Flynn: Social Rejects Syndicate (Mackay Brothers Trilogy Book 1) Read online

  “Daddy, are you kidding me right now?” she cries out, her voice trembling with pent-up emotion and fear for what’s about to happen to her. “You can’t seriously expect me to go with this asshole. You know what kind of man he is and yet you still did business with him. Now, I’m expected to head off into the unknown with him while you sit here and act as if your life is still perfect. Like I’m not being held against my will while you try to get yourself, and me, out of this mess. Today of all days, this is what you do?”

  “Imogen, enough!” King hollers out, slamming his palm against his desk. “You’re going with him and that’s final.”

  Nodding my head at Liam, he walks up and takes a hold of Imogen’s arm. He’s not rough with her and he doesn’t hurt her in any way. We all believe no harm will come to women and kids. Everyone except for my father. While I keep my eyes locked on King, Liam removes Imogen from the office and restaurant. He’ll make sure she’s in the car while I finish up here.

  “King, I’ve respected you for a long time. Now, I’m not so sure that respect is deserved. You’re more worried about your own ass instead of what’s going to happen to your daughter while I have her. I’ve dealt with men less than you who have given up their children, nephews, nieces, significant others, or whoever else as collateral. They begged, pleaded, and assured they would be taken care of. You haven’t done a fucking thing to ensure your own flesh and blood is going to be safe and protected,” I state, my anger rising as I think about what he should be doing for his daughter. “I’m going to expect my first payment in one week. You no longer have use of Liam either. Figure out your own mess.”

  Pulling my gun from the back of my pants, I reach for the silencer I keep in the pocket of my suit. Once it’s on the gun, I point it at King’s knee and pull the trigger. He instantly collapses on the ground as screams penetrate the air and echo off the walls in the empty, still restaurant. Without a second glance, I turn on my heel and leave the office. King will learn I’m not one to fuck with. While he once had my respect, now there’s nothing there for him. He’s simply someone who came looking for a way out of his situation. We will no longer be frequenting his establishment either. King is dead to me in anything other than someone in my debt.

  Chapter Two

  Imogen

  WAKING UP THIS morning, I had no clue my entire life was about to change. And not for the better. Today is my twenty-first birthday. My father woke me up with two gifts. The first one was a day of being pampered. I had appointments at the salon for my hair and nails to be done before getting a massage. The other gift was a brand-new dress. My only thought was we were going to celebrate after he closed the restaurant tonight.

  When I got back home after going to all of my appointments and being spoiled, there was still a few hours until my father would be done at the restaurant. So, I watched a movie and simply vegged out on the couch for a while. Closer to the time for him to be home, I got up and changed into my new dress, put on perfume, and fixed my hair from lounging around.

  I waited forever and my father still wasn’t home. When I tried calling him, his phone went straight to voicemail. Instead of leaving a message, I figured he just got lost in inventory or something. So, I made the decision to head to the restaurant to check on him. It’s not like him to be out of contact all day long since we lost my mom. Especially on my birthday.

  Walking into the restaurant named for my mother, I heard voices coming from the office. They weren’t loud, so I thought maybe Lincoln, one of my dad’s employees, was checking on him and talking about something. Instead, I found the one man I never wanted to see sitting across from my father looking as if he owned the place; Flynn Mackay.

  He’s a known crime boss who gets away with everything. Not one charge has ever stuck against him or his family. I make it my business to know whenever he’s in town, so I don’t run into him. On top of his illegal activities, he’s a known man whore. Every time you see him out or the tabloids happen to capture a rare picture of him, there’s always a different woman on his arm. It doesn’t matter where he is or what he’s doing, Flynn is never with the same woman twice.

  However, it’s his criminal activities alone why I don’t like him. Anyone who can murder, rob, and do all sorts of horrendous things to people who are simply trying to live their lives. I know they don’t have much choice by the time they have to go to any of the Mackay family members for what they need. I feel it’s guys like them who make it necessary to go that route when there’s nothing else for them to do.

  My father’s eyes light up once he sees me. I’m not sure what they were talking about before I got here, but the gut feeling I now have is telling me I need to get out of dodge as fast as I can.

  “I’m fine, sweetheart,” my father tells me after telling him I wanted to check on him. “Flynn, this is my daughter Imogen. She’s the only thing I have left in this world.”

  Flynn looks from my father to me and back again. I’m not sure what’s going through his head as his usually bright blue eyes are blank. There isn’t a hint of any thought or emotion in his eyes as they turn back toward me. I’ve heard about a person having lifeless eyes before, but this is the first time I’m seeing it in person. I don’t like it. To see him standing before me with a mask on his perfect face, yes I can admit Flynn Mackay is gorgeous, sends a tremor through me. This definitely doesn’t bode well for me.

  “Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” Flynn asks my dad, his voice still giving nothing away.

  “She’s all I have and there’s no way I can come up with the money,” he responds.

  “What money? I have no clue what you’re talking about, Daddy,” I say, walking further into the room.

  As I pass by Flynn, I catch a whiff of something spicy and all male. It’s intoxicating and something I want to smell for the foreseeable future. However, there’s also an air of danger and that sends another tremor through me and causes goosebumps to break out across my skin.

  “I’ll do it,” Flynn states, never once taking his eyes off me.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, frustration filling me as I look between my father, Flynn, and the third guy standing in the room. “I’m not going anywhere or doing anything until I know what’s going on.”

