Chapter 4

• April
• I was still reeling from the interview. One minute I was chatting with Jason Ryder, the next I was his new nanny. Well, trial nanny, but still. I had to prove myself, and I was confident I could do it. I'd been a nanny for years, and my clients loved me. But Jason was different. He was tough, and I knew he wouldn't hesitate to let me go if I didn't meet his expectations.
• And then there was the other thing. The thing that made my stomach twist with anxiety. I had to spy on him. For my brother's sake, I had to do it. But how? I was no spy. I was just a nanny.
• I paced back and forth in my room, trying to calm my racing heart. My phone buzzed, and I knew I had to face Anton. I arrived at The Reading Room, a swanky cocktail club in Tribeca, and stepped inside. The dimly lit room was like a different world, with soft jazz music and candlelit tables. The bartender looked up as I entered.
• "Ms. Flowers?" he asked, his voice low and smooth.
• I nodded, taking a seat at one of the tables. "Yes. I'm here to meet—"
• "I know," he said, gesturing for me to sit. "He'll be out in a few moments."
• Anton emerged from the shadows, his eyes narrowing as he took in my appearance. "So, April. Tell me about the job. What's the plan?"
• I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. "I'm in. I'm going to be working as Jason's nanny, taking care of his daughter."
• Anton raised an eyebrow. "And how do you plan to get close to him?"
• I hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. "I'll just have to play it by ear, I guess. Get him to trust me."
• Anton's expression turned skeptical. "You think you can just waltz in there and gain his trust? Jason Ryder isn't some easy mark, April. He's a powerful man with a lot to lose."
• I felt a surge of defiance. "I know what I'm doing, Anton. I'll make it work."
• Anton leaned forward, his eyes glinting in the dim light. "You'd better. Mike's life depends on it."
• I felt a shiver run down my spine as I left The Reading Room, the weight of my task settling heavy on my shoulders. I knew I had to succeed, no matter what it took.
• My heart was still racing—it hadn’t stopped since I’d received the text. Then, out of nowhere, a totally intrusive thought formed in my mind.
• It was of Jason. I pictured him sitting at his desk, wearing that slick suit, a slight smile playing on his gorgeous features. God, he was so damn hot—part of me could think of nothing other than the idea of being in his office alone with him, him strolling confidently around the desk, standing over me where I sat.
• “Go to the desk. And bend over.” He’d speak confidently, pointing casually behind him.
• I’d do as he asked, feeling thrilled and a little scared all at once. With my hands on the desk, he’d take his place behind me, putting his hands on my hips and sliding them down, down, to the hem of my dress. Then he’d flick it up, exposing my thong. The air would be cool against my nearly bare ass, and his hands would move up, squeezing the round flesh gently.
• I’d gasp, loving the pressure of his big, strong hands on my rear. Next would be the soft rustling of him undoing his belt and zipper, followed by the sensation of his stiff cock against my skin. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he was huge—no man with his sort of confidence could be anything but.
• He’d graze his head against my ass, a trace of wetness on his head. Then he’d slip a finger under the fabric of my panties, pulling them aside slightly, enough for my soaking wet pussy to be exposed. Then I’d feel his head against my lips, my eyes wincing shut in excitement and anticipation.
• With a firm push, he’d be inside of me. I’d focus on his cock, taking inch after inch as he entered me. When he was buried to the hilt, I’d glance back, loving the sight of his powerful body looming over me. Then he’d pull back and push into me again, pleasure rushing through my body. Jason would lift his hand and bring it hard against my ass, and then he’d—
• The door to the back of the place opened, and I snapped back to reality. I couldn’t believe I’d let myself get carried away in such a fantasy, and it vanished from my mind as soon as he stepped in.
• “Ms. Flowers,” he said in that impossibly low, gravelly voice. “A pleasure to see you.”
• Anton Cutter, the man responsible for kidnapping my brother, the one who’d forced me to spy on Jason.
• Anton was tall, around sixty-five, with short, silver hair and a beard to match. His eyes were dark, almost black, and his features were trim and sharp. I’d only seen him a couple of times before, and each time he wore a black suit more befitting of a funeral that day-to-day wear. He walked with total composure, as if he were the king of everything he saw.
• “Can’t really say the same.” I remained still, not wanting to give away that simply being around him was enough to make me fear for my life. The man was scary as hell—I felt sure he had blood on his hands.
• “Come now, there’s no need to be like that.”
• “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one with a brother to worry about.”
• Anton offered a knowing smirk. “Mike. I’m sure you’re worried about him. But there’s no need for that—as long as you keep bringing me good news, he’ll be safe and sound. And if you complete your task, you two will both be free to move on with the rest of your lives. It’s very simple, really.”
• “Simple aside from you threatening my brother’s life.”
• Anton said nothing, instead sliding gracefully into the seat across from me and gesturing for the bartender’s attention. “Something to drink?”
• “I’ll pass.”
• “I’d recommend it. Might calm you down a touch.”
• “I’ll be calm as soon as we’re done with this meeting.”
• Another sly smile, as if he were amused more than anything else. “You’re a willful woman, April. I like that. Too many girls around here seem like they’d shatter into a million pieces if you jumped at them. But not you—you’re strong.”
