Finders Keepers (Syndicate Book 1) Page 6

  In the backseat of a very well maintained Bentley Mulsanne (where can I get one?), I squirmed under the heat of Jensen’s gaze. I tried to ignore him, but he lazily trailed a finger up my leg, pushing the shirt of my dress higher and higher.

  “I can’t wait to fuck you,” he murmured.

  His blunt words shocked me, although I should be used to it by now.

  “I remember what it felt like to have your tight, wet pussy squeeze my cock. How it sucked me in like it didn’t want to ever let go.”

  The more he talked, the more I squirmed. The heat and promise in his words almost made me forget that I was an unwilling participant both times he was inside me. He obviously remembered those times with more fondness than I could ever muster.

  “Let’s not forget that you forced yourself on me. Twice,” I said bitterly. “And then shared me with two other men.”

  I watched his jaw tick as he clenched his teeth. “I made a mistake with you, pixie. I am not used to women who do not welcome my attentions.” He tightened his grip on my thigh. “And I won’t share you again. I meant what I said. You’re mine now.”

  “You won’t try to take me against my will again?” I asked with a mixture of hope and disbelief.

  He said nothing for a moment as he inhaled sharply. “No. But I will have you. When you beg me for it,” he said with all the confidence that a man like Jensen Holm rightfully possessed.

  At that moment, the car stopped in front of the casino. Jensen let himself out and extended a hand in my direction. The only thing that kept me from telling him to go fuck himself was the fact that he held Chace’s fate in his hands.

  Once inside the casino, Jensen led me to a private dining area. Settling down at our table, secluded in the back corner, Jensen played the part of the gentleman by pulling out my seat for me and making sure I was comfortable. A waitress appeared with water and menus.

  I had already decided that I didn’t care what I ate for dinner so long as it was the most expensive thing on the menu. And that I’d order two. It was a childish move, I knew, since regardless of what I spent on dinner, it would hardly make a dent in Jensen’s pocket change, let alone his fortune.

  “Oh, excellent, I’ll have the surf and turf, please,” I informed the waitress who only had eyes for Jensen.

  “What can I… do… for you, Mr. Holm?” she purred as she blatantly rubbed her thighs together.

  Was she really that turned on by his mere presence? Maybe she had to pee really badly. Or maybe it was a nasty case of crabs.

  Was she kidding me, right now? Could she be any more obvious? I blinked at my train of thought. Why did I care?

  He regarded her with polite disinterest and repeated my order for the surf and turf, steak for himself, and a bottle of expensive wine.

  “What’s wrong, pixie?”

  My attention snapped back to Jensen. “Hmm? Nothing.” I shook my head, realizing that I had probably been glaring at the waitress as she walked away.

  “You were scowling, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were jealous,” he smirked.

  Arrogant ass.

  “Bullshit!”I blurted.

  He raised an eyebrow at my outburst.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You can nail every girl in here if you want. None of my business.” I shrugged, going for nonchalance.

  “You’re right, I could. But I’m choosing to nail you,” he replied smoothly.

  “You said you wouldn’t,” I hissed.

  “No, I said it wouldn’t be against your will. But make no mistake. I will be inside you again, and you will be begging for it.” His voice got low and gruff. “Begging… for my hard, thick cock to slide into your dripping wet, tight pussy.”

  I inhaled sharply as I felt my nipples start to harden. Apparently, dirty talk was my jam.

  He continued, “You’ll be moaning my name right before you start screaming it.”

  The waitress chose that moment to return with our wine.

  I guzzled my first glass. Classy, I know.

  My liquid courage prompted me to start making demands. “Jensen?”

  “Yes, pixie?”

  “I want to see Chace.”

  He studied me for a moment. Then two. “You want to be sure I’ve kept my word,” he surmised.

  “Well, yes, that too. But I really do want to see my brother. I need to see him.” Chace wasn’t just my brother, he was my best friend. The closest person to me, and he had likely been through hell when he was held by Sokolov. I wasn’t going to just forget the fact that another dangerous man held him now.

  “Fine. I will have him brought over tomorrow for you,” he conceded.

  “No.”

  “No?” he questioned with a cocked eyebrow.

  “No. I want you to take me to him. I want to see where he is, what kind of conditions you have him staying in,” I wasn’t sure if the wine was making me brave or stupid at this point.

  “You’re quite demanding this evening, pixie,” he growled, and I got the impression that he was both annoyed and aroused by my impertinence.

  “Well, I’ve decided that I’m not a doormat. I’m taking back my power,” I declared while only slightly slurring my words.

  One side of his mouth quirked in sort of half smile. “Are you now? How delightful,” he humored me.

