Breaker's Point Bad Boy Billionaires Boxset (19 page)

She swallowed them back. He was a monster but she’d promised herself that she would never give him her tears. He wasn’t worthy of them.

“This is my house. You live here because I allow it and your loved ones live because I say they can. The next time you screw up I won’t be so gentle and one of them will die.”

“If you hurt them, you’ll get nothing. Without me and the weight my name carries, your plan is worthless.”

Marcus smiled and Holly felt the first real tendrils of terror creep around her spine.

“There are other ways to gain the respect your name carries, Holly.”

She tried to move away from him as he wrapped his other hand around her waist but his grip was vice-like and there was no escape. He spun her in his arms, dragging her body back against his, the bitter scent of sweat and alcohol burning at the back of her nose as he pressed his hand over her stomach.

“I could always breed you like the bitch you are. Our child would give me and my business all the respect and authority I could ever dream of.”

Holly didn’t wait for him to continue. The thought of him ever touching her intimately filled her with revulsion. Tightening her grip on the shard of glass still clutched in her fist, she jammed it down into the hand he had pressed over her stomach.

Marcus roared, the sound vibrating through Holly’s back that was pressed tight to his chest. He jerked away from her, blood dripping down over the back of his hand.

“If you ever touch me like that I’ll kill you.” Her voice trembled with the adrenaline that coursed through her veins.

Marcus studied her, the seconds ticking slowly by as Holly waited for him to make his next move. She knew that whatever he planned to do would hurt but facing his anger was far better than whatever devious plans he could dream up.

His laughter caught her by surprise, the sound of it crawling over her skin like dozens of tiny spiders on the march.

“Gotta admire a woman who fights her corner.” He took a step in her direction and Holly held the glass shard in front of her like a weapon.

Marcus raised his hands in surrender but Holly could tell he was simply mocking her. They both knew that she didn’t honestly stand a chance against him, not if he truly made his mind up to do her serious harm.

“You don’t need to worry though, the thought of seeing your pasty rolls of fat jiggling around as I showed you what it’s like to have a real man makes me want to hurl.”

His laughter disappeared as his expression hardened once more. “But make no mistake, Holly, I’ll do whatever it takes to get what I want. The terms of our deal aren’t set in stone.”

Marcus stalked past her. “Dump his ass out of here,” Marcus said to Victor as he gestured in Riley’s direction.

With Marcus gone, Holly let out the breath she’d been holding. His threat wasn’t an idle one and she knew it. Hurrying over to Riley, Holly dropped to her knees next to him, her hands hesitating over his bruised and battered body.

“Riley, please wake up.” She finally found the courage to brush her fingers against his cheek but it wasn’t enough to wake him.

His chest rose and fell with each breath he took and for that Holly was grateful. Marcus had done a nasty number on him but he was still alive. Bruises and cuts would heal.

Victor grabbed her arm and as he tried to drag her onto her feet, Holly pressed a kiss to her fingertips and brushed her hand against Riley’s face.

“I’m so sorry, Riley, I only hope you can forgive me.”

Victor pushed her aside before moving to grab Riley with one of the other guards that had appeared. Her tears finally started to fall as they carried Riley through the front door and out of sight.

“
Y
ou know
you should have gone to the hospital, right?” Anderson said, his baritone voice rumbling through Riley’s skull until he was certain the bones were coming apart at the seams.

“Go to the hospital and start up some sort of scandal? That’s the last thing I need to do. I need Marcus to think he’s gotten away with this.”

“Hasn’t he?” Anderson pushed himself up in the chair he had slumped into from the moment he’d arrived and straightened his cuff-links.

It never ceased to amaze Riley the way Anderson always appeared immaculately turned out no matter the time of day. Even now as the early morning sun started to shine in through the windows and glint off Anderson’s perfectly styled blond hair, he was dressed as though he expected to suddenly saunter down some designer’s runway. It was something Riley had always admired but had never managed to achieve himself.

As Riley’s oldest and most loyal friend, calling him up to come over had seemed like the best idea at the time. But his constant insistence that Riley should have gone to the hospital was beginning to grate. Stuart would have understood his need to keep the beating he’d taken from Marcus a secret. But then Stuart would have also insisted on confronting Marcus himself and that wasn’t something Riley could allow.

