Chapter 13
Chapter
Thirteen
Thorne
Linnea Reed’s house - or I guess her parents’ house - is a surprise. I don’t know why I was expecting some scuzzy, run-down hovel on the bad side of town, but I regret that’s where my mind wandered.
In fact, what I’m confronted with is a nice home in a decent neighborhood. Sure, it’s a little tired, and the gardens aren’t as pristine as I suspect they once were, but that’s not surprising after the rough time they’ve had.
Yes, I’ve done my homework. As soon as I had a name and address, I used my contacts to discover everything I could about the woman who signed up to be my sexy little maid, and it’s just made me all the more ashamed.
Up until a year ago, she was a bright, pretty girl living a normal life, without a care in the world. Attending college. Going out with her friends. Doing all the things a young woman should in the freedom of her youth.
And then it all went wrong. Her mother, Eve, got sick. Her dad made desperate decisions. And the noose that had already been tightening around her pretty neck started to strangle her, forcing her to make some difficult decisions of her own.
Decisions that led her to me.
I clench my jaw, a wave of guilt washing over me. Knowing what Linnea's been through only makes my actions seem more despicable. But I push those thoughts aside. There's no time for self-loathing now. I need to focus on getting her out of this mess.
And I will.
I parked a couple of streets away, worried my luxury vehicle would draw attention to me, even in a neighborhood like this, and now, dressed all in black, I’ve melted into the shadows. But I’m not the only predator here.
The others simply aren’t as invisible as me, but they’ve had a head start.
The darkness of the house is designed to imply it's empty, but I know it’s not. The flashlight function of a cell phone, bouncing through the open curtains, gives away any hope of stealth.
Then the curtains are closed, but it’s too late. They ‘ve already been seen.
As much as I want to charge in, I hold back, needing to know what I’m up against before I act rashly, no matter how my gut is telling me to storm in there and protect my woman.
Because yeah, she is my woman.
My muscles tense as I survey the house, waiting for any sign of movement. The night is eerily quiet, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves in the gusty breeze. I press myself against a nearby tree, using its bulk to conceal my presence.
I count three men in total. One’s just a boy, a lookout, and I discount him immediately. He’ll probably run at the first sign of trouble.
Then there’s the guy in the car opposite the house, idly waiting for the all clear.
That just leaves Florian Marcel. Better known on the streets as Reggie. Knowing what I do about the people he hangs with, I’m not surprised he changed it. I bet he got bullied as a kid, and that’s what turned him into the mean little thug he is today.
Tonight, he finds out he should have made better choices.
We all have that option.
I make my move swiftly and silently, creeping towards the house.
Despite my clean facade as a wealthy businessman, years of experience in my misspent youth have taught me how to blend into the shadows.
As I approach, I can hear muffled voices from inside - angry, threatening tones that make my blood boil.
My little Juno is in there. I know her real name is Linnea, but in my soul, I’ll always think of her as Juno.
And right now, she's in danger.
I push down the possessive thoughts and focus on the task at hand. There's no time for emotions now. I need to be cold, calculating, and efficient.
The back door’s unlocked. What the hell were you thinking, sweetheart? A fast getaway, probably, but it’s backfired. Within seconds, I'm inside the darkened kitchen. I pause, letting my eyes adjust, straining my ears for any sound of movement.
In what I’m guessing is the living room, I make out Reggie's stupid fake cockney accent, dripping with menace.
“I want the money, bitch! Don't make me ask again."
I clench my fists, my fury rising, but I force myself to stay put, to assess the situation before charging in.
“I have two more weeks,” Linnea replies, a forced bravado in her voice. “That was the agreement.”
“Agreements change,” he tells her with an unpleasant laugh. “And since you humiliated me this afternoon, it’s time to pay.”
"That’s not fair," I hear Linnea plead, her voice trembling. "I need that time.”
“Life ain’t fair, sweet cheeks, and unless you want mama here to sustain some life-altering injuries, you’re going to give me a little taste of what you can offer the boys who are gonna want a piece of you.
I’m gonna check out the goods, as it were.
Unless you want me to start removing pieces of mama! ” he snarls.
A muffled cry pierces the silence, and I know I’ve run out of time. It wasn’t Linnea's voice, but I understand her mother is being used to intimidate her.