  Dinner arrived and was, unsurprisingly, scrumptious. My full belly tempered the effects of the wine, but I was still feeling pretty good. After dinner, Jensen escorted me onto the main floor of the casino. Everywhere I looked seemed to be saturated with handsome men and beautiful, yet scantily clad, women on their arms. The sounds of a slot machine dispensing a payout mingled with the sound of clinking champagne glasses.

  Jensen nodded to the few floormen we passed along the way to the stairs leading up the upper level. These men obviously knew him by sight, and he appeared to be quite respected. Interesting, for a criminal. Then again, I was a criminal, and I wasn’t so bad.

  Upstairs, we were halted by another man. This one was short and stocky and had beady little eyes like a weasel. I hated him on sight.

  “Mr. Holm! We didn’t expect you this evening,” the little weasel crowed.

  “Paul. This is my guest, Charlotte,” Jensen informed him as he indicated me with a tip of his chin.

  “Ahh, how lovely she is, too,” the little weasel known as Paul leered at me.

  There was a good chance I was about to throw up.

  “Any concerns tonight?” Jensen asked Paul, effectively drawing his beady little eyes away from my chest.

  “Nah. Everything’s running smoothly. No worries,” Paul insisted, but I detected something off about his tone and his demeanor.

  A thief, at least any thief worth her salt, recognizes another thief. I would’ve bet these Jimmy Choos this little creep was skimming something. I wondered how he got away with it. Jensen didn’t get to be in the position of power he was by being stupid. He had to know his pit boss wasn’t legit.

  We entered the security suite where several men were surveying the action down on the floor via closed circuit monitors.

  I turned to Jensen. “You trust him?”

  “No,” he replied simply.

  “Good,” I muttered. “I wouldn’t.”

  A chorus of “Hey boss” rang out as the men noticed our presence, and several of them gave me strange, assessing looks. Jensen singled out one man in particular and signaled to him.

  “Any issues?” Jensen asked the man once he reached us.

  “Nothing I can pin down, but I’m all over it, Mr. Holm. If it’s there to find, I’ll find it. You have my word,” the man promised.

  Jensen nodded and proceeded to escort me around the room where he introduced me to so many new faces, there was no way I was going to remember them all. When I said as much, Jensen chuckled and informed me that it didn’t matter if I remembered them or not. The point was that they remembered me.

  “You see, pixie, it’s important for my men to know
that you belong to me, and that they extend the same respect to you that they would to me.”

  “So, you’re just marking your territory?” I sassed.

  “Ah, pixie. You’ve already been marked,” he said with a wink.

  Chapter 11

  Charlotte

  I woke the next morning to the feel of warm hands stroking the skin of my lower back. I smiled and pulled my pillow in close to my body with a little moan at how good it felt. That was, before I suddenly remembered where I was.

  “What the hell?!” I shouted as I bolted up into a sitting position so quickly I damn near fell off the bed.

  “Tell me again how you don’t like my hands on you,” Jensen said, quite smugly.

  It was obviously still early judging by the faint light filtering in the window. Jensen was dressed only in a pair of cotton pajama pants. No shirt. My mouth watered at the sight of his bare chest. The dark hair sprinkled over his pecs, the happy trail that my fingers itched to follow. Get it together, Charlotte! I swallowed.

  “What are you doing in here, Jensen?” I demanded to know.

  He smiled. “It’s time to get up, pixie. We’re going to visit your brother today, remember?”

  “Yes, fine. I’ll meet you downstairs in half and hour,” I dismissed him.

  He didn’t move from the bed

  “Was there something else?” I asked impatiently.

  His smile grew wider and his eyes took on a mischievous glint. “Do you want me to wash your back for you? You can wash mine,” he suggested hopefully.

  I snorted. “Dream on, Holm!”

  “Every night, pixie. Every damn night,” he said as he stood. “Downstairs. Half an hour.” He left the room and shut the door quietly behind him.

  Forty-five minutes later, we pulled up in front of a high rise apartment building.

  “Chace is staying here?” I asked, already impressed that he wasn’t holed up in some dungeon or cell somewhere.

  “He is. Let’s go in.”

  Jensen led me through the comfortable and welcoming lobby, past a bank of elevators, and straight to the private elevator to the penthouse. I didn’t say anything at that realization, because I didn’t want to give the impression that I warming to him, but I had to admit to myself, that Jensen clearly wasn’t a complete monster.

  Once we reached the penthouse, I could feel my adrenaline spike. I wanted so badly to see Chace, to know that he was okay. The door opened, and there he was. Lounging and looking quite comfortable on an overstuffed sectional in front of an eighty-inch television.

  “Are you fucking kidding me, right now?” I practically yelled at him.

  “Char!” Chace exclaimed as he jumped up off the sofa and ran straight for me, enveloping me in a bear hug.

  “Are you quite comfortable?” I asked, sarcastically.

  He had the decency to look guilty. “I am,” he admitted, sheepishly. “How are you?”

