This Thing of Ours (The Gamblers Spin-off Novel) Read online

  The chilled morning air coming through the open front door started to penetrate her sleep-warmed body. It traveled from her bare feet, up the exposed length of her legs and under the hem of her oversized, baggy sleep shirt where the iciness caressed over her stomach and hardened her already hard nipples. She shivered. But before she could ask Marco what he was doing there, he pushed his way in, slamming the door and cutting off the draft.

  Gabby took a few hasty steps back, hugging her arms around her middle. Marco, of course, looked perfect, dominating the room. She watched him as his eyes swept his surroundings. Ever vigilant.

  He was, again, in a suit, the color that day, a rich, warm gray. His shirt was blindingly white, its collar encircled with a silver tie, precisely knotted. He was freshly shaven, but she knew that wouldn’t last long, and that by the middle of the day, he’d have a dusting of black scruff covering his jaw. But his hair would still look just as perfect as it did then, no matter how many times he ran his fingers through it.

  His eyes made a full circuit, landing back on her. “You went on a date last night.”

  It wasn’t a question, but she knew he expected an answer. Straightening her shoulders and acting braver than she felt, she replied, “Yes.”

  He took a step closer and even with the few feet that still separated them, he loomed over her. “I don’t want you seeing him again.”

  What?

  Why should he care if she dated? Unless he cared. Her heart started beating faster in her chest, as she asked, what to her was the most vital of questions, “Why?”

  “It’s not safe until we know more about him.”

  And her bubble burst. How silly of her to think she’d get a declaration of love. “You want to do a background check on a boy from my school?”

  “Yes.”

  “You guys are ridiculous. I’m an adult and don’t need your permission to go out on a date.”

  “You’re acting like a spoiled child.”

  Oh, no, he did not just say that. She took a step back, crossing her arms more firmly across her chest, and said as calm as she could muster, “No. I’m acting like a woman with a brain in my head and not some macho thug who sees imaginary threats around every corner.”

  His nostrils flared, his jaw tensed, and his eyes hardened. She took another hasty step back, admitting to herself that macho thug may have been a bit too far.

  His left eye twitched, and she saw him take a deep breath—hopefully calming himself. “I forbid you from seeing him again.”

  And that was the word that broke the proverbial camel’s back. “You forbid me? You’re not my father. You’re not even my brother. Hell, you’re nothing to me.”

  “Nothing? You’ve got a lot to learn, little girl.”

  “Don’t call me that.” Yes, she’d stupidly accompanied that declaration with a stomp of her foot.

  “Then stop acting like one. Rules are put in place for specific reasons. So you don’t get hurt.”

  She turned her back on him, done with the conversation. She could talk until she was blue in the face, and he still wouldn’t hear her. “Just go, Marco.”

  “We only ask that you wait until we check the guy out, then you can go out with him.”

  And there it was. He really didn’t care. She curled her shoulders forward, back to hugging herself, trying to keep the pieces of her shattered heart somewhat in the right spot. Sighing in defeat, she repeated in a small voice, “Please, just go.”

  “Promise you won’t do anything stupid.”

  She gave him a small nod, leaving her head in a bowed position until she heard the front door close. Drained of energy, she dropped to the floor, tucking her legs to her chest, and wrapping them with her arms. Resting her cheek on her knees, she closed her eyes and mourned a relationship that had never even been real.

  Chapter Four

  Gabby was already sipping her third latte by the time she spotted Derek walking through the door of The Grind. He looked handsomely preppy wearing a light-pink Polo shirt—that went great with his coloring—and a pair of dark, crisp jeans. The weather was unseasonably warm and sunny, and a pair of shades hid his eyes.

  He spotted her and smiled, removing his sunglasses while walking her direction. Sliding into the seat beside her, he leaned in, kissing her cheek.

  He looked down at her half-empty cup. “Am I late?”

  Tipping her lips up, she shook her head. “I’m early.”

