Page 57 of Betting Blind
“This town is my sanctuary. Business is booming, but a good owner knows expansion is the key to staying on top, and to do that, I need to secure the four corners off Murphy Avenue.” He pauses. “Do you know what resides on the fourth corner of Murphy, Jack?”
Jack fumes from beside me, but I’m not easily silenced. “We know about your plans to take The Pound.” I kick my chin up, squaring my shoulders. “Let me save you the trouble; it’s not going to happen.” I stand proud, throwing my last-chance ace on the table. “I’d hate to get the police involved.”
Bruce begins to chuckle. His laughter grows obnoxiously loud as he doubles over his pudgy stomach, heckling with his sidekicks until the dark of night swallows the sound of their ominous glee.
“Do you honestly think I don’t have the Mackville PD by theballs?” His asthmatic cough grates against my burning hot ears. When he finally composes himself, the edge in his voice raises a rush of goosebumps across my skin. “They do what I tell them to do because I’m not a man to be trifled with, and they know it.”
He turns back to Jack. “I knew if Ben disappeared, you’d be in a more willing position to come up with the money he owes me, and as an added benefit, I had the leverage I needed for what I truly want—and you’re going to give it to me.”
More silence, and Bruce and his lackies become more agitated by the minute.
The brothers make eye contact briefly, and Ben jerks his head slightly, mouthing to Jack, “Don’t.”
I grasp what’s going on between them too late as Jack hits his limit, and I have mere seconds to react when his body blurs past me.
Jack flies forward, grabs Glasses by the ears, and breaks his face across his knee. The baton and the man’s spectacles go flying as a scream tears its way out of my chest. I’m terrified of what’s going to happen to Jack for his outburst, but he’s put a nail in our coffin and all I can do is pray that we make it out of this alive.
I scramble backward out of their way as he attempts to skirt around Gerald, but the man is a brick house and he barrels his big body straight into Jack, causing him to lose his footing. I can’t tear my eyes away from the commotion as Gerald pounds Jack’s back with punches that make him grunt painfully. He adjusts his footing, maneuvering around Gerald to deliver equally punishing blows.
Jack lands a shot to his opponent’s face and I watch in horror as the meat around his nose severs. Blood gushes from the wound and right when I think he may have a chance, Bruce’s voice coolly cuts through the melee. “Enough.”
Both men hesitantly step away from each other, panting. My brows draw tight, wondering why Jack would stop when he had him right where he wanted him. I follow the line of his gaze that’s fixated on his brother. Ben is still on his knees, helplessly bound as Bruce holds the thick baton against the back of his head. He must have grabbed it during the chaos.
“Now that you got that out of your system, here’s what’s going to happen. I’m gonna give you forty-eight hours to clear the bar. When that time is up, I want the keys hand-delivered to me, personally.” The cynical scowl on Bruce’s face absolutely terrifies me. “Hand over the cash without laying another hand on my men, or you’re going to get the beating of a lifetime while Cassidy is forced to watch.” The last part has Gerald smiling at me with bloody teeth.
“It’s not going to be that simple and you know it,” Jack grits. “There are multiple biker gangs who frequent my bar, and I’ve gained their full trust.” Bruce’s façade waivers slightly. “If you want The Pound, you’re going to have to start an all-out turf war with some bad motherfuckers, and that’s blood I’d be willing to bet you can’t afford to have on your hands.
“I’ll pull out every favor anyone in this town owes me and make you regret ever threatening me. I’ve worked too fucking hard to have it taken away from me!” Jack shouts, and every one of them looks like they’re teetering on the edge of losing control again.
Then, quietly, I hear, “Wait.”
Bruce tilts his head in Ben’s direction. “I’d hardly say you’re in a position to be making demands, son.”
Ben lolls his head back so he can project his voice. “Jack’s right. If you try to take The Pound, there’s going to be more bloodshed than either one of us want.” He slowly brings himself to his feet and turns to Bruce, the man I’ve always thought of as family, and a man I know I’ll mourn once the adrenaline wears off. “You can have me.”
“Ben,” Jack refuses, but he’s silenced as his brother continues.
“I’ll be your enforcer. Whatever you need, you can run through me. You’ll have someone at your disposal, an inside man who knows your casinos better than you know them yourself.” Ben’s face is grim but determined. “But if I do this, the bar is off-limits. Jack gets to keep running it the way he sees fit, and you don’t have to worry about the Wolves sneaking in your bedroom to cut your head off while you sleep.” I trace my eyes over the ropes of muscles lining Ben’s biceps. If he wasn’t weak from the lack of proper care, I truly believe he would kick Bruce’s ass.
I see the wheels turning as Bruce contemplates the ways he can use Ben to his advantage. After a beat, he claps his hands together forcefully. “Well, I am a businessman, after all.” He snaps at Gerald, motioning for him to take the bag from behind Jack as he drags Ben to his feet. He shoves him in our direction. “We have a deal.”
Before we reach the truck, Bruce calls after Ben, “Get yourself together and say your goodbyes. If you’re working for me, you’ll be living where I tell you to. Oh, and don’t try running off, or I’ll burn the bar to ashes.”
Ben gives the man a curt nod before stepping up into the cab of Jack’s truck, and I place a hand on his lower back to assist him.
Bruce’s voice cuts through the eerie quiet of night. “Pleasure doing business with you, boys.”
Chapter 26
Cassidy
The drive back to The Pound is deathly silent. The whole point of this rescue mission was tofreeBen, not keep him prisoner. Jack grips the steering wheel tightly as Ben glares out the window. The tension between the two begins to rise, and I’m counting the minutes before one of them explodes on the other.
I remain silent for the rest of the ride, and as we sneak through the back door of their bar and toward Jack’s office, their growing frustration with each other becomes palpable.
Loud voices and laughter cover our entry, but I hesitate outside Jack’s office, unsure if he wants me involved in what’s sure to be a heavy conversation. He tugs me inside the small room, placing a gentle kiss on my brow. “Anything Ben has to say, he can say in front of you.” He drops his voice. “No more secrets.”
The brothers engage in a standoff as I settle into the withered old chair positioned in front of Jack’s desk. Ben is weak and tired, but his fists are clenched tightly beside him, white-knuckled as if he’s ready for a fight.
