The Shark (Forgotten Files Book 1) Read Free Page B

of a sleek black car and waited for her to settle inside. She nestled into the car’s front seat. When he slid behind the wheel she reached for his crotch, but he brushed her hand away.
    “I thought you wanted to party,” she said.
    “No.”
    That unexpected twist revved her fears.
    Kevin gripped the steering wheel, but smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m going to get you fixed up. Hair. Nails. A new dress.”
    “Okay, sure.” She didn’t argue, fearing he’d tell Jax if she did.
    “You’ll like the dress.”
    “Sure.”
    Later, after her nails and hair were styled, he watched her slip on the yellow dress at his hotel room. The material was soft and silky. As he handed her a glass of champagne, his smile was mild. She started to relax. And then it all went black.
    Struggling now to sit, she realized she still wore the yellow dress, as well as gold teardrop earrings and silver high-heeled shoes. She wasn’t bleeding, hurting, or sore. What the hell?
    “Is she awake?” the old man asked.
    “Yes, she’s awake.” The second voice was familiar. Kevin.
    “Where am I?” she asked. Her words rumbled in her head, crashing into the sides of her skull. “What did you do to me?”
    Kevin shoved his hands in his pockets. “Nothing. You’ve been sleeping.”
    “Good, she’s focusing,” the old man said. “It’s important she’s aware .”
    Aware of what?
    She craned her neck to see a large round mahogany table surrounded by four tufted chairs. Playing cards lay in three neat piles, suggesting two players and a dealer. In the center of the table lay a pile of light-blue and a few brown poker chips, and on top of the chips, a torn sheet of notebook paper. A marker.
    “Water,” she said. “My throat is dry.”
    Kevin’s smooth fingers pushed a water bottle into her hand, and she drank without thinking. Cool liquid slid down her throat and eased the thirst. The familiar dread of facing a new john returned.
    When she finished drinking, Kevin took the bottle. She looked up into Kevin’s dark, now-worried eyes. Stubble darkened his chin. His loosened red tie dangled against a white rumpled shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows. How long had she been out?
    This didn’t make sense. “What happened to me?”
    A smile tipped the edges of Kevin’s lips. “Like I said, you’ve been sleeping.”
    They might not have hurt her yet, but that didn’t mean shit. Get the hell out of here.
    The warning voice echoed in her head. She moistened her lips. “Jax is gonna be mad if I don’t call him. I’m supposed to call him every hour.”
    As if she’d not spoken, the old man said, “It’s time. I won and winner chooses life or death.”
    “He’ll hurt me if I don’t call,” Vicky said. “He’s got a bad temper. I’ll do whatever you want, but just let me check in with Jax.”
    “You and I could play another hand,” Kevin said. “Double or nothing?”
    “No.” Impatience sharpened the word. “This was the last hand. You lost. Now I choose . . . death.”
    Death. The word jacked up her heart rate. Vicky pushed herself up on wobbly legs. “I need to get out of here. I’m going to be sick.” Not true, but if they thought she’d barf on their floor, they might let her rush out of here. She took a step and her legs shook. Running was impossible. Walking a stretch.
    The old man had a face pale as milk, but his eyes were black as coal. “Kevin, pay up now or I shoot you. You know how the game is played. We all agreed to the terms before the first card was dealt.”
    “I know. I know,” he stammered.
    The old man raised a gun and laid it on the table. A white shirt billowed over a thinning chest. “Do this or I’ll kill everyone you love first. Your wife, Jennifer. Your brother, Nate, who just got out of jail. Then you die.”
    Hearing the names of his family robbed Kevin of words. And then, “Why does she have to die? I’ll talk to her. She’ll be quiet.”
    The old man rubbed his thumb against his