Page 5 of Forbidden Hearts

He grins again. “My place. Tonight.”

“No,” I say, exchanging glances with him and Sammy, who stands beside us like a statue. Jacob is shameless. He doesn’t care who hears his disgusting insinuations. He’ll say what he wants to say in his club.

“Then we have nothing else to talk about,” Jacob says. “I’ll see you next week.”

“Please,” I say. “You know I need the money. Just give me an extra shift or two.”

“If you want extra shifts, you know what to do,” he says before returning to his office and closing the door.

Asshole.

???

I slide out of his bed as soon as possible and search for my clothes on the floor.

“What’s the hurry to leave?” Jacob asks. He reaches for a pack of cigarettes on his nightstand. “Let’s not pretend you didn’t enjoy this.”

He brings the pack of cigarettes to his face with one hand and pinches a cigarette out with his lips. With his other hand, he rubshis crotch over white bedsheets, all while looking at me dead in the eyes.

“I have class tomorrow,” I say, covering my breasts with one arm as I slide my panties back on.

I have class tomorrow, you fucking pig,is what I really want to say. But he writes my checks, so I keep my mouth shut. I strap my bra on as fast as I can.

“Class,” he says. “Heh. Did you get to see the man at The Den tonight? The one in my office?”

“The man in the suit?” I ask. Of course I remember him. He stuck out like a sore thumb.

“That’s the one,” Jacob says, lighting his cigarette. “Do you think he’s hot?”

“No,” I lie, throwing on my top. I think I responded too quickly because Jacob gives me a weird stare.

“Well, he’s a professor at TCU,” he says. He must see the surprise on my face because he says, “Yeah, shocker.”

Why would a professor from Texas Central University set foot at a biker gang’s club? Everybody in town knows The Den is the reaper’s home base.

“He retired from his previous line of work a year or two ago and started teaching. Jesus,” Jacob says, sending a plume of smoke into the air. “What kind of an asshole retires that early in life? A rich one, I bet.”

A pit settles in my lower stomach, growing heavier with each word that comes out of Jacob’s mouth. He never shares what happens during his private meetings. Why is he telling me this now?

“Alonzo Alvarez,” Jacob continues. “Fancy name for a beaner. Arichbeaner. He used to be an enforcer forNuestra Casa, the Mexican mafia family that supplies us with drugs. I’m sure he made a lot of money before his retirement.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” I ask, tightly gripping the hems of my pants. I found them on the floor a while ago but was too concerned with what Jacob was telling me to put them on. Something tells me I won’t like wherever this conversation is leading.

“He teaches art now. It’s one of those classes where you draw naked people. That fucking perv.” Jacob pauses and blows another plume of smoke, then turns to look at me. “The man is sitting on a big pile of money somewhere. It’s dirty money, so I doubt it’s in a bank. He must be keeping it someplace close.”

“Okay?”

“I want you to take his class in the fall. I want you to gain his trust and find out where the money is.”

I scoff and shake my head at the absurdity of what he just said.

“I’m serious,” he says.

What he’s telling me is ridiculous, but he’s looking at me with a serious face. He’s not kidding.

“That’s insane,” I protest. “Why would I do something like that? You just said he used to be mafia. A guy like that… he’s dangerous.”

“If you find the money, I’ll let you keep half,” Jacob says. “Think of how much good that money will do for your mother. Shit, you wouldn’t even have to work for me to pay for school. Your life would be set. How does that sound, sweetheart?”

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