Cash Money (Bad Money #4) Read Online Free Page B
Author: Ali Parker
was beautiful, special, perfect. Far too much woman for him.
"Come with me." She slid her hand up to cup his cheek. "Come with me and let's run. We can start somewhere else."
Marcus placed his hand over hers, turning his face and kissing her palm softly. "I'll fight your battles beside you for the rest of our days, Kate, but I can't run. I love this life. Nothing is worth giving up the thrill of living in the center of it to me."
"Nothing?" Her voice softened.
She was asking the one question he couldn't answer. She was far more than worth it, but without crime who was he? No one. Being someone's lover was great and all, but the defining measure of a man was what he did - who he became. There was far more to life than having a woman love you into being someone other than who you were.
"No, baby. Nothing." He kissed her hand and released her. "Go to the apartment beside Expulsion and I'll meet you there later. I have a surprise for you."
"Right." She turned without another word and walked toward her car.
Everything inside of him screamed for him to run to her, to call her back. She was worth giving up everything for, but if he did and something happened to them, he wouldn't survive. It was protection, self-absorbed protection.
He didn't see her for eight months after that day.
It was the day he lost the chance to have her beside him for the rest of his life.
"You want to sit up front with us?" Kate stopped by the pew and glanced down at him, offering him her hand.
Everything in that moment all those years ago changed the course of the future. Instead of truly becoming his girl, they became best friends, a safe place to land and nothing more. The desire to love one another had bubbled up far too many times over the years, but it was at the helm of creating or destroying everything.
"Of course." Marcus got up and took Kate's hand. They walked behind Jon to the front of the church and sat down, Kate tucked between Marcus and Jon.
Her hand slid into Jon's, and he turned and gave a weak smile.
Marcus wanted to promise the poor guy a million things, but now wasn't the time, and the hard emotions moving through him left him weak. Ill.
Jeffery had mentioned something about a drug cartel in Chicago recently, and sitting in the old church beside Kate, Marcus couldn't help but think it was the universe trying to help set things right. It wouldn't hurt to meet with the guys in Chicago and see what they were up to.
Billy would never let him go, but the idea was to either shut Billy down, or lead the cops right to his front door. The bastard was walking on stilts, and the chainsaws were about to be dragged out from the shed. It was time to start fighting fire with fire.
"And when the day of the Lord approaches, we'll all stand judgment before the throne. None of us will have the chance to take with us another to help cover our inequities. There will be no riding the coattails of the holy into the pearly gates." The preacher's voice was loud, booming.
A subtle chuckle ran through the crowd, and Marcus shifted to put his arm on the back of the pew, scooting closer to Kate and resting his hand on Jon's shoulder. The other man looked over at him and nodded, as if saying thank you.
How far they'd come.
The question really rested on how much farther they were capable of going.
*
The funeral wrapped up, and Marcus kissed Kate's cheek and shook Jon's hand before pulling him into a quick hug. They parted ways, and Marcus texted Jeffery to meet him at a hamburger shop just down from the club. He needed to figure out if there were any other possibilities for the future, and if not, then his mind needed to settle into the idea of revisiting the past. If he wasn't going to leave town and start over, then he needed to set right the relationship between him and Kate.
Jon could be a part of the picture, but Marcus needed her to know that he loved her with everything inside of him. It was selfish and wouldn't help
"Come with me." She slid her hand up to cup his cheek. "Come with me and let's run. We can start somewhere else."
Marcus placed his hand over hers, turning his face and kissing her palm softly. "I'll fight your battles beside you for the rest of our days, Kate, but I can't run. I love this life. Nothing is worth giving up the thrill of living in the center of it to me."
"Nothing?" Her voice softened.
She was asking the one question he couldn't answer. She was far more than worth it, but without crime who was he? No one. Being someone's lover was great and all, but the defining measure of a man was what he did - who he became. There was far more to life than having a woman love you into being someone other than who you were.
"No, baby. Nothing." He kissed her hand and released her. "Go to the apartment beside Expulsion and I'll meet you there later. I have a surprise for you."
"Right." She turned without another word and walked toward her car.
Everything inside of him screamed for him to run to her, to call her back. She was worth giving up everything for, but if he did and something happened to them, he wouldn't survive. It was protection, self-absorbed protection.
He didn't see her for eight months after that day.
It was the day he lost the chance to have her beside him for the rest of his life.
"You want to sit up front with us?" Kate stopped by the pew and glanced down at him, offering him her hand.
Everything in that moment all those years ago changed the course of the future. Instead of truly becoming his girl, they became best friends, a safe place to land and nothing more. The desire to love one another had bubbled up far too many times over the years, but it was at the helm of creating or destroying everything.
"Of course." Marcus got up and took Kate's hand. They walked behind Jon to the front of the church and sat down, Kate tucked between Marcus and Jon.
Her hand slid into Jon's, and he turned and gave a weak smile.
Marcus wanted to promise the poor guy a million things, but now wasn't the time, and the hard emotions moving through him left him weak. Ill.
Jeffery had mentioned something about a drug cartel in Chicago recently, and sitting in the old church beside Kate, Marcus couldn't help but think it was the universe trying to help set things right. It wouldn't hurt to meet with the guys in Chicago and see what they were up to.
Billy would never let him go, but the idea was to either shut Billy down, or lead the cops right to his front door. The bastard was walking on stilts, and the chainsaws were about to be dragged out from the shed. It was time to start fighting fire with fire.
"And when the day of the Lord approaches, we'll all stand judgment before the throne. None of us will have the chance to take with us another to help cover our inequities. There will be no riding the coattails of the holy into the pearly gates." The preacher's voice was loud, booming.
A subtle chuckle ran through the crowd, and Marcus shifted to put his arm on the back of the pew, scooting closer to Kate and resting his hand on Jon's shoulder. The other man looked over at him and nodded, as if saying thank you.
How far they'd come.
The question really rested on how much farther they were capable of going.
*
The funeral wrapped up, and Marcus kissed Kate's cheek and shook Jon's hand before pulling him into a quick hug. They parted ways, and Marcus texted Jeffery to meet him at a hamburger shop just down from the club. He needed to figure out if there were any other possibilities for the future, and if not, then his mind needed to settle into the idea of revisiting the past. If he wasn't going to leave town and start over, then he needed to set right the relationship between him and Kate.
Jon could be a part of the picture, but Marcus needed her to know that he loved her with everything inside of him. It was selfish and wouldn't help
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