Dirty Money (Bad Money #2) (11 page)

Marcus called to her from the open bathroom door. "Come here, baby. Come get in the tub with me and let me take care of you."

She kissed the man beneath her once more and got off the bed, walking toward Marcus and stumbling over her shoe. He caught her and smiled. "I love it when you're the sweet docile kitten I like to believe you to be."

He picked her up and carried her into the bathroom, the night nothing more than him washing her clean and using his fingers to bring her over the edge each time she began to whimper with need. The drug was powerful and exciting. It promised pleasure and lust, power and greed.

All the things she had, but none of which she wanted.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Jon

"Any more evidence come in on the Drazman case?" Jon stopped by his captain's office and leaned against the door frame. The death of the two boys behind Kate’s bar still hadn’t be laid to rest. It had to be something Kate was aware of… right?

Mike looked like Jon felt - like shit.

"No. I'm almost scared to say what my true thoughts are." Mike sat down in his large leather chair and leaned his head back. "I know that bastard is here in our city again, Jon. I don't have a doubt. Those boys that were murdered have similar markings to the ones who died just before Seth hauled him in here with proof."

"We'll find him." Jon tapped his leg and slipped his phone out of his pocket as it rang. "I'll catch you later. Let me know if you get any more info. I'll call the Texas boys again and see if there is an update."

He turned and walked down the hall to a small conference room, slipping in and answering his phone. It was just after lunch on Friday and the weekend wasn't something he was looking forward to. Any time to himself would be spent moping around about Kate and trying to crack a case that was missing the files on its connecting cases from the past.

"Peterson."

"Johnny-boy. It's Victor. How are you?"

"What do you want?" Jon's hair rose on the back of his neck as he sat down and leaned back in the old metal chair. Good thing the room was empty. He would be thrown off the force without question if they connected him to Victor, the asshole already having come up on the police force's radar as Seth's replacement. Better him than Kate.

"I have a gift for you."

"I don't want shit from you."

"You'll want this. I just wanted you to feel good about your decision to walk away. This life isn't for a good guy like you."

"Are you involved in the murders taking place here?"

"I've been in LA for the last three days, but I'm happy to meet with you and take a peek at the details. I know a lot of bad people in our city. Perhaps I can help as a thank you."

"A thank you for what?"

"For leaving Kate heartbroken enough to give me a chance. She's exactly what I hoped she would be."

"Fuck you, Victor. I don't need this shit from you. Keep your gifts."

Jon hung up the phone and slammed it down on the desk in front of him. He hated the bastard with everything inside of him. He hadn't given up on Kate. She had shut the door in his face and locked him out. She kicked him in the stomach with her actions at the mansion earlier in the week and sealed the deal with her reaction to him at the police station the other night.

They were done. Victor could have her.

"He already has her, Fucktard." Jon stood and slipped his phone in his pocket before stopping by his desk. He needed to get out and question a few witnesses over the Drazman boys murders, Kate and Marcus being at the top of his list. Paying them a visit would almost be a treat. He pulled his phone back out and texted Marcus to see where they were.

Sitting down at his desk, he pulled up his e-mail one more time. An e-mail with the subject, "A gift... for you," caught his attention. Fucking Victor.

He ran it through a virus detector and opened it when it came up empty. There was a video link and a short message.

Thanks again, Jon. I couldn't ask for a more adventurous woman to stand beside me. If you ever come near her again, I'll kill you. She's stolen my heart and won't survive leaving me - ever. Hope you understand.

~V

"Fucker. She'll do whatever the hell she wants to do." Jon snorted and clicked the link. The image that came to life on his computer caused his blood to freeze. Kate stood in a tight black dress in Marcus's arms, the large thug undoing it and leaning down to kiss her. Jon sat back, a cold chill running down his spine. Surely Victor hadn't sent him the video of his girl fucking someone else.

He watched in horror as the scene unfolded. Jerking forward, he paused the image as Kate rocked against Victor, Marcus seemingly buried in her ass. Her scream was loud and shaky... the sound he loved to hear when he took her. Jon grabbed the trashcan next to him and let his lunch go.

"Dude... we can watch porn here?" Clay leaned over his desk and squinted as Jon jerked up and hit the delete button.

"Back the fuck up, man. This isn't porn. It's a video from a punk ass drug dealer in this city. I'm going to bust his ass." Jon stood and grabbed his jacket before walking toward the exit.

"Save the girl for me?" Clay laughed as Jon moved out of the building, scowling at the rookie. Bastard wouldn't get anywhere near Kate. No one would.

The only thing worse than barfing in front of everyone was having to put his hands in front of his slacks as he walked out. His cock was so hard it felt like it might crack in half. It should have been him with her and Marcus, not Victor.

Sick... he was turning into a sick fuck. The past was creeping up faster than he could run from it.

No.

