The Heartless Rebel

CHAPTER TWO

IF NOT for Cara, Jack would have gotten bored a long time ago. The cards were too easy, too inconsequential. If he lost, he’d make it back on the stock market. But he wouldn’t lose. He never lost. People thought he had the good luck gene in spades, but the truth was he’d learned to rely on his skill with probability and numbers because he had to. Once his father had died, once his brother Jacob had abandoned them—and then Lucas shortly after—the responsibility to take care of his younger brothers and sister had fallen to Jack.

He’d needed to use every resource he had in order to make money, but it wasn’t enough. He could take care of his family’s finances, but he couldn’t heal the open wounds that refused to close. They’d all, every one of them, suffered at the hands of William Wolfe. He’d tried to fix it, but nothing would ever make it right. Annabelle, sweet Annabelle, would carry the scars of what William had done to her for the rest of her life.

Jack shook off the memories of his sister’s scarred face and focused hard on the game. This was no time to get lost in thoughts of the past. Fifteen million euros in casino chips were piled in the middle of the table. The sheikh was sweating profusely and Count von Hofstein’s brows had drawn into a permanent frown.

Even Cara looked pensive. She was biting her lip again, that luscious lip he longed to suck between his own. Her fingers, so certain and sure as she did her job, were trembling. One of the men at the table, an insignificant man with a red tie he’d recently loosened, seemed to glare at her as if he were trying to impart a telepathic message.

She looked up then, directly at Jack, and his gut clenched. She seemed … uncertain. Her expressive eyes were wide and her creamy skin appeared to have lost a shade of color, making her appear pale and fragile.

“Sir?” she said.

It took him a moment to realize she was talking to him. And that it was his turn.

“Call,” he replied, tossing his chips into the pile. Because he was tired of sitting here, because he wanted to get out of the dark, cloying atmosphere of this room and back into the fresh air. Because he wanted to talk Cara Taylor into getting into his car and going for a drive along the coast. He still had a few days before he had to be in London for Nathaniel’s wedding. Spending it in bed with a vibrant woman like Cara seemed a perfect plan.

The man in the red tie, the only player who hadn’t folded this round, laid his cards on the table with a smirk. “A full house, Mr. Wolfe,” he said. “Queens and kings.”

Jack only sighed. “That’s excellent.” And then he flipped his cards over one by one. Ten. Ten. Ten.

The man’s brow glistened.

Jack flipped over the two of hearts and the man sucked in his breath triumphantly, his fingers reaching automatically for the pile.

“Not quite,” Jack said as he turned over the last card. The man’s jaw dropped.

Count von Hofstein groaned. “Mein lieber Gott.”

Cara Taylor looked at the last card and smiled. But the corners of her mouth wavered as she did so. “Four of a kind. The gentleman wins.”

Jack stood. He didn’t feel satisfaction or triumph. He simply felt done.

“If you will excuse me, gentlemen, I believe I’m going to cash out.”

Cara’s fingers definitely trembled as she gathered the cards. Red Tie glared at her furiously before turning to look over his shoulder. A prickle of awareness tingled through Jack. This wasn’t good, and yet it was too late to change the outcome. Dammit, he’d known Bobby Gold was up to something.

As if in confirmation of the fact, Bobby stepped from behind a door at the other end of the room. He stopped to talk with one of the bouncers. A few seconds later, the man made his way toward the table. The other players were getting up to stretch their legs, but Jack didn’t miss the look on Cara’s face when the man stopped beside her and leaned down to whisper something in her ear.

Beefy fingers spanned Cara’s upper arm as she turned and walked toward the back of the room with him. Another croupier stepped from the wings—a blonde with fake breasts and a spray tan—and took out a fresh deck.

“Gentlemen,” she cooed. “Surely you aren’t finished yet. Mr. Gold would like to spot each of you fifty thousand euros as his gift to remain in the game.”

Jack’s intuition kicked him in the gut as Cara disappeared behind the door Bobby had just exited. He knew what fear looked like, knew the kind of terror an abusive man inspired. He’d witnessed it often enough growing up. Cara Taylor was scared about something.

And he couldn’t leave without finding out what it was. He’d been unable to protect his siblings from William Wolfe’s wrath, but he’d be damned if he’d let Cara get hurt tonight.

