Fighting Friction: (Playing it Safe Series Book Two) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Epilogue

  Fighting Friction

  Playing it Safe Series Book Two

  Lisa Gerkey

  Copyright © 2017 by Lisa Gerkey

  All rights reserved.

  Editor: Elizabeth Wright at Editing by Elizabeth

  Formatter and interior designer: Lisa Gerkey

  Cover Imagery: Stock images from Depositphotos

  Cover design by: Lisa Gerkey

  Book design by Lisa Gerkey

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used.

  Due to strong sexual content and language, readers 18 and older, please. Certain themes and topics that may be touched upon may be considered as triggers for some readers.

  Lisa Gerkey

  Visit my website at: https://www.facebook.com/authorlisagerkey

  Printed in the United States of America

  ISBN-13:

  978-1977645050

  ISBN-10:

  1977645054

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter-Thirty Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  Prologue

  Jaycee

  eighteen months ago

  I wring my hands together as I watch my sister, Kennedy, prepare for her date.

  We’ve gone back and forth, but nothing I say gets through to her. It isn’t only Kennedy. I know I’ll have to battle David too when he comes home.

  It’s been two years our marriage has been falling apart. Until last week, he’d never laid a hand on me. When he backhanded me in a fit of rage for no reason, I realized it was the end of us. I haven’t had the courage to tell him that, yet.

  “Kennedy, please reconsider your plans. You shouldn’t meet the guy alone. Call one of your friends to go with you or let me go. I understand you’ve been talking to him for a while, but you can’t know someone just from a few conversations and photo exchanges. It isn’t safe to go alone.”

  “Oh, my gosh, Jaycee! Are you serious? Who takes their sister on a date when she’s nineteen fucking years old? I know him, and he knows me better than you do!”

  Our parents both died in a terrible car accident two years ago. Kennedy moved in with David and me. She’s been challenging to get along with, but I know her anger toward me is her means of handling her grief. She disengaged and stayed to herself the first year, but after that, she’s been irresponsible with guys and parties. Her choice of friends worries me. I’m uncomfortable having them in my home.

  I keep hoping it’s just her age, and she’ll grow out of it and get her life together, but it’s only become worse.

  “Kennedy, stop for a minute! I know you’re young and you like going out with your friends and having fun. I’ve tried to stay out of your way and let you do what you assume is best, but I can’t stay silent now. Do you realize how many freaks use the Internet to lure young innocent girls into their traps?”

  “Well, don’t worry, sis. I haven’t been innocent for a long time. You need to sort out your own shit and stay out of mine.” She snatches her keys and purse and storms out the door.

  It isn’t ten minutes after Kennedy’s left until the front door slams again. I’m in our bedroom putting laundry away when David joins me.

  “Where was she going in such a hurry? She barely missed my car when she backed out of the driveway.”

  I can smell the liquor on his breath. I want to point out he shouldn’t be drinking and driving, but I’d only stir up trouble. I’m sure, like most days, he’s spent the evening at a sleazy bar downtown. He’s come home a few times with the nasty odor of cheap perfume on his clothes.

  It should upset me, but I can’t find it in myself to care anymore. David and I haven’t been intimate in months. I make certain I’m sleeping before he goes to bed, or I make an excuse to stay awake until he’s out for the night.

  I was eighteen years old when David and I wed. The first five y
ears were normal. I loved him and could imagine nothing coming between us, but I didn’t realize the power of alcohol and the devastation it could bring to a relationship.

  After my parents’ death, my sister and I gained a generous amount from their estate. David abandoned his profession. He boasts to his friends how he works from home now, but he’s spent the last two years on his ass surviving off my money.

  “She’s going to meet the guy she’s been chatting to on the Internet. She connected with him on a social media site. I begged her to let me go with her. It’s not safe for her to go alone.”

  “Perhaps he’ll let her move in with him and take her off our hands.”

  I push David’s hand away when he brushes my hair to the side and leans in close behind me. I pull away and move to the living room.

