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  I didn’t need that.

  I walked to the bedroom and lifted a hand to knock on the door. Then I remembered it was my room and I just opened the door. Shayna was still in bed, curled up in my blankets, sleeping in my bed. I went to the bed with full intentions of kicking it, shaking the mattress, waking her ass up.

  Instead, I slowly sat down on the edge of the bed.

  I stared at her.

  I told myself she had her own story to share. If I just tossed her out, then what? She’d go back to that Zander guy and get killed. Or she’d get tracked down and killed. Then again, she had broken away from Zander, right? I had her. She was with me. She had no clue where she was and she already admitted she had nowhere to go.

  She had become leverage.

  Just like that.

  Instant leverage when I talked to Fiore.

  I reached down and brushed a piece of her dark hair from her face. What was it about women sleeping that made them look even prettier? Like their entire bodies were finally relaxed, no make up and fluff stuff going on, their bodies able to just be there in their natural beauty.

  Except Shayna was beyond natural beauty. She was too beautiful for her own good. For my own good. And that was a problem.

  My thumb grazed her cheek and I put my other hand to her pillow. As I leaned down, the smell of warm sleep started to pull at me, daring me to catch some more z’s, only this time I’d be next to Shayna. I knew damn well that if I really got into bed with her, we wouldn’t be sleeping. I had to keep that line uncrossed. I had to stay a mile away from that line.

  So I stood up and put my foot on the bed. I gave it a kick a few times until Shayna started to stir. She rolled to her back and the covers moved down her body a little. She was wearing a shirt, but it was pretty obvious she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her nipples pressed through the shirt.

  Jesus Christ… I better make it two miles away from that line.

  ~

  “Are you good?” I asked. “Full? You need coffee?”

  “No,” she said. “I’m fine. Thanks for…”

  “This isn’t a please and thank you thing. I’m putting you in front of Fiore. Do you understand that?”

  Shayna nodded. She ran a hand through her hair. She looked really good. It was amazing how beautiful she could be right now considering she was wearing some of my old clothes. She had no make up on and managed to fix her bedhead with some water. She had an old pair of my sunglasses on that she had found in the living room somewhere.

  “I got it,” she said.

  “This guy is a big deal. He’s connected to family. He has connections…”

  “So does Zander,” Shayna said. “If you’re trying to tell me in a round about way that he’s in the mob, I get it. That’s who Zander is. I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen people caught, tortured, and killed. I’ve seen fights. It hasn’t been pleasant.”

  “Then why?” I asked. “Why even be there?”

  “Because.”

  That was that.

  I let it go for now.

  I drove from the highway to the streets to the upscale neighborhood. The houses got bigger by the minute. And Fiore had the biggest house built up on a ridge. He owned half the town, probably more than that of the state, not to mention his blood ran through Nevada and across the rest of the country all the way to New York City. And then it went international.

  Fiore was that important. He would know Zander. He would see the value in having Shayna around. Or so I hoped.

  “So he’s going to ask you things,” I said. “You have to answer truthfully.”

  “Finn, I get it.”

  I pulled my truck over. Guilt had officially settled in and gotten the best of me. I put it in park and turned to Shayna. I touched her shoulder. “Listen to me. I’m in a bad spot here. And I’m not asking you to bail me out. But if you want to get away from that guy, this is a chance to do it. If you think you need to go back, tell me right now.”

  “I don’t have a choice,” Shayna said.

  “You always have a choice.”

  “Zander will kill me.”

  “Fiore might kill you.”

  “I’ll take my chances.”

  The guilt lifted - a little - and I started to drive again.

  I wasn’t just bringing Shayna to talk to Fiore.

  I was going to offer her to him… to do whatever the hell he wanted.

  ~

  Fiore took the cigar from his mouth and made circles of smoke. He put it down on the edge of the desk and stood up. He had a putting green next to his desk. It was set up for a shot. He took his club and lined up the shot. Gently, he pulled his arms to the side and then released the shot. The golfball rolled with a soft precision.