  “I suppose I’m fine if you’re okay,” I grumbled, happy that he was okay, but annoyed that he didn’t seem to be all that worried about me.

  “Look, Char, I know this looks bad from the outside, but I really was worried about you. But, Jensen here, assured me that you weren’t hurt and that you were being taken care of. After what went down, I didn’t want to have to worry about Sokolov getting to you.”

  Shit. I hadn’t even considered that Sokolov might come for me. He’d still want that amulet, after all.

  “Wait. Jensen told you I was fine? And, what? You just took his word for it? What are you guys, friends now?”

  “Calm down, Char,” Chace soothed. “Consider the fact that these accommodations here are far superior to where Sokolov held me, and I’m being clothed and fed. Holm can’t be all that bad, right?”

  Chace didn’t know about the rapes, and right now, there was no point in enlightening him. It would only serve to piss him off, and for now he was being well taken care of. I didn’t want to jeopardize that for him. At least, not until we could figure a way out of this mess. So, I agreed.

  “Yeah, Chace, you’re right. He’s not so bad.”

  Jensen

  Charlotte was proving to be a surprisingly strong woman. It was clear she hadn’t yet forgiven me for taking her without her consent or for allowing Aleksander and Rafe to have their fun, but she managed to put her anger aside in order to ensure her brother’s well-being. It was impressive. Just another confirmation that I did the right thing in making her mine.

  Allowing her to see her brother was a gamble. There was a chance she could have seen how comfortable he was and figured since he was under no threat from me, that she would be safe to act out. She could still go that route, but I think she’s too smart for that. Too smart to think that I’m a soft man. I wouldn’t hesitate to crush Chace Benson like a bug if I thought it would gain me Charlotte’s compliance.

  I was also surprised by her assessment of Paul last night. Not necessarily because she picked up on the man’s duplicitousness, but because she mentioned it to me. As though she had some care that I might have been taken for a ride by the foolish man. Foolish, because no one could say that double-crossing Jensen Holm was a wise move.

  Charlotte was different than the women I usually spent time with, and I needed to treat her as such. There’s no doubt my men at the casino realized it as well. They had seen me with other women, obviously, but I had never brought one into the control room at the casino before. Never introduced one to my employees. I was an intensely private man and a highly suspicious one. It must have seemed strange to them for me to break my regular protocol that way.

  She may not want to admit it, but I think Charlotte might be warming up to me. Mulling all this over during the drive home, I was distracted. And that’s why I never saw the attack coming. Never saw it until it was far too late.

  Charlotte

  We were cruising up the tree-lined road toward the mansion when I felt the first tap. The second tap was hard enough to cause the car to fishtail despite Jensen’s defensive driving maneuvers. Trying to get a look at the vehicle behind us, I caught sight of a man in a ski mask and the glint of his gun just as he shot the back tires out. The car careened over the embankment and into the trees. It was over before I could scream.

  Someone was dragging me out of the car. I must have hit my head because I was drifting in and out of awareness. The last thing I remember seeing before it all went black was Jensen slumped over the steering wheel.

  “Wake up, bitch!” the growl came with a slap.

  Slowly coming awake, it took me several minutes to remember what happened. The other car. The gunshots. The accident. Jensen. I took stock of my body first. It was pretty safe to say I ached all over. I laid on a dirty cot in a dirty room. A basement, maybe? And standing over me, looking like the devil himself, was Keith.

  “Keith? What happened? Where am I?”

  “No time for questions,” he said as he grabbed my shirt and ripped it clean down the middle.

  I gasped and struggled, but he was too big, too fast. And too mean. He backhanded me, and I fell backward, hitting my head once again. I didn’t know how many more hits my brain could withstand.

  As I lay there weak and dazed, Keith dragged my pants and underwear down to my knees.

  “No, no, no!” I tried to yell but only croaked. I couldn’t go through this again.

  I lifted my arms to ward him off, but he only laughed and knocked them back down. I felt too weak to fight back.

  “I told you you were fucked, bitch. Now I’m gonna show you.”

  “Keith… please. No,” I whimpered when I felt his hands go between my legs.

  Digging deep and finding whatever morsel of inner strength I could muster, I waited until he turned my body so my feet were hanging off the side of the cot, and then I swung my feet up between his legs and nailed him in the balls.

  He grunted as he doubled over, and I took that opportunity to swing my feet up to make contact with his temple. Unfortunately, I only mana
ged to piss him off. As I tried to scramble up from the cot and yank my pants up at the same time, one of Keith’s fists caught me in the cheek. I heard as well as felt the bone crack as I stumbled toward one concrete wall. I slumped down to the floor as my vision swam, but Keith had other ideas.

  He grabbed me under the arms, yanked me to my feet, and punched me square in the nose. It was lights out.