“Go on,” he said.
“Once we start abducting family, loved ones, then we are all at risk. If Mr. Garrison is allowed to get away with repeatedly arranging the abduction of my girlfriend, my partner, then we all lose.”
I paused, only continuing after receiving a slight nod. Out of the corner of my eye, I noted the Redback had loosened his grip on Katie’s arm. She hadn’t run to me, there wasn’t about to be a movie final scene, but Steve now stood between Katie and Garrison.
“If Mr. Garrison goes unpunished, it won’t just be me who loses. I’ll sell my land and walk away. Leaving you all to deal with the consequences. Bringing in bikers, and wharfies to start fights, shoot up premises just to drive down business. Daughters and granddaughters will never be allowed to live their lives without the fear of what this fine gentleman has just suggested.”
Okay, I should have held back on the sarcasm. My tone was the softest thing I wanted driven into Garrison’s body. Rusty knives, a nest of bull ants, maybe even fresh chilli pressed into open wounds.
“Mr. Garrison, how would you respond to Mr. Mercia?” Hastings leaned back, relaxed and amused. We were nothing more than playthings.
“She’s not your fucking woman. Katie belongs to me.” Garrison yelled, tossing aside the table to stand over me. It had been impressive to watch the Redback security taking half a step forward before being waved away by Hastings men. All the while, Garrison’s purple face and plump fingers were in my face. Challenging me to, what? Hit him?
I was stupid, but not crazy. Or, was it the other way around?
“She’s living with me.”
“That doesn’t mean a thing. She was an asset you used. A pawn you willingly handed over as security.”
No longer feeling compelled to sit in my nominated chair, I did what I should have done from the start, ignored Garrison to stand face to face with Katie, willing to tell her the truth. “Katie, I fucked up. We’d come to a deal and then Garrison took offence at something Lachlan said. You and Chelle served us food and drinks and suddenly Garrison wanted to make me pay for the slight.”
“But why?”
“He wanted your employment contracts handed over, not you. He promised if you didn’t like your new jobs, you could resign immediately.”
“But he kidnapped me, his men threatened to—”
“Babe, sweetheart, Habibti qalbi,” I’d never said it to another woman, and now I had witnesses. Fuck. I needed to win her back or die trying. “Believe me, please; I never thought he’d go after you personally, please—”
The hurt was still there. Her eyes didn’t trust me, not yet.
“I came to The Club.”
“I know, I had to come here and sort things out.”
“Of course you did,” she said so softly and sadly. Could things have been different if I’d gone straight down to her instead of demanding this meet?
Ego.
I’d let my ego get in the way, again.
Fuck.
“Katie, please?”
“See! She’s not his girlfriend or his woman.” Garrison still fumed. “Look at her—there is no way Ibrahim would date a white girl. Not a good little Lebanese boy whose mama has already picked out a suitable bride.
“Well, gentlemen, it’s easy to decide.” Hastings spoke clearly, commanding our full attention. “Mr. Ibrahim has always treated my businesses with respect. I wish to return the favor. I am indeed concerned at how Mr. Garrison has conducted this business deal, right to the point of inviting guests to witness what he assumed would be Mr. Ibrahim’s embarrassing failure.”
“Sir, can I speak?” Katie asked, moving forward. Away from Steve’s protection or my arms. The girl had no fear, despite knowing the power Hastings commanded, she was willing to stand and face him.
“Katie, it’s okay.” I reached for her hand, but only caught her fingertips. Okay, she had every reason to be mad, “I’ve been negotiating my ass off to get this shit sorted. I’ve got the money to pay off Garrison’s debt. If he doesn’t agree to leave you alone, I’m selling up to a company that will destroy him.”
“No, you can’t.”
“It’s done. We walk out of here either together or at least you’re safe. You, Chelle and Steve.”
“I think the lady wanted to speak,” Hastings took control. “Miss, Katie is it?”
