Against The Wall (12 page)

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Paul said. “We’re not going to hurt these people.” Well that wasn’t true, since he’d ordered the younger brother’s earrings be sent to Jess as incentive…along with most of his earlobe. “At least not. As long as she survived sat more than we have to,” he amended.

“You think I can have a crack at her before this is all over?” Frank asked. “C’mon, Paulie, I never ask for nothin’. I’d just like to give her one good hard fuck before this thing ends. It’ll be a little going away party.” Frank laughed at his own joke. “You gotta admit, she is one piece of ass. I can’t believe she gave birth to all those guys. She must have some expensive-assed plastic surgeon.”

Paul doubted Terry St. John had any surgery at all. She was one of those women who didn’t age. But did she deserve to be mauled by Frank just because her time was up? Not in Paul’s book, she didn’t. He’d just have to make it up to Frank with another girl. A different redhead so Frank could pretend he was fucking Terry St. John. If anyone deserved the woman, it was Lou, the one she’d taken down.

“I don’t need an answer now. Just think about it.” Frank popped another piece of melon in his mouth and headed toward the door. “Anyway, just wanted to give you the morning report like you asked. I’m heading down to relieve Kwami. See ya later.”

Paul watched his friend leave the room. The world owed him a favor for keeping Frank off the streets.

He checked his watch. Jess only had a few more days before her deadline. Would she come up with the money, or the man? Either one suited Paul. He admired her phone call last night, even if it
had
been late. He’d been about to go to sleep and had to get dressed to face her family. Clearly he couldn’t intimidate anyone in his pajamas. Then he’d had to show her there was a price for going against his rules. Had to make sure she understood the consequences.

He really didn’t want to have to kill all those people in the basement.

But he would if he had to.

____________

Maurice sat up straighter as the door opened and Jess walked in with Bryant on her heels. That little bitch had left him tied up like a goddamn steer at a rodeo. An obnoxiously big clock had ticked the minutes away on the wall over the drum set. But he wouldn’t let his temper guide him. Right now, he needed to be the negotiator. The producer. He had to get results because he wasn’t going to be handed to Paul Facinetti like a side of beef. If Facinetti took the earlobe of an innocent kid, then what the hell would he to
him?

“Did you make a decision?” Jess asked.

Making eye contact, Maurice nodded. He’d done some thinking the last few minutes. If Jess wanted to fuck around, she’d picked the wrong man to play with. “I was wrong before when I wouldn’t help you. It’s my fault this happened. I take full responsibility.” Maurice shook his head, filled his voice with contrition. “Jesus. What was I thinking? Look, I’ve got an account in the Cayman Islands. I can transfer the funds as soon as you let me out of here.”

Little bitch Jess narrowed her eyes, suspicion clear in her gaze. She’d been around him long enough to know his bullshit, but he looked her straight in the eyes as if he me. As long as she survived satant every word. Finally, she headed toward him, but Bryant stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“How much is in the account?” he asked.

Maurice wanted to throttle him. He took a measured breath, reigned in his anger. “Three million dollars. It was earmarked for the next film, but I’m giving it to you, Jess.”

Her bunny rabbit eyes grew wide. “I need eight million. You know that, Maurice. He gave you the money. You have the money.”

Yeah he had most of the money, but he sure as hell wasn’t forking it over to her. “I told you, Jess, most of it’s gone. I have that account and two more that come to just over four million total and you’re welcome to it. Just take these cuffs off and let’s do this. Please, Jess, my shoulder is killing me. I can’t be in this position. I’m dying here.” He adjusted his sore shoulder for effect. Jess hated to see people in pain. One of her many weaknesses.

Jess moved toward him at the same time something slammed against the square glass in the door. A second later glass shattered outside. Bryant looked over his shoulder, then backtracked toward the noise. He looked out the window. Maurice doubted it was one of his guys, but hope had his pulse racing.

“Wait for me,” Bryant instructed Jess, before going outside. The door shut behind him.

“Since when do you take orders from cavemen, Jess?” Maurice asked. He needed her in his corner, not Bryant’s.

“About three years now,” she said, leveling him with a flat stare.

Funny.

