Tartlet (Turf Wars #4) Read online

  “For what?”

  “Fuck me, Pres, you’re full of questions today. So I can take Gabby to my fuckin’ bed and spend the night ridin’ her, because the girl is a fuckin’ animal. Any other questions?”

  My cheeks go red.

  Riggs answers but I can’t hear his response because they’ve left the office. I wait for a good twenty minutes before climbing out from underneath the desk. Only when I’m certain the coast is clear do I leave the building and get the hell out of there.

  I go straight home to show my father what I’ve found. I’ll prove him wrong, I’ll prove them all wrong, I’ll get the information they need and do it so fucking well they’ll wish they included me in this family a lot sooner.

  “I got what you wanted,” I say, busting into my father’s office without knocking.

  “Jesus Christ, Gabriella,” he barks, slamming his phone down, “ever heard of knocking.”

  “Can’t say I have.” I grin, then hand him my phone. “I think you’ll be interested in these."

  He flicks through the screen, and then looks up at me. “It’s a bunch of invoices.”

  “Wrong, it’s not. Have a closer look at them, they’re not how the invoices in that place are worded and the amounts are larger, far larger. That’s not legit.”

  He looks again, and his brows go up. “Clever,” he murmurs.

  “I know I am, thank you.” I smirk.

  He glares at me. “I mean what he’s doing.”

  Yes.

  I know that.

  “This makes sense,” he says, more to himself than me, “if he’s running money through the business, it stays clean. He can hide it away and nobody will find it. Leave this with me, I’m going to find out who these people are that he’s dealing with.”

  “I got the names and contact numbers,” I say. “Third photo across.”

  He swipes, and then nods. “Send them to me. Good work.”

  Did my father just praise me?

  “Did you just tell me I did a good job?”

  “Don’t be dramatic, Gabriella. I can tell you when you’ve done well.”

  “Oh, I know you can, but you’ve never done it before.”

  He exhales. “You interrupted my phone call. I’ve got work to do. You can leave.”

  “Such a wonderful chat, as always,” I say sarcastically. “Does that mean I’m still on the case?”

  He nods, waving a hand at me to leave.

  I do, but I do it with a grin.

  I’m killing it.

  7

  “NO MORE.” I LAUGH, shoving Remy away. “I’ve had enough, my vagina feels like it has been hit with a small truck, and I feel like walking tomorrow.”

  Remy grins, looking down at me, his hard body propped up over mine, his biceps either side of my head, his cock resting between my legs. My attempt at pushing him away was a waste of time. He needs to chill out, though. I came here at three, and we got right into it. It’s now three in the morning and we’ve fucked a total of four times, and oh, what a night it has been, but I’m exhausted, and I need a few hours sleep before I have to go in and work.

  “Give me one more,” he murmurs, mouth trailing down my neck.

  “Nope, you’ve had your fill. I need some sleep. My boss wants me to start at eight on a Sunday, and I can’t afford to lose my job.”

  “Your boss sounds like a dick.” He nips my flesh.

  “Oh, he’s a giant dick. He also has a great dick.”

  “He wants to slide it in you one more time,” he growls, thrusting against me.

  “I don’t even know how you can be hard after last night, you’re insane. Now, I have to go.”

  I shove at him again—this time he rolls. I sit up and take a moment to relish in the way his warm hand lands on my back and slides down it. I love to be touched, but I don’t like the feelings that come along with it. I’m not here to catch emotion, I’m here to do my job and be done with it. I stand before I can enjoy his touch any longer. I dress myself and then turn, glancing down at him.

  “Still eight?”

  He winks at me. “Still eight.”

  “You better bring some good coffee or something super nice for breakfast. I’m not going to have time because I’m sleeping until 7:45.”

  Oh, that grin.

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Good plan. I’ll catch you later, thanks for the night.”

  “You sure you’re not up for one more?”

  I look to his hand, which is stroking up and down his cock. God, it’s tempting, oh so tempting.

  But I really need to sleep.

  “We’ll see what the day brings, shall we?”