Cara’s cheek stung where Bobby had backhanded her. Blood trickled down her lip from where his ring sliced her. She sat on a small chair in a windowless room and cursed herself for her inability to do what he’d wanted.

But as she’d stood there, looking at the pile of chips in the center of the table, she’d known she couldn’t cheat. Mama would be ashamed of her. She would be ashamed of herself. The only thing she had was her integrity. To allow someone else to take that away?

Unthinkable.

And yet she now wished she’d done just that. Because Bobby was furious. He’d hit her and screamed at her and locked her up in here. She didn’t know what came next, but she was certain it wasn’t going to be pleasant.

She dropped her head into her hands and sat there, waiting. Bobby was ruthless, but she didn’t think her life was in danger. And once he got over his anger, he might let her return to the tables. She was very good at what she did, and Bobby knew it. But she wasn’t willing to compromise her integrity. She simply couldn’t. If they knew where they each stood on the issue, then she could keep working and Bobby would never put her in a position like this again.

Dream on, Cara.

It was impossible and she knew it, but she couldn’t help holding out a small hope everything would work out. If not, then she’d head home and start again. Starting over was nothing new for her. She’d find a way to make it work.

The door opened and her head snapped up. She expected Bobby—and she was ready to try and make him see reason—but the man who entered made her stomach drop to her toes. She shot to her feet, her heart thudding.

“What are you doing here? Get out before Bobby finds you!”

She felt Jack’s gaze on her skin like a hot brand. His jaw hardened as he took in the welt on her cheek, the blood on her lip.

“I’m not afraid of Bobby Gold. Is he the one who hit you?”

Damn the man! He was going to ruin everything. All she needed was for Bobby to find her with a professional card shark—then he’d never believe she’d simply been doing her job honestly.

“I don’t care if you’re afraid of him or not! I can handle myself, and I want you gone before he finds you here!”

“Did he hit you?” Jack demanded.

Angry heat flowed through her. He simply didn’t get it. “That’s none of your business. Now go away.”

“I can’t do that, Cara,” he said, his expression darker and more ruthless than any she’d ever seen on Bobby’s face. It made her shiver and she took a step back instinctively.

“Just go, Jack. I appreciate the concern, but I’ll be fine.”

“I hardly think so—”

The door opened again, and Cara’s heart sank. Two of Bobby’s hired goons hulked into the room, followed by the man himself. If Bobby was surprised to find Jack Wolfe, he didn’t show it. In fact, he seemed pleased.

“Well, well,” he said. “If it isn’t Jack Wolfe. You must like our little Cara, hmm?” He reached out and ran a finger down her bare arm. Cara flinched. “She is quite lovely. I can understand why you’d be tempted.”

“You’re nothing but scum, Bobby,” Jack said. “No matter how hard you try, you’ll never be anything more.”

Bobby’s expression grew positively evil. “I’m sad to say you won’t be leaving here with my fifteen million in hand,” he said. “It’s really too bad you had to cheat. Met the lovely Cara and bribed her to cooperate, did you? “

“Bobby, that’s not true!” Cara exclaimed. “I never saw him before tonight—”

Bobby’s hand shot out and twisted in her hair. “Shut up,” he growled before he slapped her again. The blow stung, but he hadn’t cut her this time.

Tears sprang to her eyes, but she wouldn’t let them fall. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

Bobby shoved her down on the chair. Her hair covered her face and she dragged it back. But not before she heard a scuffle and a punch.

When she could see again, the two bodyguards were holding Jack between them as he jerked hard against them. Blood dripped from one of the guard’s noses and Jack’s knuckles were scraped.

“You will regret this, Gold,” he growled.

“No,” Bobby said, his voice full of menace, “you will.”

Jack sucked in a torturous breath. His rib cage felt like an elephant had sat on it. He wanted to open his eyes, but it hurt to do so. Where was he? He didn’t remember anything beyond the moment when Bobby’s thugs had started to beat him. He’d fought back, but two against one were never good odds.

He was in a vehicle now, moving. He had to open his eyes, in spite of the pain, and see if he could figure out where they were going.

It was dark, but he could see the road in front of them and a flash of silver hood in the streetlights. He was sitting in the passenger seat, and the dashboard looked vaguely familiar. The throaty purr of the engine was familiar, as well.

He turned his head on the seat back. Cara Taylor’s profile was the first thing he saw. She looked determined. His gaze followed her arms until he realized her hands were on a steering wheel. She was driving. They were driving. Somewhere.