Maurice smiled. It was either that or fly into a rage and he couldn’t afford to lose the ground he was making. He didn’t have much time with Bryant gone. “C’mon, Jess, unlock these.” He flinched as he adjusted his shoulder. “You don’t need them.” Maurice tugged his wrists behind him, ignored his sweaty palms and forced another grin. “It’s me, remember? You’re like a daughter#8221; He took a deep breath and sighed. “Look, I’ll get you the money. I swear. I didn’t think Facinetti would go this far. I admit, I was stupid. Let’s just take it one step at a time.” He used his soft voice, the one that coaxed money out of wallets. The same voice he used on actresses when he needed them to strip…and it wasn’t in the script.

She glanced toward the door, clearly considering the consequences, and Maurice pushed a little harder.

“Where’s the Jess I’ve known the past three years,” he cajoled. “This isn’t you.” He grimaced and tried to roll his shoulder. He never thought his broken collarbone would come in handy. “You’re letting Bryant’s agenda cloud your thinking. This isn’t about him. It’s about you and me doing the right thing. C’mon, unlock these. We can go straight to the bank. Let’s go help your family.”

When she finally nodded, Maurice felt a wave of relief rush through him. Jess wanted to believe the best in people. She wanted the fairy tale, and he was more than happy to give it to her. She was too easy. She bent” She could.t him behind him and Maurice heard the lock unsnap, felt the chain slide across his wrists. The plastic tightened briefly, pinched his wrists then became slack. He loosened his hands.

Free.

The door opened as Bryant came back. Blood revved in Maurice’s veins. No time to waste if he wanted out of this damn garage. He lunged and grabbed Jess as Bryant stepped inside. She gasped as he wrapped his arm around her skinny little neck and held on tight.

“Change in plans, shitheads.”

Bryant planted his feet and straight-armed his gun. He didn’t have a shot with Jess blocking his way. Tension in the room cycled higher as they warmed to their Mexican standoff.

Getting out wouldn’t be easy, but it was doable as long as he kept Jess as a shield. Maurice smiled as he eased toward the door nearest the adjacent garage. “We’re walking out of here,” he said quietly.

Bryant shook his head and headed them off. “No, you’re not.”

Anger erupted in Maurice’s veins. “Don’t fuck with me, asshole. I’ll snap her neck quicker than you can blink.”

“Do I look like I care,” Bryant shot back. His face was set and he hadn’t glanced at Jess once. Hadn’t looked at her eyes or shown any sign that she meant anything to him.

What if he’d miscalculated their little partnership? What if Jess was just a pawn?

“Maurice, I’m no help to you,” Jess said, futilely tugging at his arm. “He already shot me once, he’ll do it again. Just cooperate and everything will be fine.”

What? The girl had lost her fucking mind. “You’re delusional, Jess. If he shot you, you wouldn’t be here, and we both know nothing’s going to be fine for me if I stay here.”

“Didn’t you wonder how we came to meet,” she insisted as she squirmed in his arms. “He took me after you drove off. I’ve got the bandage on my shoulder to prove it. This isn’t going to help because he doesn’t care if I live or die. I was just a way to you. You’d better—”

Maurice clamped his hand over her mouth, didn’t want to hear her babble, but no sooner had he shut her up then he felt pain slice through his hand and up his arm. The bitch had sunk her teeth into his palm. Maurice stepped to the side and delivered a hard blow to her midsection. Jess doubled over—with an audible whoosh of air from her lungs—which hadn’t been his intention. He’d just wanted his damn hand back. But Bryant was on him too fast. Maurice saw the giant fist before it made contact with his face. A crushing round of pain exploded in his cheek quickly followed by another. The second sent him crashing against the filing cabinet before he hit the ground, dazed. Fuck that hurt.

He should’ve planned this better. Waited when he had Jess to himself longer. But he’d blown it. Anger quickly took the edge off his pain. That miserable little bitch had no right to his money.

With his face buried in the old, dir to get my foot in the door satty carpet, he found himself chained faster than he could spit out the blood pooling in his mouth. Dammit, if he’d just been a little quicker, he could’ve reached the gun in his ankle holster and taken them both out. Gladly.

Bryant grabbed the collar of Maurice’s best white dress shirt and yanked him up, but Maurice couldn’t really see him from his left eye, which throbbed like a son of a bitch. “Tell her how to access that money,” he gritted out.