“Yes. Katie Elias. My friend, Chelle, and I work at The Club. We’re hostesses and I’ve started using my influence and marketing to promote Ibrahim’s nightclubs.”
“Your brains must match your considerable beauty,” Hastings said easily, but without the creep factor that Garrison had mastered.
“Thank you. I hate that Ibrahim put up our employment contracts as security. I really hate him for that.”
“See!” Garrison scorned.
“What I hated more,” Katie continued as if Garrison was an annoying fly, “is the way Mr. Garrison decided to use me as a pawn to mess with the business deal. He made it impossible for Ibby to pay him back.”
“Really?” Hastings froze Garrison with a look, noted by the two security guards who were now standing behind Garrison. No longer needing to protect Hastings from Karnal or Luther’s boys, but ready to pounce. “This is a different perspective from a story I thought I already knew. How did Mr. Garrison do that?”
“His men kidnapped me from my home and held me over night. I spent all night lying on the floor while his goons discussed how they’d enjoy me once Mr. Garrison was finished with me. No woman deserves that.”
“Quite so, and I take it you didn’t come here today of your own volition?”
“Mr. Solo here.” Katie nodded back to her captor, “Approached Steve and I on a public street. In full view of people waiting to get into The Club, he held a gun to my face and encouraged me to come with him.”
“Public? That doesn’t sound very smart, Garrison?”
“Look at his jacket, he’s a Redback, not one of mine.”
“Mr. Hastings, there’s more,” Katie’s voice now shook. “Mr. Solo rang Mr. Garrison, offering to return me as if I’m a book or car, but for a price.”
“Which was?”
“After Mr. Garrison kills either Karnal or Luther, Mr. Solo can take their place.”
Katie’s words had the desired effect. Karnal’s fists clenched above the table while sharing a smile with Luther. United by a common enemy, or two?
“I see,” Hastings paused to muse, “and your relationship with Mr. Ibrahim?”
“He still hasn’t asked my baba if he can date me yet, but I’m sure daddy will say yes after I meet Ibrahim’s mother next Sunday at the family lunch she’s been planning.”
“Katie!”
Until this moment, I hadn’t realized she was still restrained by the handcuffs. No wonder I’d only gotten fingertips. When I turned her into my chest, she couldn’t raise her hands to link around my neck, instead they stabbed at my stomach. At least my heart was being repaired.
Growling over her shoulder to Garrison, “Take these fucking cuffs off her or I won’t be responsible and no one in this room is gonna be able to stop me.”
Hastings let out a low chuckle, “Karnal, I think what Mr. Mercia is asking, is for you to instruct your colleague to remove the handcuffs from both prisoners.”
“Him!” Karnal sniffed. “Solo’s not my colleague, he’s a double traitor and will be treated as one. He turned on Luther’s Kingsmen to come to the Redbacks. I’d told him to get out of town and leave the Kingsmen and Ibby’s businesses alone.”
“It seems Mr. Solo didn’t listen to you.”
“It seems Mr. Solo doesn’t show respect, but I’d also say his latest actions were set up by Garrison. Garrison’s let business get personal, now police and media are giving half the town grief. Punters are scared and cash is down. All because Garrison wanted to take Ibby’s girl.”
Garrison turned a paler shade than white sitting next to the man who was announcing his funeral.
“
Garrison, you’re a lying scum of a pig.” Karnal said as calmly as if ordering breakfast. “Luther, mate we worked in this town before. I’ll pull my guys back if you will?”
“The nightclubs?”
“Neutral ground.”
“Deal.” Reaching across the table, knuckles pumped before handshakes were exchanged. “And Solo?”
“We can have those negotiations with him in private. After all, he’s got two colors to return.”
“I look forward to it.”
I’d already snatched the keys from the dead man walking, unlocking Katie’s wrists before tossing the keys to Steve who removed his own cuffs within seconds.
“Sweetheart, Habibti qalbi, are you okay?” I pressed her head to my chest, needing the familiar fragrance of her hair to remind me she was safe, here, mine.
