Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
I was drowning in debt and my sister needed help, so I made a terrible choice. I borrowed money from the infamous Marchesi family, knowing I had no way to pay them back.
Did I think I could evade them?
Did I think I’d win the lottery?
No, I didn’t think at all. I just acted.
Now, a killer is at my door, a man known for his ruthlessness, his persistence, and the way he can bring a man to his knees – for business or pleasure.
I’ve got to find a way to pay him back, and the only thing I own free and clear is my body.
Valentino
My job is extracting money from delinquent clients. If they can’t pay with cash, they pay with pain.
The next client on my list is Liam, but when I show up at his house ready to take his money or break him, I find a desperate young man who intrigues me so much I consider other options.
When he offers himself as payment, I long to torment him in ways we’ll both enjoy, but clients are off limits, and only fools break Marchesi family rules.
I might just let him make a fool of me.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
PROLOGUE
Two Years Ago
Liam
I squeezed my sister’s hand as I watched tears run down her cheek. We’d both done more than our fair share of crying since the accident, but seeing her heart break when we lost our father nearly did me in.
I shifted position in the hard plastic chair, awkwardly putting my arm around her. My other arm was stabilized with a sling as I waited impatiently for my collarbone to heal. Every movement I made was painful, but Ava needed comfort. That was all that mattered.
A doctor stepped through the swinging doors, and I tensed before I realized he was not the surgeon attending to our mother. I’d lost count of how many times Ava and I had sat here waiting for news. There’d been so many surgeries, so many attempts to save our parents. My mother had yet to regain consciousness, and now the doctors were once again trying to stop internal bleeding. I tried to be hopeful, but I knew the chances we would get good news—like the smiling family sitting across from us—were slim to none.
Ava laid her head on my good shoulder and wiped away her tears. “What are we going to do? If mom recovers, how will we ever pay for all the care she needs? It’s going to cost thousands, hundreds of thousands maybe, and my fall tuition payment is due next week.”
I fought the urge to curl into a ball as the few memories I had of the accident flashed in my mind: the car barreling toward us, trying to accelerate to get out of the way, my mom screaming.
I had no idea where we’d get that kind of money. I’d been at my current construction job for over a year, and I made decent money, but even if I could heal fast enough to keep the job, I didn’t know how we would come up with money for medical bills and Ava’s tuition. All I knew was that I would find a way for her to finish school.
“We’ll figure it out. My boss has been great about working with me so far. He knows as soon as I’m cleared by the doctors, I’ll be back on the job.” My head was pounding, but maybe I could fake it well enough for the doctors to believe I wasn’t still having symptoms from the concussion. I could at least do some office work until my collarbone healed.
Ava frowned. “I should get a job too. Without a scholarship—”
“No. We’re going to work it out. It’ll be okay. My phone buzzed, and I reached into my pocket and pulled it out.
“Who is it?” Ava asked.
It was my boss. “It’s Mr. Kemp. I better take it.”
“What do you think he wants?”
“Probably just checking on me. I’ll be right back, okay?” I stepped away as I answered, moving far enough down the hall that Ava wouldn’t hear my conversation.
“How are you feeling?” Mr. Kemp asked.
“Better every day.” I forced myself to sound upbeat.
“That’s good. Look, we just signed a contract on a new project. It’s a big one. Any chance you’ll be back with us by the end of the week?”
Not with two working arms. “I don’t think I can be ready that soon. My mom is in surgery right now, and my collarbone is still healing. I might be ready for some paperwork.”
“I really need you on the crew for the new job.”
“Maybe in two weeks I can be there.”
Mr. Kemp sighed. “I’m really sorry, Liam. I’ve tried to wait, but I’m going to have to replace you. We can’t wait to get the new job started.”
I leaned back against the wall as my knees buckled. The edges of my vision started to go dark. I closed my eyes and pressed my hand against the wall, trying to ground myself. Was this really happening? What were we going do if I didn’t have a job? How was I going to find one now while I was injured and needing to spend as much time as I could with my mom and my sister?
“I hope your mom’s surgery goes well,” Mr. Kemp said.
I swallowed, then forced out some words. “Thank you.”
“Take care of yourself.” He ended the call.
I stood there, holding the phone to my face. I felt numb. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to walk, but I needed to get back to Ava. What the hell was I going to tell her? Not the truth, that was for sure.
Despite my dizziness and blurry vision, I managed to make my way back to Ava.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing.” I fought to school my face. “I just…I still get a little dizzy when I walk around.”
“You should go lie down.”
“No, I’m fine. I want to stay here with you.”
“What did Mr. Kemp have to say?”
“Like I thought, he just wanted to check on me.” I hated lying to her, but I’d hate scaring her even more.