“When did you become such a violent asshole?” Maurice muttered.

“When you sent me to the pen, asshole,” Bryant hissed back.

Behind him, Jess staggered to her feet, a hand over her side, surprise on her face. She really had no idea the kind of trouble she’d made for herself. If she thought Facinetti was trouble, then she had no clue what Maurice would do to her.

“You okay?” Bryant asked, but he never loosened his grip or looked her way.

“Yeah,” she said, but she lacked her earlier confidence. Maurice was happy to have stripped that from her. He grinned because he saw that Bryant understood the subtle change. She wouldn’t last in this game. She couldn’t win against Facinetti so what was the point in playing.

“You need to let me go,” he called after her as she stumbled to the door. Poor baby, needed to regroup. “You can’t get the money without me and if Facinetti doesn’t get it soon, he’ll kill them.”

The door closed behind her and Maurice smiled up at Bryant. Bryant growled then threw another fist. Pain exploded in his head right before everything went black.

____________

Jess hobbled to the kitchen, fighting back tears. Her ribs hurt, but not as bad as her pride. She hadn’t seen it coming. Hadn’t suspected Maurice of using her as a hostage. Not that Tanner seemed thrown off by it. Jeez, he’d looked ready to shoot through her. Again! It was the surprise on Maurice’s face when she told him about Brendan’s earlobe. The absolute certainty in his voice that he’d help her. She hadn’t even considered his shoulder and the pain he might be in. All of it overrode her better judgment.

She wasn’t cut out for this.

She snatched an ice pack from the freezer and placed it against her sore ribs. Maybe if she got the money from his account and delivered Maurice with it, it would be enough to save her family. Maybe once she got into Maurice’s files, she could find other accounts with more money. He’d already mentioned three accounts that had half the amount she needed.

She eased herself onto a seat at the huge country table. A mountain of despair took residence in her chest. Her throat thickened with a giant knot. Jess dropped her head in her hands and held back her tears with iron will.

That’s how Tanner found her a few minutes later. He set the gun on the counter, washed his hands in the sink and Jess felt his eyes on her the whole time.

. As long as she survived sat“What?” she muttered. “You’ve never seen a girl get her ass handed to her by a former boss?” She wiped at her wet eyes, anger and frustration beating at her insides.

Tanner didn’t say anything as he took the seat next to her. He turned the chair, faced her. “Let me take a look,” he said softly. “He wailed on you pretty good.”

What, no lecture? She eyed him suspiciously. None of it would’ve happened if he’d been in the room. Not that she blamed him. She was the one who’d set Maurice free. Tanner had told her to wait for him.
Real good listening, Jess.
“What was the noise outside?” she asked.

“A frickin’ giant crow slammed into the glass then knocked over a vase. I found it in the side yard, dazed. Look,” Tanner said, clearly needing to get something off his chest, “I figure we’re both learning as we go, right? I’m learning not to kill the man at the first opportunity and you’re learning how dangerous he is.” He tipped his chin toward her middle. “Let me make sure he didn’t break a rib.” He crouched next to her.

Jess’s heart thumped harder and she swallowed a knot of nervous tension. Tanner wouldn’t hurt her. He’d told her that. A part of her needed the attention. Needed someone to lean on, so she set the ice pack on the table and lifted her T-shirt, exposing her midriff.

When he grimaced, she looked down, shocked to see a fist-sized mark already forming. They locked gazes and the concern and helplessness on his face knocked her off balance.

Ridiculous. She had to be imagining the odd feelings racing in her system. The sense of camaraderie she felt with this man she barely knew. Her sudden case of dry mouth was very real. Her skyrocketing heart rate was very real. So was the wave of goose bumps washing over her arms. All of it stemmed from the very real heat blazing from his eyes.

“Back in the garage,” he said softly. “When he had you in front of him…” He hesitated, but his focus never wavered. His dark gaze burned into hers. “I wouldn’t have taken a shot. I wouldn’t risk hurting you again.” A small grin curved his lips and those eyes sparkled. “But I appreciate you telling him that I would.”

A flush warmed her cheeks. He made it sound like they were a team. Partners. Whereas the idea would’ve seemed ridiculous to her last night, today it held some appeal. He was a force she’d rather have working with her than against her.