Page 80 of Deserving Lara
“Fine, what?” Ricky asked.
“I’ll send half your money today. But if anything goes wrong, you aren’t getting the rest.”
“Nothing’s going to go wrong. You’ve got it all planned,” Ricky said calmly.
“Fucking right,” Carter said. “Let’s go over it again.”
Ricky sighed, but then said in an almost bored voice, “They’re supposed to be here in the morning to close the deal, before the airport opens. They didn’t even blink at the early time. I’ll walk them out to the hangar where the chopper is stored. It’s the only one here at the moment. I’ll take care of the men first, drug the girl with a sedative, fly her out to your island, and leave with my fancy new helicopter I didn’t have to pay for. I’ll change the serial number, sell her again, and live somewhere warm, all fat and happy.”
Carter grunted his approval, satisfied his accomplice had all the particulars memorized.
Except for the one detail Ricky didn’t know—he wouldn’t be leaving the country with Carter’s money. Once he landed with Lara, he was as good as dead.
Carter was a wanted serial killer, and last he checked, there was a hundred-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to his arrest. And since Ricky knew where his new hideout was located, he couldn’t be allowed to live to tell anyone. The man was a money whore; he’d rat him out in a heartbeat.
Once Ricky gave him what he wanted, Carter would kill him. He’d dispose of the chopper piece by piece, and then he and Lara would live happily ever after.
Well…hewould. Lara probably wouldn’t be very happy, but that didn’t matter.
“All right. I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t be late,” he warned Ricky.
“Pleasure doing business with you,” he said snarkily. “I’ll be waiting for my money.” Then he hung up.
Carter seethed after the phone call. He hadn’t planned to give Rickyanymoney. Once he was dead, that money would most likely be gone forever. But eventually, Carter calmed. It didn’t matter how much it cost, as long as he had his favorite toy back.
All Carter could focus on at the moment was the fact that, by this time tomorrow, he’d be standing over a trembling, terrified, restrained Lara Osler, and she’d be sorry she dared defy him. He couldn’t wait.
* * *
Ricky scowled after hanging up on that asshole Carter. It had been difficult to keep his disdain out of his voice as they spoke. The man was arrogant, cocky, and way too confident that intimidation and fear would have everyone doing his bidding. Well, the plans Carter had painstakingly devised weren’t going to go quite as the man expected.
Ricky wasn’t anyone’s errand boy. He had plans of his own for how tomorrow would go…and it involved even more money in his pocket.
He’d meet with Lara and the two men, of course, but he’d do thingshisway, and Carter would simply have to deal. He knew what Carter expected, but he wasn’t the only one with nefarious connections.
Ricky had made his own deal behind Carter’s back. A deal that included a ton of money in his account and not dirtying his hands with murder.
Tomorrow was going to be fun. Ricky couldn’t wait to see the look on not only Carter’s face when he learned what he’d done, but on the faces of his victims when they realized they weren’t actually going to be flying off in their brand-new helicopter.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
That night, Lara lay on the bed in the hotel room, stuffed so full she felt a little sick, but very happy. The day had been so fun. The Space Needle was cool, but crowded, and none of them had been overly impressed with the view. How could they after seeing the city from the helicopter?
They’d wandered around Pike Place Market, been grossed out at the gum wall, and eaten at Ivar’s. She’d managed to snag the bill, even though both Stone and Owl got pissed at her for waylaying the waitress when she’d gone to the restroom. They’d insisted this was a business trip and The Refuge was footing the bill, but she’d wanted to thank both men personally. And it wasn’t as if she’d been spending any money recently. She had a very healthy bank account, thanks to her parents, and she felt bad that she hadn’t been doing her share of paying her way.
The hotel room was dark and the TV was on. All three of them had gotten ready for bed and were watching aSeinfeldrerun. She loved this show; it was so stupid, and the characters so over the top, but also hilarious.
Turning onto her side, Lara studied Owl’s profile.
Obviously feeling her stare, he turned to her. “What?” he asked in concern.
“Nothing. I’m just content,” she said softly.
He smiled. “Me too.”
She drifted off not long after, and she wasn’t sure how much later it was when she felt herself being turned and Owl cuddling up behind her. She snuggled into him and immediately fell back to sleep. Not even the excitement about picking up the helicopter the next morning could keep the exhaustion and full belly from knocking her out.
Lara didn’t know what woke her a second time. The TV was off and the room was dark and quiet. The only illumination coming from a light in the parking lot peeking in from the curtains that hadn’t quite been closed all the way.
