Ruin Me (Wreck & Ruin, #1)

THREE

THREE

Someone flicked a switch and the overhead light came on, which was at least something. Except the light didn’t reveal anything good. The windows had been bricked up. The only thing in the room was a bed with a bare mattress and a couple of pillows on it. The handcuffs attached to the frame betrayed what this room was used for on a regular basis and it was nothing consensual.

The floorboards were exposed. There were no drawers or pictures or knickknacks. This was the closest thing anyone would find to a cell in a residential neighborhood.

“What the f**k?” Rowdy said, turning on Kieran. “A hundred thousand dollars? What the f**k is this shipment he’s talking about?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know,” Kieran said, driving his fingers through his hair. “I swear to you, I didn’t know! I help with the shipment sometimes. With transporting, logistics. Merchant gives me a deal. I move what I can through the gym and—”

“A hundred thousand dollars? How can you miss a hundred thousand dollars?”

“It’s not like that. I didn’t miss anything. I didn’t touch the last shipment… I don’t know what happened! This is f****d up!”

“f****d up?” Rowdy asked. “I’ll say!” He spun to face Wreck. “What the f**k are we gonna do?”

Wreck didn’t answer Rowdy. He walked away from the brothers by the door, leading her across the room. Putting her back to the side of the bed, he let go of her hand but stayed in front of her. He took off his jacket and swooped it around her shoulders. The warmth and comfort of it was short-lived.

When he tried to sit her down, Tulsi objected. “No,” she said, shaking her head. Resisting the attempt meant moving closer to him. While her skin quivered at the proximity, he didn’t show any sign that he even noticed. “I don’t want to sit there.” Tulsi blinked up at him. “Look at those handcuffs; you know what they’re for.”

“That’s not your future,” Kieran said. She heard him, but kept her focus locked on Wreck’s. For the first time, she noticed curiosity behind his stern intensity. “Tulsi, babe, I am sorry about this.”

Kieran came over to them and seemed to be trying to muscle Wreck aside. For a few seconds, she stayed put and wondered what would happen if Kieran got more physical.

Before that could happen, Wreck side-stepped and grabbed a pillow from the bed. He tossed it into the corner and thrust a finger toward it. “Sit there.”

The command was issued like there was no doubt it would be followed, then he marched back to Rowdy at the door.

“Tulsi,” Kieran said and tried to reach for her face.

She dipped back. “Don’t touch me.” Shaking her head, she held up both hands. “I really don’t want you to touch me.”

“I know that you’re mad—”

“She’s not the only one,” Rowdy said. “Look at us.” He opened his arms to the room. “Two f*****g minutes, you said. Pay him the ten grand and split. You were worried about getting kneecapped and now we’re gonna f*****g die. Us, the guys, we’ll get a quick bullet. She…” Rowdy thrust a finger toward her. “She will probably spend the next six months begging for death. She’ll be f****d by every lowlife scumbag who has enough dough to pay for their sick pleasures.” His attention shifted to her. “I’m sorry, Tulsi. I’m not trying to be a d**k—”

“I’m not an i***t,” she said. “Well, maybe I am…” Tipping her chin up, she scanned the bleak space. “How the hell else did I end up here? I should’ve split while you were on the phone at the restaurant. I thought about it.” She inhaled and slipped her hand under her bangs to cup her forehead. “I should be careful what I wish for… Excitement and thrills…” Tulsi wasn’t sure who she was talking to, the words just tumbled out. “So much for my big imagination.”

Slinking away from Kieran, she went to the corner where Wreck had thrown the pillow and dropped to sit cross-legged on it, leaning against the cold concrete wall.

“We have to figure this out,” Rowdy said. “Yeah, you’re an asshole; fixating on that gets us nowhere.” Marching over to his brother, he was determined. “Tell me what happened.”

Kieran glanced her way.

Her attention was on the floorboards. Tulsi wasn’t thinking; she was numb. Whatever he wanted to say, he was obviously worried about saying it in front of her. She couldn’t decipher the specifics of his expression because he was only just encroaching in her peripheral vision. But it was too late for him to play coy.

Wreck began to move. She looked up just in time to see him grab a handful of Kieran’s shirt to thrust him back against the wall. “Talk,” he snarled.

“Okay. Okay,” Kieran said in surrender. “I swear I didn’t touch the shipment. I was supposed to. I waited at the pick-up point. I knew it was a big one. I didn’t know how big. Styx was supposed to pick me up, he never showed. I figured something had changed. Maybe there was a delay or someone had f****d up. I didn’t think that much about it. Things change all the time and I’m not exactly Merchant’s first call, you know? I’m pretty low down on the food chain.”

“Styx, what do you know about him?” Rowdy asked.

