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Rosa called. Said someone followed her home last night. She’s scared someone’s watching the house.
I’m worried about mum and dad. This would kill them.
You’ve got to help me.
Please.
The barrage of text messages from my step brother does nothing to help my stress levels. He thinks I don’t know how serious this is? Just because they let us walk away with a warning and five grand lighter doesn’t mean I think this is a game.
I know this is fucking serious. Deadly.
I’m trying everything I can think of to try and come up with the cash for the men he owes it to, but it’s not that easy. I mighthave a couple of grand stashed in the safe of my flat, but I sure as shit don’t have the kind of money he owes lying around. Even my shares of the club aren’t easily accessible, and trying to get someone out to value my flat and get it put up on the market a few days before Christmas is proving impossible. Even if I sold it to a cash buyer, I don’t think I’d have the funds in time anyway.
I don’t know what to do.
Even if I could have walked away from my stepbrother before, once they threatened the rest of the family there was no turning back. No washing my hands of the matter. The family might not want anything to do with him, but they’ve unwittingly become pieces in the dangerous game he chose to play, and I’m not about to let our parents or his younger sister become collateral damage to a bunch of thugs.
I know I need to speak to someone about this, but every time I try to broach the subject with Wint or North, they both seem distracted and stressed with their own issues. Even Don and Frost are acting weird. I don’t know what’s up with everyone, if it’s just that time of year, or if it’s the expansion or the sudden staff turnover that had everyone stressed, but I don’t feel like I can bring this to their doorstep.
And the last thing I feel like doing is going to work tonight to play poker opposite one of the investors we need to schmooze in order to get his backing to open a second branch. Tonight is going to be a disaster. I can feel it.
CANDY
Of course the bossy little control freak doesn’t let me go into work on my own. I try to scramble out of the car and sprint as fast as I can without breaking my neck to the fire escape door, but just as I’m lifting my hand to knock, she’s beside me and beating me to it, hammering on the door with way more force than is necessary and making me wince.
“Stop. Get back in the car.”
“Don’t be silly. This place looks like a drug den.” Exaggeration much? “I’m just seeing you safely inside.”
I scowl at her and snap, “I’m fine, Mum,” just as the door opens and Don smirks down at me. My cheeks heat as he takes me in and Elle whispers “oh sweet baby Jesus,” not exactly under her breath. There’s no way he missed that. All I can think is thank god he’s fully clothed tonight.
He looks damn fine in his black shirt that’s threatening to shred over his muscles though.
But then something happens. His smirk slips and he almost becomes slack-jawed when he finishes his slow perusal of me from head to toe.
“Candy?” He blinks, as if he doesn’t believe his eyes. I don’t lookthatdifferent. It’s just a dress and some makeup.
“Oh that’s so cute they call you that,” Elle beams. I want the ground to swallow me up, but my embarrassment turns to something else when Don’s eyes so easily slide past me to my bestie.
Unlike me, Elle doesn’t squirm under his gaze. She waits for him to finish checking her out with the confidence of someone who knows she’s about to be crowned Miss World 2023.
Don’s smirk returns, and this time it’s calculating.
“I didn’t know it was bring your parent to work day, Candy.”
“Be a bit hard, wouldn’t it, seeing as they’re both dead,” I snap.
“Gracie!” Elle chastises me.
“Gracie? Oh that’s cute,” Don drawls. “And who are you if you’re notGracie’s mum?”
I decide there and then that I hate him and I absolutelydoregret sleeping with him.
“I’m Elle. And I’m here to make sure Gracie gets to work okay. More importantly, I want to make sure she gets home okay too. She shouldn’t be using public transport in the small hours of the morning, or paying for motorcycle rides home with her pussy.”
I splutter in disbelief at Elle’s brazenness and the fact that she just said ’pussy’ to a total stranger while sober and isn’t bright red right now. I, on the other hand, am puce and mortified.
“Is that so?” Don drawls, eyes flicking to me and sparkling with mirth. “Well, we can’t have that now, can we?”
