Tartlet (Turf Wars #4) Page 9
I can’t say I’ve ever felt jealousy in my life, so I’m not certain that’s what I’m feeling, but one thing is for sure, something grips my stomach and makes me feel agitated. I shake it off. We’re friends with benefits, right? That’s the point. Nobody gets attached, that also means we can do as we please. If he wants to be with other women at the same time as me, he’s allowed.
I look away and see Ramona staring at me. She gives me a tight, sympathetic smile. I don’t need people feeling sorry for me, Remy and I aren’t a thing, we’re fuck buddies and he can do whatever the hell he wants. I take a shot off the tray and shoot it back, then I take another.
“Slow down there, lady,” Hank says, his voice low. “We’ll be carrying you home you keep that up.”
“I’m good with that,” I mutter, taking another shot and walking off.
I sit at the stage and watch the music for a while, zoning out to the gorgeous sounds of the woman singing. She’s talented. Eve said she’s a regular, but she should definitely be singing on the big stage. I feel a presence beside me and turn to see Eve sitting down. She gives me a warm smile, and that makes me feel a little better.
“You good?” she asks.
“I’m good, I just have a lot going on in my mind right now. But I’m good.”
“Has it got to do with the woman all over Remy right now?”
I glance over at the table, where Remy has his hand on the woman’s ass, and she’s grinding herself against him. Wow, the man certainly isn’t fussy, is he?
If I were petty, I would try and make him jealous by finding the next hot guy to slide up against, but I have better things to do.
“We’re fuck buddies,” I answer her with a shrug. “He can do what he wants.”
“Maybe so, but I know how quickly you can get close to someone during sex. You two have been spending a lot of time together.”
“Fuck buddies,” I remind her. “It’s fine, Eve. Your place is great, by the way. This open mic night is truly something incredible.”
“Yeah.” She smiles, looking around. “I love it here.”
“I’m going to get some fresh air, thanks for inviting me tonight.”
I stand and walk out, shoving through the crowds of people to get outside. I find a spot near the front of Wildflowers and take a long inhale, breathing in deeply and then exhaling slowly. The air is fresh and crisp, and the music is flowing from the open doors. It’s nice out here. Refreshing.
A giggle alerts me to the fact that I’m not alone, and I turn to see Remy and his piece walking out. They don’t notice me right away, and both of them are laughing about something, his hand is on her back, she’s got herself practically wrapped around him. I shake my head slowly, not even sure why the hell I care.
Maybe it’s just the fact that I don’t like the idea of being easy.
Sure, I agreed to this and I let him have sex with me, but I guess it is clear now that I’m just an easy way for him to get what he wants.
His eyes lock onto me and he pauses. “Gabby.”
I don’t have the patience for this.
I turn and walk away.
I need to go home.
I pull out my phone and call Rhett.
“Hey,” he murmurs, his voice sleepy.
“Are you sleeping?” I ask.
“I fell asleep, yeah. Been a fuck of a day. You good?”
“I need a ride.”
“Fuck, Gab, I’m out of town.”
I exhale. “It’s fine, I’ll find another way home.”
“I’ll get one of the guys to come and grab you. They’ll be cool with it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yep, where are you?”
“Wildflowers.”
“Hang tight, someone will be there soon.”
“Hey, Rhett?”
“Yeah?”
“Come and see me when you get home, I miss you.”
His voice gets a touch softer. “Miss you too, Gab.”
He hangs up, and I sit on the sidewalk, waiting for whoever is going to come and take me home. Cabs don’t run every night in this small town so there’s no point in even attempting to call one. I could walk, but it would take me half an hour, and I can’t be bothered. I just want to go home to bed.
“Why are you sitting on the sidewalk?”
Remy’s voice fills my quiet little space.
I look over my shoulder at him. He’s got a cigarette in his hand and no woman attached to him. Shocking.
“Where’s your little fling?”
“Gettin’ a drink. You leaving?”
God, he literally has zero concern about this entire situation.
“Yes.”
“What’s the problem?”
I close my eyes, struggling for calm. “No problem.”
“Bullshit, you’ve been glarin’ at me all night.”
I lose my shit. “You know what, Remy? Fuck off. Seriously. Go home to your little fling and leave me alone.”
“That what this is about? I thought we made it clear no attachment.”
“I’m not attached to you, far from it. I just don’t like being a notch on your belt you can call anytime you get horny.”
“Far as I can see, babe, you call on me just as much.”
“What a load of crap,” I mutter.
“You don’t want to do it anymore, nobody is forcin’ you,” he growls.
“Great.” I stand. “Good to know.”
A truck pulls over to the curb and the window winds down to show me Rhett’s best friend, outside of me, and second in charge, Lorenzo, mostly known as Enzo. He’s tall, dark, and handsome, as you’d expect. Only with that same cowboy twang Rhett has. They’re all like that out there, considering they are running a ranch most of the time, it makes sense.