“He wanted to hand me over to Garrison, but Steve wouldn’t let him take me alone.” Katie looked up, “Thank you.”
“Mate, I owe you.”
“Yeah, well don’t stop thanking us yet, Katie found this in Garrison’s limo.” Steve placed a small Glock 17 on the table. An interesting choice for Garrison to be carrying, probably from a friend on the force.
“Mr. Luther?” Hastings nodded to one of his men who picked up the piece. “I’d hate to see such a lovely weapon go to waste. Would you have a use for Mr. Garrison’s gun?”
“I do believe I would.” Luther grinned at Karnal before turning his gaze to Solo, “It’s been a while since I’ve played with something so small, but I’m sure Karnal can remind me how to use it.”
Fuck, these guys were harsh.
“Back to our original discussion,” Hastings hadn’t moved but commanded the room from the back. “Mr. Garrison, It pains me to remind you of the rules in business. Mr. Ibrahim is quite correct. Our women and families must remain out of play.”
“Like I keep telling you, she’s not his woman, or at least she’s nothing permanent. Ibrahim trades in his women like you trade in stocks. He only keeps them around until there’s something better.”
“Perhaps we should ask the lady herself.”
Katie pulled out of my arms, collecting her bag that Solo had thrown across the room, “Better than that, I can show you.”
Her blonde hair draped over her face as she dug through her bag, the room of men watching and waiting.
Fuck, she was gorgeous.
Fuck, I loved her. Would always love her.
Katie stood but instead of turning to Hastings, she came back to me, something cupped in her hands. Automatically, I took them in mine. I didn’t care what she had to show me, after tonight, I was going to show her the world. Give her the world.
“I didn’t want to tell you like this, and a week ago I wasn’t going to tell you at all.” Her eyes widened to the Katie I knew and loved, the anger replaced by sass and love.
“Okay?” I questioned, a thin piece of hard plastic left in my hands as her smile widened.
“I’m not only your woman.”
Shit! I stared at two lines on the stick.
“I’m the mother of your child.”
“I think I’d better have that talk with your father.”
Together with you
Six months later
Ibby
I love my wife.
I love the absolute fuck out of my wife.
Although I shouldn’t make promises in the heat of passion, Katie Mercia always knew how to play my weakness; her.
In the six months since the rumored biker war, I’d become hers in every way possible.
My heart no longer beat for me. It beat to the rhythm of her heart, and our child.
My lungs no longer gave me the oxygen to breathe. I survived from one of her smiles to the next.
My left hand held a bright gold band. It didn’t stop women from trying, but half the time I didn’t notice.
But I’d become everyone’s favorite wingman. Luther and Karnal had become regulars at The Club, making an unlikely alliance with Lachlan who, for a price, could turn their rivers of gold legit. The three of them were a magnet for Sydney’s single women. As Sydney’s favorite nightclub king, my job was to make the introductions. In return, my empire had become the safest place to have fun.
Police left me alone.
Bikers kept the peace.
Money flowed and most nights I either partied with the love of my life, or left early to go home. To my wife.
Katie.
My wife.
Soon to be mother of my child.
“Did you hear the latest?” Lachlan and Ronan thumped my back. Half empty glasses in hand and followed by four giggling twenty-something year olds.
“I’m sure you’ll tell me.” They’d caught me leaving my office. Every minute delayed was a minute I’d never get back from spending with Katie.
“Garrison Templeton has disappeared.”
“Like a bad smell, I’m sure he’ll turn up.”
Norman Hastings had asked what I wanted for a wedding gift. After eloping, Katie and I hadn’t bothered with a registry. Some friends wanted to give us gifts before our combined wedding service-Christening, but I’d never figured Norman Hastings as a real friend. Stunned, I’d answered truthfully, “Garrison gone and Katie safe.”
That had been less than one month ago.
“You don’t understand. His offices have been taken over, his businesses either sold or bankrupt. He’s gone.”