I don't bother with subtlety now, rather I'm banking on the element of surprise to provide me an edge. With a powerful kick, I burst through the door, taking in the situation in seconds, but not letting anything slow me down. The living room shows clear signs of a struggle, and it’s about to get worse.
Without hesitation, I charge forward, rage flooding through me, the likes of which I haven’t felt since I was a poor kid hustling on the streets.
Tackling the wannabe mobster, we crash to the floor in a tangle of limbs.
I hear Linnea gasp, but I need to keep my focus trained on this little upstart asshole, even though all I want to do is check she’s alright.
The man beneath me is wiry and street smart, but I have righteous fury and a hell of a lot more bulk. I rain down blows, my fists connecting with satisfying thuds. He tries to buck me off, but I use every dirty street-fighting trick I know to maintain the upper hand.
By now, the lookout has either run off or told his boss what’s happening, but ironically, that’s the one thing I’m not worried about.
When I finally have the fucker subdued, I pick him up, bodily, and throw him onto the dining chair Linnea’s mother hastily vacated the moment I burst through the door.
It wobbles and threatens to splinter, but it’s good, sturdy wood, and I waste no time securing Reggie with a length of rope he must have brought along himself.
And I fucking love the irony.
“S-Sir?” Linnea’s voice is a mixture of confusion and disbelief.
I spare a glance at where she and her mother are now huddled on the couch, desperately clinging to each other.
“One last hurdle, sweetheart,” I tell her, guessing what’s about to happen. “Just be brave and quiet for me.”
She bobs her head like one of those nodding dog toys, her eyes wide and shocked. I want to hold her. To tell her everything will be alright, but like I said, there’s one last thing to handle.
Right on cue, a shadow from my past stalks into the room, gun in hand.
Shielding the two women with my bulk, I widen my stance and fold my arms, not in the least bit threatened.
“I thought we agreed not to tread on each other’s toes, Lex,” I say to the newcomer.
The three other people in the room have varying reactions to his appearance… or maybe to the fact we obviously know each other.
I keep my eyes locked on the man I used to run the streets with as a boy. He’s as imposing as ever - tall and broad-shouldered, with a face that could have been carved from granite.
"Thorne," he says, his voice a deep rumble. "Didn't expect to see you here."
I shrug, keeping my tone casual. "Just dropping by to visit an old friend."
Lex's eyes narrow as they flick between me and Reggie, who's still struggling against his bonds. "Funny way of visiting."
"You know me," I say with a humorless smile. "I like to make an entrance."
The tension in the room is palpable. I can feel Linnea and her mother cowering behind me, hear their shallow, frightened breaths. Reggie looks slightly sick.
And so he should.
The thing is, I know Lex well, and while he might be a loan shark, he’s always been anti prostitution, since his mother was one, and he saw firsthand a lot of stuff a kid should never see. We may not have kept up, but I don’t think he’s changed that much.
“So, what’s the story?” he asks, lowering his weapon, but keeping it in his hand.
“The story is, your… employee.” I point at Reggie.
“Followed my… housekeeper back to my penthouse.” I gesture to Linnea.
“Forced his way into my home, then proceeded to terrorize her. Then when she left for the day…” Yeah, I know I’m skirting the facts a little bit here.
Sue me. “He assaulted her, right outside my building, and tried to drag her into his vehicle. He would have succeeded, too, if my concierge hadn’t intervened. ”
Lex throws a narrow-eyed look at Reggie, who fidgets in the chair and looks everywhere except at his boss, but I haven’t finished with the little shit yet.
“What really worries me though, is how he’s been telling her he’s going to pimp her out to work off the debt, under threat of hurting her mother…” Lex’s eyes jolt back to me, the fury in them intense. “…and that he was here to sample the goods.”
Lex turns his head excruciatingly slowly back towards Reggie, and the heavy silence is thick enough to cut with a knife.
Reggie's face drains of color as Lex glares at him. I can see the gears turning in Lex's head as he processes what I've told him.
"Is this true?" Lex demands, his tone reeking of danger.
Reggie sputters, trying to form words. "B-boss, I can explain—"
"I don’t want your shitty excuses," Lex snaps. He turns to me. "Thorne, you on the level with this?"