  She didn’t mention she’d been sitting at the coffee shop for the past three hours. That would raise questions she didn’t want to answer. Like that she had to sneak out of her own house before the sun was up, walk two blocks before calling a cab, then promptly disable her phone—pulling out the battery to be on the safe side—so she couldn’t be tracked. The last thing she wanted was Marco showing up, breathing his doom and gloom theories all over her date.

  Ever the observant one, Derek scanned the shop, then asked, “No entourage?”

  She smirked into her cup. “I’m living dangerously.”

  He gave her a boyish grin. “Then let’s make the most of it. There’s a fair happening just outside of town. What do you say?”

  She returned his grin. “I say, I can eat my weight in cotton candy, and you’d better kick ass at carnival games because I want a giant stuffed animal.”

  “Ready to hold up your end of the bargain?” Gabby asked, stopping Derek in front of a penny-toss game that had giant stuffed teddy bears on display.

  They’d spent the whole day at the fair, and the sun was just setting. Gabby couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun. The rides were old, rickety, and probably not very safe, but they hadn’t hesitated to get on them—not a single one. They had eaten their weight in junk food—hot dogs, popcorn, and her beloved cotton candy. Hours had gone by too fast and while she was enjoying the one she was with, Marco, as usual, was never far from her mind. She wished that weren’t the case. Wished her heart would forget him and open itself to other possibilities.

  “I think this game is rigged. Plates everywhere and I can’t get a penny to land on any of them.” Derek had his game-face on. Eyes squinted, head tilted, a look of concentration lining his features, he raised an arm, lining up for his next shot.

  Gabby laughed. “Aw, come on, I saw a little girl carrying one of these bears earlier. It can’t be that hard.”

  He gave her a dirty glance before letting the penny fly. It hit the edge of a plate with a ding before falling to the floor. “Shit.”

  Gabby giggled.

  “You sure you don’t want something else.” He looked around and pointed over her shoulder. “Over there. I’m good at basketball.”

  Gabby looked behind her then gave Derek a mock pout. “Those aren’t as big.”

  Without missing a beat, he leered, “So you like ‘em big?”

  Gabby stilled. She knew it was a joke, but wasn’t it a little young in their relationship for sexual innuendos?

  He raised his brows, obviously reading her expression. “Too soon?”

  She felt stupid and like the prudish virgin she was. Shaking off her stuffy attitude, she nudged him with her shoulder and tried her own hand at sexual innuendo. “The bigger, the better.” She followed that up with a playful eyebrow wiggle.

  He was still for a moment, then he tipped his head back, laughing. His arm came around her, hugging her shoulders. “For you, fair maiden, I will prevail to win you the biggest prize in all Carnival Land.”

  Their banter was silly and stupid, but she loved it and told him so with a big smile and hug in return.

  The sun was long gone by the time they made their way through the parking lot, the sounds of the carnival fading the closer they got to Derek’s car. Gabby carried her giant teddy bear on her hip, its head towering over her own. Though she was tired, having been up since before dawn, strangely she was also invigorated, and she realized she was disappointed her date with Derek was coming to an end.

  “I had a really good
time. Thank you.” She glanced over at Derek to find him already looking at her. He had a weird twist to his lips, but she blamed it on the parking lot’s overhead lights, casting shadows on his face and distorting his features.

  “I had a really good time, too. Thanks for agreeing to go out with me.”

  Gabby laughed. “It was either that or have you pester me the rest of the semester.”

  Derek laughed as he was meant to, but it sounded hollow. She took another peek at him as he opened the passenger’s side door of his car for her.

  “Everything okay?” She stood inside the space of the open car door with Derek in front of her, but she didn’t feel trapped.

  He smiled, genuinely that time. “Yeah, just think I’m still in shock I actually won you that bear.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, you lucked out on that shot.”

  He raised his brows in mock offense. “Luck? I’ll have you know, it was pure skill.”

