Chapter 10

Brooke

Bile rises to my throat as Carter sends me a charged look. The crowd that circled him has dissipated, gone back to their drinks, to their darts and pool as if this sort of thing happens every day.

Is that how things work in this entire neighborhood? Do the police look the other way the way Nate said?

Music pumps steadily around me, more people tumble through the doors, bypassing me, giving me lewd looks as I fight the nausea swelling in my stomach.

I can’t breathe. My legs are weak and sweat has started to creep down my spine.

I shouldn’t have come here. I shouldn’t have made Nate tell me where Jonas Quinn operated out of.

I edge back, eyes locked on Carter as he sits, nursing a beer, just staring at me, unmoving as though he can’t quite believe I’m here.

It was worse than dumb. An impulsive and thoughtless thing to do. I don’t know what I expected to find when I walked in the seedy bar Nate told me about.

But whatever it was, seeing Carter in his element as a violent brute is not what I’d hoped for.

I can’t look at him anymore; I can’t stay in this wretched bar, filled with low-lives with haunted expressions and the stench of sweat and blood in the air.

I need to leave. Get back in my car and just drive back home.

I turn on my heel ready to escape when a woman dressed in a tight-fitting pair of jeans and top that displays her breasts, grabs my arm.

I’m so startled; I nearly smack into her as she starts to tug me towards the door. Her eyes flick back to Carter and then to the older man, with greying hair and weathered face talking to him.

Fear flashes across her face as she steers me towards the door. “You could have at least dressed the way he likes,” she hisses.

My brow knots as I pull out of her grip. Is she on something? “What?”

Her lips pucker, and in the low light of the bar, I’m sure her cheeks pink. She shakes her head. “Never mind. Wrong person. Are you looking for someone?”

I don’t mean to, but I look in Carter’s direction and instantly regret it when I see him subtly shake his head at me.

I gulp and turn to look at the woman, ready with a lie, but my eyes slide back to where Carter is glowering as he drinks his beer. “Um, no.”

Her eyes narrow as she follows my gaze. She inhales sharply, breasts heaving against her top as she steps in front of me so she’s blocking me from staring at him anymore. “You came here to see Carter? Why the fuck would you do that?”

I shake my head, wondering why she’s peering at me with an irritated expression on her face.

I’m wondering if she’s jealous, if she and Carter have been intimate when her shoulders go rigid, and she curses under her breath and plasters an artificial smile on her face. “Whatever you do, don’t say you came here to see Carter, just act like we know each other.”

I don’t even have time to get my head straight when she spins on her heel just as the older man approaches her.

I barely notice him, too intent on Carter’s jaw working as he folds his arms across his massive chest and glares daggers at me.

My heart is speeding when the blonde who grabbed me, kisses the old man with way too much heat considering he’s at least twice her age.

After a sickening display, the man’s eyes openly assess me as he slides a hand around the woman’s tiny waist. “Who’s this?”

She flinches as he seems to squeeze her too tight. But the smile still stays on her face. “This is Jenny. She stopped by for a drink. Didn’t I tell you she was coming by?”

He doesn’t reply, but his nostrils flare, and he releases the woman with a look of disgust as though annoyed with her.

Carter doesn’t seem to be breathing as I fake a smile in the old letches’ direction. “Hi, sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” I manage.

The woman’s smile wavers ever so slightly, but it’s Carter that I’m more focused on.

At this point, I don’t think it can get any worse, but my throat starts to close over as panic spills through me, as Jonas Quinn introduces himself, rather than petition him for leniency, I can barely answer in more than pathetic smiles and nods.

Carter just stands there mutely, looking like a stonewall as Jonas Quinn continues to scrutinize me. “You look familiar. I think I recognize you from some lesbo porn.”

My eyes pop open as Carter’s arms flex and unflex as he stares at me. Eloise laughs nervously but Jonas looks at Carter for confirmation. Carter’s jaw tightens but he nods. “Think I remember her.”

I have no idea what is going on or why it’s so important I don’t reveal who I am. I’m still reeling from seeing Carter doing what Nate says he’s done for years.

My mouth is so dry; I’m almost relieved when Jonas jerks his head towards the bar. “Come. Sit, have a drink in the back where we have more privacy. Carter come join us.”

Instead of being relieved Jonas is walking away with the blonde on his arm, my anxiety only increases as Carter grabs my arm and yanks me into him.

His teeth are gritted as he brushes his lips by my ear. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

I jerk back, the stench of sweat and the sight of blood on his grey t-shirt, making me gag. “What am I doing? What about you?” I squeak.