Jon parked his bike in the back of the club and got off, standing still for a minute. He wished like hell he wasn't ready to tear the city in half, but he was. How dare Victor send that shit to him?

How dare Kate take both of those fuckers in her body together? He expected her to take Marcus to her bed, but Victor? He had to have known it was coming, but that didn't mean he wanted to see the shit. He walked to the back door, beating hard on it. He knew the code, but decided to come on official police business. He was going to drag her ass back downtown for questioning on the murders that occurred behind her club.

The city would shut the place down once he got a hold of them. She would pay for all she had done to him. Someone had to. It hurt too damn much to think he deserved it. His mother would probably disagree if she had an inkling of the man he had been only a few years back.

"Kate, open the fucking door before I kick it down," Jon yelled loudly.

The door opened a few seconds later, Marcus moving to fill up the space available for Jon to move into the building.

"What do you want, cop?"

"A word with the owner of this establishment."

"She's not coming out Jon unless you have a warrant for her arrest."

Jon reached in his jacket and pulled it out, flapping the paper so it would open. "Tell her to bring her ass out here. You come as well if you like. I can call a car for you."

"You're messing with the wrong people, Jon. Your broken heart is going to drive you to be the man you never wanted to be. Dumb fucker." Marcus moved back and closed the door.

Jon let out a long breath and began pacing the worn-out alleyway, the blood stains from the murders a few days back having darkened. He growled softly and stopped, turning to face the door as Kate walked out. Marcus moved in behind her.

She wore a pretty pink t-shirt and jeans, her sandals dainty. Long dark hair moved along her shoulders as the wind picked up and fuck him if he didn't feel the effects of wanting to shove her against the wall and show her who the fuck she belonged to.

"Officer?" Kate moved to stand in front of him, squinting against the late afternoon soon.

"Have a good time in LA, Miss Jarret?" His voice was rough and filled with anger. He hated that he couldn't keep his emotions under control, but he couldn't. He hated how much he needed the woman in front of him. It was over - why couldn't he leave it alone?

"That's none of your concern. Why are you here, Jon?"

"I needed to ask you a few questions concerning the two murders that happened outside of your club early Thursday morning."

Kate glanced back at Marcus before looking back at him. "I have no clue what you're talking about."

"Typical. You have someone gun down two young boys in the back of your club and don't bat an eye. Too many promises for depravity in LA to worry much about the clean up? Who else did you fuck? I mean, you know most whores can take on three men at a minimum and five at a max. I'm interested to hear about how many men you gave access to your body last night."

Kate reared back and punched him, his nose lighting on fire as blood poured from it. He turned and pressed his fingers to his face as she screamed at him.

"Fuck you, Jon. You don't know shit. You weren't there because you're too good to be there, remember? You have no clue what you left us to do. You fucking..." Marcus cut her off, clamping his hand over her mouth and moving her back as he picked her up.

"He's not worth it, Kate. He's just upset and making shit up. Don't worry about anything. Go inside and I'll make sure he leaves." Marcus removed his hand as Kate let out a long scream, the sound chilling Jon to the bone.

Tears raced down her pretty cheeks and he almost regretted all the things he had accused her of. The video was clear. She was fucking both Marcus and Victor. His stomach rolled again and he moved from them, bending over and throwing up again.

"You drinking again, boss?" Marcus called to him.

Jon glanced up and lifted his middle finger in the air. "Tell her to wait. The warrant is to take her down to the station. Bitch isn't getting away with another death on my shift."

"She's not going with you." Marcus moved toward him as he stood and pulled his gun from the holster, lifting it to align with Marcus's face.

"Tell her to get on the bike and you take your big ugly ass back in the club. I'll send a car for you. Two murders behind her establishment. Your fingerprints were on the gun next to the guy. You guys should have been hunted down in LA, but I didn't tell them what I knew." Jon leaned around the big guy and let his gaze lock on Kate. "Don't make this worse than it has to be. Get on the bike."

Kate walked toward it and stood next to it, wiping at her tears. "Marcus, I'm good. Just go back inside and I'll see you downtown. Call Paul and tell him to meet us there. I have no clue about these murders."

"I know, baby." Marcus took a step back, his glare turning back to lock on Jon. "If you hurt her I will make you suffer so far beyond anything you think you're going through right now. You better have a fucking good reason for barging in here like this and taking her downtown."

"I don't need a reason. I have a warrant. Shut the fuck up and go back inside." Jon nodded toward the door as he began backing up until he reached the bike.

"Put your damn gun down. Marcus isn't a threat, Jon. What the hell has gotten into you?" Kate reached for him, but he jerked from her grasp. He didn’t want her to touch him more than necessary.

He took the helmet off the bike and shoved it at her. "Put that on and don't say a fucking word to me, whore."

Getting on the bike, he fought back the need to throw up again. She was the only woman he had fallen in love with in the last ten years. Surely things weren't as they seemed, right?

