Every Way (Brush of Love 4)

“We weren’t dating,” I said.

“Then your fuck buddy caused my family a lot of heartache.”

“We ... we weren’t—”

“Whoever he was, he stole from my family. And you meant a great deal to him. That debt, Mrs. McBride, has never been recovered.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said breathlessly.

But I did know. I knew exactly what this man was talking about.

“My cousin wouldn’t be very happy to know of your ignorance. You know, if he was alive.”

“Your cousin?”

“You play dumb very well, but it doesn’t get you out from underneath the bus. That debt falls on your shoulders now, Mrs. McBride. I guess you should be careful with who you play ball with.”

I panned my watery gaze up to his hazel eyes as my mind flashed back to that night when I’d cowered around a corner and listened to those men beat John up and shoot him up with heroin. I’d crouched down in the darkness and listened to him gurgling on his own vomit. I remembered the night they dragged me from my bed and held me by my neck. I could remember how dirty and dingy the man smelled, but I also remembered those angry hazel eyes that looked me right in my face right before John had ripped them from me.

That was why these man’s eyes looked so familiar. He was related to the men who had tried to get me to pay for their lost drugs.

“Oh, no,” I whispered.

“Oh, yes,” the man said. “You owe a debt, and I’ve come to collect.”

“I’m calling the police,” I said. “You’ll never get away with this.”

“The police don’t care. Didn’t you learn your lesson the first time around?”

“They’ll care now that you’re here threatening a pregnant woman,” I said.

“They didn’t care all those years ago, and they won’t care now. I know you have a lot of money, Hailey. Your face is everywhere. How do you think it was so easy for me to track you down? I’ve read the articles. I’ve heard of your little tour. I found out about this beautiful establishment. All the way from Los Angeles. I bet anyone could track you down like this. Get whatever they needed from you.”

I was frozen in my spot as the man pushed off the counter. I watched as he walked back over toward John’s paintings and held his hand out. His dirty, grungy hand that was going to taint John’s hard work. It was the last two pieces I had that belonged to him. The only two pieces that hung in this gallery that had been done by him. The rest were sold the night of his showcase, minus the one I had given to Bryan that awful night.

“Don’t you dare touch that,” I said.

I had no idea where I got my voice from, but it seemed to unlock my body. I stood from the chair and reached underneath the table and grabbed my taser. It was something I had purchased when the gallery really took off. Bryan had convinced me to get something to defend myself since I had refused to hire on any sort of help. I wasn’t comfortable with guns nor did I have the power in my body to swing a baseball bat with any accuracy, so he’d talked me into getting a personal taser.

I held it out toward the man, and it prompted him to chuckle.

“I was surprised when I saw your picture on the news, though. Newspapers are one thing, but the news? That’s big-time stuff. Your ex-boyfriend would be proud.”

“We never dated,” I said through clenched teeth.

“You were something. A man never tries to save a woman without wanting something in return.”

“Guess you didn’t know John, then,” I said.

“Listen, I’m not here to torment you.”

“Then you’ve already failed at your job.”

“My cousin died because of your ex-boyfriend’s actions,” he said.

“We. Weren’t. Dating.”

“The point is,” he said as he turned his snarl toward me, “you owe me. All of it. Every single dime I lost because that damn fool intervened. Those drugs were lost in your art studio, so you’re the one who owes the debt. My family will get what we’re owed. My cousin lost his life because of that idiotic man.”