Chapter 2
Everleigh
Ilearned the hard way that life doesn’t always go according to plan.
I had mine all mapped out. I would have a career in finance, a long-time boyfriend, and a fabulous house in downtown Nashville. I thought at twenty-eight, I was well on my way to having everything I’d ever wanted.
It hadn’t been easy, especially with a homelife like mine.
My mother left well before those crucial teen years and never looked back.
She never called or wrote to see how things were going with my father and me.
She simply disappeared, leaving us both to fend for ourselves.
I wasn’t exactly surprised that she left me behind.
My mother had never been the doting type.
That was my father’s department.
He loved me dearly and hated that I was known as the girl whose mother had left her behind.
He tried to make up for her absence by buying me things—things I didn’t necessarily want or need.
His intentions were good, but he tended to spend money that he didn’t have.
And it eventually caught up with him, and he was covered up in debt.
Thankfully, my grades were exceptional, and I earned a full ride to UT Knoxville.
I continued to work my ass off and earned a finance degree with honors—which led to an internship at Merrill Lynch.
It didn’t take me long to make a name for myself, and after six short months, I was offered an advising job and given my very own cubicle.
While I was pleased to have my place, I wanted more, and within a couple of years, I had my own office. I had an amazing apartment with an incredible view of the city, and my boyfriend, Bobby, and I were making plans for the future. We’d even talked about moving in together and getting married.
All my dreams were coming true.
And then there was a knock on the door.
I don’t even know how it happened.
One minute I was standing in the doorway of my apartment, happy and content, and the next, I was bound, blindfolded, and tossed in the back of some car.
I should’ve screamed or tried to fight the two men who’d abducted me, but I was too terrified to move—much less fight.
It was like I was a prisoner in my own body as I sat there frantically trying to figure out what was going on.
I’d worked myself up into a full-blown panic when the car stopped, and I was jerked out of it.
Seconds later, I was standing in a cold, dark room staring into the eyes of a man I’d never seen before, and his mere presence sent a chill down my spine.
At first glance, he looked like your typical businessman.
He was in his mid-to-late forties with salt and pepper hair, and he wore a black suit that fit snug across broad shoulders.
But as I stood there staring into his dark, menacing eyes, I knew there was nothing typical about this man.
He was the epitome of a gangster--the sinister type you might see in a Mafia movie.
He exuded power and fear, and just being in the same room with him completely terrified me. A wicked grin swept across his face as he sneered, “Well, hello there, Everleigh. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Who are you?” My heart felt like it was going to pound through my chest. Everything inside me screamed for me to get the hell out of there, but the two men at my side were there to make sure I stayed put.
Feeling utterly trapped, I turned back to the man in front of me.
“What do you want? Why did you bring me here?”
“I’m Antonio DeLuca, and there’s a matter of a debt owed to me that needs to be addressed. I’m thinking you can help me settle it.”
Before I could ask him what the hell he was talking about, he lifted his hand and gestured to the corner of the room. Seconds later, a third man stepped out of the darkness, and my breath caught when I saw that my father was with him.
Dad’s hands were bound behind his back, and it was clear from all the cuts and bruises on his face that he’d been badly beaten.
I adored my dad, but like all men, he had his problems. He was a bit socially awkward and obsessed with numbers—which often got him into trouble.
Regardless, he was always there for me, and seeing him in such a state gutted me.
Everything in me screamed to help him, so I rushed toward him with a gasp. “Oh God! What happened to you?”
I’d only taken a couple of steps when I was yanked back by the men at my side. They held me tight as I tried to break free from their grasp and ordered, “Stop! Let me go!”
“Not gonna happen, lady.”
“Why are you doing this?” I shrieked, fighting back the bile that was inching up the back of my throat. “What do you want?”
“You should ask your father that question.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you see? He’s the reason you’re here,” he answered emphatically. “He’s the reason we’re all here.”
“What does that even mean? Just tell me what the hell is going on!”