  He nods, slowly, then I turn and leave the room.

  God damn man is insatiable.

  The entire drive home, I ache from our night together, but by the time I arrive I’m exhausted. I don’t shower, I don’t even change, I just climb into bed and fall asleep without so much as a yawn. I sleep until my alarm goes off at 7:30. I wake, feeling worse than when I went to sleep. I could spend the entire day in this bed without so much as a second thought, but I’ve got to prove I’m worth keeping this job, so I drag my ass up.

  My phone rings just as I’m getting dressed; it’s Rhett.

  “Yo,” I say, walking out the door.

  “Where you been, Gab? I’ve been tryin’ to call you since yesterday.”

  “Sorry, got caught up. Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, just lettin’ you know Maggie is in the hospital.”

  Shit.

  “What for? Is she okay?”

  “Not doin’ the best, she had a car accident.”

  “Shit. Which hospital?”

  He gives me the hospital and her room number before telling me he has to get to work and instructing me to visit her.

  I will visit her, because that’s the right thing to do, but I can’t say I’m pleased about it. Maggie hurt me, she really hurt me, but she was my best friend and if she’s in the hospital, I’ll go and make sure she’s okay. That’s what good people do, friends or not.

  I hurry to the garage, rolling in just on time. The guys are already working on the car, with Hank underneath it, Hugh operating the crane to lift the engine out, and Remy throwing around orders. I take one look at him in his dirty coveralls and man, I want to take him out back and do wicked, wicked things to him.

  But I can’t.

  I’m here to work.

  Until lunchtime at least.

  “I thought you said eight,” I yell out, walking in and throwing my bag down. “You guys have been here longer than that.”

  “Knew you were tired,” Remy tells me, not looking in my direction as he helps Hugh guide the engine to the side.

  “I can handle it, you don’t need to baby me,” I snap, frustrated they didn’t tell me what time I was really supposed to be here.

  Remy glances over. “All good, Gabby, don’t get your knickers in a twist.”

  Oh. We’re doing that, are we? Being a dick when our friends are around? Two can play at that game.

  “Well, if that’s the case, you guys don’t need me. It looks like you’ve got it covered and I’ve got somewhere important to be. Catch you later.”

  I spin on my heel and walk back toward my car.

  “Whoa, hold up,” Remy calls, letting the engine go, much to Hugh’s dismay. He jogs over to me. “What’s with the attitude?”

  “What attitude?” I ask, blankly. “You clearly don’t need me here or you would have called me in at the right time. I’m not wasting my weekend being a second thought.”

  His eyes scan over my face. “We could use a hand.”

  “No thanks, I’ve got somewhere to be.”

  “Where?”

  “None of your business, see you Monday bright and early.”

  His jaw ticks.

  He knows we’re meant to meet up later.

  He can also eat a dick.

  I’m not playing games.

&nb
sp; I shoot him a smile and then spin again and skip back to my car. Fuck them, I’ve got better things to do with my time than to be messed around by a group of men who don’t believe I’m good to do the same job as them. I slam my car door shut and don’t look at Remy as I drive away. If they want to fire me, so be it, he can take that one on the chin.

  I drive to the hospital and head inside, finding Maggie’s room. I knock on the door twice and then carefully open it to see her lying in bed, eyes closed, a few machines attached to her. She looks banged up, she has some cuts and bruises on her face and her arm is bandaged up, but thankfully she doesn’t look as bad as I was expecting.

  “Hey,” I say, and her eyes pop open.

  “Gabby?” she croaks. “I didn’t think you’d come.”

  I shrug. “I’m not that cruel. Rhett told me you were in an accident, and I wanted to see if you were okay. Are you? Okay?”

  She nods. “Yeah, I’m going to be fine. I fractured my arm, a few cuts and bruises, and am otherwise banged up, but I’ll live.”

  I nod, pressing my lips together.

  An awkward silence fills the room.

  “Look,” she begins, “I know you don’t want to talk to me and I understand that, but can you at least let me say something?”