He doesn’t answer just drags me away from the noise of the bar and towards the back of the bar. “You don’t know me. And the second you can, you leave,” he growls low.

Cold creeps down my back as I enter and am met with a leering smile from Jonas Quinn.

Carter closes the door with a thud, and the noise coming from the bar is silenced.

I can’t breathe. The room is airless. Nothing but the sound of my own frantic heart rate and the tinkling of ice as the woman pours Jonas a drink with such subservience I want to vomit.

I was wrong to think I could make a deal with this man. There is no kindness in his eyes. There would be no mercy or understanding. Everything about Jonas Quinn screams how ruthless he is.

And given the way he’s looking at me like he’s mentally undressing me, I just jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

***

Carter

She’s here. In Jonas’ fucking bar. On the street Jonas owns. In the neighborhood Jonas Quinn terrorizes. I can’t say a damn word to warn her. But if she stays, I risk Jonas recognizing her.

Either way, something is going to go wrong. And if Jonas doesn’t quit staring at Brooke like he’s already screwing her, he’s not going to make it out of the room alive.

The thought is entirely too enticing. If there weren’t a half dozen thugs on his payroll waiting outside, maybe I’d consider it.

I take a seat on the couch, and Eloise meets my eye for a split second as she hands me a whiskey.

With her back to Jonas, she mouths a word at me. It takes me a second to figure out she’s prompting me to use her name.

“Thanks, Eloise,” I say. Brooke clears her throat beside me, so I know at least I solved that possible give away.

I don’t know what she said to Brooke in the two minutes she had alone with her, but whatever it was, it’s stopped Brooke from saying who she is and why she’s here.

Brooke’s hands are shaking as she sits beside me, looking about as wary and anxious as any of the girls I’ve seen inside this room.

I sip my drink, all my muscles tensed as Jonas stares at Brooke. She squirms in her seat, purse on her lap as she seems to draw back from me as much as possible.

Brooke’s hands are shaking as she takes a glass from Eloise, but she’s smart enough to play along. “You do something with your hair since I saw you last, Eloise?”

Eloise shrugs elegantly as she takes a seat beside an amused Jonas. His hand slides to her knee and her lips press tightly together, grip tightening around her glass. “Nah. I just washed it.”

She laughs, light and tinkling like she’s an airhead when she’s anything but. Brooke smiles in return and somehow manages to keep her voice sounding relaxed.

“Well, you look great,” she says before she takes a sip.

Jonas looks ready to ask a dozen questions, and so far so good, but I know where he wants it to end up, so I down my drink and start tapping my finger on the leather arm of the expensive sofa.

I’m trying to think of how to get us both out of here when Jonas gestures to the 50’ flat screen on the wall. “Which porno were you in with Ellie?”

Brooke goes rigid beside me, her eyes widening as my heart starts to bash about in my chest. “Um…” she breathes.

Eloise tries to laugh, but it comes out strained. “Jenny doesn’t do porn anymore. Didn’t you get sick or something?”

This time Brooke’s composure seems to waver as she stares down at her lap. “Um, yeah, I’m trying to leave all that behind me...”

My insides start to twist as I try to feign indifference and try to find a way to dissuade him from putting porn on and expecting us to all enjoy it as much as he will.

Jonas laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “Looker like you, what a waste.”

Brooke swallows thickly, her fear now palpable as she gingerly takes a sip of her drink.

My brain is ticking through all the perverted things he’s probably planning, none of which I want a part of. He’s in a good mood, but that could change.

All the times he cajoled me into visiting the brothel. The times he taunted me for being a pussy, for not wanting to pay for sex, or for giving a shit about the women I liked, are banging painfully in my head.

He’s sick and twisted and in his mind, this foursome is the perfect welcome home present for me.

Desperation pulls at me as Jonas slides his hand up Eloise’s leg and licks his lip. He confirms everything I was worried about when he gestures to me.

“How about you blow my number one enforcer here? He looks like he needs to relax.”

My mouth opens but all that comes out is an angry hiss in his direction. “I’m not interested in an audience,” I spit at him.

Jonas only laughs, making my blood boil. He narrows his eyes and beckons to a petrified Brooke. “She can blow me. I like an audience.”

White-hot rage has started to flood my body. I’m three seconds away from answering him when Eloise pulls a face. “Oh shit, now I remember, you had herpes, right?”

Jonas’ lip curls up in disgust. Without warning, he backhands Eloise and jumps to his feet.

