drugs.
We’re escorted to the far side of the room where a middle-aged guy in shirtsleeves and cheap, gray slacks is standing, talking on a cell phone while a couple of other minions lounge around smoking. As we get near, dude on the phone, who must be Lagazo, points to the door, and the two jerks with us peel off and leave the building.
I try to maneuver in front of Carly, but she’s wise to my tricks now and moves just as quickly to cut me off. Her little hip is jutted out in front of me, and we’re about to get into a wrestling match over who’s in the position of prominence when I solve the problem by grabbing her hand and jerking her over to my side. Then I throw my arm around her shoulders, pulling her against me.
I hear her hiss out a breath just as Lagazo ends his call. She freezes, and I’m grateful that I have her pinned to me. It’s where I plan to keep her no matter what these guys think they’re doing.
“Carly,” Lagazo rumbles in an unmistakable New Jersey accent. I feel like I’ve fallen into an episode of that old show the Sopranos. “You’ve been giving Martin and Nicky a hard time. That’s not so nice. I thought your old man taught you better.”
The dude has yet to acknowledge me, but I have no intention of being ignored, so before Carly can respond, I speak up. “I told your guys that I have the money to pay off whatever it is you think Carly owes you. I just need to make a phone call and the money will be transferred in a few hours.”
Lagazo examines me, a look bordering disgust on his face. “And who, exactly, are you ?”
“My name’s Pax and I’m a friend of Carly’s family.”
“Pax.” His voice is emotionless as he says my name. “You really think you can have one hundred K to me in the next few hours?”
“Yeah, I can.”
“And if I say that won’t cover Carly’s debt?”
Carly tenses at my side, and I rub a thumb along her shoulder, feeling the smooth skin there under the edge of her T-shirt sleeve.
“Why don’t you explain that to me,” I answer, noticing the minions smirking behind Lagazo.
He steps forward, coming almost nose-to-nose with me. He’s not as tall as I am, and he’s a few decades older, but that doesn’t seem to faze him. He’s tough as hell, and I imagine he fights damn dirty.
“I don’t explain myself to punks with rich daddies,” he snarls.
I’m about to say something far less polite than what I’ve said so far, but Carly must sense it and interrupts me.
“Mr. Lagazo. I’ve told your guys—my dad didn’t leave me a thing. Honest. I had to borrow money from my aunt to pay for his funeral.”
He looks her up and down, a disgusting leer on his face. My fingers on her shoulder tighten, and I hear her squeak as if I’ve hurt her.
“Sorry,” I whisper.
“But see, little girl, it’s not that I don’t believe you, just that it doesn’t matter. You still owe, and now, you owe more because of the trouble you’ve caused me. I’m running a business here, and when you force my guys to chase you all over town for days, that’s an expense. When you make us take a risk like grabbing you out of some chump’s house in the middle of the night, that’s a cost.”
He keeps talking to her, but he looks at me, his lip curled up on one side. “These kinds of costs can’t be put into dollars, Carly.” He grins, walking away from us and then pausing before turning back. “The only way you can repay this debt now is to go to work for me.”
“Oh hell no,” I say before Carly can answer.
The mere thought of her up in front of all those dirty, old men has my blood boiling. An image of us touching at my condo flashes through my mind and the one thing I feel is ‘I’m not sharing’. She might not know it yet, but when all of this is over, she and I are going to spend some time together—quality time, time without so many clothes.
Lagazo raises an eyebrow at me before jerking his head at one of the minions nearby.
We’re escorted to the far side of the room where a middle-aged guy in shirtsleeves and cheap, gray slacks is standing, talking on a cell phone while a couple of other minions lounge around smoking. As we get near, dude on the phone, who must be Lagazo, points to the door, and the two jerks with us peel off and leave the building.
I try to maneuver in front of Carly, but she’s wise to my tricks now and moves just as quickly to cut me off. Her little hip is jutted out in front of me, and we’re about to get into a wrestling match over who’s in the position of prominence when I solve the problem by grabbing her hand and jerking her over to my side. Then I throw my arm around her shoulders, pulling her against me.
I hear her hiss out a breath just as Lagazo ends his call. She freezes, and I’m grateful that I have her pinned to me. It’s where I plan to keep her no matter what these guys think they’re doing.
“Carly,” Lagazo rumbles in an unmistakable New Jersey accent. I feel like I’ve fallen into an episode of that old show the Sopranos. “You’ve been giving Martin and Nicky a hard time. That’s not so nice. I thought your old man taught you better.”
The dude has yet to acknowledge me, but I have no intention of being ignored, so before Carly can respond, I speak up. “I told your guys that I have the money to pay off whatever it is you think Carly owes you. I just need to make a phone call and the money will be transferred in a few hours.”
Lagazo examines me, a look bordering disgust on his face. “And who, exactly, are you ?”
“My name’s Pax and I’m a friend of Carly’s family.”
“Pax.” His voice is emotionless as he says my name. “You really think you can have one hundred K to me in the next few hours?”
“Yeah, I can.”
“And if I say that won’t cover Carly’s debt?”
Carly tenses at my side, and I rub a thumb along her shoulder, feeling the smooth skin there under the edge of her T-shirt sleeve.
“Why don’t you explain that to me,” I answer, noticing the minions smirking behind Lagazo.
He steps forward, coming almost nose-to-nose with me. He’s not as tall as I am, and he’s a few decades older, but that doesn’t seem to faze him. He’s tough as hell, and I imagine he fights damn dirty.
“I don’t explain myself to punks with rich daddies,” he snarls.
I’m about to say something far less polite than what I’ve said so far, but Carly must sense it and interrupts me.
“Mr. Lagazo. I’ve told your guys—my dad didn’t leave me a thing. Honest. I had to borrow money from my aunt to pay for his funeral.”
He looks her up and down, a disgusting leer on his face. My fingers on her shoulder tighten, and I hear her squeak as if I’ve hurt her.
“Sorry,” I whisper.
“But see, little girl, it’s not that I don’t believe you, just that it doesn’t matter. You still owe, and now, you owe more because of the trouble you’ve caused me. I’m running a business here, and when you force my guys to chase you all over town for days, that’s an expense. When you make us take a risk like grabbing you out of some chump’s house in the middle of the night, that’s a cost.”
He keeps talking to her, but he looks at me, his lip curled up on one side. “These kinds of costs can’t be put into dollars, Carly.” He grins, walking away from us and then pausing before turning back. “The only way you can repay this debt now is to go to work for me.”
“Oh hell no,” I say before Carly can answer.
The mere thought of her up in front of all those dirty, old men has my blood boiling. An image of us touching at my condo flashes through my mind and the one thing I feel is ‘I’m not sharing’. She might not know it yet, but when all of this is over, she and I are going to spend some time together—quality time, time without so many clothes.
Lagazo raises an eyebrow at me before jerking his head at one of the minions nearby.
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