Blood Money (Bad Money #1) Read online

  "Be more specific or I'll put a bullet between your eyes just like I did that hillbilly lackey you left to rough me up today." Kate took a step toward him, her gun safely in her hand.

  "Yes, sorry about that. I assumed you were the boss that you're not." He chuckled. "But you should be."

  "The world you live in offers nothing but grief and death. Count me out."

  "Me too. Fuck you and all of this." Marcus reached over and wrapped an arm around Kate.

  "Not that easy." Victor shrugged, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth. He glanced toward Jon and back to Kate. "Now that Seth is dead, Marcus is his replacement. You have a week to make a decision as to whether we are going to work together... or not."

  Kate lifted her gun and smiled. "I don't think you get to make those demands."

  "Oh... I have Jon's mother locked up. She seems to think Jesus will save her, but I don't know. I've never met the guy before." He laughed as Kate let her arm drop, Victor having pulled out a card that no one could trump.

  "If you touch one hair on her head, I'll slaughter you, you sick mother fucker."

  "Oh, I know you will." Victor chuckled. "I've seen your record."

  Kate swallowed her questions and took one last step toward him. "What do you want in terms of working with us?"

  "I want you to move into Seth's spot."

  "Not happening." She shook her head.

  "I'm not asking. You're moving into his spot and Marcus will work for us both. I have a different product than you do. We will be partners, Miss Jarret. There is no way around this."

  She glanced at Jon, his face pale, his eyes filled with fury. "And what of the cop?"

  "He stays on the force and helps us. He's not the innocent dove you think he is." Victor laughed and turned toward Jon. "You get the girl and keep your life and job. What do you say, detective?"

  "What choice do I have?" Jon bit out through clenched teeth.

  "Oh lots... you can say no, but someone will pay for your decision."

  "And if I say yes? Will you release my mother?"

  "I will. And I'll promise to never come near her again. But you and I will share many things over the years to come."

  "Done." Jon moved up and shook Victor's hand, Kate standing in shock at the handsome cop’s quick decision. Family meant more to him than it would have to Kate.

  "And for the two of you... One week to decide. Any events we hold together, you will pose as a married couple. It’s part of a game I'm playing. Really... you're going to love it."

  "If we agree to this, you stay out of our shit." Marcus moved beside Kate, his body almost pressed to Victor’s.

  "I will, as long as you treat me like a partner in all things." He glanced toward Kate, his eyes moving down her body.

  "Fuck no." Jon stepped up, the four of them in a little huddle.

  "Oh Mr. Peterson, you've already agreed to sharing with me. No taking back your word, Sir."

  "Fuck you," Kate whispered.

  Victor laughed and turned to walk away. "My demands are simple. The three of you and I... We're going into business together. We'll be intimate in lots of ways and we'll make loads of cash to make you feel better about your personal sacrifices."

  EPILOGUE

  Jon

  "I want to apologize until I can't speak anymore, until my fucking tongue falls off." Jon leaned against her as she stood with her back to the wall of the club, the music loud, the lights flashing above them.

  "Stop. We were all lied to, Jon. You and I are good." She reached up and slid her fingers into his hair, her touch lighting him on fire.

  "You have to tell Victor no, Kate. I can't stomach the thought of sharing you." He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, sickness still swirling in his stomach.

  She pulled back and nodded, sadness sitting at the edge of her dark gaze. "I can't. You know that. If you need out, then leave. This life that I live... it isn't going to stop. It's forced me to pick up my cards and start playing again."

  "The drugs I can handle. The danger and the lies we all might have to tell, but someone touching your body who isn't me... no."

  She bit at her lip, her chest lifting as she inhaled deeply. "It's not a conversation we need to have right now."

  "I know. I just..." He paused and looked over his shoulder as someone tapped on his back.

  Marcus.

  "I hate to bust up this shit, but we need to talk. All of us." He motioned for them to follow him to the back office.

