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“I think you might change your mind. Between us, getting information on you is hard. Hard, not impossible. And there’s plenty before and after that prison stint you did.”
This time I bite out a laugh because as a threat, that’s the most pathetic one I think I’ve heard in my life. “It’s not a state secret that I was in the clink. Between you and me, that little fact always sweetens the deal in business and the bedroom…or dungeon, depending on your tastes. Everyone wants a bad boy, Henderson. And to the Pollyannas of our world, I’m catnip.”
I pause because I’m not sure how far to push. He knows exactly who she really is, he’s just pretty much told me that. And I never tried to hide her identity. Always skate as close to the truth as possible when lyingandwhen setting up a game with such big stakes.
My throat tightens, an invisible noose choking me. I’m going to have to do one of two things. One, I can sell her to Henderson and hope to move in fast so I can end it all before shit goes sideways and Ivy gets hurt. Or two, I’m going to have to let go of my mission, give up the bounty on Henderson’s head, the bigger piece of the Obsidian Knights’ power I’d get for accomplishing the task, and most importantly, not avenge Ruby’s death and all the senseless others like hers.
Fuck it all. There aren’t any good options.
And I still don’t know for sure what Jeremy’s part in this even means so I could use it against them both.
“It would be made worth your while. Everyone has skeletons. Needs. I can, with the help of my associate, make the first disappear, and the second happen. I’m curious.Did you fuck her when she was fourteen? You were in your early twenties then. That wouldn’t have been smart. And when you dump her, which you will, she might turn the tables on you. Crush you. Call you a?—”
Now I unleash my overconfident tone. “She annoyed the fuck out of me back then. Little kids don’t interest me, and I didn’t even think about her until I ran into her recently. Pollyanna at twenty-three, though? Very different fucking story. And yeah, I’ve fucked her plenty, every way you can think of.”
“She turned you in to the cops. Took you down. Destroyed your life.”
“She turned thedrugsin.” I pause. “Are you sure you want to buy her and not me? You sure have a fuck ton of questions about my past. Let me save you some trouble. My abusive father got drunk and died. My mother married a clone of him. I left and lived on the streets. Sold drugs. Became friends with Pollyanna’s brother, Jaxson, who died. Had sex with a hell of a lot of women. Discovered my kink, went to prison, met Pollyanna again as an adult and decided blame was stupid now that I’m fucking loaded. You need anything else?”
“I want her, Mercer. Everyone has their price.”
I pull back now and pause, like I’m actually considering his offer.
“You were annoyed with her the other night. Does that happen often?”
“This is the longest D/s I—” Again, I stop, like I’ve said too much. My stomach drops with my next words because I can practically see him salivating on the other end of the call. “If I get sick of her, how much are we talking, what kind of deal? Just curious.”
“Of course, you’re just curious.” The bastard is smug now,like he’s got me. Problem is, he just might. “More than you could imagine.”
But I can read between the lines. There will be no money in exchange for Pollyanna. Henderson's basically just confirmed that they’re either going to try and kill me or pin something on me if I don’t strike a deal and hand her over to them.
“We should meet and discuss this. You think about your offer, Henderson. And you’d better make it good. Then you tell me when, I’ll tell you where.”
“Deal.”
Click.
I continue to swivel in the chair, thoughts bubbling, long after he hangs up. Something is about to happen and soon. Maybe a whole fucking coup. I need to get to Henderson’s blackmail stash before it’s too late.
The easiest way is to hand Ivy over, forget her, let whatever happens happen. Chances are good that I’ll be able to save her, get her away from that filthy pig before shit goes south. Then again, I’m not in the white knight business.
I kill.
I’m not in the business of saving.
But as hard as I try to shrug off whatever fate might bring her in Henderson’s clutches, I can’t. I care. I fucking hate myself for it, but I care about Ivy. Who the fuck knows when it happened? But it did, and now here we are.
And even if I didn’t give a damn about her, the thought of Henderson, or Jeremy, or that other fucker from the party talking to her, touching her, is unacceptable.
A thought gnaws at my brain.
There’s always the possibility that Jeremy is after the same thing I am and is playing Henderson to get inside. If he’s on the same mission and he manages to get it done before I can, itmay mean I’ll get edged out by the Knights for failing to complete the mission.
Fuck.
Then again, Henderson might be the patsy, and Jeremy is the real holder of that damaging information. If that was the case, he’d be able to keep Henderson close because of blackmail he has on him, and then he’d be able to use the documentation to threaten his way to the top of the food chain. And assigning me the job would be the perfect setup to get me out of the picture, clearing his way.
I’ve made it damn clear I want more from the organization I’ve killed for over the years, and Jeremy knows it.