  “What? Can’t I even touch my wife anymore? What’s the matter with you? You’re never in the mood. You won’t even look at me when I talk to you.”

  What he’s saying fades when I hear a noise. Kennedy’s left her laptop on the coffee table. Normally I’d respect her privacy, but I’m worried about her, so I check it out.

  A new message has popped up from the guy she’s on her way to meet.

  Hey, Gorgeous! Can you believe this shit? I’m stuck in the parking lot behind the old movie theater a block away from where we’re supposed to meet. Flat tire. It will take roadside service a while to get here, so if you can swing by before going to the club that would be perfect.

  Later,

  B.

  “I’ll be back,” I tell David.

  “You’re not going anywhere! Let the bitch go! She can take care of herself. I need attention from my wife right now!”

  “David, stop! I need to go! I know you don’t get it, but she’s my sister! She’s the only family I have left. I’m worried about her going, alone… I’ll be back.”

  He catches my arm and whirls me around to face him. Without considering, I lift my knee to connect hard with his midsection. First shock, and then a painful expression cover his face. When he bends over from the discomfort, I grab my keys from the table beside the door.

  A dim streetlight shines into the parking lot behind a strip of businesses. It’s a neglected and shady part of town that shows up way too often on the six o’clock news; someone’s caught for drugs or prostitution, or even worse.

  An older model sedan sits alone near the rear of a building, hidden in the shadows.

  I pull my Explorer in the next spot to the right of the dark colored car.

  My chest tightens but I close my eyes and take a calming breath because I must find out who the guy is before he can harm my sister. Perhaps I’m mistaken, but I’ve worried since the first time she told me she chatted with him. I don’t want to be right. For Kennedy’s sake, I hope he’s a nice guy, just as she expects.

  I can feel eyes on me when I step out of my SUV and walk toward the car. The driver’s side door opens just as I approach.

  When the guy gets out, I know something’s wrong. Kennedy’s shown me pictures he’s sent her. The man in the photographs isn’t the guy standing in front of me.

  “You must be Kennedy. Wow, babe, you look nothing like I expected.”

  I’m sure he’s just as aware I’m not the person in the photos Kennedy has shared with him. He seems unsettled and on the edge, but he recovers. “I’m Barry. Can you believe this shit?” He chuckles and sifts his fingers through his long hair. “Come here and see this tire. I guess I struck a nail or something.”

  I take a few steps so I can get closer to see where he’s pointing. Both rear doors open when I go around the car.

  The men move and cage me between them. One guy is tall and thin. He has greasy hair and tattoos covering his pale skin. The other man keeps his head lowered so I can’t get a good view of his face. He’s towering and wide and has long scruffy hair and a beard to match.

  “You ready to get this date started, princess?” Barry takes a few steps closer while the lanky guy closes in from behind me.

  “I don’t know who you think I am. You have the wrong person!”

  Barry, if that’s his true name, takes out a gun from behind him and points it at my head. The big scruffy man, who hasn’t looked in my direction or spoken a word, pounces on me. I scream as loud as I can and try to fight out of his grasp.

  “There’s no point in struggling. You belong to us now.”

  It takes two men to wrestle me into the backseat. The largest man shifts in beside me. He reaches to the floorboard and picks up a roll of tape. He applies his weight to keep me in place while he secures my hands behind my back. When he’s done, he binds my legs.

  “Please! Let me go! You have the wrong person!”

  They expected to take Kennedy when she showed up, but they don’t appear too bothered they have the wrong woman. After a few minutes of me crying and cursing, he puts a piece of tape over my mouth. We drive around the same part of the city for a bit before he places a blindfold over my eyes.

  When the car stops, someone opens the door and I’m pulled out and thrown over a man’s shoulder. Inside, when someone removes the dark cloth from my eyes, I’m confronted with reality and the danger I face.

  “What the fuck is this?”

  They’ve brought me to stand before a man I know is vile and evil. I’ve only ever seen a monster like him on the television screen. Never did I consider I’d end in the bottomless pit of hell with the devil himself, Malcolm Phoenix.