  Jon nodded and reached for Kate's hand, pulling her close to his side as the feeling that she might never be truly his rolled over him. He would have to take Victor out... but how?

  They walked in stony silence back to the office, Marcus moving to the large chair behind Kate's desk. Jon sat down in the other chair and motioned for Kate to sit on his lap. She did and he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

  "I know this shit is uncomfortable and that you guys love each other, but we need to talk about Victor's request."

  "I don't want to discuss this," Kate barked, moving across the room as Jon released her and sat back.

  "I understand that. But we have to. You want to work together to take the mother fucker out or you want to decide how to get through a two-hour fuck so we can live our lives?" Marcus retorted as Jon leaned over and lifted his eyebrow at the big guy.

  "Watch your tone, dude. Let him fuck you and leave her out of it." Jon's eyebrows narrowed as anger rose in his chest. "How would that feel?"

  "If it meant saving you two and not letting anything happen to the people I love, fine. I'd take it in the ass for a few hours to keep you safe," Marcus bit back and Jon sighed.

  "How did this go from drugs to sex?" Kate asked, her voice pinched.

  "They're intertwined, Katie. The drugs are the business, the sex is a means of sharing so deeply with each other that you learn trust." Marcus ran his hands over his bald head. "If we hadn't been fucking all these years, would you trust me as much?"

  "No," she whispered, leaning back and reclining against Jon. He wrapped his arms around her.

  "I can't let this happen, Marcus. Kate is my woman... I'm not letting some other dude fuck her."

  "Then we kill him." Marcus shrugged. "I would offer myself in her place, but I'm not interested in being rejected today."

  "How do you kill a ghost?" Kate asked, her arms wrapping tightly around herself.

  Jon closed his eyes and let his head drop back, feeling so fucking helpless all of a sudden.

  "You don't, guys. Maybe we can talk to him." Marcus stood up, starting to pace behind the desk.

  "You brought us in here because you have a solution. I know you. What is it?" Kate asked, standing up and moving to the side of the desk.

  Marcus paused, looking at Kate and then back to Jon. "The drug part is easy. We're doing this shit. We're all in."

  "The sex, Marcus." Jon stood up and crossed his arms over his chest.

  "I think we need to get you used to seeing her fuck someone else. I think we ask Victor if part of the deal can be that you're in the room."

  "What? That sounds horrible." Jon turned to face the door, his heart stopping in his chest, something about it turning him on.

  "I would want you there if we have to do this." Kate's voice shook, her dominance tucked behind terror.

  Jon turned and looked at her. "Is there no way around this?"

  "No. Maybe he'd be open for a ménage. Letting you fuck her with him." Marcus shrugged.

  "Oh fuck." Jon slipped his hands in his hair, his world turning on its side again for the tenth time in the last few weeks. "I can't do this..."

  "Then we kill him," Kate whispered. "That or he's going to take us out, baby."

  "What do you want from me, Kate? Do you even think you can do this?" Jon asked.

  "She's been doing it a long time. Fucking and pretending the guy with her isn't the one buried inside of her," Marcus muttered, moving over to squeeze Kate's shoulder.

  "Yeah, bu
t she's mine now," Jon growled, moving toward her and stopping beside her.

  "I don't have a choice unless we can get him to relent. If we can't, I'm asking that you or Marcus be there with me. If he lets one of you take my attention during the ordeal, I want that so I don't lose my mind."

  Jon's body hardened, the thought of watching her fuck someone else and stare at him almost too much to consider. Would he be okay with it? Why the fuck was it turning him on so much?

  "You're not an object he can just take from us." The conviction in his voice was lacking, his mind slipping into the idea of her pleasure being taken to a new height.

  "Am I not?"

  "No. You're the woman I love. You belong to me."

  "And I always will." She turned to Jon and slid her arms around his waist.

  Marcus spoke up. "I have to meet with Victor later. I'd rather you not come, but I do need your decision, boss."

