Cason
Some issue with one of our rivals takes up my first fifteen minutes back at the estate, so by the time I get to find out what my new job is, Victor’s as wound up as a spinning top. That’s never a good thing. My father rarely makes my life easy when he’s like this.
I watch him pace back and forth across his office from his desk to the French doors and back again no less than ten times. His hands flail around in front of him as he mumbles about Duke and how much he’s going to fucking make him pay.
Halfway through this show, I consider making my way out of the office and coming back later, but he sees me standing there, so there’s no escape for me. I know better than to interrupt him when this madness of his settles in, so I prepare myself for the wait and the eventual explosion when he comes out of this.
I do have to wonder why he doesn’t just strike at Duke, for fuck’s sake. He and that asshole he has working for him, a psycho named Tap who acts like all this fucking job involves is killing, have crossed him twice this year. I don’t know all the details about what happened since Victor likes to keep his business to himself, except for these bouts of craziness he sometimes shows all of us, but I do know that Duke guy has it coming.
My father stops midway through one of his passes through the office and turns to face me. Beads of sweat cover his forehead, and his cheeks are bright red. Christ, he looks like he’s going to stroke out at any minute.
“What’s going on with Harry? Any movement on his end?” he asks in a strange voice that sounds almost pleading.
Shaking my head, I wonder why he thinks there would be any change from just a few hours ago. Maybe he is having a stroke. Just what I fucking need. I need to get the hell out of this office before I get stuck in the middle of some health crisis with my father. That’s the last thing I want today.
“No. He said he needs a week. I figure having the girl will put a rush on how fast he gets you the money, though.”
“The girl?” he says like he has no idea what the hell I’m talking about.
“Yeah, the girl. Harry’s daughter. Lily.”
He stares at me for a few seconds like he still can’t figure out who I mean but then nods his head and smiles. “Oh yeah. She’s not bad. If I wasn’t busy with so much, I’d have kept her here.”
“She’d drive you nuts. All she does is talk. I swear to God the woman is a non-stop talking machine. Even threats don’t work with her. She even tried to talk to one of my neighbors when I took her back to my apartment. Like I want to have to threaten the old lady on the second floor because she can’t stop herself from asking strangers to call the cops.”
“Maybe you should hand her over to your brother. She’s young, close to his age, I imagine. He seems to like chatty girls.”
Balling my hands into fists, I silently correct him. My half-brother. Your other son from your wife, who is not my mother. Fucking Michael.
I don’t give a fuck about what happens with Lily, but what I do goddamned care about is handing anything over to that asshole that has even the slightest possibility of bringing him even a single moment of happiness.
“He’s busy with his girlfriend, remember? That’s the reason he’s been down on the island instead of here with us,” I bite out through clenched teeth.
I can barely hide how much I hate his other son when I say that. It must be nice to be the golden child who doesn’t have to do anything but lay around getting high and blowjobs at our private villa in the Caribbean while everyone else does their job.
“That’s right. He won’t be back for a couple weeks, so that doesn’t work.”
“Not to worry. I’ve got this covered. It’s only seven days. I can handle her.”
My father chuckles. “Well, then fine. That works with what I called you about anyway.”
I wait for him to continue, but all he does is start pacing again. Does he mean he wants me to bring her back here so he can have at her? That would make my life infinitely easier since she can’t seem to follow the only goddamned direction I’ve given her so far. Not that I think she’ll be much better with him, but then again, maybe she will since he’ll probably slap her around the first time she starts running off at the mouth.
Finally, after another two passes through the room, he points at me like he’s ready to tell me what the hell he wants me to do. “I have a job I need to you to take care of. It’s out near the country house, so why don’t you take the girl there? Handle what I need you to do and keep her away from people. The last thing we need is her making noise. The nearest house is miles away, and I’ll have Sanderson send a few guys out so if she gets away, you’ll have backup to grab her quickly.”
“The country house?” I ask, not believing he’s sending me out there while I have to do a job.
“Do I fucking stutter?” he snaps.
“No.”
“Good. Keep her out there for the week so I don’t have to deal with it.”
I’d worried as I watched him spiral out of control for the past fifteen minutes that what he called me back for would just add to the shittiness of my day, but this might not be horrible. I don’t like having to go out to the house, but Lily will be kept away from the rest of the world for the week so I don’t have to constantly have my eyes on her, and I’ll be able to take care of whatever my father wants done.