“How.?” he asked.

Her head whipped sideways, back to the road again. “I told you to leave when you had the chance,” she said from between clenched teeth. “I could have fixed it. None of this would have happened.”

His laugh was rusty. God, he felt like he’d gotten into a fight with a freight train. “You weren’t fixing anything, sweetheart. You cost Gold a lot of money.”

It hadn’t taken him more than a few moments to realize why she’d been pulled from the game, or why Red Tie had been glaring at her. He was Bobby’s ringer, and she had been supposed to make sure he won the pot. That he hadn’t figured the truth out sooner, he blamed solely on himself. Perhaps he was as arrogant as the count in his own way. He’d let himself be distracted by lascivious thoughts of Cara. Yes, he’d concentrated on the cards and the reactions of the players, but hadn’t let his mind cast wider. If he had, he’d have understood the tension between her and Red Tie sooner.

She glanced at him again. “What makes you think that?”

“Because I know Bobby Gold.”

“I figured that,” she spat. “You could hardly do what you do without winding up in his casinos from time to time.”

Jack shifted, stifling a groan at the sharp pain in his side. “And what is it you think I do?”

She snorted. “You’re a gambler, Jack.”

He would have laughed if it hadn’t hurt so damn much. “How did you get us out of there?”

“Once they knocked you unconscious, Bobby left, but he promised they’d be coming back to finish the job, which I didn’t think sounded like an option I wanted to stick around for.”

“We’re in my car,” he said. He recognized the smell, the growl of the engine, the feel of the leather hugging his body.

“I got it from the valet. One of the waiters helped me get you out and put you in the car. I said you were drunk and that I had to drive you home.”

He had to hand it to her for thinking of it. Because if they’d stayed in that room, he wasn’t too sure that Bobby wouldn’t have done a bit more permanent damage.

“And where are we going now?”

“I need to get you to a hospital. But first I thought it best we get out of Nice. Bobby knows people.”

“I know people, too.” Hell, he had his own security firm. One call to them, and Bobby Gold would be singing soprano for the next month.

“As soon as we get to the next town, we’ll find a doctor.”

Jack winced again. “I don’t need a doctor. My ribs are bruised, not broken.”

“How do you know that?”

“Trust me. I’ve seen enough injuries to know what is what.” Thanks to his father. He’d rarely received the brunt of William’s anger, because he could sense when his father was about to explode like a powder keg, but he’d seen the results of his siblings’ beatings enough to know which injuries required a visit to the hospital.

“Fine, you don’t have broken ribs. But you could have a concussion.”

“Doubt it. But if I do, the cure for that is painkillers and rest.”

Cara let out a long-suffering sigh. “Is there anything you don’t know, Jack Wolfe?”

“I’m sure there are one or two things.”

She didn’t laugh. “If you’d just stayed out of it! I could have talked Bobby into forgiving me, could have kept my job and made everything right again.”

“You are incredibly naive, Cara. You cost the man fifteen million euros. Do you really believe he would forget that? “

Her fingers tightened on the wheel. “Once I explained—”

“Explained what? That you aren’t a cheat?”

“Yes,” she said tightly. “Because I’m not. It’s no good now, though, because he believes I planned this with you. Especially since I’ve helped you get away.”

“Why were you working for a man like Gold, anyway?”

She snorted. “Are you telling me that I should have been a card shark instead?”

“Not at all. But you have a talent for numbers, Cara. Surely there are other things you could do.”

“Like what?”

“You could find a job in finance—”

“I don’t have a college degree. Besides, who are you to talk? Why did you decide to become a gambler? “

He figured he should disabuse her of the notion—but it was far too much fun to let her think he was a professional gambler. He was accustomed to women fawning over him for his money, his family name and his face. To have one angry with him because she believed he was an unscrupulous gambler? It was novel.

“Because I like taking chances.” It was true enough. He got a rush out of playing stocks. Sometimes he didn’t sleep for days as he moved between the international markets. Making money was easy. It made sense, unlike everything else in his life. He could control money. He couldn’t control the things that had happened to him, or the emotional scars his family bore.

“Well, I don’t,” she said. “I liked dealing cards. There’s no risk in it for me.”

“Apparently, there is.”

Her jaw tightened. “Tonight was a first.”

“It would not have been the last, should you have complied.”

