Dubious (The Loan Shark Duet 1)

“I still don’t like that boy.” Magda gives Carly a hard look. “He’s not our type.”

“Grandma,” Carly groans. “It’s none of your business.”

I’m too tired to deal with this tonight. “Mind your tongue, young lady. You won’t speak to your grandmother like that.”

“She started.” Carly pouts and crosses her arms.

Magda snorts. “What can you gain from a relationship with him? Who are his parents? No-good average workers with a business in textiles.”

“She’s not asking to marry him,” Sylvia says. “Anyway, she’s my daughter. You don’t have a say.”

“Our daughter,” I remind her.

Magda picks up her fork. “We’re not going to fight over this at the dinner table.”

“We’re not,” Sylvia says sweetly. “The decision is already made.”

“It’s not about the boy,” I say. “It’s about going behind my back without asking.”

“As I said,” Sylvia adds with force, “she asked me.”

For once, I agree with Magda. This is not a fight that needs to play out here. I’ll have a word with Sylvia after dinner about her conniving ways with Carly.

“Well,” Sylvia’s shoulders set in a straight line, “that’s handled then.” She pats Carly’s hand with more affection I’ve ever seen her deal our daughter.

Something is up with Sylvia. She hates poverty as much as Magda, which puts Sebastian under her radar line of suitable boyfriend material.

The rest of the meal is tense. I’m relieved when the ordeal is over. Sebastian’s mom comes over with her son to fetch Carly and politely declines our offer for a drink. From the porch, I watch Sylvia say goodbye to Carly.

“Be back by eleven,” I call, giving Sebastian a look that tells him not to fuck with me.

When the car pulls off, Sylvia comes back up the steps and hands me her jacket to drape over her shoulders. “Good evening, Gab. I’ll let you get back to fucking your maid.”

I grab her wrist. “It’s the last time you’ll call me that, and the last time you’ll make a snide comment about my maid.”

Jerking her arm from my grip, she hisses, “We’ll see how well your future works out for you,” and then she strides to her sports car with a stiff back. She waves through the window before pulling off with screeching tires.

There was a time she called me Gab. It was a time I trusted her and believed she cared. She’s a damned good actress.

“That’s what you get for marrying that whore,” Magda says behind me.

I look over my shoulder to see her watching from the doorstep. “You’ll be wise to keep quiet now.”

She only chuckles as she turns on her heel and disappears into the house.

In the lounge, I pour a stiff drink and wait an hour. There’s no way I can go to bed before Carly is home. I dial the kitchen.

Valentina’s voice comes over the intercom. “Yes?”

“Come to the lounge.”

She steps into the room five minutes later, regarding me with mistrust where I sit in the armchair.

“Come sit with me.” I hold my hand out to her.

Instead of climbing onto my lap as I would’ve liked, she stops at the edge of my seat, and drapes herself on the carpet by my feet. I push her head down on my thigh, stroking her silky hair. Like she accepted my pain, she’s learning to accept my tenderness. I’m enjoying our tranquil moment, but there are two issues of importance I have to bring up. I don’t have the luxury of waiting for her to confide in me, any longer. I’ve given up on hoping for her trust.

“Why did you drop out of school?”

Her body goes rigid. It takes her a moment to answer. “How did you find out?”

“Does it matter?”

“You’re right,” she whispers. “I don’t want to know.”

“You’re going back.”

She jerks her head up to look at me. “Don’t. I’ve dealt with it. I don’t want to go down that road again.”

I fist my hand in her hair. “You’ll go back.”

“Gabriel.” Her eyes fill with tears. “Please.”

“Marie will come back. Things will go back to normal.” It’s a lie, but I can’t tell her how I’m planning on changing her circumstances.

“Things will never be normal for me.”

That’s true, but she better accept it. She’ll take whatever I choose to give her. My hand tightens in her hair. “You’ll call tomorrow and withdraw your cancellation.”

“Why?” she whispers.

Because despite everything, I still want her to be happy. “You’ll obey me, like you promised.”

Hurt flickers in her eyes. “Are you threatening me?”

“I’m the biggest damn threat of your life.”

Her bottom lip starts to tremble. “Of course. How could I forget?”

My hand is aching to tan her ass. If it weren’t for her injury, she’d be draped over my lap right now, her panties around her ankles.

“Don’t push me, Valentina. You’ll do as I say without question, because I know what you need, and it’s my job to give it to you.”