He hadn’t taken Marcus’ beating, stayed silent and still on the floor as Marcus threatened Holly just to let all he’d learned go to waste because his brother’s temper got the better of him.

Riley would pay Marcus back for everything he’d done but he would do it his way.

“No he hasn’t. Whose side are you on, anyway?” Riley said, pressing the ice pack a little too hard against his face.

His entire body burned with pain. Marcus had made sure he would be nothing more than a walking bruise and from the black and purple marks that decorated his chest, he was almost certain his ribs were cracked. But all of that would heal.

What really stung was knowing that Holly wouldn’t come to him with any of this. She was in trouble, real honest to goodness danger, and still she behaved as though it was nothing she couldn’t handle.

Hearing Marcus threaten her had almost been Riley’s undoing and he knew if she hadn’t reacted the way she did he’d have blown his own cover. The thought of that monster ever laying one finger on her was enough to make Riley want to march over there and end him. The only problem with that plan was knowing that Marcus’ guards wouldn’t ever let him get close enough to put a bullet between that bastard’s eyes.

“Are you sure you don’t have a concussion? You keep on drifting off into your own thoughts.”

“I’ve taken worse beatings than this, Anderson, and you know it.”

“I don’t know so much. He seems to be pretty skilled. I know you can defend yourself and yet you’re a mess.”

“That’s because I didn’t defend myself. I let him take me down…”

Anderson’s shocked expression made Riley smile.

“Are you mad? You let him beat you into paste and you didn’t even try and stop him? You’ve really lost your mind now and I refuse to help a mad man.”

Riley laughed, the movement sending a jolt of pain down through his ribs and out his side.

“I know you don’t want to hear it but are you sure you’re doing the right thing? By the sounds of it, Holly doesn’t want your help. I mean, she did just let you get beaten to a pulp by her fiancé.”

“And what was she supposed to do? She tried to draw him off me and, well, I’m stubborn. What happened is my fault and if I’d known it was as serious as it is I wouldn’t have gone over there the way I did.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to spoil his plans. Holly came to me initially because she was worried about Grey Mattheson’s interest in the charity she set up here in Breaker’s Point. He was growing increasingly insistent that she let him in on the board of directors and he’d gone so far as to threaten her and the charity.”

“That makes no sense. Why would Grey have any interest in threatening a charity? And what exactly does that have to do with Marcus?”

“Why he was so interested in the charity eludes me. Every avenue I investigate on that front seems to be a dead end but Marcus’ sudden appearance can’t be a coincidence. It’s all connected somehow, I just don’t know how.”

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing, Riley? I know you and Holly had a past but that’s long over and…”

Riley shook his head and stood, pacing over and back across the carpet. It was the only thing that seemed to help settle his swirling thoughts.

“I don’t know if it’s the right thing anymore. I always thought I had time to correct my stupid mistake and then all of this happened. If I’d gone to her sooner, then this wouldn’t be happening.”

“I think you’re missing my point. What if you’re not the person she wants anymore?”

“I hurt her but those feelings she had for me haven’t gone away. When I kissed her…”

“Wait, you kissed her? Was this before or after Marcus gave you the hiding of your life?”

“Before, he sort of caught us in the act.”

Anderson’s face blanched, the colour draining away and Riley could see the sudden realisation of the serious nature of the situation settling over him.

“If he did that to you, then what the hell is he going to do to Holly?”

Riley shook his head, the memory of Holly smashing the glass vase over Marcus’ head popping into his mind unbidden.

“He needs her too much to do any harm to her. I think that’s why he was so eager to get his hands on me.”

“Riley, what does her father think of all of this? Surely he has an opinion. I can’t imagine Niall McCombe sitting idly by as his daughter puts her life in danger?”

“From all the reports I’ve heard, he disappeared into a bottle the minute his wife left.”

“I still don’t understand what you plan on doing about all of this? Shouldn’t you get your brother in on all of this? Stuart’ll hit the roof when he sees the mess Marcus made of you.”

“He won’t do anything of the sort. The amount of times he forced me to stand by and watch him
fix
a problem his way has earned me the same courtesy from him.

“Holly’s charity is hosting an auction event tomorrow night to raise funds and I know she’ll be there. Of course wherever she is, Marcus is bound to be in tow. It’ll give me a chance to speak to her without raising suspicion.”

