“Now, drive to the mall, I’ll follow you, we’ll have lunch and then I’ll help you pick out a few things.” He gave her side a tap and then headed around his car to the driver’s side giving her a glance, with those dark-colored sunglasses on before he got into his car.
Tasha unlocked her car, hands shaking before she got inside. She started the ignition and prayed that the investigator was watching all of this take place and would know why she was late. Dash was in control, and until he left her alone and went back to work, she was going to have to continue to play the game.
* * * *
“I am dead serious. The man was fucking gorgeous, and about six feet tall, dressed totally designer and his tongue was down her throat and they were all over each other in the public parking lot,” Catalina told Serefina.
Serefina covered her mouth and gasped. A thousand thoughts went through her head and they weren’t good. “She seemed happy? She wasn’t trying to get away from him?”
“Hell no. He was so freaking charming. I asked if he had a friend. That’s how good looking and sexy the man was.”
“Jesus, Catalina.”
“What, Serefina? You’ve got yourself three sexy, fine men. I’m a single girl surrounded by hot guys and no one’s interested.”
“You work a lot of hours, and men are interested.”
“Sure, the ones that want down my pants. Sorry but I’m not a slut.”
“Listen, what else did you notice about this sexy hot guy? What kind of car was he driving?” She heard someone clear their throat. Serefina turned around to see Bull standing there in only a towel. His arm was still bandaged and she was supposed to help wrap it in plastic for the shower but then her cell phone rang.
“It was some fancy Maserati in black. Very cool. I’m going to call her later to get the lowdown.”
“Okay. Thanks for telling me.”
“Are you kidding? I think Tasha hit the jackpot, literally. I’ll talk to you later.”
Serefina disconnected the call and ran her fingers through her hair.
“You want to explain the sexy hot guy comment?” Bull asked as he walked over to the couch in the bedroom.
“That was Catalina. She said that she saw Tasha making out with some sexy guy outside of the hospital.”
Bull widened his eyes and then squinted them. “She’s seeing someone?”
“I guess so.” Serefina stood up and walked toward the window. Was it the guy who was bothering her and hurt her wrists? Serefina hoped not. But why would Tasha do that? Why would she let that guy kiss her?
“Okay, spit it out now,” Bull said.
She turned to look at him. “What?”
“Don’t ‘what’ me. You know something.”
“I don’t know anything,” she said as she looked away.
“Wait, you’re pissed because you thought Tasha was going to accept your brothers’ advances. I get that, but you know they’ve been holding back for too long. Maybe they missed their chance.”
“Bull, we don’t even know if this guy she’s seeing is serious. I’ll call her after I wrap your arm.”
Bull wrapped his good arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest. “You’ll call her after you and I make love in the shower. Now move that ass, I’m getting a piece of that, too.” He gave her ass a slap and she squealed as she hurried into the bathroom.
Chapter 7
Tasha believed that prayer was a very powerful thing, and rightfully so, as Dash apologized for having to leave her right after lunch. She accepted his apology, but then he told her she needed to pick out an incredible outfit for tonight. He mentioned her meeting some important business associates of his, and that he needed her to look her best. He paid the bill, kissed her thoroughly, and then headed out of the main area of the mall. Tasha felt her heart racing, as she glanced around her, remembering where the store was she needed to be at over an hour ago, when she saw Carlo and Ink. Her guards were on her tail, and she needed to take extra precautions.
She decided since they made her so damn nervous she might as well let them know she saw them and knew they were there, so before she entered the expensive dress store, she gave them a wave.
Both men stood in the main part of the store, too close for comfort as she sifted through the racks and grabbed about ten dresses. “I’ll be a while,” she told them.
“We’ll be right here,” Ink said as he looked her body over. She gave him a sassy look and then headed toward the back dressing room area.
“Can I set you up in a room, darling?” the female clerk asked.