  I keep my lips pressed together, an indication she can go on.

  “I know I lied to you about Rhett, but it was only because I was worried you’d get hurt, and I didn’t want to hurt you. I lied to your face, and I regret that. I need you to know I regret that. I was wrong. I just need you to know I was wrong.”

  “I don’t care if you and Rhett slept together, it was the outright lie you told me and then continued to go on with it, knowing how much it would hurt when I found out. That’s what got to me. You have to understand that you were my best friend, and I trusted you not to lie to me. I’ve never lied to you.”

  “Were,” she whispers. “You said were ...”

  I exhale. “Look, I’ve got a lot going on right now, and I appreciate your apology but ...”

  “I miss you, Gabby,” she blurts. “God, I miss you. Rhett won’t even talk to me that much now because he is worried about how you’ll feel. I have nobody.”

  Dammit.

  I run my hands down my face. Is it worth losing my friend over? No. Am I ready to just let it go? I don’t know. I guess I don’t have a choice—I either want her in my life, or I don’t.

  “I don’t trust you, Maggie, that comes with time, but ... I’ll get over it. I will.”

  “Does that mean you’re not going to ignore me anymore?”

  I nod. “Yeah, I’ve had my sulk. We’re good for now. Like I said, though, it’ll take some time.”

  “I get that, and I’m okay with it,” she exhales. “If you knew how much I have missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you too, and I’ve got a lot to tell you.”

  I drag a chair over to her bedside and tell her.

  I tell her everything.

  R – YOU COMING OVER?

  R – Hey?

  R – Don’t fucking ignore me, Gabriella.

  R – Fuck. Don’t bother.

  I roll my eyes and toss my phone, continuing to stir the epic dinner I just created because my family doesn’t eat together, it’s a fend for yourself kind of situation. I don’t mind—the fridge is always packed full of food, and I can get whatever I want.

  I’m midway through when Becky walks into the kitchen, Magnus following close behind her. Like a good little boy.

  “Rebecca, Magnus, what brings you to the depths of hell at this time of the night?” I ask, stirring my rice.

  “Can you be normal for five seconds?” Becky snaps.

  “Doubtful. Magnus, how are things for you? I hope my sister is treating you right. I hear she gets pretty moody. If you wanted less high maintenance, you probably should have gone for a nicer girl.”

  Becky glares at me.

  Magnus gives me a scowl that could burn a hole right into my flesh if looks could kill. “We’re not in the mood for your nonsense, Gabriella. Where is your father?”

  “God knows, he’s probably looking at the biker club down the road still. You should see the men they’ve got there, whew boy, they’re some sexy bikers. I bet you’d like your chance at one, wouldn’t you, Becky?”

  My sister looks like she’s going to flip, big time.

  “Can you grow up for one damned second?” she yells.

  I pick up a piece of raw carrot with a grin, crunching down on it.

  “Where is Dad?” she orders again.

  “I told you, I don’t know. What’s so important that you need him right now?”

  “It’s none of your business, but it’s urgent. Is Bradley here?”

  “Nope.” I shrug. “Both of them are MIA. It’s just me, myself, and my stir fry.”

  “Well can you find out where he is?” Magnus demands. “I’ve called, he won’t answer.”

  “Oh, sure, Magnus, I’ll just send out my homing pigeon to find out his location. One moment ...”

  “There is no way you’re actually part of this family,” Magnus snaps. “Honestly, someone switched you at birth.”

  “Here’s hoping.” I nod. “I wouldn’t mind coming from a less dicky family.”

  “This is a waste of time!” Becky spins on her heel. “It’s like talking to a dog.”

  “I hope you don’t talk to dogs, Becky, that would be weird,” I call after her as she storms out.

  “Good chat,” I say to myself, finishing up my stir fry so I can sit down and eat it in silence.

  That silence doesn’t last long; the second I relax on the sofa, the front door bursts open and my dad comes charging in, followed by Bradley.

  “What the hell are we going to do, Dad?” Bradley yells, his face red and frantic.