“And how the hell are you going to explain all of this?” Anderson gestured to Riley’s bruised face with a grimace. “People are going to want to know what happened to you.”

“I’ll worry about a cover story but I want to know you’ll definitely come to the party.”

“Me?” Anderson started to shake his head, his expression suddenly suspicious.

“Come on, you owe me after I got Stuart to get your sister out of Mexico unharmed. How is Lydia anyway?”

Anderson’s face instantly darkened at the mention of his sister’s name and Riley struggled to keep his own expression straight. Lydia was a wild child and her impulsive actions tended to drop her in dangerous situations but her trip to Mexico with her new friends had been the most dangerous. Especially when her friends turned out to be in debt up to their eyeballs with one of the largest drug dealers in Mexico and he’d decided Lydia was the perfect way to collect on the debt.

“I asked you because you’re my friend. I didn’t realise helping my sister would come with a price tag attached.”

Riley grinned. “It doesn’t, not really anyway. I mean come on, Anderson, I’ve only asked you to turn up at a party and you’re behaving as though I asked you for your first-born child.”

“You know how I feel about those snore-fests. What are you expecting to accomplish with me turning up?”

“I have a hunch about Marcus and I don’t think he’ll be fit to resist the lure of Anderson Clarke.”

“I refuse to act as bait, Riley, you know I don’t do well as bait.”

“I know but all you’ll have to do is listen to whatever it is that he has to say and then report back to me. That’s it.”

“And what if he doesn’t approach me?”

“Then I’ll have misread his intentions.”

“Which are?” Anderson’s voice was a little impatient as he pinned Riley with his icy blue stare.

“All will be revealed,” Riley said, a wide smile curving his lips as Anderson snorted in derision.

“Fine but only because we’re friends.”

“Good, now let’s get breakfast because I’m starving,” Riley said, dropping his ice pack onto the desk as he attempted to shrug back into his suit jacket, the pain in his shoulders and ribs making him catch his breath.

There was no doubt about it, as soon as he had Holly safe and out of Marcus’ reach he would make him pay and he would enjoy every second of it.

S
taring
down at the clipboard in her hands, Holly fought to keep her mind on the planning of the charity auction and off her memory of Riley lying silent and bloodied on the floor.

She hadn’t heard anyone mention the beating he’d taken and she’d honestly expected the gossip-mongers to have spread it around by now. The only way he could possibly have kept it so quiet was if he hadn’t gone to the hospital, or worse.

No, that was a stupid thing to think. Riley would be just fine; he was sensible and intelligent. The first place he would have visited was the hospital.

The memory of the sound of Marcus’ fists pummelling his body had kept her awake for the night and she knew it was something that would haunt her dreams until she knew Riley was safe.

Of course that wasn’t the only thing keeping her awake at night. Marcus’ new threat wasn’t conducive to a good night’s rest and she’d spent most of the night curled around the baseball bat she’d found in the back of her closet.

“Are you alright?”

The pen Holly held in her hand clattered to the floor as Paris’ voice jerked her from her thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, hastily dropping to the floor and searching beneath the chairs and tables that were scattered around.

“You do know if there’s something wrong you can talk to me. I don’t bite, you know.”

“I know. I’m sorry. My mind is just all over the place.” Holly grabbed the pen from beneath the chair it had rolled under and straightened up once more. “I’m fine, I’ve just got a lot on my mind at the minute.”

Paris nodded, the look in her eyes making Holly more than a little suspicious.

“I know, with your engagement and everything, it all happened quite suddenly…”

Holly could tell when someone was fishing for information and now was no exception. Paris’ curiosity was written all over her face. But then she couldn’t exactly blame her, it
had
all happened suddenly and Breaker’s Point was the type of town where everyone knew everybody else’s business. It had and always would be that way.

“Yeah, have all the volunteers arrived yet?” Holly said, determined to change the subject. She might not particularly like the nosey nature of Breaker’s Point and many of its inhabitants but she certainly didn’t have to play their games.

“That’s actually one of the reasons I wanted to come and talk to you…” Paris trailed off, a look of discomfort crossing her face as she dropped her gaze to the floor.

“Don’t tell me they haven’t turned up? This is going to be a disaster!”