Kieran seemed to hesitate again. Wreck bent his arm to pull him forward and then slammed him back to the wall, locking his elbow to hold him in place.

“There’s been stories about him… He’s closer to Merchant than I am, but not close. No one’s close. Baines maybe. I don’t know why he’s here… It’s weird. Baines shouldn’t be here…”

“Because Merchant is missing a hundred grand,” Rowdy said. “Maybe that’s why he’s sent his lieutenant in.”

Kieran should’ve figured that out on his own. Even Tulsi could draw that conclusion. Anyone who was missing a hundred thousand dollars would be doing all they could to figure out what had happened to it.

“What was it? Steroids? Coke? Meth?”

Kieran tensed and closed his eyes tight as he shook his head. “No, I don’t know… maybe… I swear to God, I’m not one of those guys. I do what I do for extra cash… for street cred. Where do you think I got my car? I’ve got a lifestyle… that’s all… I don’t do it ‘cause I want to be like these guys or even want to be close to them. Most of them are scum… You know what it’s like…”

“Because I’m scum?” Rowdy asked. “That’s what you mean. Because I’ve been inside.”

“I don’t think that,” he said. “It was easy money.”

“Always taking the easy route,” Rowdy said. “That’s always been your problem.”

“And you love lecturing me about it,” Kieran said. “What are we going to do?”

“We?” Rowdy asked. “I don’t know… We’re stuck here until Merchant decides what he wants.”

“We can’t just sit here!”

Rowdy laughed. “What do you want us to do? Break through brick walls? Smash our way through the door? Even if we could, then what? Everyone in this neighborhood knows Teal, knows what goes on around here, they’re not gonna snitch. They’re sure not gonna save us. Baines is out there. They have six guys, we have three.”

“We can take six.”

“Yeah?” Rowdy said. “So why didn’t you?” Although he gave his brother time to answer, none came. “You know Wreck is good for it and I’ve always had your back… ‘Cept you know Baines is armed… and he’s a f*****g psychopath. As soon as we walk out that door, one of us gets a bullet. Maybe two of us before we even get close to those guys… And if you’re lucky enough that Merchant wants you alive to question you, Wreck and me will be the ones taken down… or Tulsi will take the heat for all of us. We’re not taking that risk.”

“So much for anything for family.”

“You should’ve told us about this,” Rowdy said. “We walked in here blind and with a f*****g woman for God sakes! Do you know how much it pisses off Wreck to be blindsided? You f*****g should.”

“I know,” Kieran said, switching his focus to the man who still had a hold of his shirt. “Sorry, man. I know you just came for effect.”

“He’s in it now. We all are. Whether we want to be or not. We just watched Baines kill that girl, whoever the hell she was. They’re not going to just forget that we witnessed a murder. So now we’re here on the hook for the hundred grand of gear you say you never saw. Even if by some miracle that pans out, how the hell do we make them believe that we’re going to keep quiet about that girl losing her life?”

“Baines murders people all the time,” Kieran said. “He probably doesn’t give a s**t. I’m sure they have cops on the take.”

“You think it’s reassuring to tell us the man is a serial murderer? Do you think it makes Tulsi feel better?” Rowdy asked, backing up enough to gesture at her behind Wreck. “You think it makes her feel better to know the sick f**k is a serial r****t too? Merchant has whorehouses in a dozen cities in North America. You know it and I know it.” He marched around the bed to flick the handcuffs that were attached to the frame. “These aren’t here because they go with the décor. The women Merchant uses don’t work for him by choice. He buys them in shipments from dealers in other countries. He doesn’t traffic them, but he sure as hell exploits them. That girl out there probably came to this country with a dream and look what the f**k she got.”

“Tulsi’s not like that,” Kieran said. “She’s different. She’s special.”

“Yeah, and as soon as Merchant finds out you’re dating her, he’s gonna use her against you… We saw out there just how great you are at standing up for other people.”

In his defense, Kieran had made a couple of attempts to stand up for her. But he hadn’t been the one she’d hidden behind. Rowdy had been the one to step up for the woman who ended up dead. If what Kieran said about the shipment was true, the chances were Rowdy was right. Merchant would want to question him, which meant if he needed to be persuaded or Merchant wanted to make a point, Rowdy, Wreck, and she would be disposable.

“He took my purse,” she said, her gaze returning to the floor. “These people know everything about me.”

Her bank cards, her ID, all of it was in that purse. If she was lucky, they would throw it in the trash without going through it. Somehow, she doubted her luck was in. The more information Teal’s goons and Baines gave Merchant, the happier he’d be. Despite never having met the man, Tulsi already had strong opinions about Merchant’s character.

