One Condition (The Lust List: Kaidan Stone #1) (7 page)

And Kaidan. No matter how hard I try to forget about him… I can’t.

I need to get out of here, even if I’m not about to drive my ghetto-ized car anywhere. I pull on a t-shirt, sweats, and a hat; grab my phone and headphones; and head downstairs. A run on the beach will help me think more clearly.

I eyeball the security guard in the marble foyer, and he nods to me politely. Could he be the one working with the thugs? They’d broken my window in plain view of the security cameras. They’d been way too confident in the cameras being off and in their LAPD connections. This sucks.

I push through the glass doors out to the sidewalk beyond. The sun’s shining, the sky is a vivid blue, and the air is warm but dry, not at all humid like I’d experienced on a warm day on the East Coast. I can see the ocean beyond the buildings across the street, dark blue waves breaking against white sand.

Things will get better. I’ll figure all of this out.

Right as I reach the beach side of the street, a black SUV pulls up to the curb. My heart speeds up, and I glance at the windows, but I can’t see inside. I’m such an idiot. Why did I come outside?

I walk faster, not toward the beach, but toward the nearest building.

I hear a door slam, and a rough hand wraps around my arm.

“Stop,
chica
,” a heavily accented voice says. I look up. It’s Luis’s beefy henchman, Carlos.

I gasp and rip my phone from my pocket, trying to dial 911.

He snatches the phone from my grip and squeezes my arm tighter.

“You’re hurting me,” I squeak.

“Let’s go for a ride.”

My stomach’s in knots, and I glance toward the nearest building, but it’s too far. The SUV is closer, and Carlos is now dragging me toward it. I twist, trying to free myself. “Let me go. You can’t—you can’t kidnap me in broad daylight.”

He halts and moves his coat jacket ever so slightly, letting me catch a glimpse of the gun holstered at his belt.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck
. They have guns, just like I thought.
Of course they do, Hayley. Because THEY ARE DRUG DEALERS.

I really hate my dad right now, but I need to focus on escaping these thugs.

“Just let me go,” I say. “I promise—the second I have the money, I’ll pay you.”

The back door opens, and Carlos shoves me toward it. I brace myself against the door, trying to prevent him from shoving me inside. My eyes adjust to the dark interior. Luis is in the backseat with sunglasses on.

“I’m not coming with you.” My voice cracks. “I’ll have your money soon—”

“If we wanted you dead, Miss Wade, you would be,” Luis says smoothly, not looking at me. “Now, please, get in the car. We’re going to have another talk about your responsibilities to us.”

Carlos shoves me again, and I choke back a sob as I climb into the SUV. When they find my dead body, Rowan’s going to regret not returning my calls.

Carlos gets into the driver’s seat, and the car moves forward.

“Good morning, Miss Wade. I trust you have what you owe us?”

“Look,” I say, my voice shaking. “I plan on paying you—there’s just an issue with my inheritance. I don’t have it yet.”

“Are you saying you can’t pay us?” Luis’s voice is flat, and I can’t see his eyes behind his sunglasses.

“I just can’t right
now
,” I say.

“Regardless, your first payment is due.”

The car keeps driving, and I look outside as the buildings fly by. Where are they taking me?

Luis is silent for a long moment.

“Your brother. He doesn’t live in a secure penthouse like you do,” Luis says.

I dig my fingers into the leather of the seat, and my body goes cold. “What did you do to him?”

“Nothing. Yet.” Luis’s voice is dripping with unspoken threat this time. “Your brother seems to be living a different life than you.”

“Trust me—he doesn’t have any money to give you. But, I… I have, maybe, five hundred dollars left in my account. That’s it until I get my inheritance. But you can have all of it.”

Luis lets out a low laugh that sounds more like a growl. “That’s not enough.”

“It’s all I have. I’ll give it you. Just… give me a little more time.”

Luis gets quiet again. He taps his index finger against the window. The heavy gold ring he’s wearing makes a hollow sound against the glass, and sweat pops up on my brow.