  Kate looked toward Marcus, the resolve on her face dragging Jon in even deeper. "I need to think on it, but I'm in charge. I'll make the call. Find out tonight when you see him what his demands are and throw in our lot for a huge chunk of his dirty money no matter the cost..."

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  SNEAK PEAK AT DIRTY MONEY

  CHAPTER ONE

  Marcus

  The meeting with Victor Parence shouldn't have left Marcus on edge, but it did. The man had moved into New Orleans without respect or fear for the competing forces in the city. His mark had been made in blood. His demands changing the projection of Marcus's future.

  "Not only mine, but Kate's and Jon's too," Marcus muttered to himself as he got out of his sleek, black mustang. Slamming the door, he walked toward the large red brick mansion. The house was located in one of the high-dollar parts of town. Marcus glanced back at the gate and the guards that stood watching him closely.

  It was a life Marcus wanted for himself.

  He walked languidly to the front door, pausing for only a moment. Nervousness rose in his stomach, Victor's words reminding him that for this meeting - their first meeting - Marcus had failed to follow instructions. Kate was supposed to be with him, but he knew without a doubt that things would go south quickly if she had come along. She was being forced to move into his former boss, Seth's spot as one of the drug lords in the heart of New Orleans.

  It was Marcus's spot, but he understood clearly what Victor was doing. He wasn't trying to give Kate freedom, but to squish her subtly so that she never recognized what was happening until it was too late. Marcus couldn't allow that to happen. He cared too much for her.

  The door opened before he could knock. A pretty blond in a tight skirt and her boobs hanging out the top of her tank top stood in front of him. Marcus glanced past her to see if Victor might be in the distance. Everything was a test. Everything was an interview. There was no rest to be had in his line of work.

  "Victor's expecting you." She opened the door wider and smiled, her lipstick much too dark for her fair complex.

  "Good. Take me to him." Marcus moved in behind her and closed the door as she pranced down a long hallway. She wasn't at all the type of girl that he would spend more than a few minutes with and that was only if she was buying his product.

  Too thin. Drug addict.

  Marcus could hear Victor's voice as the guy seemed to be warning someone to keep their shit straight or he would be sure to do it for them. Glancing around, Marcus took in as much as he could. He needed to memorize the layout of the house should they ever decide that their time being Victor's puppets was up and his appointed date for death had arrived.

  The girl turned and said something, but Marcus didn't catch it as he reached out to stop himself from plowing into the small thing. He simply nodded and waited outside the door as she disappeared. Large paintings of the ocean and the mountains covered the walls throughout the hall, each one more beautiful than the last.

  "Marcus. Come in, please." Victor's call to him brought him back from his yearning to have beautiful things in a big house that he owned as well. This wasn't the time to dream, nor the place. This guy was a monster and yet had everything in the world that Marcus wanted - power being king.

  Does that make me a monster too? Do I really give a shit?

  Walking into the room, Marcus quickly scanned the large office. It was decorated in dark crimson and black, the color of sin and passion making him feel a bit smaller than he was. Marcus straightened his shoulders and walked toward the desk, reaching out to shake Victor's hand as he extended it.

  The drug lord was probably in his late forties if not a little younger. People who lived a hard lifestyle always showed signs of it physically, but Victor looked well-kept. Perhaps his empire was built in his younger years and now he was simply bathing in the beauty of all that was his.

  "You can leave, Sara." Victor glanced toward the girl and nodded to the door. "Close the door on your way out."

  "Do you want me to have Jude come stand guard?" She asked, her voice much softer than it had been at the door a few minutes ago.

  "Did I ask for Jude?" Victor narrowed his gaze on the girl before turning toward Marcus. "Take a seat."

  Marcus sat and crossed his hands over his stomach, glad for his choice of attire being a little more business-like than he usually would have chosen. After calling Kate that morning to talk through everything, she had warned him to wear something nice. It set the tone for power. Or so she said. He stifled a smile at the thought. She was made for a life of crime and power, she just didn't want to accept it. Victor was going to push it on her and Marcus wasn't sure if he was to terribly upset about that part of the deal. Him wanting to share her was another conversation altogether, one Marcus was going to bring up and force in a different direction if he got a chance at all.