  “So, you intentionally threw the penny so it would hit the side wall and rebound back to land on the very edge of the plate?”

  “You doubt my mad skills?” He took a step forward, crowding her between the car door and his body. The mirth vanished from his face as his eyes dipped, homing in on her mouth. He plucked the bear out of her arms, leaned into the car, and tossed it onto the back seat. When he emerged, he was even closer. “I want to kiss you.”

  She wasn’t sure what to say. Was he asking permission? Wasn’t he supposed to just swoop in and take? She didn’t know. She’d never been kissed. At least, not really kissed. The hard peck by Johnny Talbert in the sixth grade and the sloppy one from Tom Cressent in the tenth didn’t count.

  His head bent closer, and she tipped hers back, keeping him in sight. She licked her lips, which was stupid because it brought his attention back to them. Or maybe it wasn’t so stupid. Shouldn’t she want him to kiss her?

  “Say okay.”

  Guess he was seeking permission. Gabby licked her lips again then swallowed. “Um, yeah, okay.”

  It took less than a second for his lips to find hers. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to feel, but there wasn’t the shock of awareness she’d read about in romance novels—not even a tingle. He added pressure, and she was forced to grab his waist or risk losing her balance.

  His lips smashed hers against her teeth, and she parted them. He took that as an invitation, sweeping his tongue in. His head tilted to gain better access, and she helped, mimicking his action but in the opposite direction.

  He seemed to be enjoying the kiss, one of his hands finding her shoulder, the other her waist, bringing their bodies closer.

  Gabby had to admit, the kiss was pleasant. Not awe-inspiring, but were kisses supposed to be? She had nothing to compare it to. What if that was it and it didn’t get any better?

  He ended the kiss before she could ponder it further, taking a step back, the hand on her shoulder coming up to cradle her neck. That was nice. So was the thumb he brushed softly along her jaw.

  She couldn’t read his expression. Sadness or maybe even guilt? Whatever it was, it wasn’t an expression you’d expect to see from the person who’d just kissed you.

  “You sure everything’s okay?”

  Staring at her face but avoiding her eyes, he took a moment to answer, then finally said, “I’ve just been wanting to do that for a long time.”

  “Well, I hope it lived up to your expectations.”

  He finally looked her in the eyes and said, “Better.”

  She thought for sure this was the part where he would ask her out on another date, but he didn’t. Instead, he dropped his hand, took another step back and helped her into the car, closing the door once she was situated.

  She watched as he rounded the hood, got in on his side, and started the car. She felt as if she should say something, but she wasn’t sure what, so remained silent as he pulled from the parking space and drove out of the lot.

  “Where are we going?” Gabby scanned the dark highway through the front windshield, looking for any familiar landmarks.

  “My friend’s having a party, and I promised him I’d stop by.”

  Why hadn’t he said anything earlier? She didn’t like surprise plans. “I really should be getting home.” She’d already been gone too long. Someone would notice her missing soon, if not already, and if she didn’t get home, they would start to worry.

  Derek took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “We’ll only stay a few minutes. I’d like to show up with a pretty girl on my arm. Make all the guys jealous.”

  Gabby nodded. Worse come to worst, she could always call herself a cab.

  The house was in the middle of nowhere—literally, she had no idea where they were. Two cars were parked at the curb in front, and an SUV sat parked in the driveway. Lights were on, but the place looked and felt quiet. No shadows moved in the front windows. No loud music could be heard.

  “You sure this is the right place?” Gabby asked, turning her attention from the house to Derek.

  He pulled up behind the cars parked at the curb, took the key from the ignition, and unclipped his seat belt. “This is it.”

  He got out of the car, walked around to her side, and opened her door. He reached out a hand. Gabby hesitated before taking it and getting out of the car. Something didn’t feel right.

  “What kind of party is this?”

  “Just a small get-together. We usually play poker or video games.”