“I will accept it as your promise to pay,” Luis says. “But we’ll be doubling what you owe.”

“What?” I let out a breath. I just want to get out of here. I’ll agree to anything. “Fine, whatever. Let me go, so I can get your cash.”

Luis gestures to Carlos, and he pulls over at the curb. “You have twenty-four hours to get us the money. We’ll be waiting for it tomorrow morning.”

Carlos gets out of the car and opens the passenger side door. Clearly, I’m free to leave.

“Please. Leave Rowan alone. I’ll make sure you get your money.”

Luis doesn’t answer, and I’m not staying in this SUV for a second longer. I scramble down from the car, and Beefy throws my phone at me. I catch it and stumble onto the sidewalk. I stand there, shaking on the corner like a hooker looking for a fix until the SUV disappears around the next block.

I look for a street sign. Four streets away from my penthouse. I start walking back, but my legs won’t follow my brain’s instructions. I sink down in the grass in front of an Infinitek medical building.

I fumble with my phone and dial my brother again. He doesn’t pick up. I’m going to have to get Char to take me to Santa Monica to check in on him. This is so bad. I leave him a message.

“Rowan. You need to call me back the second you get this. Some bad stuff is going down. If you see any black SUVs near your apartment—or anything suspicious… Just… Call me back!”

I hang up and let out a little scream of frustration. My phone rings, and I jump.

LA Entertainment Law
.

I sigh with relief. My lawyer. Maybe he’s solved all of this. I answer.

“Hey,” says a deep voice. “It’s Kaidan.”

My stomach dances, and I twist my hand around a clump of grass, remembering Peyton and the way I drenched Jessa. “Oh,” I say, my voice faint. “I thought my lawyer was calling me back.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.”

We sit in silence for a few seconds, and an awful thought occurs to me. Has he seen my file? Does he know about my dad, my inheritance, about Serena, who is living in his
house
? “I never gave you my number. How’d you get it?”

“My dad’s a partner at the law firm where we met.”

“You looking at my confidential files?”

“Hayley.” His voice is hard. “I just asked the receptionist.”

Oh. Right.

“Tell me why you left last night.” His voice sounds cold now, commanding. What is his deal?

“You looked busy.” I don’t need this. I don’t need him or anything else in my life. Except my inheritance. That, I need.

“Ah. Can I make it up to you?”

“How?”

“Meet me. For dinner.”

I take a deep breath and clench my jaw. I want to see him, I do, but… I don’t understand him. And I don’t want to be anyone’s rebound girl. I have enough to deal with. “I have plans,” I say weakly.

“When are you free?”

I sit straight up in the grass. Serena. The necklace. She lives at his house… Maybe I can… talk to Serena. Do
something
to solve my problem. I swallow. “Well, you said you were having a party this weekend, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Tomorrow night. And you said you weren’t the partying kind of girl.”

“And you said you wanted to see me.”

“Right.” Kaidan’s voice hardens, colder even than before, and I know I’ve done something wrong again. I don’t care anymore.

“So? Do I have an invite?”

“Fine. I’ll add you to the list. Hayley Wade. Plus one.”

Kaidan is silent on the line, and I wonder if he’s hung up on me.

“So… I’ll see you there?” I ask.

“Yeah. See you there.” Then he hangs up.

I blow out a breath, and the heavy weight in my chest lightens. I’m about to be in the same place with Serena. I have no idea what I’m going to say or do, but I have time to make a plan. I’ll get cash for Luis from an ATM somewhere, but… Crap. I have nothing to wear to a party like this. I have some room left on my credit card, though.

I text Char.

We’ve been invited to a party at the Stone mansion on Saturday. Still up for shopping?

The next morning, the black SUV is back. But I’m ready this time. I’d found an ATM yesterday, and I clutch the envelope in one damp fist as I ride the elevator down. I’m wearing an anti-pap get-up. Baggy sweats, sunglasses, and a hat. Last thing I need is someone taking a picture of me handing drug dealers a shady-looking envelope.