“Fine. I’ll head out there as soon as I leave here. So what’s the job?”
Running his hand over the top of his head, he takes a deep breath in and sighs. “Creighton. He’s become too much of a liability. He needs to go. Take care of it and make that problem go away. Then you can have the rest of the week to play house with the girl.”
I know what he’s referring to with play house. The sly smile he gives me to punctuate his last statement tells me he thinks I should enjoy the one thing Lily has to offer since I have to spend time with her anyway. I chuckle like I agree and plan to do just that, but the truth is as much as she’s gorgeous and I can think of half a dozen things I’d like to do with that beautiful mouth of hers, the one thing I want from her and her mouth is some peace and quiet.
Too bad that doesn’t seem very likely to happen in my future. A week in the country could be relaxing, though. The place has the best of everything, so it’s more like a week at a luxury resort than it is a cabin in the sticks. But a week in the country with her is likely to make me as crazy as Victor seems today.
“I’ll let you know when it’s done.”
As I head for the door, he mumbles something about having a good time and returns to pacing and cursing out Duke for whatever the hell he’s done. I hurry out before he stops me and forces me to listen to more crazy talk. I don’t need any more of his chatter either.
Two hours of unexpected silence on the drive out to the house in the country makes me wonder if I’d been all wrong about Lily. True, she tried to escape when I finally let her out of those ropes back at my place, and I had to threaten her again, but maybe it’s finally sinking into that pretty little head of hers that I would do it.
I kill the engine and turn around to look at her tied up in the back seat. Her eyes widen as she looks out the window at the new place she’ll be staying at for the next few days, and I can’t avoid noticing she seems far more innocent than a grown woman should be at this moment.
Pushing that thought out of my head, I explain the realities of the next week to her. “I won’t be keeping you tied up while we’re here, but don’t put it past me to tape your mouth shut if you won’t stop talking.”
Lily turns her head to face me and grimaces. “Nice way to ruin all the beauty.”
Fucking smart mouth.
“As for the beauty, feel free to enjoy it. Just know that in case you’re thinking it’s the perfect chance for escape, it isn’t. Guards watch every square inch of the property, and the fence that marks the edges of it is electrified. Even if you try to get past it, you’ll get a jolt of electricity that if it doesn’t kill you will slow you down enough so security finds you. And they’ll bring you right back to me.”
“Charming. So I can walk around outside and get some fresh air without being tied up?”
I nod, happy to imagine her spending all her time outside. Hell, maybe I can find a tent for her somewhere so she can camp out at night. That would give me that peace and quiet I want.
“Feel free to spend every minute you’re here outside. You aren’t going to be able to escape, so get all the fresh air you want.”
I turn around to get out of the car, but as usual, she has more questions.
“What will you be doing then while I’m outside all the time? Will there be other people here with us? Do people live in this house and we’ll be guests?”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, letting it out slowly as her questions hang in the air between us. Why are there always so many questions with her?
Looking back at her in the rearview mirror, I answer them one by one. “I’ll be working or trying to relax. There won’t be any other people here, except security and they stay somewhere else. And no, nobody lives here, but yes, we are technically guests of my boss, who owns this house.”
I stop for a moment and then add sarcastically, “Any other questions?”
Her gaze fixes on mine for a long moment, and in her dark eyes, I see hints of what could make a man go crazy for her. Beyond the beautiful face and the hot body, those eyes can look so incredibly innocent that even a corrupt soul like me could want to protect her.
“No. I think that’s it,” she says with a smile that lights up her face and erases that innocence that was there just a second ago. “Thank you for answering my questions, though. That was very nice of you.”
I ignore her attempt to ingratiate herself with me and push the car door open to get out. Innocence my ass. Whatever she is, I can say with certainty that she is way too damn crafty to be considered anything close to innocent.
By the time I get over to where she’s sitting in the back seat, she’s ready to jump out the door and start enjoying that fresh air she’s so interested in, even though she’s still bound at her wrists and ankles. Fidgeting like a kid who’s had too much sugar that day, she hums some silly song as I untie her and step away from the car. She bounds out like that jacked up child and stops to stretch her arms out to her sides and breathe in the air.
