Page 52 of She Gives Love a Bad Name

Lies won’t help me here. I’m at his mercy. Damn him. I don’t know how he found me, but he did. And he knows about Grant.Fuck. It’s a catch-22. I don’t have any choices left.

“He’s protecting me.”

“From what?”

I take a deep breath and exhale slowly. “The place I was gonna hit...there was a complication.”

“What kind of complication?” He cocks his head, and a dark curl falls across his forehead. He looks more rock star than mobster, but the effect is paralyzing nonetheless.

“There was a murder.”

A sadistic grin splits his lips, revealing perfect white teeth. “Well, well. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“I didn’t kill anyone, jackass. I was working when the old man was killed.” I choke on the next words, barely able to get them out. “I saw him die.”

“You’re a murder witness?” His left brow rises. “And the good detective is keeping a close eye on you?”

“He’s keeping me safe. Yes.”

“Is that so?” The wicked smile returns.

Whatever thoughts are churning in Billy’s deviant mind don’t bode well for me...or for Grant. I know him too well. He’ll use whatever means at his disposal to get what he wants. With the criminal ties he has, nothing is off-limits. Murder included.

I tread carefully. The last thing I want to do is make him my enemy. Our agreement is already hanging by a tenuous thread. I’m fucked either way.

Perhaps I can negotiate my way out of this. Somehow.

“What do you want?” I lick my parched lips.

“I want what you owe me.” His eyes narrow. “And I want it now.”

“I don’t have ten grand.” Familiar panic creeps in, stealing my breath.

“Perhaps we can make an arrangement then.” He shoves his hands in his pockets. “You keep up your little charade with the cop and feed me information.”

“He doesn’t tell me anything about the cases he’s working on.”

I can’t betray Grant. If I lose his trust, it’ll be gone forever. No, there has to be another way.

“Then you can seduce him and get him to trust you. He’ll spill his guts if you let him fuck you.”

Those words coming out of my stepbrother’s mouth make me physically ill. My stomach roils, and if I had eaten anything tonight, it’d be all over his shoes. I might be a thief, but I’m not a snitch. Period. Grant went out of his way to protect me, to give me a chance at success. I can’t just throw it in his face to clear my debt.

I shake my head. “I can’t do that.”

“Then how, exactly, do you propose to repay the debt hanging over your head?”

My mind spins a hundred miles per hour. I fully intended to go legit when I started working at the old man’s mansion, but the temptation was always there, the opportunity almost too perfect. But even with the debt hanging over my head, Grant’s words remained implanted in my mind. I could go straight. I didn’t need to rely on petty theft to cover my debts.

And yet fate intervened, throwing me into yet another shitstorm. Now I have no recourse but to sacrifice whatever fragile bond exists between me and Grant. There are no good options. All of them land me on his shit list.

Maybe I should just turn myself in to the police. Or let my stepbrother take his pound of flesh. If I’m lucky, he’ll kill me, putting a stop to this endless cycle of suffering.

“You have no other options, Quinn. Admit it.” His voice cuts through the dark thoughts swarming inside my mind.

He checks his watch, and inspiration strikes.

“Wait.” My voice echoes off the walls. Too desperate, but fuck it. “I can pay you.”

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