  “I don’t fucking know, Bradley. I don’t fucking know. You need to let me think.”

  “If they find out, if they know it was us ...”

  “I said let me think,” my father roars.

  I jerk in my chair, eyes wide. What the hell are they talking about that has them so wound up? I can’t help but sneak closer to hear more of the conversation. It’s intriguing and I’m curious to know what it is they’re getting so upset about.

  “It’ll destroy us, we’ll go away for life. If this comes out, Dad ...”

  “I said I need a fucking second, Bradley,” my father roars. “You’re in my fucking space. Give me one damned second.”

  “Someone put our name on their radar, how the fuck did that happen?” Brad goes on.

  “I don’t know, someone spoke up, and I’m going to find out who that someone is and fucking bury them. This will destroy me. Do you understand that, son?”

  “I know, Dad. We need to figure this out, we don’t have time to mess around.”

  Jesus, this sounds ... intense.

  “When everyone is asleep tonight, go into that basement and you clean it. You clean it like it has never been fucking cleaned before. I want not a single thing left.”

  “It has been done, Dad,” Brad growls.

  “Do it again, do it until your fucking hands bleed. If there is so much as one piece of evidence in there ...”

  Wait? What?

  What evidence?

  My heart is racing as I listen in closer—I’ve never heard them talk like this before. I’ve heard them discuss business dealings and people double crossing them, but this sounds like a whole different scenario. This sounds ... god, it sounds like they’ve murdered someone. I hear shuffling so I move quickly, rushing back to the living room and turning up the television. A minute later, Dad walks in.

  “How long have you been down here?”

  “What?” I yell over the sound. “When did you get home?”

  He looks relieved.

  “Turn that down, Gabriella,” he barks.

  I press mute. “What’s the problem, Father?”

  “I might have a change of plans soon, something f
or you to plant on those bikers.”

  I blink, slowly. “Like what?”

  “None of your business, just keep it in mind. I’ll need you on your best game.”

  I don’t answer him.

  “Are we fucking clear?”

  “Yes, boss,” I mutter.

  He turns and walks out, slamming his office door when he reaches it. I exhale and the entire time my movie is playing, I’m thinking about that basement. When Brad goes out to get some pizza, I make my move. This will be the only time I can go and have a look to see what’s in there. I’m curious, but you know what they say about curiosity killing cats ... Either way, I have to know.

  I pretend to go off to bed, and, after a few minutes, I slowly sneak out of my room, closing the door behind me. I make my way down the hall, past the kitchen, toward the back of the house to the basement door. Our basement is set at the farthest end of the house and, honestly, you barely know it exists because the living areas are up on the other end. It kind of just owns the space down there.

  The basement isn’t somewhere I go—hell, I haven’t been down there since I was a kid. It was always dark and gloomy and Dad would always tell us not to play in there. I just hated it. He kept it locked for years, telling us there were important documents and items in there he didn’t want us to mess with. I never questioned it, but now I’m wondering if I should have. Was he hiding something down there?

  I reach the door and find the key hanging on a hook beside the door. This is only a new thing, mostly because Dad emptied the basement probably a year or so ago, and when he did, the padlocks went with it. Now it’s a free for all, but I can’t help wondering why the hell he had it padlocked for so long. A sick feeling swirls around in my stomach.

  I push the door open carefully.

  I go down the stairs and it smells super clean in here; gone is the musty, damp smell it used to have when I was younger. I don’t turn the light on, instead I use my flashlight on my phone, not wanting to draw attention. I walk in, flashing my light around. Mostly, it’s empty. There is some old furniture stacked up at one end, some boxes beside it and a few old antiques but otherwise, it’s one big, open space.

  I shuffle around the furniture for a bit, but nothing stands out. I move to the boxes, flicking a few open, but once again, there is nothing there. I’m just about to walk to the old bathroom down here when the door opening alerts me to people coming in. Heart racing, I rush over to the boxes and duck down behind them. Shit, I was hoping nobody was coming down this soon.