Page 56 of Betting Blind
“Bruce’s desk.”
Jack’s eyes are murderous when he finally places my phone back in my open palm. “He has bigger plans than I thought.”
“This is why he took Ben? For leverage?”
He nods. He reaches forward, uncrossing my arms, and drags me into his warm embrace. “I’m so fucking sorry, Cass,” he whispers into my hair, his body sagging with our sudden contact. “I’m not proud of the things I’ve done, but I can’t take them back.”
My anger over Jack’s lie is fresh, but I lean into him, folding my body into the strength of his. “I can’t believe Bruce would do something like this.” I rub my face against his broad chest, willing my stinging tears away.
“Diablo doesn’t care about anything but his business. If someone gets in his way, he finds a way to get rid of them. Power like what he has can make the most noble man faulty.”
He cups the side of my face, leaning in close. “I came here tonight because I need you to trust me. You and Ben are my highest priorities, and I’ll be damned if I leave you here vulnerable.” He presses a soft, warm kiss against my lips. “Hurry inside and get dressed. We’re meeting them in thirty.”
* * *
“It’s gonna be okay,” I tell Jack for the twentieth time since we left my house. Though at this point, I’m saying it more for my benefit than his. He squeezes my hand with a smile, bouncing his left knee as we drive along.
The rendezvous is located about a mile from Royals. It’s dark and eerie out here away from town, and as we drive past rows of barbed wire fencing, I catch sight of glowing cow eyes beneath the dust billowing up around Jack’s truck. A large black SUV sits alone, waiting ominously as Jack shifts the gear into park. Both sets of headlights illuminate the gravel stage where we’re to exchange our Vegas winnings for Ben.
My heart is pumping so hard in my chest it’s making it hard to breathe. “Listen,” Jack says as he rests the heavy weight of his keys in my palm. “If this gets out of control, I want you to take the truck and head straight for the bar. Derrick is in charge tonight, and you know it’s where you’ll have the most protection.”
I wrap my fingers around the cool metal. “I’m not leaving you, Jack. No matter what happens.” I dare him to argue as I lean over to kiss his cheek. “We’re going to face this head-on, together.”
The struggle to lock me in here and keep me safe simmers in his gaze, but it’s a battle he knows he won’t win. Jack isn’t the only one with a stake in the game. He nods once and I follow his lead, exiting the vehicle. The scent of hay and farm animals tickles my nose, and my palms become slick with sweat as we cross over in front of Jack’s headlights. He positions himself in front and to the left of me, splaying a hand across my midsection to halt my momentum.
The doors to the SUV creak open to reveal two familiar figures. The burn of vomit climbs its way up my esophagus, threatening to spill the contents of my stomach. From what Jack was able to gather, the man with the glasses is Todd, and the other brute is Gerald. Bruce informed Jack that Ben was alive but would only remain that way if Jack brought every penny of the seventy-five-thousand dollars he owes.
“I see you’ve brought your little bitch.” Glasses smirks toward Jack and from behind him, I witness every fiber of visible muscle in his body go taut.
“If you so much as sniff in her direction, I’ll shove those glasses through your skull,” Jack grinds out. Todd’s smirk curls up into a full-blown grin before reluctantly turning his attention away from me.
Gerald’s eyes move to the black duffel bag hanging from Jack’s hand. He jerks his head over his shoulder. “He’s got it, boss!”
I grab onto Jack to steady myself as Ben steps out from the back of the blacked-out vehicle. His hands are bound behind him, and deep circles have formed his under eyes. He tugs his shoulder away from whoever has a hold on him, stumbling slightly before regaining his footing.
It’s just shy of two weeks since Jack found out Ben was missing, but even losing a bit of weight, he’s still as handsome as the first glimpse I got of him. The brothers favor each other so much, it’s hard to believe they aren’t twins.
Loud clapping sounds as Bruce rounds the front of their vehicle. From the corner of my eye, a black baton glints in the headlights of the SUV, resting in Todd’s hands. I narrow my eyes at the rotten smile on his face as he taps it against his open palm. He’s delighted to have us in the position we’re in, and he’s waiting for the moment Jack loses his shit so he can use the weapon.
“I didn’t think you could do it, Jack. I’m impressed.” Bruce’s southern drawl touches my ears. I step around Jack, but he quickly grips my arm, pulling me back behind him.
My lip trembles as I fight back a flood of tears. I want to scream at him for betraying me and Juliana in this way.
Bruce flinches when his widened eyes fall to mine, and deep frown lines mar his aging face. “Cassidy.” He says it so quietly, I’m afraid I’ve imagined it. “This… isn’t what I wanted for you. I tried to save you from all of this.”
I reflect on the little subtleties I’ve missed. Things he’s done or said that I mistakenly thought were protective gestures from someone I’ve grown to love as a friend and employer. “You told Deborah about me working at the bar on purpose, didn’t you?”
His sad smile makes my blood run cold. “Imagine my surprise when I see Jackson Campbell in my diner this morning after Ispecificallytold you he wasn’t worth the trouble.”
“How could you do this?” My voice wobbles and my heart breaks to know that Jack was indeed telling me the truth. This stranger is not the Bruce I know.
“It’s nothing personal.” He steps behind Ben and kicks the backs of his legs. Jack’s brother hits the gravel hard with a pained grunt, somehow remaining upright on his knees. “I’m a businessman,” Bruce says, the same way someone may discuss the weather.
He tsks as he walks past Ben, who looks positively murderous. “Dear brother Ben is the one who can’t resist dipping his hands into my pockets. So, if you’d like to direct your anger at anyone, it should be him.” Ben weakly attempts to stand, but Todd hits him between his shoulders with the baton.
“Stop it,” Jack grits between his teeth, stepping closer to Todd and Gerald, who stand by, waiting for direction from their boss. “I’ve got your money, Bruce. Release Ben and let’s wash our hands of each other.”
The air around us grows thick with each second that ticks by. My fingers twitch beside me as I wait for some sort of explosion, but not a single one of us dares to move.