Merchant, whoever he was, was a d**g dealer and a pimp. He commanded people who feared him, or at least those who relished being rewarded. If he could afford a hundred thousand dollars in drugs, his business was going well.

On top of that, there was the bounty Teal referenced. If she made it through this experience, she had a feeling that one day she would come face to face with this Merchant. Already Tulsi was dreading the moment she would have to look him in the eye.

“All we can do is wait,” Rowdy said.

Wreck’s head snapped in his direction, away from her. Tulsi had no idea what secrets were being revealed in his expression.

“Wait?” Kieran asked.

“What else can we do?” Rowdy asked Wreck.

There was something different about the way Rowdy spoke to Wreck, something she couldn’t put her finger on. Yes, Rowdy was familiar with Kieran. He spoke to him like a brother. When he spoke to Wreck there was respect and deference, but not fear. Though somehow, she sensed there was a connection, maybe an intimacy between them.

She had no idea about Wreck’s relationship with Kieran. He’d said so little. Maybe the three were related by blood. They didn’t have the same look about them though.

With another shove, Wreck pushed away from the wall, letting Kieran go. He turned his back to walk towards the door. When he got there, he laid his hand against it and just stopped.

“We should get some rest,” Rowdy said. “You get over here.”

He was looking at his brother who was kowtowed enough to do as he was told. Kieran traipsed around to the opposite side of the bed. Rowdy got on and lay in the middle, folding his arms and fixating on the ceiling.

“I’m too wound up to rest,” Kieran said.

“Sit your f*****g a*s down,” Rowdy replied, nodding at the side of the bed. “If we get a chance to rush these guys, the more rested we are, the better. Besides, we could be here for a week before they open that door. Unless you have some other secrets to share, I’d say it would be best for all of us to just shut the f**k up and reflect on what a clusterfuck this is.”

Wreck didn’t want to talk. Tulsi couldn’t say that she did either. Rowdy was right; there was nothing more to say. They couldn’t plan an escape; they didn’t know enough. They didn’t have numbers or weapons.

From what she’d gathered, Rowdy and Wreck had been there to back Kieran up while he paid his debt. She wasn’t sure what the debt was, whether it was for drugs he used or drugs he sold. But there was a hell of a difference between ten and a hundred thousand.

Kieran lay on his side, putting his back to his brother. Tulsi was glad that he was as far away from her as the bed would allow. She didn’t want to look at him. All she wanted to do was sit and stare.

Kieran was snoring. The man had faults enough; snoring was an insignificant one. At least the rhythm gave her something to focus on. Something soothing.

Rowdy was asleep too.

Tulsi didn’t have her watch on and didn’t have her purse. She had no idea how long they had been in the room or since anyone had spoken. Hours no doubt.

Wreck was sitting on the bottom corner of the bed. His boots were on the floor, his elbow rested on the bar at the foot of the bed. He was wearing a tee-shirt so she could see a heavy watch on his wrist. But if she was going to ask him to speak, she wanted to know more than just the time.

More than once since she’d gotten over the deepest of her reverie, she thought about opening her mouth and asking him something. Except, she couldn’t work out what to say. Each time she talked herself out of speaking to him before returning to her reflection.

He wasn’t asleep and neither was she. As far as Tulsi could tell, they were staring at roughly the same spot on the bare floor.

“Would you like your jacket back?” she asked, finally breaking the silence. “Are you cold?” The only response she got was a grunt. At least that was an acknowledgement he’d heard her. “It’s crazy, isn’t it? How quickly life can change.” She’d had her arms wrapped around her knees for some time, hugging them close to her chest. Releasing one, she turned up the collar of the jacket. Burying her nose against it, she inhaled his scent. “They’re going to kill us, aren’t they?” His gaze shifted. Tulsi felt his eyes on her. Hers were still focused on the floor, so she didn’t see his attention move. Yet, there was no doubting it; the sensation of his gaze locking onto her was undeniable. “I suppose I should be grateful. Life hasn’t been so bad.”

Just a massive disappointment. Tulsi was thinking about the highs and lows of her life when his voice rose to a mumble.

“You should sleep.”

“Why?” she asked. “So I can spend my last hours on earth unconscious? I have a horrible habit of dreaming.” She’d never considered it a curse before, but in this situation, she couldn’t conceive what positives her subconscious would be able to conjure. “If I close my eyes now, all I’ll see is that woman on the floor. Feel the way my heart was racing when Baines demanded I show him my body.”

“You’ll live,” he said in a tone that wasn’t reassuring or pessimistic. He stated it as fact.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Women are a commodity.”

Because this guy Merchant knew how to exploit them. “I think I’d rather die,” she said.

“You’re strong. You’ll endure it.”