  He held her hand firmly as they went up the walk. The porch was shrouded in shadows the moon couldn’t penetrate, giving it a spooky vibe. Gabby dug in her heels and tried to pull her hand from his. She did manage to slow Derek’s stride, but just barely. “Listen, I really should get going. But it’s cool if you want to stay with your friends, I’ll call a cab.”

  The front door of the house opened suddenly, and a man in a suit filled the entrance. He shouted something in a foreign language—Russian maybe—and Derek’s grip on her grew tighter.

  Derek said something back in the same language, pulling Gabby along—because at that point she was struggling. The man stepped aside as she was shoved through the door. She heard the slamming of it and a bolt being thrown before she gained her balance. Spinning on her heels, her eyes found Derek, and she threw an accusatory look his way. “What the hell is going on?”

  He did have the grace to look ashamed—she’d give him that—before he mumbled, “Please, forgive me,” and slunk from the room.

  The man by the front door moved forward and took her by the upper arms in a steely grip. She tried to yank away, but all that got her was a tighter hold. He spun her so she faced the room, and that’s when she noticed the other man, sitting in a wingback chair. He sat, legs crossed, one hand dangling off his knee, the other holding an unlit cigarette with his elbow resting firmly on the arm of the chair.

  He wasn’t someone Gabby recognized—not that she should—but she couldn’t help noticing his similarity to Derek. Or, should she say, Derek’s similarity to him.

  Her suspicions were confirmed when he said in a deep, thickly accented voice, “My son, he follows orders well, da? Unlike some children.”

  Clearly, he meant her and her foolishness of going out unprotected. A pit of dread settled in her stomach, making her feel queasy. With the fingers of the man behind her digging into her flesh, she knew it was pointless to struggle again. That didn’t stop her from trying, earning her nothing but an even firmer grip that would surely leave bruises.

  She turned her frustrations back to the man before her. “Who are you?” Because, she sure as hell could bet, Derek’s last name really wasn’t Miller.

  “Who I am is irrelevant. What I want is the true answer you seek.”

  “Fine. Then what do you want?”

  “Just a bit of your time. Nothing, really, in the broad scheme of things.”

  That wasn’t a true answer either, and Gabby knew it wasn’t nothing he sought. Fear raced down her spine the longer his eyes remained fixed on
her. Then, after what felt like an eternity, his eyes moved to the guy behind her, and with no more than a curt nod, she was dragged from the room.

  She’d like to say she screamed bloody murder and put up a good fight, but after her first initial protest, her abductor’s arms wrapped around her chest so tightly, she used all her fight just to breathe.

  She was half-dragged, half-carried down a flight of stairs and into a room. The arms holding her loosened, and she was tossed, but before she could take a full, relieved breath, she landed flat on her stomach, promptly losing it again. Her chin whacked the hard floor, jarring her brain and causing her to bite her tongue.

  Her mouth filled with blood and she spat, getting up on her hands, head hanging, mouth open, panting. She swiped her lips, dislodging a string of pink-tinged saliva that she wiped on the thigh of her jeans.

  She raised her head, looking around. The room was gloomy with only a single lit bulb hanging from the center of the ceiling, but she could tell she was in some sort of storeroom. Gray, windowless, water-stained brick walls surrounded her. A cold concrete floor—that she’d already discovered up close and personal—stretched before her, uncluttered save for a few scattered boxes lining the walls and a single metal folding chair a few feet away. A single set of stairs led to a door and the only means of escape.

  She shivered, either from the chill in the air, her plight, or, most likely, both.

  Standing, she made her way to the stairs, gripping the handrail before slowly climbing them. She strained her ear at the door, trying to make out any sort of noise, but all she could hear was her harsh breaths and the thumping of her heart.

  She’d known it would be futile before she reached a hand out, but she tried the doorknob anyway—locked. Of course, it was, but she had to know. Had to be sure it really was a prison. She turned on her heel, plopping her ass on the top step, looking down on the barren room, fighting off panic.