tessa. And I see why Locke likes you.” His eyes slowly roamed down her body. “And why he’s desperate to make you scream.” When he looked back at her face, his head tilted a little. “I see you’re trying to make sense of all this. I wouldn’t waste my time if I were you. And please don’t try to assign me to a neat little box tied up with a bow, that would totally piss me off.”

  “A box?” Now that the first words were out, it was like her system was rolling again. “A box would mean I’m judging you, which I’m not. What threw me off was … why he was with you and then with me… I’m just trying to understand.”

  For a long time, Gage remained still, his attention solely on her, probably debating how much he should or shouldn’t reveal, until he finally shrugged.

  “Locke and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. We both lived in a world I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. No one to trust, death and blood following our every step. We grew up, fought, and survived with only each other to rely on. I would use the word brothers, but I’m certain that the word would make you cringe after what you saw. But we are brothers, if not by blood, by loyalty. How it led to that, I don’t know. What I can say is that when we were stretch
ed almost to breaking point, we turned to each other. You can call it comfort, experimentation, fooling around, I don’t fucking care. I know for a fact that I’m not attracted to men, but I would drop on my knees for Locke, or take a bullet for him.”

  Tessa swallowed hard, and as he spoke, the words made a strange kind of sense, even if she didn’t completely understand that kind of bond.

  “And me for you, brother.”

  Tessa almost jumped off the bed at the sound of Locke’s voice behind her. How he’d managed to sneak up on them, she didn’t know, but Gage must have seen him and still, he kept talking.

  “Even when we aren’t trying to survive, there’s a lot in this world that doesn’t make sense, that has no explanation. Whatever there is between me and Locke, it’s there if we need it. So, when I heard you scream, Tessa, when Locke gave you what I suspect was one earth-shattering orgasm, I didn’t feel jealousy, although I wish I could have seen it. One thing Locke and I have never shared is a woman.”

  The air was so charged, so heavy with both men so close, Tessa had trouble drawing a breath. Despite the pleasure earlier, her body hummed at the thought of them. Together, with her. It was so weird and so strong, she didn’t recognize herself. And more than the two powerful men in the room, it frightened her. Slowly, she moved from the bed.

  “I don’t have a clear head. I don’t know… I don’t know how to answer.” Both men were immobile for a moment, their attention on her.

  Locke spoke first, his voice low and soothing as she moved toward the bedroom door. “Everything that happens here is your choice apart from the rules. I’ve never forced myself on a woman. Neither has Gage. I want you to feel safe here and free to do what you want.”

  She had almost left the room when his final words made her look back at him.

  “Sometimes the cage is not about the walls, but about the mind, Tessa.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Locke watched the doctor’s bedroom door remain stubbornly closed. Part of him wanted to curse at Gage for suggesting that the three of them share a bed so quickly.

  Returning to the task at hand, he checked his phone again as he finished preparing sandwiches. With his mind torn in so many directions, he knew that preparing something more complicated than that would be a disaster.

  The shuffle coming from the hallway told him that Gage was up. Definitely not a good idea, but Locke had learned early on to let his friend experience his bad decisions for himself. The trouble was, he would need to be carried to bed later, and Gage was anything but a featherweight.

  “Damn, I need a shower.”

  The grouchy voice almost made him smile, but it was the way he held his body that stopped him. Gage was in pain and it showed. And if it showed, it was more serious than he’d thought.

  Once Gage had functioned an entire week with a dislocated shoulder and nobody ever guessed. The beating he’d taken, even if he’d ultimately won, showed on his body. He had taken a pair of his sweatpants from his dresser. Locke made a mental note to tidy it up again later.

  “Wrong room. And go back to bed. I’m bringing you something to eat.”

  “Better not be soup, I hate soup. I’m hungry. I’ll eat and then I’ll have a shower.”

  Gage shuffled his big body to the couch, but was very careful lowering himself down, wincing the entire way. With a sigh of relief, he let his head fall back and closed his eyes.

  “You should have listened to the doctor. You need rest, not a shower, not wandering around … but even if the devil himself ordered you to stay in bed, you would still spit in his eye.”

  A low hum came from his lips that could have meant anything.

  “Are you up for eating something, or would you prefer to wait?”

  Gage tapped the empty place beside him. “I’ll eat, just put it there.”

  Locke wasn’t doing that and instead placed the plate on the kitchen table. “When you’re hungry enough, you’ll eat at the table.”

  Gage sighed and finally looked up. “A few crumbs on your expensive sofa won’t ruin the day, bro.”

  Prepared for the same endless battle they’d had for years, Locke didn’t budge. However, Gage wasn’t in the mood for a fight, as he only looked at him. “You’re distracted. Preoccupied. And let me guess, it’s not entirely due to the luscious doctor.”