She glanced at the gauges. “We’re going to need gas soon and I don’t have any money.”

So she didn’t want to admit she’d been in over her head. Fine. “I’ll take care of it.”

She was silent for a few moments. “Were you playing for someone tonight?”

“No.”

“Then you lost a lot of money by coming to look for me. You must regret that impulse.”

“It’s only money.”

She laughed, but it wasn’t a humorous sound. “Of course. Because there’s no one depending on you for the food on their table or the roof over their head, I suppose.”

His employees would no doubt disagree with that statement. “No, because people are more important than money. You were in trouble.”

“I really didn’t need rescuing, Jack. You gave up fifteen million for nothing.”

“If you weren’t in trouble, why are we speeding out of town? “

Before she could acknowledge the truth of that statement, they hit a bump and Jack groaned. Dear God, it felt like there was an alien trying to burst out of his abdomen.

“We need to get you to a doctor,” she said worriedly.

Jack swallowed the pain. “No. Because Gold probably is looking for us, and it would take too long for my men to arrive. Keep driving.”

Bobby Gold had the fifteen mil, but he was the kind of man who couldn’t stand to be made a fool of. He’d want Cara Taylor back so he could make her pay for her disobedience. Getting as far from Nice as possible wasn’t a bad idea.

Since there were no flights this late, and his private plane was in a hangar in London, they had no choice but to drive. Even if he called his pilot, it would be several hours yet before the plane would arrive.

He’d originally planned a leisurely drive across France on his way to Nathaniel’s wedding, anyway. He could have flown, but he knew he needed the time to think. This would be the first time in nearly twenty years that all the Wolfes would be gathered under the same roof—and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He especially wasn’t sure how he felt about seeing Jacob again.

Jacob, who’d betrayed them all when he’d left them without any explanation. Jack had looked up to Jacob, admired him—until the night Jacob had abandoned them.

“You’re in no shape to spend the night in a car,” Cara said. “A hospital—”

“Just do it,” Jack ordered.

He expected an argument, but she flexed her hands on the steering wheel and didn’t say anything for several seconds.

“Fine. Where do you want to go?”

Not where he wanted to go. Where he had to go. “England.”

CHAPTER THREE

IT WAS nearly two in the morning when they reached the outskirts of Lyon. Cara found a hotel off the expressway and pulled the car into a parking slot. It had taken her a few minutes back in Nice to figure out how to drive Jack’s sports car, but once she had, the silver beast was a dream. She knew without asking that it was the most expensive car she’d ever been in, much less driven.

Jack dozed in the passenger seat and she took a moment to study him. Bobby’s thugs had beaten him up pretty badly, though they’d hardly touched his face. If he hadn’t groaned from time to time, she’d have thought he felt perfectly fine. As it was, she had no idea how badly he was hurt. He said he was only bruised, but she wasn’t certain. And it was that uncertainty that had kept her behind the wheel for the past four hours. The farther they got from Bobby, the better.

And then she could talk Jack into going to a hospital.

The skin under his left eye was purpling, but even bruised, he was still devastatingly handsome.

Her pulse kicked up, and she chided herself for reacting to him. Jack Wolfe might be pretty to look at, but he was arrogant and irresponsible—and she had no time for men like that in her life, no matter how his flirtation earlier had made her want to melt in his arms.

She was here because it had seemed the best course to keep driving—especially since he’d been in no shape to do so—but now that they’d arrived in Lyon, she was determined to part ways with the enigmatic Jack Wolfe. Once she got him to a doctor, of course.

The thought of leaving discomfited her, but she shoved it down deep. Why on earth should she care if she ever saw this man again?

“Jack,” she said softly.

Surprisingly, he came instantly awake. “Where are we?”

“Lyon. I’m too tired to keep driving. I thought we could get a couple of rooms for the night. If you can loan me the money, I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”

It was disconcerting to be here without her purse or passport, but those things had been left behind in the casino when they’d fled. She simply hadn’t had time to retrieve them.

“One room,” he said.

“I said I’d pay you back.”

“It’s safer. If Bobby really is looking for us, it’s better to be together.”

As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t argue with that logic. But when she went inside to make the arrangements, she asked for a twin-bedded room. The clerk gave her a key and she returned to fetch Jack. He was taller than she was, and far heavier, but somehow they managed to make it to the room with him leaning against her for support.