  If it goes in, he’s not going to kill me…

  It hit the edge of the hole, looked like it was going to fall in, but then jumped the edge and stopped.

  Fuck.

  “Eh,” Fiore said. “My hands are too shaky anymore. Too much stress, Finn.” Fiore dropped the club and looked at me. “Too much goddamn stress.”

  I nodded. I knew when not to speak around Fiore. This had nothing to do with missing a putt or being stressed. It was what I did.

  “You don’t want to talk?”

  “I’m waiting for you,” I said.

  “Your face looks wrong.” He walked along the desk and then leaned against it, in front of me. “What happened?”

  “Thought about telling you a lie, Fiore. But then I figured… fuck it.”

  “Fuck it,” Fiore said. “I’ve got a few billion dollars to look after. So I say fuck it. I have a family to care for. A grieving daughter. An empire to look after with nobody to give it to when I die. So I say fuck it.”

  “What I mean,” I said, “was that I’m not here to lie to you. I fucked up. Okay? I went for a few drinks and ended up somewhere bad.”

  Fiore laughed. A deep, hearty laugh. The kind of laugh he used to have when he was with his wife, daughter, son-in-law, and only grandson. Only half those people were alive right now. That’s the stress Fiore carried, which was simply his need to grieve but his fight to hide it to make sure he looked strong.

  “Zander, huh?”

  “You heard.”

  “You think people don’t know you? You’re famous, Finn. Not the fame you wanted, I’m sure. But I kept to my word when I saw you fighting, Finn. Oh, I knew you were worth a lot.”

  “I still am.”

  “Not unless you’re dead.”

  “Oh.”

  Fiore rubbed his chin. “Now I sit there this morning, eating a goddamn grapefruit to keep my heart healthy, and I ask myself why you would be near Zander. At a fight. A nasty fight at that. You say you went to have a couple drinks. Sure. But then you end up fighting. Heard you fought one of his most famous guys. And, of course, you won.”

  “It was more defense,” I said. “That’s all. Because he…”

  Fiore threw his right hand at me. He wore a gold ring with an emerald green stone in it. It was the birthstone of his only grandson. The stone cracked against my upper lip, splitting it open with ease.

  That’s how Fiore said shut up to people.

  I gripped the arms of the chair. I hated to be hit like that. Like I was some fucking punk.

  “You want to fight me now?” Fiore asked. “Maybe I should do that. Before I kill you.”

  “I’m really sorry,” I said.

  “I want to know why!” Fiore bellowed. “What was it? Money? Greed? Power? Did Zander contact you? Why would you fight, Finn? You love money. You appreciate it. You’ve earned a lot through me. So why would you become a fucking rat?”

  “Whoa,” I said and stood up. I waved a hand. “No fucking way in hell, Fiore. I am not a rat.”

  “Then why fight?”

  “I was forced to.”

  “For what reason?”

  I sighed. “A woman.”

  “A what?”

  “A fucking woman,” I said. “Okay? I was sitting a
t the bar, having a drink. Some goon approached me and I smacked him in the head with a beer glass. Then I was taken to see Zander. He wanted to know who I was working for. I told him to go fuck himself. Then he put a gun to a woman’s head. He told me I needed to fight. If I lost, I’d tell him who I was working for. If I won, the woman lived and became my prize.”

  “That’s something you’re proud of?” Fiore asked.

  “Not particularly, Fiore. But I wasn’t giving you up.”

  “He knows you!” Fiore yelled. “My family and Zander’s people go way back. Turf wars that you wouldn’t believe if I said. Of all the places to be, Finn…” Fiore shook his head. “There’s nothing I can do.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” I asked. “Look, I screwed up, okay? But I got away. I’m alive. Maybe I ruffled a few dusty feathers, but come on…”

  Fiore sniffed the air. “Rat. That’s what they’re calling it. A rat.”

  “I’m not…”

  Fiore lifted his hand and threatened to smack me again.