“No, the volunteers are here, that’s all sorted. It’s actually that one of the auction slots has opened up again.”

Holly shook her head in confusion.

“I don’t understand. How can one of the slots have opened up? Everybody confirmed and they know it’s for the charity. Why would they back out?”

“Chelsea Mattheson was supposed to fill the spot but after everything that happened with her brother Grey… Well, she wants nothing more to do with it. She called me up this morning and she was adamant.”

Holly swallowed uncomfortably. She was part of the reason Grey was now dead. If she hadn’t gotten Riley involved then Grey would probably still be spreading his own special brand of corruption and murder around.

“That’s understandable. I can’t even imagine how she must be feeling…”

Paris nodded sympathetically. “They were very close. Chelsea said the only reason she volunteered to be a part of the auction was because Grey wanted her involved.”

“She didn’t happen to mention why he wanted her involved? Charity work never seemed like Chelsea’s forte.”

Paris shrugged. “No, but he was planning to run for some political office. No doubt it was to improve their image… Chelsea does have a little bit of a reputation and, well, he probably thought if she behaved philanthropically for a change that people might be more inclined to overlook her indiscretions.”

Holly smiled in agreement. “Well, I guess whatever the reasoning, none of that matters now if she’s pulled out. We don’t really have enough time to find someone else to fill the spot and…”

“We can’t kill the spot, Holly, you know that. If we do, we won’t hit any of our targets and the charity’ll suffer.”

“What do you propose, then? Because with everything we have left to plan, I’m not sure where we’ll pull another auction candidate from.”

“Well, the rest of the council were hoping you’d fill the spot.”

Holly’s stomach lurched and she started to shake her head. The thought of standing up there in front of everyone as they bid on her…
If
they bid on her. As far as she was concerned, she wasn’t exactly the type who would inspire the eligible bachelors of Breaker’s Point to part with their hard-earned cash.

“I don’t think so, Paris. I’m not exactly the type of girl they want to see up there. No one is going to bid on me.”

“Nonsense. You’re engaged now, so you’ve got a guaranteed bid with Marcus. And, well, he’s certainly wealthy enough to make it worthwhile for the charity.”

Holly smiled thinly. “Marcus won’t be here, this isn’t really his scene.”

“No? That’s strange. I received an RSVP from him a few days ago. I assumed you’d know because you’re together now.”

Holly’s breath froze in her chest. The charity was the one area of her life that she’d been safe from him. He’d never shown an interest in any of it, and he’d seemed content to let her continue working at it. Probably because it added value to the respectability of her name and that was Marcus’ true interest.

“Of course, it must have slipped my mind,” she said, pleased that she could at least keep the fear and strain from her voice.

“Great, so you’ll do it?”

Holly nodded, panic settling in her stomach. There was no way out of it. She couldn’t let the charity down and Paris was right on one hand. If they didn’t hit their targets for the charity, then it would suffer.

It wouldn’t be so bad. She’d hold her head high and smile and it would be over in a matter of minutes…

Of course the thought of Marcus placing the highest bid for a dance and dinner filled her with dread. Spending any length of time in his company was difficult enough but knowing his hands would soon be wrapped around her was enough to sicken her stomach.

“Are you alright, Holly? You’ve gone very pale.”

Holly plastered a fake smile on her face. “I’m fine, I just need to get back to the planning. There’s a lot to finalise before tonight and I still need to go home and get ready.

Paris grinned and patted her arm. “I know exactly what you mean. I’ve got a hair appointment in an hour and I only hope I’ve left enough time for the makeup artist to work her magic.”

“You’ll look wonderful, as always, Paris,” Holly said, but she could tell the other woman wasn’t even listening anymore as she peered down at her cell phone.

“You’re doing a great job, Holly. I can leave the rest in your capable hands?” Paris said, heading for the exit without even waiting for an answer.

The panic Holly had been holding down inside suddenly fought its way to the surface and she struggled to catch her breath. Was this how it was going to be for the rest of her life? Would Marcus creep into every aspect of her life until there was nothing left to escape into?

She had to marry him. She couldn’t see any way out of it. But as she stood in the centre of the ballroom she realised she had to find a way to escape him. If she didn’t, she knew she wouldn’t survive him.

The only problem was how could she escape without hurting anyone she cared about?