Rage and fear clash within me as I push outside into the bright morning light. I jog over to the SUV, and the window rolls down before I reach it.

Carlos is in the driver’s seat. He looks straight ahead, and I shove the envelope into his window. Rage finally wins out, and heat spreads in my chest as I stare at him, watching him count the last of my money.

“We’ll be back soon for your next payment,” he says in his thick accent. He never actually looks at me while he’s robbing me. Not once.

But then I remember the gun he carries, and I take a step back. He shifts the car into gear and drives off, leaving me standing on the street.

An awful pressure builds up inside me as I go back into my building and step into the elevator. As soon as I step back into my penthouse, I let the tears come, and I sob as I’m changing into shorts, boots, and a long tank top for my shopping trip. Tonight’s the party, and I still have no idea why I’m even going, or what I’ll say to Serena when I see her. I call my lawyer again, but he doesn’t pick up.

As I’m applying makeup, I get a text from Char.

Hey, I’m at LuxRy, where are you?

Crap. I forgot to tell her I need a ride. Add my ghetto car to the list of things I need to fix. I text a quick lie.

My car won’t start.

Weird… Should I send my driver to come get you?

Yes. Thanks.

A half hour later, Char’s driver drops me off at LuxRy Boutique. I’ve never been here before, but it looks a lot like the rest of the shops on Rodeo, except the mannequins behind the glass are all wearing evening gowns.

I push through the doors. The walls are covered in pale purple, striped wallpaper, and expensive crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling. The scent of expensive feminine perfume wafts over me, all floral and musk.

I know as I move around sparse racks filled with silk and sparkle that the credit limit on my card is about to be reached. How am I going to pay my rent? How will I buy food?

Chill. You’ll find a way to talk to Serena and figure out how to solve this. Or your lawyer will call back soon.

“Hey!” Char says to me. She steps around a rack, two dresses in her arms.

An employee in black slacks and a silk top rushes over to us. “Shall I add these to your others?”

“Thanks, yes.”

The woman looks at me and does a double take. She gives me a polite smile. “Welcome to LuxRy. Let us know if we can get you anything.” Then she walks off with Char’s dresses.

Char wraps me in a hug, then drags me to a rack along the wall and sighs theatrically. “I want them all. But Diane won’t increase my allowance.”

She looks at me expectantly. What does she want? Is she hoping I’ll offer to buy her extra dresses? She probably thinks I’ve inherited my dad’s money by now. 

“I know how you feel,” I say.

She wrinkles her brow at me. “You still have an allowance? But—”

“It’s complicated.”

She waits for me to explain, but I lift a dress off the rack instead. “This is nice.”

“They all are. I guess there are other ways I can get more than one.”

She winks at me, and I wince. Char and I rarely talk about the shoplifting thing, but I’m pretty sure she kept stealing just like I did. I glance back at the cash register and see the woman who helped us standing against the wall, hands folded, waiting until we need her again.

“I don’t do that anymore.” I keep my voice low.

“I don’t do it anymore, either. Relax. I’m just kidding.”

“Well, it’s not really funny.”

Char frowns and looks uncomfortable. She wanders away from me, picking out more dresses. Stealing requires careful planning. I only got caught because I got careless. Sloppy. Now for ever and ever, people will find “Boutique Thief Hayley Wade” when they do a deep search on me and my past.

I pull down a gorgeous silky emerald green gown with a plunging neckline and slits to mid-thigh, and that old urge to steal is back.

I pretend to look at it while I case the boutique. If I
did
want to steal this gown, I’d start by choosing four to five in this size. Then I’d pick a lot more gowns. Twenty, maybe thirty. So many the dressing room girl would lose count of how many of each style I’d chosen, get confused as I tried them all on in the dressing room, handing them back a few at a time.

My heart’s pumping fast just thinking about it, and adrenaline floods my body, even though I’m not even really planning on stealing it.