• I said nothing as the bartender wordlessly placed a glass of something dark in front of Anton, a cherry floating among the ice. He stirred the drink slowly before taking a lingering sip. I was getting the impression he liked to make me wait, liked showing me he was the one in control.
• “I’m not interested in compliments,” I said. “I want to get all this over with.”
• “I’m sure you do. But you know it’s not that simple. Michael got himself into quite a situation, and he’s very, very lucky that he’s still among the living.”
• “At least you’re not a cold-blooded killer,” I said. “You’ve got that going for you.”
• Anton flashed another smile, one that suggested I was off the mark with that statement.
• “You are aware that Michael stole from me, right?” He shook his head sadly. “Nothing worse than a thief. Actually, I take that back—there’s nothing worse than a thief who steals from his employer. The way I see it, if someone’s trusting enough to give you a job, the least you can do is return that trust. Michael saw things differently.”
• “I just want him safe. That’s all I care about.”
• Anton nodded. “I’m sure you do. Your loyalty to your family—another trait I admire about you. And one that’s not matched by your future employer.”
• “Jason?” I asked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
• “I won’t get into the dirty details, but rest assured I know what I’m talking about.”
• I said nothing, knowing there was no point in arguing with Anton. And more than that, I wanted to get the meeting over with as quickly as possible.
• “Anyway,” he said after taking another sip. “I heard you got the job. Congratulations.”
• “Almost. I’m on a week-long probationary period.”
• Anton nodded. “Sure. But Jason’s careful with who he hires. If he thinks highly enough of you to give you a chance, he likely thinks you’re the right person for the position. Simply show him that you are, and you won’t have anything to worry about.”
• He went on. “And Willa’s a wonderful little girl. You’ll have a great time with her.”
• Something about him mentioning Willa sent a shiver down my spine. What was his connection to her? He seemed to be close with the family, but obviously not in a way that could be trusted.
• “Let’s get on with it,” I said.
• He chuckled slightly. “Anyway, you’re about to start two very important jobs. The first is the one for which Jason has hired you. I’ve no doubt you’ll excel.”
• “And then there’s the one where I have to lie to his face and stab him in the back.”
• “That’s one way to look at it. The other is that it’s a job that’ll have your brother free and alive.”
• “I want to see him. I want to know he’s OK.”
• Anton regarded me for a long moment. “Normally, I don’t take well to that kind of tone. But since it is part of the agreement…” He slipped his phone out of the inner pocket of his suit jacket and swiped the screen. Then he held it up to my face.
• I gasped at what I saw. It was Mike, all right. But he was tied to a chair, a large bruise around his eye.
• “What the hell happened?”
• Anton’s lips curled into a smile among his silver neatly trimmed beard.
• “It appears that you’re not the only member of the Flowers family with a willful attitude. But unfortunately for Michael, he decided to mouth off to the wrong person.”
• “You did that?”
• He looked annoyed that I’d even ask him such a question. “Of course not. What kind of brute to you take me for? No, he got smart with one of the guards.”
• “That wasn’t part of the deal,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “You said he—”
• “I said that as long as you fulfill your end of the bargain, he’ll come back alive. And I intend to keep my promise. But I can’t be responsible if he can’t control himself in the meantime.”
• My stomach tensed in anger. Knowing Mike was in danger right at that moment—it hurt like hell.
• “Just tell me what I need to do,” I said. “You’ve kept me in the dark long enough.”
• “Good. Let’s get to the heart of the matter.” He took another sip before leaning back in his chair, crossing his legs, and folding his hands on his lap. “Now, the agreement was that in exchange for Mike’s freedom—both from potential harm and the responsibility of paying back what he stole—you work for Jason and track down some information for me.”
• “Right. What information?”
• “I need to tie him to the more important portions of his empire—my portions.”
• “The illegal parts, you mean.”
• He glared at me. “The most important parts.”
• “But why?”
• “Since taking the reins after his father’s passing, he’s proven himself something of an…unknown element. I need to keep him in check.”
• “How am I supposed to get this information?”
• “It’s likely on his computer. How you access that is up to you. Like I said before, you have thirty days. After that, whatever happens to Mike is on you.”
• “But I don’t know anything about hacking computers.”
• “You’re smart. You’ll figure out something. But if you fail to come through—let’s just say Michael will have more than a few bruises to worry about.”
• He finished his drink, tossing back the cherry along with a few slivers of ice. “And that’s all. I simply wanted to check in with you and make sure you understood both your job and what’s at stake.”
• “I understand.”
• He nodded. “Good. Allow me to see you out.”
• I couldn’t wait to get the hell away from Anton as quickly as possible. We both got up, and he led me to the door.
• “We’ll be in touch, April. And rest assured—I’ll be keeping a close eye on you.”
• Moments later I was back on the streets of the city. I took a beat to try to figure out if I had any options other than the terrible deal Anton proposed.
• The cops. I’d considered this before, of course. It would be so simple. Call the cops, tell them what was going on, and maybe…I don’t know, get put into witness protection, or whatever they would do for people in our situation.
• But Mike had shot this idea down every time. He was convinced Anton would find out and come after us. Or that the cops would have no pity on him and toss him in jail anyway.
• I felt helpless, scared out of my mind. But I didn’t have a choice.
• I had to betray Jason.