  The door opened and I knew what it was.

  The only reason the bullet didn’t tear through my head right then was because I was facing Fiore and the bullet could have gone through my skull and into his.

  But when he stepped to the side, there was no reason not to shoot.

  I was dead.

  ~

  “I have her,” I said as calm as I could.

  I tried to brace for the bullet, but there was no bracing. It would just happen.

  “Who?” Fiore asked.

  I was buying myself seconds now.

  “Her. The woman. I won the fight.”

  “Wait, wait, wait,” Fiore said. “You took your prize?”

  “Of course I did. I’m a fucking fighter. When I win, I get paid, Fiore. Money and woman. That’s me.”

  Fiore lifted his left hand. He shushed with his hand.

  That small gesture saved my life.

  “Tell me more,” he said.

  “She works for Zander. That’s… I have her. I took her. She’s with me right now, Fiore.”

  Fiore’s eyes went wide. With a gentle nod he touched his chin again. He then folded his arms. “Bring her to me right now, Finn. She might just save your life.”

  Christ, this was going to work. I’d save my life by giving Shayna’s to Fiore.

  I turned and the door exploded open again. There were two men with guns. They saw Fiore and raised their weapons. I backed up and tossed Fiore to the ground. Maybe if I took a few bullets, Fiore wouldn’t think I was a rat.

  10.

  (Shayna)

  Finn told me to stay back and sort of hide. It was kind of impossible to do considering how big and open the house was. So I just lingered near a corner in what was some kind of living room or sitting room. I stood next to a gold statue of a man making a fist. The house was so quiet.

  I waited.

  I couldn’t hear a thing.

  All I could do was hope that Finn would emerge from wherever with some kind of a plan. Speaking of which, I needed my own plan. Zander would try and find me. He would kill me. It had been long enough with Zander and his people though. I couldn’t do it anymore. I was getting nowhere. My intention had been to find my sister and nothing else. That was years ago.

  I saw a man run toward the door. He took out a gun.

  I pressed my back to the wall.

  No, no, no.

  The guy opened the door and then his head snapped back with a spray of blood. He collapsed to the floor as another man came running into the house. He was dressed in all black and crouched down. The gun in his hand was really long. Definitely a silenced weapon.

  He ran through the house like he owned the place.

  I started to step forward and then another man came charging through the door.

  He had the same kind of gun.

  They both worked across the main floor.

  I inched along the wall, trying to stay hidden as I followed them.

  Room after room, I had no idea how big the house really was.

  The two men stopped at a door.

  They whispered something and then opened the door.

  “Fuck!” a voice yelled.

  It was Finn.

  “No!” I yelled and ran toward the men.

  One of the men went into the office. The other started to turn as I ran at him. It was foolish. Such a dumb and risky move. He had size. He had a gun. I had nothing. For a split second, I thought about flashing him. That had worked before, right? Why not now?

  Something told me that these guys weren’t going to give a damn about my boobs though. So I put my head down and drove into the guy. A white hot pain shot through my shoulder, but I felt the guy moving. Then there was a hard thud and I shot back. My back crashed into the other side of the doorway. The guy, however, had dropped his gun and was stumbling into the office.

  My little move distracted the first guy enough that he turned and pointed the gun at me.

  I saw a man in a suit on the floor and Finn standing in front of him. There was blood on Finn’s shoulder and arm.

  Had he been shot?

  Finn jumped forward and threw a punch, hitting the guy in the head. He then turned and threw another punch to the second guy, square in the face, sending him back to the wall.

  “Where’s the goddamn help?” the man on the floor yelled.

  I just froze and looked left to right, wondering who was a good guy, who was a bad guy, and who was going to kill me.

  Finn easily held his ground with the two guys, keeping a safe distance from them, his fists balled tight and up, ready to fight. Each time one of them moved, he swung, connecting, keeping them at bay.

  Two more men appeared, blood dripping from their heads. They looked woozy and confused as they entered the office.