  I recognize his face... He’s been in the news in recent months. He’s a suspect in long-going criminal investigations. He’s accused of several crimes centered on drugs and human trafficking.

  “What do you mean, Malcolm? You told us to get the girl, and we got her. What more do you want?” The big man, who still hasn’t faced me, speaks to his boss.

  “This isn’t what Barry promised. She isn’t the same woman from the photographs. The young lady he brought to my attention was only nineteen. While she’s a beauty,” he points his fingers. His spit spatters my skin when he talks. “We don’t need her. It’s harder to get a decent price for the older ones.”

  I’ve never considered myself old at twenty-five, but if that’s my ticket out of here, I’ll take it.

  “Fuck. Barry’s an incompetent little prick. This isn’t the first time he’s fucked up a deal for me. I’ll handle him.

  Jayson, you and Master G should get her settled in the basement. We’ll see how the training goes. I suppose we can use her for our personal amusement and then dispose of her when we’re finished.”

  Chapter One

  Jaycee

  I stare at my reflection in the mirror.

  My long dark hair hangs in loose curls almost to my ass. Dark skinny jeans with a black button-down blouse and black leather boots that come to just below my knees complete my look for the night.

  Fuck the dress code. There’s no way I’ll show up wearing a scanty little outfit that hardly covers my body. It’s not like I care if they turn me away at the door.

  “I still don’t understand how I let you talk me into this.”

  I turn to my friend, Kat. She’s sitting on the bed painting her toenails.

  Our appearances are similar in ways. Not so much in others. Our hair’s the same color, only hers is shorter than mine. Her body is slim and ideal. Where I’m dressed conservatively, she doesn’t mind putting herself on display.

  I’m a little disappointed because I don’t like to test my boundaries the way Kat does. She credits Jeff, her partner, for helping her get past the things that happened to us. She’s convinced a lifestyle such as hers and Jeff’s is just what I need to overcome my past. I’m convinced they’re all full of shit.

  “You’ll have fun tonight. We can chill for a while and have a couple of drinks. I’ll introduce you to a few of the other girls. Don’t over think, Jaycee. It’s a night out with friends. No one expects you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

  “I’m not comfortab
le going to a sex club, so does that mean I can stay home? I don’t know why you keep hounding me to go.”

  “It’s part of who I am, Jaycee. If you don’t want to go, no one will force you. It would mean a lot to me if you did. You can’t live the rest of your life hiding. I realize it’s tough to put yourself out there, but you can do it.”

  Josh has arranged for me to go with them as a guest tonight. I filled out a bunch of paperwork and agreed to a background check. I also had to present proof I’m STD free, but that was pointless because no one will get close enough to worry about that.

  Josh is also my best friend, maybe even more so than Kat.

  I met Josh a year ago when I stumbled into the little tattoo shop he and his brother Jeff run. The big sign over the door with the shop’s name on it, Running Colors, captured my attention. I’d never even considered a tattoo before that day.

  I pushed the door open and wandered inside the shop.

  The first thing I spotted was the receptionist behind the tall counter. When Kat’s eyes found mine, I saw the same recognition on her face. I didn’t know whether to run out the door or finally face a little of what took place six months prior.

  Kat and I were locked away, brutalized, and terrorized until a group of muscled men, garbed in black from head to toe, burst through the doors and took us away from the ordeal. Malcolm Phoenix and his associates were arrested and transported away in the back of a police car. I would’ve been happier had someone put a bullet between his eyes.

  I paused just inside the door of the tattoo shop, struggling to decide what I should say to her. Before I found the answer, I watched while a man approached Kat. He spoke to her for a few minutes, peering over his shoulder to where I stood, paralyzed and filled with doubt.

  When they stopped talking, he leaned over the counter and kissed her. It astonished me to see her so cozy with him. There’s no damn way I can let a man get that close.

  “Can I help you, doll?”

  I was caught up watching Kat and the man. I didn’t notice someone else had come in the room. The two men share the same features, enough to let me know they’re probably related.

  “I’m not sure. I noticed the shop and thought I’d check it out.”