Oh, an illegal business ranch, I should add.
“Hey, beautiful,” Enzo murmurs, his voice low and husky. “Heard you need a ride.”
“Thank god,” I say. “Thanks for coming to get me.”
“Who the fuck is this?” Remy asks.
I glare at him. “None of your business. Night.”
I walk around and get into the car, not looking back even once at Remy. Enzo drives off, pulling away with his big, rumbly truck. When we’re out of sight, I exhale and lean back into the chair.
“That your man?” Enzo asks me.
“Fuck buddy.”
“Fuck buddies don’t work, honey. You gotta know that by now.”
“They do if you don’t catch feelings, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not the feelings type.”
Enzo grins. “What I saw back there was a whole lot of fuckin’ feelings.”
“Doubt that.”
“He looked like he was goin’ to drag me out of this truck just so you didn’t get in.”
I roll my eyes. “That’s because it’s a big dick competition. He likes the power.”
“I’d say you’re wrong, but I’m not here to argue.”
“I’m not wrong, but I agree.”
Enzo chuckles. “Been a long time since I’ve seen you. Why don’t you come around anymore?”
“I do, I’m just busy working.”
“Too busy for your family.”
“You’re not my family.”
“Babe, we are.”
I smile at him. “Okay, fine, I’ll come around more often.”
“Yeah. Good.”
He takes me home and we chat for a bit more before I climb out of the car. I look to him before I close the door. “Hey, Enzo?”
“Yeah?”
“Is my father a bad man, like, a bad bad man?”
He narrows his eyes. “You want the truth?”
“Y
es.”
“Yeah, he’s the fuckin’ worst.”
“Bad enough to hurt someone?”
“You in danger?”
“No, I just ... I need to know.”
“If that someone threatened his reputation and power, then yeah, I think he could.”
I nod, giving him a forced smile. “Thanks.”
He nods, and then he’s gone.
His answer isn’t a shock.
Not at all.
It’s just as I suspected.
11
“I NEED YOU TO DO SOMETHING for me, Gabriella.”
I look up from, midway through fastening a pin in my hair for this stupid ass ball, and glance at my father in the mirror. He’s standing behind me in a suit, and as he watches me, I wonder if the man standing there has taken a life. An innocent life. Does he have it in him to kill? Yes. Does he have it in him to kill an innocent young girl? I don’t know.
I exhale. “What?”
“What I’m about to ask you to do affects us all, I need to know you’re on our side.”
I have one of two choices here. I either throw down and say no, which will put me entirely out of the loop and affect everything, or I suck it up and say yes, letting him believe I’m fully on his side until I can find out what I need to know.
I’m smart enough to know which choice is the best.
“I’ve come this far, haven’t I?” I murmur. “Considering none of you include me as part of the family, I’d say I’ve shown my loyalty more than the others.”
He doesn’t say anything to that. Why would he? He knows it’s the truth. He knows that I’m the outcast, the person who they don’t see as family, just a pain in the ass who they have to keep around so I don’t cause a scene.
I’m that child.
“This is different, I need to know that no matter what, you’re on our side.”
I turn, dropping my hand. “I’m on your side, Dad.”
My voice is genuine, but oh, it’s not.
It’s so far from it.
Still, it’s all he needs.
“I need you to plant something on those bikers.”
My heart feels like it comes to a complete halt. I try not to register any shock, but I can’t honestly say that’s what I thought was coming. I considered maybe he wanted me to cover for him, or tell the police I was with him the night Constance went missing, something like that, but plant something.
No.
I didn’t suspect that.
“What do you mean plant something?”
“I need you to put something in their clubhouse, somewhere they can’t easily find it but the police can. I need something to disappear and they’re the perfect way to do it. Bunch of criminals, it’ll all make sense to the cops. You just have to put it there, and that’s the end of it.”
“What exactly am I planting that you’re trying so hard to hide?”
His jaw tightens. “It’s none of your concern what it is.”
“I’m putting it there, Dad.”
“It’ll be sealed, you don’t open it. You just put it in their possession. You do not get caught. You wear gloves. You do not tell a single soul. We clear?”
I swallow.
He thinks I’m not going to open it? He’s wrong.
I will find out what he’s planting, and I’ll find out what he’s done.
“When?” I ask, my voice tight.
“As soon as you possibly can. It’s urgent.”
“What if I get caught?”
He leans in close. “You’re not going to. If you do, as far as I’m concerned, it’s on you.”
God.
This man is my father.
My flesh and blood.
But that’s how he’d treat me if it came down to it.
“Well, it’s nice to know you’re so full of love,” I mutter.
“This isn’t about love.”
“Of course it isn’t, you wouldn’t know the meaning of the word. Fine, Father, whatever. Can you leave now so I can get dressed for the ball where we are going to look like one big, happy, fake family?”
He turns and leaves without another word.
He has no feelings toward me.
No love.
No emotion.
My father is cold, and each day he proves it more and more.