I nod solemnly. "Absolutely. And although I can’t prove it - yet - I believe Reggie killed Linnea’s father to force her into it."
From the couch behind us, Linnea and her mother gasp audibly. I hear a choked sob from Linnea's mother.
Lex's eyes narrow dangerously. "Is that true? Did you kill her old man?"
Reggie's face goes even paler, if that's possible. “He wasn’t coming up with the goods, boss,” he stammers. “I gave him all the chances.”
“He had a decent job,” Lex growls. “Earned good money.”
“A pittance in dribs and drabs each month,” Reggie spits. “It wasn't worth my time collecting it.”
I watch Lex's face harden, his teeth grinding as he processes this betrayal. In all our years running the streets together, there were very few lines Lex wouldn't cross. But he did have his own set of principles, such as they were. He stuck to his own turf unless others crossed him, and selling women was a big no. I can’t believe word didn’t get back to him sooner.
I guess anyone who knew must’ve believed he’d changed.
Lex's jaw clenches. Without warning, he strides over to Reggie and punches him - hard. The crack echoes through the room, and the chair topples.
"You piece of shit," Lex growls. "You know how I feel about prostitution. And to pimp women out in my name?"
Reggie cowers, blood trickling from his split lip. "I'm sorry, boss! I thought…”
"You didn't think," Lex bellows, cutting him off. "You betrayed me. I bet you’ve been lining your own pockets too, haven’t you?”
His silence and the expression on Reggie’s face is damning. “You've crossed a line and you’ll suffer the consequences."
He stares at Linnea and Eve like he doesn’t know quite what to do about them. Regardless of the circumstances, he still lent Edwin Reed a substantial amount of money. But his minion caused untold damage and left these two women in an untenable position.
“If I could make a suggestion,” I advocate.
“I suggest the police get an anonymous tip-off about Edwin Reed’s death.
If they re-open the case, and the cause of death is changed from suicide to murder, the insurance will have to pay out.
Then, I think you should allow the Reeds to reimburse you for the loan sans interest. You get your capital back.
Linnea and her mother are relieved of your extortionate interest rates as compensation, and Reggie gets his just deserts. ”
Lex considers my proposal, his eyes like slits as he weighs the options. I can see the gears turning in his mind, calculating the possibilities and the benefits. After careful consideration, he gives a curt nod.
"Alright, Thorne. We'll do it your way," he says gruffly.
“What!? You can’t do that,” Reggie squeaks.
A cold smile spreads across Lex's face. “I think you’ll find I can.”
I almost feel sorry for Reggie. Almost. Nah, fuck that, the little shit’s getting exactly what he deserves.
The thing is, Lex isn’t a bad man, per se.
He just makes a lot of money charging interest rates that keep his clients tethered to debt.
It might not be all that ethical, but neither is it illegal.
Reggie just took matters into his own hands a little too freely so he could make bank on the side.
As Lex hauls the still-bound Reggie to his feet, I turn to Linnea and her mother, who are still huddled together in fear and confusion.
My heart aches seeing them like this. I want nothing more than to gather Linnea into my arms, but I know this isn't the time or place.
"It's over," I say gently, keeping my distance. "You're safe now."
Linnea's mother speaks first, her voice shaking. "Who are you? How do you know my daughter?"
I hesitate, unsure how to explain our complicated relationship. Linnea saves me from having to answer.
"He's... he's the man I've been working for, Mom," she says softly, her eyes holding mine as if she’s trying to make sense of everything that’s happened this day.
So am I.
Jeez, has it only been a day?
“I won’t insist you come back,” I tell Linnea, even though I want to demand that very thing. “I know you’ve been through a lot, and it’s been very traumatic…”
I suck in a breath and drag my fingers through my hair. “There are three days left of our contract, but I’ve already instructed the agency to make full reparation.”
She bites her lip, all kinds of emotions swirling in the depths of those fathomless brown eyes and looks at me like she’s waiting for me to say more.
But I’ve said everything I’m going to say. The ball’s in her court now, and all that’s left is for me to turn and walk out the door. Which is exactly what I do.
She knows where to find me. I just don’t know if she will.
But this time it has to be her decision, and she has to do it of her own free will.