“He took a gamble and lost.” DeLuca glanced over at Dad with a disgusted expression, then added, “He lost big, and that is something you don’t want to do when you are betting with my money.”
Sadly, this wasn’t the first time my father had tested the limits with gambling.
His obsession with numbers drew him to the casinos and backroom card games, and he bet on anything from roulette to sports.
Although he lost more times than he won, that never deterred him.
He was determined to push the limits and find his next big adrenaline rush.
That rush cost him a great deal, including his savings and his marriage.
After my mother left, he got help, and I thought things had gotten better. Clearly, I was wrong. “I’ll pay whatever needs to be paid.”
“It’s not that simple.” His tone was menacing, but it was the fierce look in his eye that sent a cold chill down my spine.
“Your father owes me a great deal of money. Three hundred grand to be exact. Since he doesn’t have the money to pay this sizeable debt, we are left with two choices.
Kill him or find other means to fulfill the debt. ”
“Other means?”
“The kind that would involve you.”
“Fine. I’ll do whatever you want,” I replied without a second’s hesitation. “Just don’t hurt him.”
“I thought you might say that.” DeLuca’s lips curled into an evil grin as he turned, walked over to his desk, and sat down. “So, that settles it. You will fulfill your father’s debt.”
I could hear my father’s muffled cries behind me, but with the tape across his mouth, I couldn’t understand what he was saying.
Not that it mattered. He could’ve spoken perfectly clearly, and I wouldn’t have heard a word he said.
I was too busy trying to grasp how this man expected me to repay my father’s debt.
The whole thing was surreal and was the sort of thing you’d read about in some crazy book or see in the movies.
Things like this didn’t happen in real life—at least, not that I’d ever heard of.
I could feel DeLuca’s eyes on me—watching me, sizing me up—which only brought more questions racing through my mind.
I couldn’t understand what he wanted from me.
I had nothing to offer him. I had no money.
I’d just finished paying off my student loans, and what little money I did have was tied up in the market, and the early withdrawal penalties would’ve cost me more than I had invested.
I thought about selling my car, my jewelry, everything I owned, but it still wouldn’t be enough.
My pulsed raced as I told him, “I don’t have that kind of money.”
“I’m well aware of your financial state.” His wicked grin remained as he added, “But rest assured, I’m not interested in your money.”
“Then, what do you want?”
“I want you.”
DeLuca’s low, gravelly chuckle caused a sharp bolt of terror to sear through my chest. When a man like him announces that he wants you, there’s only one thing that comes to mind, and it was a horrifying thought.
Before I realized what I was doing, my mouth opened, and I gasped, “I won’t sleep with you! ”
“Sleep with me?” His head fell back as his thunderous laughter filled the room, making me feel even smaller and more humiliated.
After several moments, the room fell completely silent, and his eyes locked on mine with a fierce glare.
He sounded repulsed by the idea as he growled, “You need not worry about that. I have no intention of fucking you, Everleigh.”
“Oh...”
“But let me be clear. If I wanted to fuck you, I would. I would fuck you every minute of every hour of every fucking day, and there wouldn’t be a goddamn thing you could do about it.”
Before I had a chance to say anything more, my father was jolted forward and forced to stand right next to me.
I was about to reach for him but stopped when one of the men placed the barrel of their gun against his temple.
“You see, I own you, Everleigh Freeman. I own every fucking inch of you, and if you want your father to live, you will do whatever I tell you. Is that clear?”
I nodded, but that wasn’t enough for him. He lifted his hand to my neck, wrapping his fingers tightly around my throat. His grip tightened as he pulled me closer and snarled, “Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir. It’s clear.”
“That’s better.” He released his hold, then continued, “When I said I wanted you, I was referring to your mind. Nothing more.”
“I’m not following.”
“You’re going to work for me.” A sinister smile swept across DeLuca’s face as he said, “You see, I’m in the process of moving my business, and you and that pretty, little head of yours are going to help me make that transition.
And while you’re at it, you’re going to help me make a great deal of money in the stock market. ”
“You can’t do this! The police will come looking for me.”