Page 38 of Poisoned Pawn

Ring, ring. Ring, ring. Ring—

“Who is th—”

“What the fuck have you got me mixed up in, Lev?” I demand.

“Carter…er…now’s not a good time.” His whispered words and stammered response tell me he’s on edge. Faint voices in the background mean he isn’t alone either.

“Now is the perfect fucking time. Tell me what I want to know or maybe I’ll call Pavel.”

“Are you fucking threatening me? ‘Cause that wouldn’t be a good move, Carter.” I hear him moving around and a door closing.

“Damn fucking right I’m threatening you. I’ve got some serious heat on my arse, and you’re the reason.” I watch as the program I’ve been running on Star finishes and the screen loads with a little yellow file. I turn away needing to focus on this arsehole first.

“Perhaps it is the company you keep that is the problem.”

I know he’s talking about Star, but I throw it back at him anyway. “Like I fucking said, you’re my problem. Whatever fucked up deal you and Perry had going is blowing up in your face, hence you wanting him dead. So, what was it, Lev, huh? Drugs? Skin? Who’d you and Perry piss off?” As I ask the question, a thought occurs to me, but I keep it to myself for now.

“Just give the girl up, Carter, and this will all go away.” The line goes dead. My fist meets the wall, and the phone almost makes its maiden flight across the room.

“Son of a fucking bitch!” I growl out, stomping back to the small desk where the iPad sits with that file glaring at me. Just begging to be opened.

I’m not sure how good of an idea that is right now, but when have I ever given a flying fuck before. I pull out the chair and sit my arse down ready for anything.

Only I wasn’t ready for what I find.

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

STAR

Iwatch as he walks away and consider following him to listen in on whoever he’s calling, but I decide I need some space from him. My little escape to the bathroom earlier when things got heavy between us wasn’t nearly enough.

Some of the tension I’ve been feeling since my failed attempt to speak to Roxy at the services last night has faded. Talking to her just now, even if it was short, at least means she knows I’m okay and vice versa.

When Zak asked me who the other person was at mine that night, I knew it wouldn’t take long for them to discover who he was. A thread of worry winds its way into my mind as I think about them finding out how we met, but I’ll have to worry about that later.

I’m still clueless as to how he found me. I check out the rest of the downstairs while I try to figure it out. Other than the small bathroom I used earlier and a utility room with a back door leading to the garden, the rest is open plan. Deciding to have a look around outside, I step out the front door. The sun is warm on my face and the air fresh as I wander down the dirt path that opens into a large gravel driveway. Beyond that is nothing but wide-open country. Dips in the rolling landscape are filled with shade while the peaks are cast in a warm glow and dotted with trees. I don’t know where we are, but it’s beautiful. Carter was right about there being nothing for miles.

As I round the side of the house, a large barn comes into view. The front is pitched above large double doors with grey paint peeling in places. I carry on past as the sound of running water reaches me and find a worn path leading beneath a canopy of trees.

I consider going to take a look, but the wind has picked up and there’s a chill in the air that wasn’t here when I first came out. I look up to the sky and see one half is now taken up by dark rolling clouds. Turning back the way I came, the first spots of rain begin to fall. By the time I reach the barn, the heavens have opened, and my thin clothes are soaked through, so I slip inside the barn, shoving the door closed against the strong wind.

The earthy sweet smell of hay surrounds me as I take in the huge space before me. Dust motes float in the air as I step forward, craning my neck as I look up. There is a second floor accessed by a ladder to the left, but from this angle I can’t make out what is up there. Ahead of me, there are several bales of hay, which appear to be relatively fresh, hence the nostalgic summery notes in the air. It reminds me of my childhood in Ireland with Niamh and Darragh. Sadness fills me as I think about the man who took me in and raised me as his own. Risking his own family’s safety for me. Most of Anastasia Parks’ childhood was nothing short of tragic. Just thinking the name turns my stomach and brings me out in a cold sweat. I shake the feeling away and fill it with memories of sunny days spent chasing after Aidan and his brothers.

Carter’s mention of her means nothing good and has me wondering more so than ever about exactly what he knows about me.

And if he thinks I’m going to sit him down sometime and open the vault on my past, he can think again. There is only one person who knows the story of what happened to me at the hands of Don Rogers, and even then, it is heavily censored. Nobody needs to know the sick and sordid details.

I wish I didn’t.

I wish I could forget.

It’s a little hard to forget something that my body deems necessary to enjoy sex even though my mind revolts. When Aidan’s fiancée Parker suggested that I explore what I enjoy, I’m certain she didn’t intend for me to find a sex club and pick up random men who enjoy calling me a good girl while they fuck me. And I never imagined that I’d enjoy being chased and pinned down, but the rush when Carter captured me in my garden that night and what he did to me last night have opened a whole new kink.

Just the thought has me squeezing my thighs together despite feeling a little tender this morning.

I give my head a shake and focus on the barn. Slowly walking round, I find several large wooden trunks and walk to the closest one. Flicking the catch open, I lift the lid just as a creak comes from behind me.

“Quite the curious little kitten, aren’t we?”

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