  It was difficult to hide anything from him. “Luther.”

  Immediately, Gage was on high alert. “He called?”

  Locke shook his head. “No, but our informant told me that he’s on another last-minute rampage. And from what he understood, it’s a special request from a few of his partners.”

  Groaning, Gage slid to the edge of his seat before using the armrest to push himself up. “Then you’re close to having something concrete. Do you know where he plans to kidnap the girls?”

  Locke crossed his arms, leaning on the counter. “This time, there’s supposed to be a convoy coming from the port. I still need the confirmation on that, but he’s going all in. All slaves from Eastern Europe. As they won’t be on official records, once they have their hands on them, they’ll disappear. I need more solid information that I can be sure is correct.”

  “It won’t do any good if Luther and his freak henchmen aren’t there. It will be like last time when he slid through the cracks.”

  Locke nodded. “The advantage last time was that he didn’t know he was under surveillance. Which means that he didn’t put his guard up. He still doesn’t expect trouble this time around. And what makes this shipment different, and the reason Luther will be hands-on, is that some of the girls have been specifically ordered by his partners. They aren’t some random bunch that will be split up during an auction. Precious cargo means Luther can’t risk anything going wrong. He will be there.”

  The rising certainty as he repeated the information to his friend steadied him. So many times, he had to observe without being able to intervene. This time was different.

  “I need to go out. I still have a couple of leads to check. Can you stay here and look after her?”

  Gage walked closer to the counter and sat on one of the stools. Even in that position, Locke was almost eye to eye with him.

  “You want me to make sure she’s safe, or that she doesn’t leave?”

  Locke turned to the door once more. “Be prepared for anything with her. Also, I told her she could call work to officially take a vacation so her absence doesn’t raise suspicions. Monitor her calls, just in case. I trust the doctor, but only so far.”

  Gage waited a minute, his eyes intense and scrutinizing. “Why don’t you call her by her name?”

  Seeing his friend trying to psychoanalyze him one more, Locke grew impatient. “I didn’t know her first name until I heard her telling you.”

  “And even now, you keep referring to her as ‘the doctor’.”

  “Because it’s who she is. I made an agreement with her. I collected her debt and she’s repaying it. It’s what I do.”

  “Yes, it’s what you do. With money. And always detached. However, it’s the first time I’ve seen you make a different kind of arrangement with anyone. Tessa is a doctor, she has money. She could have easily repaid you. What changed this time?”

  That was the question Locke had no intention of analyzing. “It felt like a good exchange. And you know I only make advantageous ones.” Maybe, except for helpless kids when he got them out. He took all those risks for them.

  Gage’s blue eyes glinted with amusement and irritated Locke to no end. “Listen. Just stay here until I come back. You know where everything is. Make yourself comfortable and try not to mess this place more than necessary.”

  Locke grabbed his coat he had placed on a chair and put it on. The feel of his weapon made him slip into his usual underground persona, one he hoped to relinquish one day. Every time he returned to the darkness, a piece of his soul darkened and disappeared.

  “And if I want to mess with the good doctor?”

  The question made
him stop as he reached for the elevator buttons. There was a surge of possessiveness that flooded him, and rage at the thought of Gage touching the doctor. However, his logical mind reminded him that it was a simple arrangement. One that offered him sex and still protected her. Everything was temporary and if she wanted to have sex with Gage, it was up to her. Hadn’t he had sex with his friend himself while she was sleeping in her room?

  “If she agrees, it’s up to you.” The words tasted foul in his mouth as he pressed the elevator call button. The doors opened, and he stepped in and made a show of turning around and facing his friend and smiling, proving to him that the doctor didn’t mean more to him than the body she had to offer. “But with your ugly mug, I doubt she’ll say yes.”

  Gage laughed as the door closed, leaving Locke alone in the silent elevator, determined to sort out and take back control of the swirl of emotions he felt at the thought of the good doctor alone with his best friend.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  It would have been easy to put her ear to the door and listen to the men talking in the living room, but Tessa refrained from doing it. Her mind was jumbled enough without having incomplete conversations to process on top of it.

  At the moment, it was hard enough to think about the suggestion of having sex with both men, and not consider it. What was wrong with her? How had she changed from dedicated doctor to shameless slut? Had she been so disconnected from her own body and needs over the years that it was all coming back on her? It was the most sensible explanation she could think of.

  After medical school, she had been so engrossed in her career that relationships were few and sparse and she had only been with other doctors. She never met anyone else. The pathetic part wasn’t who she’d met, or had sex with, but how quickly they disappeared. Having people in her crazy, hectic, busy life wasn’t an option.