I run my hands down my face, exhaling a few times, before finishing up getting ready. I don’t want to go tonight, but I’m going to, because I need them to think they’ve got me where they want me.
My phone rings, and I glance down to see Remy’s number flashing on the display. He hasn’t called me since the night I left Wildflowers. I figured we were done and dusted.
I pick it up. “Yeah?”
“I need a favor.”
“You and everyone else.” I sigh. “What can I help you with, sir?”
He chuckles. “See you haven’t lost your sarcasm.”
“I was born with it. Are you going to tell me or should I start guessing? Your girlfriend has crabs but you don’t know where she got it from because she’s bald as a badger. Am I warm?”
He grunts. “Don’t have a woman, and fuck me, you’re creative. No, I need somethin’ else.”
“What does this something else involve? If it’s murder, I can’t help you. I’ve had my fill of bodies and I can’t afford anymore.”
He laughs. “Fuck. No. No murder. I need to find out somethin’ about your dad.”
God.
Of course he does.
“Oh, because I’m his daughter I should just hand over information?”
“It’s not goin’ to hurt you in any way, Gabriella. You can’t stand him. I just want to know one thing.”
“And what would that one thing be?”
“If he has a client by the name of Howard Ernest.”
“Never heard of him.”
“I’m sure you haven’t, doesn’t mean Daddy Dearest hasn’t. Can you find out?”
“How?”
“I don’t fuckin’ know, go through his filing cabinet.”
I sigh. “God. Fine, I’ll look, but on one condition?”
“My dick is always available for you, babe.”
I grunt. “Jesus, not that. I need you to do something for me, too.”
“What would that be?”
“I need you to find out as much as you can about Constance Hayes.”
He goes silent. “Who?”
“She went missing over a year ago, she was, ah, a friend of mine. Nobody ever shared what really happened to her. She has never been found. I figured you know people, people who might know things. I would like to know what happened to her, or at least, have an idea.”
“Yeah, we have a deal.”
Oh. Thank god.
“Are you going to tell me why you need information?” I question.
“Nope, gotta run. Come by my place tonight, in that ball gown you’re wearin’. Don’t wear panties. See you then.”
He hangs up.
I have no idea how he knows about the ball.
Or that I’m wearing a gown.
Or why he’s so confident I’ll be at his place later.
But, either way, I’m smiling.
So that’s something.
THE BALL IS HORRIBLE.
Rich people bragging about how rich they are, kissing each other’s asses all while plotting one another’s deaths.
I don’t have the patience for it.
I eat. I drink. I smile for the camera. Then I get the hell out of there. If I have to watch Becky tell someone else about how happily married she is, and how they’re planning future children, I’ll vomit.
I don’t want to ruin my dress.
I get into my car and drive to Remy’s house. I should just go home, you know, play hard to get and all that, but I actually want to see him. I need to be anywhere but that damned house for five minutes. Every time I’m there, I think about Constance and I wonder if she was there, while I was there, and I didn’t even k
now.
That makes me feel the worst.
I bang on Remy’s door, and then I wait, pantiless because I’m a good girl and do as I’m told.
He opens the door wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms. He looks fucking delicious and I’m glad in this moment that I made the choice to come here.
“I must say,” I murmur, “for an old man, you look good in pajamas.”
He grins, grabbing my arm. “Get in here.”
He pulls me inside and backs me up against a wall. I stare up at him for a moment, our eyes locking. “So,” I say, my voice breathy, “how’s it going?”
He grins. “It’ll be going good in a minute.”
He runs his hand down my spine and over my bottom. “No panties, you listened.”
“I don’t always do as I’m told, but when I do, I try to do it with style.”
He leans down, running his lips down my neck. “What should I do with you first?”
“Oh, after the night I’ve had, anything.”
He launches me up into his arms and walks me to his bedroom, and there, he does absolutely everything to me. His mouth on my pussy, his fingers deep inside me, his hard body over mine fucking me in ways you can only dream up. It’s incredible and I forgot how much I need it. Only when we’re done and my stomach rumbles do we actually take a break for him to cook us some food.
“I didn’t know you cooked,” I say, watching him at the kitchen counter, slicing up some stuff to make a pizza.
“I can do the basics,” he tells me. “Pizza, mostly.”
I laugh. “The staples, then?”
He grins.
“Tell me more about your friend Constance,” he asks me as he chops.
Great. Put a girl on the spot.
“She was a friend in the group I hung out with. We went to a party one night, she left and nobody saw her after.”
God, I hate lying.
Hate it.
Hate.
“Fuck, that sucks. Any idea what happened to her?”
“There are theories,” I go on. “The most popular being that she was hit by a car and the people freaked out and picked her up, dumping her. But as far as I know, nothing has proved any of that.”
“She have a man at the time?”
“I don’t think so,” I shrug. “There were no signs of a struggle, but her phone did ping in town here a few days after. That was the last known alert.”