Turning back to look at me, she smiles. “You don’t have to worry about me running away from here, Cason. Your bigger problem will be making me leave this place to go back to my father’s tiny old house. Your boss must really like you to let you stay here with me this week. This place is incredible!”
I glance up at the house and cringe as memories of my time at this place pass through my mind. The cream colored stone French Provincial façade in front of me conceals an ugliness that’s woven into the fabric of my family.
As I march past her up the grey and cream stone walkway toward the front door, I say, “Feel free to stay outside here as long as you like. Remember, the guards can see every move you make out here, so don’t do anything stupid.”
Behind me, I hear her say, “Who would do anything stupid in such a beautiful place?”
“People do stupid things everywhere,” I mumble as I climb the steps. “I don’t see why this place should be any different.”
Whatever she says in response to that I don’t hear, but she yells, “Are those stables over there?”
I stop at the front door and turn around to see her pointing toward the garages. “No. Used to be, but now all you’ll find in there are cars. No horses.”
The happiness drains from her face, and her shoulders sag in disappointment. “Oh. Okay. This place is still pretty great, even without horses.”
Answering her seems pointless, so I turn back to the front door and push it open. “I’ll make sure to let my boss know you approve of his horseless house,” I mumble as I slam it shut behind me.
After I get myself settled into one of the six available bedrooms, I sit back on the bed and close my eyes for a minute. Thankfully, the drive wasn’t filled with Lily’s endless talking, but even silent the two hours here has wiped me out.
Not that there’s any hurry in getting to Creighton. He’s hiding out at a house about fifteen miles away thinking no one has any idea where he is. Little does he know one of his buddies gave his old friend up to my father last week. Since then, it’s been a matter of when, not if, he’d take care of business with him.
I’ve got eyes on him to let me know if he tries to move, but I don’t expect it to happen. He has nowhere left to run after burning all his bridges. Signing a deal with Victor was his first mistake. His last was reneging on it.
You sign your name on the dotted line, you better be prepared to do whatever you pledged you would. Now he gets to find out what happens when you don’t.
Before then, though, I plan to relax and maybe eat a nice meal, assuming there’s anything in the refrigerator since the last time Victor and his wife spent time out there last summer. That can happen later, though. Now, I just want to close my eyes and enjoy the peace and quiet.
“Cason! Where are you? Are you up here?” Lily yells, breaking the silence.
All I want is for her to stop intruding on the only thing I want in this world. How can that be so fucking impossible?
I know she’ll keep yelling for me if I don’t answer, so I open my eyes and bark back, “I’m in here. Go find yourself a bedroom and make yourself at home!”
There are six bedrooms in this house. Five of them aren’t the one I’ve chosen, which means there is no reason for her to come in here where I am. Yet, a second later, that’s exactly what she does, flinging the door open and walking right in.
“Go find somewhere else to go, Lily. I’m working. Go away.”
Ignoring my order to leave, she looks around the room, examining it. “This is gorgeous! Is this where you usually stay when you come here?”
“This isn’t a hotel. I stay where there’s a room available,” I answer as the reality that there will be no peace and quiet for me in my immediate future fills my brain.
“Do all the rooms look like this?” she asks as she continues to study the pale blue-green walls and the dark wood bedroom furniture that has been here since I was a child.
“Why don’t you go check them out for yourself?” I ask in frustration, already wishing this house was twice its size and she’d get lost in it.
My question makes her stop looking around the room, and she focuses her attention on me once more. “I get that you’re the guy holding me hostage and all, but do you have to be so nasty all the time?”
“Would you rather I tie you up again and stuff the gag back in your mouth like I did back at the apartment?” I pull out my gun and point it at her. “Or maybe remembering who I am might help you figure things out?”
The last question makes her eyes well up with tears. She stares at me with a look of pure hurt in them before storming out and slamming the door behind her, leaving me confused.
Setting my Glock down on the nightstand, I wonder if this is how she plans to convince me not to kill her, if that time comes and her father won’t pay up. Does she think making me talk to her is the way to stay alive?
If she does, she’s wrong. Dead wrong. I kill people. That’s what I do. That’s who I am. And no one is going to change that. Not even a beautiful girl with innocence in her eyes and a mouth I can’t stop thinking about and how it would feel wrapped around my cock.