  “Get them!” the man on the floor ordered. “Right now! Finn! Step back!”

  The two men Finn had been beating up were quickly subdued again, this time put in handcuffs. The room started to calm a little.

  Finn turned and put his hand to the man on the floor. “Get up, Fiore. You’re safe.”

  Fiore.

  The man on the floor was Finn’s boss.

  Fiore got to his feet and walked to the two men that had tried to kill him. He made a fist but didn’t punch. Instead, he swung his fist like a backhand, hitting each one.

  “Motherfuckers,” he growled. “Who do you work for?”

  The two men started to laugh.

  I knew the laugh. I didn’t know their faces though… but that laugh…

  “They’re here for me,” I said. “They work for Zander.”

  “Ah,” Fiore said. “Of course they do.”

  One of the men looked at me. “I’ll go to my grave first, but you’re next. You and those pretty tits…”

  Finn swung again and hit the guy in the jaw, knocking him out.

  “No,” Fiore said. “Nobody dies yet. I want everything out of them. Got that?”

  Fiore’s men nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  “Then do me a favor,” he said. “Cut their eyes out and send them to Zander. Make it known that we’re watching him too.”

  My stomach flipped.

  The intruders were taken from the office.

  Finn walked to me and grabbed my hand. He looked me dead in the eyes. “Are you okay?” he whispered. There was a sense of care and humility in his eyes and voice.

  “I’m fine,” I whispered.

  “Good.” Finn then turned and took his hand from mine. He then grabbed the front of my pants and pulled at me. “Fiore. This is her. This is my prize. This is Shayna. I’m giving her to you.”

  What. The. Fuck.

  ~

  My skin crawled as Fiore walked around me three times. His eyes climbed up and down my body. My only saving grace - I guess - was that at least I wasn’t naked. I knew better than to talk or try and defend myself. These guys didn’t care about that stuff.

  “You’re one of
Zander’s own,” Fiore said.

  “Yeah,” Finn said. “Damn near as close as possible. Isn’t that right?”

  I didn’t speak.

  Fiore faced me and closed in on me. He sniffed me. What the fuck was I? A dog?

  “Right,” Fiore whispered. “Right. You’re the prize.”

  “I told you I’m not a rat,” Finn said. “I didn’t mean for all that to happen, Fiore. But look what we got.”

  “Yeah,” Fiore said. He reached out and touched my cheek.

  I winced back and felt like throwing up.

  “No worries,” Fiore whispered, “I’m happily married. And the women on the side… I pay for. So there’s no feelings.”

  “Good to know,” I said.

  “You are beautiful though.” Fiore backed up and eyed me again. “I mean, really beautiful.”

  “So we can get all the details,” Finn said. “Anything we want. I’ll press her for information.”

  “I’m standing right here,” I said. “You realize that, Finn?”

  “Hey, stop talking,” Finn said. “This is business.”

  “Did you fuck her yet?” Fiore asked Finn.

  “What?” I asked. “What am I, a whore?”

  “Nah,” Finn said. “We were on the run last night and I took her to my cabin. Kept her safe. I wanted to show you, Fiore. I mean, I fucked up, but look what we got.”

  “Oh, we have something,” Fiore said. He finally walked away from me, back behind his desk. “We have something amazing.”

  “She’s willing to tell you anything,” Finn said. “Obviously in exchange for her survival.”

  “Right,” Fiore said. He looked at me. “You like to live?”

  “Sure,” I said. “I don’t mind it.”

  “And you decided to take your stand against Zander last evening?”

  “It wasn’t planned,” I said. “Everything happened all at once. Really fast. I tried to help Finn. I didn’t realize who he was though.”

  Fiore laughed. “If you did, you wouldn’t have helped?”

  I looked at Finn and curled my lip. “Probably not.”

  “I like her,” Fiore said.

  “Yeah,” Finn said. “She’s something.”

  Finn then winked at me.

  Seriously?

  Finn brought me here and was just going to give me up like this? And then wink at me? He was using me to save his own ass.