Page 29 of Heated Rivals
“Good. Now that that’s taken care of, show me this list of your father’s.”
She handed it over because there really was no other option. Besides, even though her mother was as willing to sell her off as her father was, at least Aileen would take more factors into account than just his potential alley value.I should have asked her before going out with Chauncey. The realization had her straightening her spine. She’d made a mistake. Maybe this would help her to keep from repeating it.
I don’t want any of them, though. There’s no way they can make me feel as good as James does.
She shut that thought downrealfast. But it was no use. It wormed its way into the back of her brain, its presence small but nagging all the same. It didn’t matter how good the sex was with James, or how he never seemed to react the way she expected during their conversations. Even if she’d been willing to consider…anything… with him, it was a moot point.
He wasn’t on the list.
End of story.
Aileen picked up the paper, a tinyline appearing between her brows as she looked it over. “Take both the Marrow boy and Atcherberg off the list. I can’t believe your father would stoop so low.” Her green eyes flashed. “Marrow just buried his third wife. And Atcherberg has a gambling problem that is already beggaring his family.”
She didn’t ask how her mother knew these things. There was no point when she was, in all reality, most likely right. Carrigan fought back a sigh. “Then my potential list is down from six to three.” After today it would shrink even further. She looked at her mother, all the things she couldn’t say pressed against the inside of her lips.Please don’t make me do this. Please don’t make me marry some stranger to further the family’s interests. Please, please, please. It was a little girl’s cry into the dark, begging the monster not to be real.
If Aileen saw what she was thinking—and the way she pressed her lips together said she sure as hell did—she ignored it. She set the list back on Carrigan’s bed. “That will make things simpler. Now, this wasn’t why I came looking for you.” She straightened and smoothed her hands over her perfectly pressed green dress. “You haven’t been in to get the final fitting for your bridesmaid’s dress yet.”
The wedding. Of course. She should have known it wasn’t concern for her well-being that had her mother searching her out. These days everything seemed to boil down to Teague and Callie’s wedding. “I’m surprised you need me in there at all. Don’t you know our measurements by heart?”
“Carrigan, don’t be cheeky. The wedding is a little over a week away. Make it a priority. I won’t have you in an ill-fitting dress.”
Since the wedding was more aboutwhat her mother wanted than what Callie wanted, she’d take it as a personal insult if Carrigan didn’t do exactly as instructed. She glanced at the clock beside her bed. “It’ll have to be this afternoon, then.” She’d take care of it after her date with Dmitri.
“See that it is.” Aileen nodded, turned on her heel, and marched out of the room. Probably off to terrify one of Carrigan’s other siblings. They all loved their mother, but she was almost scarier than their father was. She neverseemedto be involved with his darker decisions, but anyone who believed that wasn’t looking hard enough. She might not take part in the business publicly, but she stood as their father’s partner in every way that counted.
Carrigan pushed to her feet and headed to get ready. She’d barely started her makeup process when her treacherous mind wandered back to James. What had he been up to this week? Was he grinning and feeling superior because he got what every man seemed to want from her? She shook her head. No, that wasn’t James. Maybe she was naive, but very little he’d done to date could be grouped in with “other men.” He played by rules that she didn’t understand, and when he looked at her with those blue eyes, she was tempted to throw caution to the wind and do whatever it took to spend a few more hours in his bed. Which would be a nice change of pace, because they hadn’t actually made it to a bed yet.
But it simply wasn’t possible.
His words from last night rolled over her again.Every date you go on is going to be tightening the noose around your neck. Call me. I’ll be there.
He would, too. He’d more than proven that since she got back into town. She paused in themiddle of swiping mascara over her lashes, her gaze landing on the phone next to her on the counter. She could call him right now. Would he drop everything and come get her? Maybe rev up the engine of that car of his and take her anywhere she wanted to go?
Before she could talk herself out of it, she snatched up her phone and dialed. Carrigan held her breath as it rang, telling herself that this was dangerous and stupid and half a million other things that all added up to a terrible idea. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was the unexpected lifeline he’d offered her.
The phone rang. And rang. And rang. It clicked over to voice mail, and she was so shocked, she almost didn’t hang up before it got to the beep. Carrigan stared at her phone, half convinced that it had malfunctioned on her end. She carefully set it down and forced herself to see the truth. All that night had been was pretty words. When it came down to the wire, she couldn’t lean on James. She’d forgotten that for a moment.
She wouldn’t forget again.
* * *
James ignored the buzzing of his phone in his pocket as he carefully rolled up his sleeves. “You know why we’re here, Joe.”
The big black guy raised his chin, but his nostrils were flared and too much white showed around his eyes. He was fifteen seconds away from pissing himself in fear.Good. Hopefully this shit wouldn’t have to go to extremes for James to get the information he wanted. He finished his right sleeve and started on his left. “Ricky’s been taking meetings without my permission.” He needed to know exactly who he’d talked to, and his little brother wasn’t talking.
“You’ll have to take that up with him.”
He should. Fuck, he knew he should. But a part of James was still unwilling to go that final distance and bring torturing information out of his little brother to the table. Call him delusional, but that seemed like a line that, once crossed, he’d never be able to find his way back over again.
His thoughts took a hard right turn and settled on Carrigan. What would she think of what he was about to do? Of what he was threatening to do to his own flesh and blood?
Ricky would have hurt her. He would have done his damnedest to make her scream and he would have loved every second of it.
He shook his head.Not helping. But if he could get Joe to talk, he could simplify his life. “I’m taking it up with you.” He moved to the table Michael had set up next to where the man was tied to a chair in the center of the room. The harsh light directly above Joe’s head was positioned in such a way that he was partially blinded, and most of the rest of the room was in shadows. Victor Halloran knew a whole hell of a lot about intimidation tactics—he liked to say that half the interrogation session happened before he ever laid hands on his victim.
James fought back a shudder. He could shout that he wasn’t his old man until he was hoarse, but the proof was in his actions. He picked up a set of pliers. “These don’t look like much. Most houses on this street have a set or two.” He stepped up close to Joe, letting him get a look at the rusted metal. “My old man didn’t take good care of his tools, but he loved the shit out of them. Would you like to seewhat he taught me?”
Joe’s entire body went tense, his gaze glued to the pliers. “Look, man, you really need to talk to Ricky. I was just following orders.”
