Cuffed by His Charm (Dirty Little Secrets 4)

Everything about this feels wrong. The last thing I want to do is pay some shithead’s debt, considering when this all began with the tabloid, my plan was to ruin the person responsible, not bail them out, but the weight of all this still rests on my shoulders. I need this to all go away neatly, not only for my friends, or for McKenna, but for myself. I want life to go back to nights at the pub and lazy days. And I need McKenna back in my arms and safe. “I take it you want the payment first and then you’ll release them,” I say.

“I want the payment first, plus interest,” he corrects, “and then you can go and get them.”

I’ve already decided there is no amount of money that I won’t pay for McKenna’s safety but Ryder asks, “How much does Evan owe?”

“Fifty thousand plus interest.”

I ask my question knowing I won’t like the answer. “And how much interest?”

Draken gestures at Tommy again, and the suit reaches into his pocket and hands me a piece of paper. I read the amount written there on the crumpled note, and my jaw clenches. But I hastily remind myself this isn’t about Evan, or Draken, this about McKenna. Money is money. Her life is worth so much more. And after this night I want Draken to forget McKenna’s name.

Without a single hesitation in my mind, I reach for my phone in my pocket and open the banking app. It’s not unheard of for me to make large transfers, and I’m only too glad for that now. “What’s the account number?” I ask.

Draken rambles it off, and within seconds the money is out of my account and into his, but it’s money I won’t miss. The blood, the cell she’s in…McKenna is all that I’m thinking about now.

I shove my phone into my pocket. “Where is she?”

Draken glances at the suit standing next to him. “Clint, where are Evan and Ms. Archer staying again?”

I snort at the implication that he doesn’t know, crossing my arms, ensuring I don’t drain the life out of him with my bare hands. Even Ryder next to me has a tight jaw and flat mouth.

Clint reaches into his pocket, offering me a key. “There’s an old factory on the corner of Greenwich and Larkin. You’ll find them both there,” he explains. “That key opens the front door.”

I squeeze my hand around the key, my heart beating a mile a minute. I’m so close to her, yet also so far away.

“While I understand that this was a business transaction, because a debt was owed to you,” Ryder begins, staring down Draken. “I’d warn you, Mr. Draken, to ensure our paths never cross again.”

Draken lifts his chin, and maybe there’s a little respect in his eyes too. “I’m aware of who you are, Ryder Blackwood, and I’m also aware of the hacker you have and that she’s trouble I don’t want. If you stay away from me, I will grant you the same courtesy.”

Ryder nods, but there’s a lot said in the silent space between them. It’s an exchange that Draken wouldn’t have with me, because I don’t have the arsenal of power that Ryder has, an arsenal that could take Marcus Draken out. Call it respect or fear, but it’s there between them, and it’s exactly the final thing we need to ensure Marcus won’t come back for more money.

Ryder finally breaks away, gaze on me, and nods.

“You might need this.”

I stare at McKenna’s purse in Draken’s hand and take it, not giving him a second look.

Just as we’re about to turn and leave, I catch Tommy’s grin, the smug smile I’d expect from him. All the fury that’s been building since day one of this hell engulfs me, and for once, I’m only thinking of what I want . . . what I need. “Just one more thing,” I announce.

With swiftness and efficacy, I lunge toward Tommy, jamming the heel of my palm into his nose. There’s an audible crack and then blood pours from his nose and Tommy drops to his knees.

“You fucking prick,” he roars at me, spitting blood, holding on to his clearly broken nose.

“You hurt what’s mine,” I snarl, and then I set my glare onto Draken. “Don’t come near what’s mine again.”

Dark amusement dances in Draken’s eyes as he gives a slow nod, the type of understanding between men. “It’s been a pleasure to do business together, Mr. O’Keefe. Clint will show you out.”

And just like that I seal my first dirty business deal.

McKenna

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always liked exposed brick and timber in any décor, but from this day on, if I never see an old factory again I will die a happy woman. Dust, mold, and whatever else I don’t want to identify hangs in the air that I’m desperately trying not to inhale. For a while, after Tommy none too gently deposited me here, I’d tried yelling and banging on the metal door that was locked from the outside, attempting to get free.

Within twenty minutes, I knew it was pointless. No one even heard me. No one came.

When my flight instinct kicked in, jump-starting my heart, making this room feel like the cell it was intended to be, I forced myself to remember that I’m not in danger. Not truly. Just as Evan won’t be killed by Marcus because he wants to be paid, I won’t be killed either. Too many people know that Marcus has a motive to threaten me. Which can only mean one thing.

Marcus is holding me for ransom, and there is only one person who would pay to keep me safe, and has the money that Marcus demanded. Gabe. I suppose we all should have been expecting Marcus’s callous move. Still, I realized I’d be out of here soon, and that I’d also owe Gabe money.