Page 8 of Pound

“I’m sorry he did that. But he’s in the wind, you’ll never get a penny from him.” She didn’t have to fake sympathy; it was there. She simply had to redirect it toward Leone.

Leone’s eyes took on the shrewd glint yet again. “Do you know where he is, sweet Meri?” That look struck fear in her heart.

“No, I just know he’s a runner. It’s what he does. When shit gets tough, he runs.” Meri wasn’t stupid, she was pretty sure Jake wasn’t in the wind but dead. She felt bad that she didn’t feel bad about it. As a matter of fact, she was maybe a little happy about it. She hadn’t said anything to her brother or her best friend, but Jake said a lot of things before the Iron Travelers had shown up and taken him from her house that night.

A lot of things. Things that made her retch. He confessed to having sex with her just to stick it to Trip. He said the same about JJ, but she was sure that wasn’t consensual. Not just from the way he’d said it, but also because she knew with all her heart JJ would’ve never cheated on her brother. She’d put two and two together and it explained so much about how they’d ended. They were so much in love it was almost sickening.

Meri had lost her battle to keep the contents of her stomach down while Jake had been talking about it. The man she willingly spread her legs for and bore his children had raped her best friend. That was the big wedge between them that she didn’t know about until last December.

She was glad he was gone. Meri would never shed a tear for Jake ever again.

“If he’s alive, I’ll find him. And when I do, I’ll hurt anyone who helped him evade me. He owes a debt. One that will be paid.”

Dessert was served. Meri had zero appetite, but she knew what Leone expected of her. He was still chatting, so she kept up the pretense of it being a date.

She took a bite of dessert and smiled. This seemed to please him. “What if the Phantoms pay the debt? I thought you wanted your money, no matter the source?”

Leone placed his fork down and steepled his fingers under his chin like a movie villain. “Do you still love him?”

“Oh, god, no. I just like to understand expectations and consequences.” Her answer more than pleased him.

“Yes. That is smart, sweet Meri. The Phantoms can pay the monetary debt, but the blood debt, well, that must be paid in blood. Jake’s, preferably. If he is denied to me, then that debt passes to the reason I am denied.”

Shit. That would be the Phantoms, likely her brother. Especially if Trip had found out what Jake had done to JJ.

“Where do I fit into all of this? You said I was taken for the money. Once you have that, you said I was free to go, or will you keep me until you find Jake?”

“If you’d have asked me that an hour ago, I would’ve had a quick answer, but now, I’m not so sure. You intrigue me more and more with each second that passes. You remind me so much of my dear sister.”

Gross.

Meri’s brain was spinning, trying to scramble out the best possible scenario. Leone would realize that Jake was dead sooner or later. Could she live looking over their shoulder, waiting for him to swoop in? Would he always be a threat to her kids?

“What if I willingly stayed… with you, like I said? Would that cover his blood debt?” Her mind was screaming no while also screaming say yes. Trip and JJ would take the kids. The Phantoms wouldn’t have to go to war for her. And everyone would be safe, everyone except her.

“A most intriguing offer, I assure you. However, I need the blood debt and the monetary debt paid if I have any chance of getting back in the family.”

“So, you lied to me from the beginning? You mentioned one debt, and now there are two. You also said when the one was paid, I could go. Am I supposed to be your captive after the monetary debt is paid until you find Jake? Because it took me ten years to find him after he ran, so good luck.”

Meri polished off her glass of wine. What started out as a genuine question had devolved into her anger. There was always someone moving the goalposts on her. It was starting to feel like the Phantoms couldn’t save her and themselves, so she’d go down swinging, damn it.

“I am many things, sweet Meri, but I am not a liar. If I get my money, I’ll let you go. You’ll have nothing further to fear from me, unless you are hiding Jake and keeping his whereabouts from me. Satisfied?”

No, she wasn’t satisfied, but at least he hadn’t mentioned her kids again. The man was more unstable than she initially thought. His eyes were bloodshot and wild, so maybe he was on drugs too.

Great. Fan-fucking-tastic.

“Now, let’s enjoy one last glass of wine before I have to treat you like the collateral you so crisply reminded me you are.”

Meri liked this version of him even less. This one was detached. Detached people could separate themselves from their actions, which would make her time waiting for rescue that much more dangerous. Fuck waiting, Meri was going to rescue Meri if the opportunity presented itself.

3

POUND

It had been twenty-four excruciating hours since he’d heard her scream.

The kids had arrived and were settled into his house. Pound had avoided them. Almost as much as he did himself. Anytime he’d been alone in the dark, he eluded his own mind with alcohol. He didn’t have a clue if he appeared as tired as he felt because he hadn’t looked in the mirror since Meri was taken.

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