AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Martin stood, and Andy took an immediate step back. The club owner had an inch or two on ABCR’s lead singer. Andy gained some distance moving back, but not much. Bumping into Arturo, he stopped.
“I just took what your people offered.” He pointed an accusatory finger at Martin. “Your dude gave me the drugs.”
“I don’t have any dudes working for me.” One of Martin’s brows rose with his annoyance. “I’m a professional businessman. However, the colleagues and associates who do work with me would be quite upset by your lack of discretion. After they made their displeasure known, you would be banned from their approved customer list. Sad since you seem so fond of their products.”
“Now, wait a minute.” Andy didn’t seem belligerent anymore. He looked scared, as he should be. He’d been outmaneuvered. Martin didn’t need to set Andy up—he’d put his own neck in the noose.
“I don’t have any minutes to spare.” Martin glanced past Andy. “Arturo.”
“Yeah, Boss,” Arturo said.
“See that he understands the magnitude of his offense.”
“You got it.” Arturo grabbed one of Andy’s arms, and his cousin took the other.
Andy gasped. “Addy, please, do something.”
Suddenly, I was important to him. His gaze imploring, he twisted, trying to break free.
“Martin.” I stood and placed my hand on his arm. It was immovable, like the rest of him.
“Yes, my dear?” Martin glanced down at my hand on his arm and covered it with his before glancing up again.
“Don’t hurt him.”
I didn’t have warm and fuzzy feelings about Andy. He shouldn’t have used the group’s merch money for drugs. He shouldn’t have challenged Martin. He was responsible for his own actions, but he was Collin’s best friend and the lead singer in my sister’s band.
“Please don’t,” I said.
Martin tilted his head. “Who said anything about hurting?”
Shit. I had only a little power, and I couldn’t waste it unnecessarily. “Right. My mistake.”
My eyes burning, I watched Arturo and Dimitri drag Andy away.
Like wearing this dress and sitting here where all my friends could see, this thing with Andy was meant to be a lesson. Martin wanted me to know he held not just some power, but all the power.
He was Miranda’s brother. Other than that, I only knew a few personal details about him. He could be charming, but I could never let my guard down. If I displeased him, I would end up just like Andy.
“Addy,” Martin said. When he turned me to face him, I lost sight of Andy. “I have a few business matters to attend to before we go.”
He pinned me in place with his dark gaze. My heart raced within the cage of my chest. I wanted to run, but knowing I had nowhere to go, I suppressed the urge.
“Okay.” I maintained his gaze. “I’ll just find my sister and give her the paperwork to hold on to for safekeeping.”
“Very well.” He reached into his suit jacket and withdrew a folded, stapled stack of papers. When I took them, his fingers brushed mine. There was a spark, an attraction between us. Something I wanted to deny, but couldn’t. “I expect you to come to me directly afterward without delay.”
“Of course.” I acknowledged that his words were an order, not a suggestion.
This thing between us wasn’t merely a game. The futures of the people I cared about hung in the balance. And my future was on the line too.
“Addy.” My sister dropped the wipe she’d been using to remove her makeup when she saw me. “What’s going on with you and Martin?”
She turned away from the dressing room mirror.
“I saw you sitting with him. He kissed you. And what on earth are you wearing? You look like you’re going to a fancy cocktail party.” Her rapid-fire questions came to a halt as her lips twisted in displeasure. “He had his hand on your knee.”
I shrugged. “Martin has decided it’s time for me to pay him for all the favors he’s done.”
