Chapter 6 #2
When she pulled up to Pete’s, several more cars filled the drive.
She was instantly on edge. More people meant more witnesses to her exchange with Pete, and that couldn’t be a good thing.
She got out of her vehicle and started toward the front door.
Before she reached it, one of the guards opened it for her.
She nodded at him, recognizing him as the one who hadn’t spoken the first time she came.
“There she is!”
She looked up at the sound of Pete’s voice as he came down the curving staircase of his home.
He wore a smile, but his eyes burned with fury.
She knew that look well because she had seen it on Boyd’s face right before he killed her father in front of her.
No doubt Jerome had told Pete what’d happened.
So much for her getting to Pete first. She opened her lips to speak when she caught sight of something in her periphery.
She turned her head and saw five new people who hadn’t been there before.
Two men dressed casually in jeans and solid-colored tee shirts three sizes too big, and women next to them in short, tight-fitting dresses that dipped low and barely covered their asses, along with heels so high they should’ve been called stilts.
Pete reached the bottom of the stairs and put his arm around her. He squeezed her a tad too tightly, but Taryn hid her grimace. “I’ve been singing your praises all afternoon since you left. I had my best client come to you. My. Best. Client,” he stated, spittle flying from his mouth.
Taryn tilted her head away. “Don’t you want my side of what happened?”
“I don’t give a flying fuck about your side. Customers are always right.”
“He wanted to buy me away from you.”
Pete looked at her for a moment, then threw back his head and laughed. “I would’ve attempted the same thing in his shoes. It’s business.”
“I’ll make things right with him.”
Pete shoved her away as if she were a hot coal in his hands. His lips twisted cruelly. “You didn’t tell me who you were indebted to.”
Dread filled her. Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit. “You didn’t ask. Besides, it doesn’t matter.”
“The hell it doesn’t. I’m not interfering in any business involving Boyd Walters. Do you know what kind of man he is?”
She knew exactly what kind of man Boyd was. She was also aware that not too many people had seen the things she had and were still alive to talk about them. “This is for me, not Boyd. It’s my debt.”
Pete laughed, but there was no mirth in the sound. “You’re beholden to him. That means any transactions I do with you, tie me to him. I don’t want anything to do with him. He’s a fucking maniac.”
Taryn knew that for a fact. “Pete, I’m in a bad way. If I don’t bring Boyd the money, he’s going to?—”
“Get out,” Pete cut her off before she could finish. “Get out and never come back.”
She hesitated, trying to think of something that might change Pete’s mind. Just as she was about to offer herself to him for the remaining days she had in Clearview, Pete snapped his fingers, and the two hulking men who had barred her entrance earlier moved in on either side of her.
She knew then that if she didn’t leave on her own, the two muscled men would make sure she did.
She swallowed, feeling as if she were drowning and no one would help her.
Taryn pulled the bag of pot from the front pocket of her jeans and tossed it at Pete, who caught it easily.
Then she turned on her heel and walked away.
She made it inside her Camry before the tears came.
Taryn gave in to them for a few moments, then wiped her eyes and drove away, both relieved not to be involved with Pete any longer and also angry that she still didn’t have any money. And time was running out.
She drove for a few miles before she pulled over and allowed herself another good cry. The tears didn’t fix her problems, but she was overwhelmed and fast losing hope. Eventually, the tears dried. She leaned her head back against the seat and blinked, her eyes now stinging from all the crying.
Taryn drew in a deep breath and did what she had always done—she tried to find a solution. No matter how many things she tried to concentrate on, all she could think about was Jace.
You can go to him.
She knew that, but she also knew it wasn’t wise.
Why not? If anyone in the entire world wouldn’t hesitate to help you, it’s Jace.
That was true. It was just part of what made Jace . . . Jace. But did she really want to involve him in things with someone like Boyd? Look how Pete and Jerome had reacted.
They aren’t Jace.
She shook her head at her subconscious. She had already hurt him enough. What kind of person did that to someone and then went to them, asking for such a hefty sum of money? The worst kind.
Who else can you turn to? This isn’t about you or Jace. It’s about Payton.
Taryn slammed her hand against the steering wheel, mainly because she knew the voice in her head was right.
You’re wasting time. Drive to Jace’s now.
No. It was the worst idea ever.
But no matter how many times she tried to come up with another plan, she got nothing.
Taryn knew she had nowhere else to turn, and Payton was counting on her.
She put the car in drive before she lost her nerve and headed toward Jace’s.
She wasn’t sure if she could go in, but she would at least give it a try.
She only hoped that he would let her talk. Then again, it wasn’t as if she wanted to tell him everything. The night he came for them, Boyd had made it impossible for her to send Jace anything but the curt text she had sent, breaking things off.
But Jace needed some answers.
And she had to give them.