Page 5 of The Gambler

Except he wasn’t totally innocent. He might be on the tax fraud charges, but he had blood on his hands, like all his brothers, save for Jax. Building an empire with wolves yapping at your feet didn’t go without breaking a few legs and cracking a few skulls. In a way, he was doing time for something else.

“I’m not getting into this with you right now. Tell me about Tess Gibson.”

“Ah, yes, Ms. Gibson.” Jax’ voice immediately turned businesslike. “I have no idea if she can actually deliver on her promise. I know she’s a close friend to our sister-in-law, and that a few years back, she quit college to take care of her grandfather. The guy is an old vet and had some health issues, so she stepped in. Her mother has passed away and she has a father, this Rufus you mentioned. The guy is bad news, a con artist that has scammed so many people that I’m surprised he’s still alive. Tess is an only child that was practically raised by her grandfather on her mother’s side. From what I’ve heard, and what Gio and Hector have experienced, the girl is hell on wheels once she’s got access to an internet connection.”

“Where does she work?”

“At a computer help desk. Saying she’s overqualified for that job is probably an understatement.”

So, she could actually have the means to get him out. Question was how she had stumbled upon classified information that could get him out of jail while his brothers and their extensive resources couldn’t. Who went out to search to prove his innocence just because her friend had told her once about her brother-in-law? There was something fishy about that. And if she thought he would let her get away with keeping that info from him, she had another think coming.

“What about the loan shark?”

Jax sighed. “Ah… Mick. He’s part of Irish Brian’s crew. They control a big amount of the gambling activities on the West Coast. Hector had an incident with him a while back.”

“How so?”

Hector, who was like a brother to him, wasn’t a gambler. In fact, the guy was as straight as an arrow since he’d started his own security firm. Last he’d heard, he’d even gotten married. Another family moment he had missed since he had been stuck here.

“It’s a long story, but Hector ended up in a cage fight with Mick.” Jax smirked. “Suffice to say, Mick didn’t come out of it unscathed. When it comes to Tess, her story checks out. Apparently, Mick is holding her father in lieu of the money. He’s extorting the girl.”

“Tell me you haven’t told Gio about her offer.”

Jax gave him a look. “What do you think? If I had, he’d have her lifted out of her apartment in no time.”

Yeah, big brother was ruthless like that. Unreasonable when it came to protecting his family. Gio would hogtie and intimidate Tess to release whatever evidence she had to get Luca free. Which was proof that the girl was a bit naive. He doubted she’d even contemplated the second she made him that proposal, he could have taken her out. Even from jail.

“Nah, she would get Jazzy on his ass.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” Jax smiled. “She’s a spitfire, that sister-in-law of ours.”

All Luca could do was take his word for it. He hadn’t met her yet. Refused to see her when she wanted to come by. He didn’t ever want her to see him in an orange jumpsuit.

“What about Cruz? Any news on him?” His former partner that had screwed him over was the number one visit on his list when he got out, be it because Tess came through or otherwise.

Jackson leaned closer, a frown marring his face. “We kept eyes on him as you requested. Thing is, he disappeared a few days ago. I did some digging and it seems that his company is in bad weather. He put some pills on the market that weren’t FDA-approved. The papers of the approval turned out to be falsified and there were some casualties. If they catch him, he’s looking at life.”

Damn fucker. Two years ago, Cruz had been pushing him to invest in a pharmaceutical deal. Luca had agreed, even though he’d had his doubts. What else had Cruz been up to? How many more lives was he going to ruin?

“What are you saying, Jax? That he can’t be found, even with the help of a hacker?”

“I’m saying you shouldn’twantto find him. Cruz is gonna end up in jail anyway. Just focus on getting out and let the law do the rest.”

Like hell he would. The only one putting a noose around Cruz’s neck would be him. There was one place that backstabber would be going, and that was six feet under. Shit. He had to get to Cruz before the authorities found him.

“Let Tess know I accept her deal. Set it up the way she wants.”

“How much did you agree on? What’s her cut? I can have it transferred to her as soon as she gives me the file that’s supposed to set you free.”

“Oddly, she didn’t ask anything for herself. She just wants me to pay off her father’s debt.” He didn’t even know a creature like her existed—a woman who could ask him the world and wasn’t using that leverage to gain herself some shiny jewelry.

Still, something was off. If he’d learned one thing, it was to never easily trust anyone again. The second thing was to always have a back-up plan. If Tess Gibson could really deliver on her word, his next step would be to gain leverage over her. After all, he’d vowed three things in prison.

To take revenge.

To keep control over his life.

And to never trust a woman again.

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