The image of the video rolled across his vision again and his stomach lurched. He wrapped an arm around it and closed his eyes, leaning over a little. Her hands slid around his waist, the feeling of her touching him almost too much.

"Jon, please talk to me. This isn't you. I didn't kill anyone, and I don't understand why you keep attacking me." She pressed her forehead to his back, her breath hot on him.

"Hold on tight." He turned on the motor and pulled the bike from the alley, not ready to lay his heart out before her again.

She was everything he wanted in his world and yet she was turning into the monster Victor beckoned her to become. Was he supposed to step in and save her or become the larger evil in order to entice her back to his side?

Sometimes the good guys had to move far from the light to pull the ones they love out of the darkness.

He made that mistake with Adam. He wasn't going to make it with Kate.

Time to fight for her.

Whether she wanted it or not.

EPILOGUE

Marcus

"Sorry son of a bitch," Marcus yelled loudly into the empty hall. He slammed the back door to the club and pressed his head against the cool metal, trying to figure out the most painful way to kill Jon. The mother fucker had overstepped his last boundary line.

Marcus understood the need to question them both over the murders, but show up in a cop car and do official police business in a professional matter. The first thing that was going down was Jon's facade at work. He was going to make sure that the station and every news media crew knew what a fake the bastard was. His past had something in it. Marcus was going to find it and exploit it. He would sing his tune across every television newscast that wanted it. It was a fucking scandal and Jon had just welcomed retribution to land at his feet.

"I'm going to kill him."

Standing up fully, Marcus lifted his arms in the air and let out a long cry before walking back to Kate's office. He needed to call Jeffery and tell the poor boy that he would have to manage the club for another night. With the promise of a police escort coming to take him back downtown to the station, Marcus wanted to make sure that the club was taken care of.

He stopped cold as he moved into the office, Kate's chair taken by a ghost from the past.

"Marcus. My favorite thug. How are you, boy?"

"Billy." Marcus swallowed and crossed his arms over his chest. Where was his fucking gun? In the front of the club. His eyes moved around the room quickly, not worried a bit about being conspicuous. This bastard would be on him in a heartbeat if he wanted to.

"No need to look for a weapon. I'm only here to talk business. Take a seat." Billy nodded to the seat in front of the desk. The old drug lord hadn't aged well. His dark hair was littered with strands of gray and greasy as hell. He was in his late forties, but after living through a few years in the slammer he looked closer to sixty. It was his brilliantly green eyes that were the most haunting part of him. It felt as if he were staring into the center of you, seeing everything you didn't want him to.

"I don't remember you being a man who liked to talk much." Marcus took a seat and leaned back, crossing his feet at the ankles and trying to appear a little more relaxed than he was.

Thank God Kate had gone with Jon downtown. Seemed that the cop’s timing was perfect whether he knew it or not. The need to kill the emotional bastard died down. It was quickly replaced by fear. Marcus had a slim chance of getting out of the room unscathed. Billy loved pain and blood, but death was his favorite punishment by far. It was final - no more chances for you.

Billy chuckled. "It's been what? Five years? Six?"

"Something like that."

"So that punk ass rich boy got me put away and then decided to take over my syndicate and you pussies just fell in the ranks behind him. It's almost comical." Billy pressed his thumb between his front teeth, his eyes darkening slightly.

"We had no fucking clue Seth was a cop, Billy. He might have been a punk ass, but he was smart as hell. We just figured that out recently when a new drug lord showed up. We never made the connection that he was the one that brought you down."

"A new man on the block, hm? He took over my ring I assume?"

"He did." Marcus shrugged, not giving two shits about throwing Victor under the bus. There was no damn way he was giving Kate up.

"Interesting. I heard something else."

Billy's gaze shifted toward the door and Marcus started to turn, but Billy lifted his hand and shook his head. "No. It's just one of my boys that remained loyal. You remember Reni?"

Marcus's shoulder stiffened as the barrel of a gun pressed to the side of his neck.

"I sure do. Mean mother fucker." Marcus kept his disposition steady as best as possible.

"There's no one I know who's capable of being viler than you." Billy chuckled and stood, stretching before leaning over and pressing his hands to the desk.

"Where is my woman, Marcus?"

"I don't know, Billy. She hasn't been around much in the last few weeks."

The gun moved from his neck and smacked into the side of his face. Pain laced his right eye as blood welled up and spilled over from the cut beside his eye.

"Don't lie to me. I'm going to find her, so make this easier on you and on her."

"I'll help you look, but I don't know where Kate is."

Billy shrugged his shoulders and glanced up at Reni. "Guess he's not one of us anymore."

"I am," Marcus muttered as the gun smacked into him again. He moved to stand as the gun went off. There wasn't time to assess the damage as the world began to fade.

The only thing he could hope for was that Jon would man up. These guys weren't interested in love or anything within the softer realm of emotion. All they wanted was fame, power and hard money.