“And you’re telling me, why?” I held a straight face. Yes, these were my oldest friends, other than Luther, but I wasn’t about to betray someone with Hastings’ power.
“Thought you’d like to know,” Ronan lost his drunk haze, “I mean, it wasn’t that long ago the two of you were tearing this town apart over the same girl.”
“The girl chose. She’s gonna have my child in a couple of months and Garrison knows it. He’s probably gone to Asia or Africa to make coin. He lost too much face in Australia and he’s not big enough to take on the USA.”
“Still, we thought you’d be happy.” Lachlan shrugged, allowing the Jessica Rabbit look alike to drag him away.
“Seriously, did you know?” Ronan asked. “I mean—”
“I’ll be happy in about half an hour when I’ve walked in the door and home and kissing the shit out of my wife. I’ll be happy next week when I’m opening The Venue #7 in Brisbane. I’ll be happy in two months when all my friends are offering me their finest bottles of scotch and cigars as we toast the safe arrival of my child.”
“Fuck, man. What drug are you on?” Ronan had been dealing with his own family drama while mine had played out in public.
“I think they call it, love. You should try it some time.”
Katie
“I don’t even have to ask if he’s still treating you like the princess you deserve to be.”
I smiled and greeted the old man holding court at his favorite table in his favorite restaurant as staff swarmed around us.
“Ibby treats me like a precious flower. I swear, if he could breathe for me, he would.”
“As he should.”
“Thank you for hooking him up with that finance guy.”
“Who? Scott Alexander?” He paused while waitresses filled our glasses and offered platters of fresh Turkish bread and dips. “I’d like to take the credit, but Darius Patera set that up.”
“Oh?”
“Your boy is smart but stretched too thin. Once he explained his concept restaurant to me, I suggested he bring on board more smarts. Delegate the money and marketing to others in the same way he allowed his project manager free reign.”
My cheeks flushed with memories of my business meetings as Ibby’s marketing manager. No matter where they started, or how professionally, they invariably ended up with clothes removed, Ibby agreeing to all my ideas, and me screaming out his name.
“We’re lucky Ricardo’s wife doesn’t mind him travelling all over Australia establishing new sites for The Venue.”
“Whate
ver, I come back to my first question,” he looked at me with the eyes that demanded truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. “Does he treat you right?”
“Of course, he does,” I said, laughing and waving to get more of the delicious bread. “But I have to say that when I walked in and saw you—”
“I promise, even before you walked in, I was about to take control of the situation.”
“But you didn’t.”
“I wanted to see how it would play out. I love you.”
“I love you too, and when I saw you, I knew you wouldn’t let Garrison take me.”
My host scoffed, “Garrison wouldn’t know how to take you—I mean, he wouldn’t know his nose from his ass—I didn’t mean—”
“I know what you meant. Garrison scared me, until he didn’t. But now?”
“But now, your future is yours. When I saw the way Ibrahim looked at you, I knew you were in good hands, but that was only half of it.”
“And the other half?”
“You stood up to him. The whole room saw how you were prepared to walk away, if he didn’t—”
“Apologize? He’d already done that.”
“Deservedly so.”
“Made things right, well I couldn’t let him throw away his empire.”
“No, and I respect you for that. What impressed me was the way Ibrahim was willing to do so. Money and fortunes can be rebuilt. People matter. You matter. You’ve always deserved better than the hand you were dealt.”
The guilt I’d been carrying for six months felt heavy. I’d avoided any situation where the two of us would be left alone.
“I was upset at not being invited to the wedding,” his voice and eyes lowered.
“We had a simple service, only Darius and Tara were there as witnesses. I couldn’t invite you without the whole explanation.”
“He still doesn’t know about me?”
“Only what you did for us that day, but not why. There’s never been the right time to introduce you properly. His mother wants a huge, traditional wedding with hundreds of family and friends. We want that too, but when my parents have come around.”
Hard Bargain: a Billionaire Suspense Romance (City Sinners Book 3) Page 25