  "Where's Katelyn?"

  The door closed behind him as Victor's eyes narrowed slightly. His demeanor darkened due to the expression change.

  "It's Kate and she wasn't feeling too well this morning. I told her to stay in bed and I would talk to you on our behalf."

  "Yes, well, I told her to be here. I'm not a man to make empty requests, Marcus. You both will do well to remember that." Victor rolled his shoulders and leaned forward, his white button down shirt made of expensive looking silk. "I'll visit her later and check on her. I'd hate for my partner in crime to think that I'm uncaring of her disposition."

  "Whatever. Kate's not here. I'm here, so whatever you wanted to discuss, it will be done with me."

  A smile lifted Victor's mouth slightly. "I'm not sure she would be entirely pleased knowing that you are as vile as I am, and your first love will always be power. Does the pretty girl know that about you?"

  "She knows what she needs to know." Marcus shrugged, feeling far too small for his liking all of a sudden. "Kate and I have discussed the arrangement you've offered. We will work together to build up the east-side drug cartel, but we're sticking to the current products we have."

  "That's a good answer. I will be involved in helping you build things. I need Kate to focus on utilizing her club as a central location for trade and transactions, and I'll need you to help with a few suppliers in New York and LA."

  "I understand. Seth had me doing the same for him."

  "Good. We will use those relationships you've already built in the past to continue to drive the future." Victor leaned back, his dark eyes moving across Marcus slowly.

  Something about the way the drug lord studied him caused him to want to shiver, but he stifled it. There was no way in hell Marcus would ever let the other man know just how intimidated he was. Where Marcus was big and dangerous, Victor was cunning and deadly in ways that couldn't be traced or circumvented.

  "I think you'll be quite pleased with my ability to work with our old suppliers and find us new ones."

  "I'm sure I will. I told you and Kate to discuss other
items. Have you?"

  "We have."

  "And?"

  "And I think we both agree, along with Jon Peterson, that we need more information on what you're suggesting before we agree to anything."

  Victor laughed loudly, the sound nefarious. "Oh that's rich. The three of you knew exactly what I proposed. I could see it in your eyes, Marcus. Katelyn is beautiful, deliciously feminine and yet so tough. I haven't wanted for anything in a long time, but I desperately want to hear her moan my name. I want to watch the fear rush across her pretty face when she realizes that I'm the best fuck she's ever had. It's that fear of desperation... of needing something you're not sure you'll ever truly get. You know that look, right? You've seen it on her before, haven't you?"

  Marcus glanced down at his hands, knowing that he should never break the gaze held by another man. It was a sign of weakness and he cursed himself internally, but he couldn't help it. He had seen that look on Kate's face. It's what drove him toward her again and again and again. That, and love. He loved her and yet knew she deserved better.

  Jon was supposed to be the "better" he was releasing her to, but the fucker seemed to be as lost as the rest of them. Marcus tucked his thoughts away as anger burned deep in recess of his chest. The thought of Victor doing anything with Kate, much less fucking her, pushed him toward retribution.

  "Kate is your business partner. Nothing more." He looked up, setting his resolve and locking his jaw.

  "And in the line of business that we are in, you know as well as I do, that trust has to be built." Victor's face softened only slightly, his expression relaxed as if they were discussing the color of the carpet.

  "Trust can be built in other ways. She's not a piece of ass we can pass around. She's brilliant and powerful. She's a good woman."

  "I have no doubt that she is all of that. She's also violent and unstable. She killed my enforcer without batting an eye."

  "The mother fucker chopped down her door with an axe. Would you have done something differently?" Marcus huffed, not sure where to take the conversation. Victor was unreasonable, as most tyrants with power trips were.