“Yes, please, I’d like a room that’s—”
“You have a lot of things, why don’t I show you to the specialty room. It will give you plenty of space and there are lots of mirrors?” She suggested and Tasha nodded her head. As soon as they were out of sight of Carlo and Ink, the woman spoke into her sleeve.
“The package has arrived, transporting now.”
She grabbed onto Tasha’s side making Tasha cringe and the woman scrunched her eyebrows together. “You’re hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
“Follow me.” They exited into the dressing room and to a door to the right. As she opened it up there stood three men, all dressed casually.
She swallowed hard as the door closed behind her.
“I’m Investigator Thor, this is Special Agent Merk and Investigator Riker. We don’t have a lot of time. How are the ribs?” he asked.
“Bruised badly. What are you going to do to get me out of this?” she asked. Thor looked at Riker and Merk. “Things have gotten a bit complicated. We need some more time,” Merk stated.
Tasha stared at them. “Are you fucking kidding me? You have to do something. I can’t take it any longer. He’s destroying my life, everything I’ve lived for is slipping out of my hands.”
“Tasha, we’ve been working on bringing him down. We’re gathering evidence but he’s not the only one we’re after,” Investigator Thor told her.
“You don’t give a shit about me, about how he’s assaulted me, taken over my life where I can’t even see my friends or he’ll kill them. He was in my mother’s hospital room this morning. He knows everything about me.”
“You have to cooperate for a bit longer. We’ve got people on the inside. Dash and three other men are part of an organized crime syndicate. They’re wanted for illegal gambling, prostitution, drugs, and money laundering. Dash is working on something big. We had an agent on the inside. His cover was blown or Dash just didn’t trust him and he killed him. His name was Avalon.”
Tasha was shocked. Dash was capable of murder. Melanie had said so. What about Melanie? How come these investigators hadn’t tried contacting her?
“If you know he did this, how come you can’t arrest him now for murder? What about one of the other women these men have gained control over? Surely they would be more valuable to your investigation.”
Thor opened his mouth to speak, but Agent Merk stopped him. He was a Federal agent. None of this sat right with her as her gut clenched. She needed to be smart. It seemed there was no one she could trust other than herself.
“There’s more going on here. Like we explained, they are part of an organization and there are two other men besides Dash that we’re after. They’ve killed before,” Agent Merk told her.
“I don’t understand why you need me to stay involved with him. I’m not a detective or an agent. I’m just a civilian trying to live my life.”
“You’re more than that. Dash knows that as long as he takes an interest in you and keeps you under his wing, then he can control the man he’s trying to manipulate.”
“Who?” she asked, her belly tightening the moment the words left her lips. Merk looked at Thor and then Riker answered.
“Your uncle Paul.”
Tasha’s mouth gaped open. Her uncle Paul? Her father’s brother? The man was an accountant.
She looked at Investigator Thor.
“Explain,” she whispered, feeling stupid, used, and just plain dumb.
“He’s been involved with the numbers racket for the past ten years. He’s been held under the thumb of a man by the name of Vincent Carbanero. A known affiliate with a Vegas crime boss.”
“So my uncle is a crook and now you want me to help arrest him? Why can’t you just bring him in if you know all this?”
“It’s not that simple. Your uncle can help to put all three of these men away for life, but he’s been persuaded to remain loyal and told that once this deal, whatever it is they’re working on is complete, then his business with them is over.”
“Persuaded how?”
“We need to speed this up. The two goons are getting suspicious,” Riker stated as he pressed his fingers against his ear. He must have been wearing some sort of mic and receiver.
“They got rid of his brother, they took his daughter Melanie, they now have you,” Thor told her.
It took her a moment to process her thoughts and understand what Thor just told her. Then it hit her.
“My father was involved?” Tears filled her eyes. Her father was a police officer. He worked as an investigator for the sheriff’s department years ago. She instantly thought about his car accident, and how terrible it was that he died in the car when it exploded upon impact. As if Thor read her mind, he continued to explain very quickly with little details.