Rage burns hot as he calls Brooke every name under the sun and wrenches a wilted Eloise to her feet. “You stupid bitch. Get out of my fucking bar.”

Eloise stumbles towards Brooke, who’s frozen beside me. When she doesn’t move, and Jonas looks ready to smack her too, I grab her by the shirt front and yank her to her feet.

She yelps as her drink drops to the ground, spilling on the carpet and down her clothes.

I drag her to the door, heart about to burst out of my chest as Jonas starts cursing and muttering about being surrounded by faggots, druggies, and whores.

Eloise hurries out the door as fast as her heels can carry her, tears brewing in her eyes as I shove Brooke into her and growl. “Send her packing and go stay with Rissa tonight.”

I don’t have time to say anything before I close the door, locking myself in with Jonas.

***

Brooke

I’m half-dazed as Eloise leads me past drunken men, out of the noisy bar and onto the darkened street.

Hot tears start to burn at Carter’s rough handling of me as Eloise pushes the door closed. Her shoulders are slumped and her face tense under the streetlight. “Come with me.”

My thoughts are jumbling together as I point a shaky hand down the street. “My car is in the parking building.”

She sniffs and wraps her arms around herself to ward off the cold. “Later.”

My nerves increase as Eloise shifts her weight to one foot and looks toward the bar. “Will he come look for us?” I ask.

She blows out a sigh. “Not if Carter has anything to do with it,” she says then starts walking down the sidewalk.

I follow in her wake of cheap perfume and hurry to catch up to her. “Does Jonas always treat you like that?”

She keeps a blank expression on her face as we navigate beggars, streetwalkers and all-night convenience stores, liquor stores, and pawnbrokers.

“Yeah,” is all she says.

It’s obvious she doesn’t want to talk about her relationship with Jonas Quinn, so I jam my lips together and adjust my bag on my shoulder.

If the view from the cab window when I got dropped outside the bar was bad, seeing it at ground level is far worse.

Litter is scattered everywhere. Junk food wrappers, used condoms, needles, and who knows what else are strewn across the cracked sidewalk.

When we’ve been walking in silence for a block of broken buildings and matching people, Eloise takes a quick look over her shoulder, scans the street then comes to an abrupt stop outside a brightly lit storefront with a neon sign and barred windows.

I squint against the brightness as she turns to look at me. Her face is set grim as she finally speaks. “Carter never would have told you to come here to see him, so why are you here?”

I take a breath and release it before finding the answer I hope is the right one. “My ex took out a loan with Jonas Quinn and used my name as guarantor.”

She spits an obscenity. “Lemme guess? He can’t pay so he sent you here to work it off hooking for Jonas?”

I start to shake my head before cold dread fills me. “No, I came to try to ask for more time. But, Jonas does that?”

She barks a laugh then presses a call button beside a speaker in the wall I didn’t notice before. “How’d ya think I ended up here? Carter hates—”

Whatever else she’s about to say is lost when a gruff female voice comes out of the speaker. “We’re closed.”

Eloise shifts closer, so her mouth is right over the speaker when she speaks. “It’s Eloise.”

The door buzzes and clicks open. Eloise takes another look around before she jerks her head for me to follow.

When I hesitate, she smiles her encouragement. “Don’t worry. This is the one place that Jonas won’t come.”

I’m as intrigued as I am afraid, but when Eloise disappears inside, my legs propel me forward. “Who did you think I was before?” I ask her.

The musky scent of incense greets me as we stand in the tiny hallway. The walls are painted white; potted plants line the floor and old books are stacked on a table. Eloise toys with one as she answers. “I’ll tell you in a minute.”

As I follow Eloise down a narrow hallway, every step highlights just how much the interior doesn’t reflect the seedy exterior.

The faint smell of something medical floats towards me. At the door marked ‘Office’ Eloise stops and knocks lightly before she steps inside. A large fair-skinned woman with tight blonde curls and pale blue eyes smiles warmly.

I creep inside, feeling ten shades of awkward as the woman slides her girth out from behind the desk and hugs Eloise.

As they break apart, her eyes light on me. Her head cocks, and a flash of distrust appears. “Who’s this?”

Eloise gestures to me. “I was about to find that out. She knows Carter, but not well enough to stay the hell away from here.”

The woman eyes me warily then frowns at Eloise. “I heard Carter was back. Shame.”

Eloise takes a seat on an office chair and with the woman sliding back behind her desk, I take the one beside Eloise.

As they make small talk, catching up on news about someone called Rachel, I shuffle awkwardly and wonder why Eloise invited me along.