“Why would I want to?” she asked. “Strength is relative. A person needs something to fight for. To live for. If they want to survive a trial. I’ve been coasting for so long; I barely know what month it is until I look at a calendar. One day is the same as the next.”

“Life is a shitshow.”

Another fact. That one made her smile. “It sure is. You know what’s crazy? For months, I’ve been rejecting Kieran’s advances. I didn’t want to go out with him. I just ran out of ways to say no. This is what I get for being polite. I thought one dinner and he’ll realize there’s no chemistry between us. I thought the decision was smart… My gym membership has another six months to run and I like the facilities.” She smiled and pulled the collar of his jacket up to her nose again. “I sound like an idiot.” He didn’t respond. “I am an i***t. Look at where the hell I am, think that’s proof enough.”

“I’m here too,” he said and their eyes met.

The darkness in his gaze was shaded by the line of his lowered brow. “You frown a lot.”

He took his attention away. “You should get some sleep.”

“I’ll sleep when you sleep.”

“Someone should stay awake.”

“Why?” she asked. “If they’re going to storm in here and put bullets in us, there’s nothing we can do to stop them now… And if they come in to drag me out by my hair, I’ll make enough noise to wake you… Not that you should put yourself in danger to help me.”

It was amazing how quickly silence could fall. Kieran’s snoring had lessened, but she was so fascinated by the man at the end of the bed that she almost forgot the other two were there.

Tulsi looked at the scuffed heavy black boots on his feet. She guessed they were functional, keeping his feet warm and allowing him to move fast when he had to. The denim of his worn jeans looked soft and bore the wrinkles of where it had creased when he walked or sat.

His narrow hips were circled by a distressed leather belt. It wasn’t one of those designer numbers that people paid a fortune for to get the homeless look. It looked more like an old friend that he used because it had never let him down. The dark grey of his tee-shirt appeared new. Not new exactly, but newer than the jeans.

“Are you related?” she asked. “To Kieran and Rowdy?” He shook his head. “How do you know them?”

“You should sleep,” he said, curt in his response in a not-so-subtle signal that he didn’t want to talk.

Tulsi heard the signal, but chose to ignore it. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep even if I wanted to. I’m not a good sleeper when I’m anxious… You sleep.” Standing up then bending down to flip over the pillow, she fluffed it. “It’s not much, but…” Tulsi gestured to the floor and side-stepped out of the way. “Lie down and get some sleep. I’ll wake you if I hear anything… There’s no use in both of us staying awake. If anyone’s going to be kicking a*s and getting us out of this mess, it’s more likely to be you than me.”

“I’m no one’s hero. The only a*s I’m interested in saving is mine.”

She smiled, which seemed to narrow his eyes. “Then you better conserve your energy.” Taking his jacket from her shoulders, she went over to offer it to him. “Don’t get cold.”

It seemed silly to say that when he was wearing more than her. His jeans and tee-shirt were probably warmer than her silk dress and heels.

He took the jacket and stood up. Instead of putting it on, he swept it around her shoulders. Only this time, he didn’t let go and finished the move by tugging the leather, forcing her to stumble against him. She flattened a hand on his torso to steady herself before peeking up at him through her bangs.

“You’ll keep me warm,” he said, his voice dropping an octave to hit deep in her gut.

Still with a hold of the open edges of his jacket, he turned to walk backwards, forcing her to walk with him until they reached the corner where she’d left the pillow.

“Down,” he said.

Another command, like when he’d told her to sit. Their eyes remained locked, but her knees buckled. Tulsi lowered herself down onto her knees. Arousal was already thrumming at the apex of her thighs.

They weren’t even touching anymore. She was on her knees with his jacket around her shoulders and he stood in front of her, tall and domineering. She didn’t know what command he would give next, but knew she wouldn’t refuse it. l*****g her lips, she let them part, aware of how difficult it was to drag air into her lungs.

Staying high on her knees, her mouth was just a few inches from the buttons of his jeans. The heat of their bodies mixed and merged, charging the air around them. Tulsi was loathed to close her eyes in a blink. Wreck didn’t seem to need to, he was so intent on her.

Just as she began to wonder if he expected her to take the next step, he lowered down to sit on the floor. He took the edges of her jacket again and pulled her to him, yanking her toward his hard body as he lay down. Crooking a leg, he curved it around her thigh and tugged her across the floor to put her between his thighs.

“Close your eyes and sleep,” he said, pulling her down so her chest was on his stomach.

The contact made her aware of exactly the reaction his body was having to their proximity. He may have seemed unaffected, but she felt him, hard and proud, pressing into her belly.

“Wreck,” she whispered, peeking up at him.

He put a hand on the back of her head, and turned it to lay her temple on his solid body. “Sleep.”

Another command. Tulsi closed her eyes and complied.