Finally, when my cheeks are hurting from keeping a fake smile on my face, Eloise seems to remember why she asked me to tag along. She turns, her eyes narrowed slightly as she huffs a sigh. “So, Carter. Given the way you looked before at the bar when you saw him, you know Carter from his other life, right?”

I swallow hard. Hands unable to still on my lap as I answer. “If you mean his life in Rover’s Retreat. Then yes. I met him there.”

Eloise sighs heavily. Her tone is filled with pity when she explains to the woman behind the desk. “Her ex took out a loan and used her name as a back-up. She’s here to try to reason with Jonas.”

The woman cuts in. “Oh hell no. You are definitely not from around here are you?”

I swallow so appalled by how horribly my attempt to negotiate has gone I just sit mutely.

Eloise shifts so she’s looking right at me. “You’ve gotten caught up in something you shouldn’t have. Something Carter never would have wished on any woman he cared about.”

I wish I could find something semi-intelligent to say, but all I can think is how much worse I made things by coming here and how close I came to being raped.

Cold spills through me, rendering my body numb. “That’s why Carter left? He didn’t want to work for Jonas anymore?”

Both Eloise and the woman nod. But it’s Eloise that releases a long sad sigh that confirms just how bad this is for Carter. “Carter and Jonas have a very complicated relationship. Jonas pulled him from the streets when his Mom died. He took him in, got someone to teach him how to fight, and basically groomed him to take over his business.”

I twist my fingers in my lap as the woman looks me dead in the eye. “Jonas didn’t just get his enforcer back when Carter came home. He’ll take it as confirmation that he owns Carter just the way he thinks he owns everyone else. Carter was free, Jonas couldn’t find him, but looks like he willingly came back for you.”

Eloise’s lip catches in her teeth as her eyes glisten. “I’m telling you all this because if Jonas finds out you owe him and that Carter knew about it…”

Eloise won’t meet my eye, but the woman’s voice comes out steady, calm, and collected as if her words don’t spear into the deepest part of me. “If Jonas Quinn doubts Carter’s loyalty, he’ll make sure Carter is there when you get assaulted or worse.”

Worse? Oh shit. What could be worse?

Eloise nods, her eyes hard. “You have to leave and never, ever, come back.”

My stomach drops like a stone. I don’t want to know what Jonas has done or what he’s capable of. I’ve barely spent thirty minutes in his presence, and I already know he’s a monstrous human being.

The woman gets up from her desk and sits on the edge, folding her arms as she looks directly at me. “This is the whore house clinic. Jonas is a germaphobe so he won’t step foot inside or come near me. But outside, Jonas owns almost everyone and everything for a ten-mile radius.”

She extends her hand, and I gingerly accept it. “You can call me Rissa.”

My grip is too limp as I shake her hand. “Brooke.”

Rissa gives me a shallow smile. “I found a cop I can trust. She was supposed to arrive at the bar a couple of hours ago to get a feel for the setup. With my help she’s setting up some undercover surveillance.”

My eyebrows rise as I connect the dots as I look at Eloise. “That’s who you mistook me for?”

She nods and looks at Rissa. “So, where is she then?”

Rissa shrugs her bulky shoulders. “She’s working as fast as she can. But this has to be legit. Trying to take Jonas Quinn down when he’s spent so much time making sure he’s protected isn’t going to be easy. We basically need to get him on tape with witnesses.”

I gape at her as she shifts her weight. “That’s not what I’m worried about now. If she gets Carter on tape, he’ll be implicated along with Jonas. And with his priors, he’ll wind up serving along with Jonas.”

At the mention of Carter, my body starts to shake so violently; I’m not sure I could stand even if I wanted to.

Carter has prior convictions? What other things am I going to find out about Carter on this nightmarish pseudo family reunion?

No wonder he wanted to leave and make a new life for himself. What kind of a horrendous existence has he had up to this point?

Groomed by Jonas Quinn, pulled from the streets. It’s a wonder he’s turned out as well as he has. This is the bleakest story I think I’ve ever heard. Hasn’t Carter had anyone show him an ounce of kindness and love?

I release a shuddering breath, and the words tumble from my mouth. “What if I could convince Carter to come home with me?”

Eloise looks decidedly apologetic. “Jonas has been waiting a year for Carter to come back. There’s no way he’s going to let him out of his sight again. Carter is in this now.”

How can I just pretend I don’t know all this and run home? Even if Carter can find a way to help, he’ll have sacrificed himself for me just by being here.

Whether I like it or not, whether I caused it or not, Carter Quinn is now in as much trouble as I am.