  There’s absolute silence in the room for a few minutes. No one moves a muscle or says a word. All eyes are on me as I stand there trying to figure out what the hell is going on right now. I have no clue what I walked in on, but it’s not something I need to be a part of. As far as I know my father has never had any business dealings with Flynn or anyone in his family. Well, until this very moment I didn’t think he did. I’m thinking I’m wrong about that fact and now I’m going to have to pay the price for whatever he’s done.

  “Imogen, please, I have no choice. You have to go with Flynn for a little while. Just until I get my business straight again and can pay back the money I borrowed when your mom got sick. I promise I’ll do everything in my power to bring you back home,” my father pleads with me, emotion clogging his voice.

  The air in the room changes as I look briefly at Flynn. Anger is radiating off him while I still look at my father. I want answer and think I deserve the right to know what’s going on. Especially since it sounds like I’m going to be used for something he can’t afford to handle on his own. Things weren’t like this when my mom was still alive. I miss her every single day of my life, but never more than right now in this moment.

  “Daddy, are you kidding me right now?” I cry out, my voice trembling with pent-up emotion and fear for what’s about to happen to me. “You can’t seriously expect me to go with this asshole. You know what kind of man he is and yet you still did business with him. Now, I’m expected to head off into the unknown with him while you sit here and act as if your life is still perfect. Like I’m not being held against my will while you try to get yourself, and me, out of this mess. Today of all days, this is what you do?”

  “Imogen, enough!” my dad holle
rs out, slamming his palm against his desk. “You’re going with him and that’s final.”

  Flynn nods his head at the third man in the room. Before I can blink, move, or do anything else, the man is standing next to me with his arm holding my own. He’s not hurting me as I spare a glance at the man’s hand on my skin. I turn pleading eyes back on my father and he flat out ignores me. That’s the only reason I don’t scream out for him or say a word as I’m suddenly led from the room by the man who hasn’t said a word the entire time I’ve been in my father’s office.

  Just before we leave the restaurant, I hear a muffled sound. The man leading me from the building doesn’t say a word or stop our forward momentum. I’m still led out to the waiting SUV. It’s parked in front of the restaurant and there’s a man standing ready to open doors or something. This is Flynn’s ride. It’s something else we’re all familiar with seeing when he’s around town.

  “Where are you taking me?” I ask the man who brought me out before he shuts me in the SUV.

  He doesn’t look at me, say a word in response, or keep the door open. I’m shut in the vehicle with no one else inside with me. Both men are standing outside the SUV. I can barely make out their silhouettes through the dark tint of the windows. So, with nothing else to do, I look around the inside of the SUV. I’m not sure what I’m looking for other than something to get myself out of this situation with. I know for sure if I get out of the other side of the vehicle, I’ll be caught before I can make it ten feet down the road.

  As I’m looking around, the back driver’s side door opens, and Flynn is getting inside. Once he’s in his seat, Flynn’s door is shut, and the two other men get in the front seats. The silence and tension inside the vehicle is so thick you can cut it with a knife. As the driver starts the engine and pulls away from the curb, my fear level ratchets up several notches.

  “Where are you taking me?” I ask, turning to face Flynn.

  “My home.”

  “Why? I have no clue what you have going on with my father, but I’m not a part of it,” I question him.

  “You don’t need to worry about the details. For the time being, you’re going to be staying with me and that’s final,” Flynn responds, turning his head to look out the window.

  I huff in my seat and turn my own head as I look out at the scenery passing us by. One of the men in the front has his window open just slightly and the salty sea air fills the interior of the SUV. Taking in a deep breath, I let it fill my lungs and calm down slightly. I love the smell of the ocean and watching the waves crash against the shore and rocks as the sun rises or set. There’s something magical about it. At least for me.

  My favorite time of the day is watching the sun rise near the ocean with a good book in my hands. No one else is at the beach yet and I can become completely submerged into whatever new world I’m reading about. The different colors of the morning glowing in the sky as I get sucked into a book while the waves crash against whatever is getting in their way.

  If I could do that right now, I’d be in heaven. Instead, I’m sitting in a blacked-out SUV with a man I loathe. The reasons are still unknown to me and I will find out what’s going on. My father can’t just expect me to sit here and take this without knowing what’s going on. I’m sure that’s what Flynn will expect, but I’m not someone who will be content to sit in the dark and not be told what’s going on in any area of my life. I have to know and that’s how I’ve always been.

  My mom used to laugh because I was such a curious child and had to know the smallest details about everything. I was that kid who asked a million and one questions. The one who had to know where we were going, who was going to be there, why we were going, and every other question I could think of. Instead of getting annoyed or pissed off about my curious nature, my parents encouraged me to ask anything I wanted to. Other people got pissed, but not them.

  Thoughts of my mom always fill me with a deep sadness. Her life was cut too short and I didn’t have enough time with her. We found out she was sick just after I left for school. They wouldn’t let me come home to be with her. I took every opportunity to come home I could. It ended up only being twice because of a lack of funds. Every spare penny my parents had went directly to fighting my mother’s illness and getting her whatever treatments she needed. Until she got really bad and they knew there was nothing they could do to save her, I had to stay at college and try to focus on my courses.

  “This is because of my mom getting sick, isn’t it?” I question Flynn, knowing that’s the only reason my father would ever do business with a man like him.

  “What?” Flynn asks, finally turning and looking at me.

  “The reason my father did any sort of business with you is because they couldn’t afford her treatments. I know my dad good enough to realize he had to have a very good reason to do anything with the likes of you,” I state, crossing my arms over my chest.

  Flynn’s eyes go directly to my chest. Looking down, I see my dress is being pulled down with my arms over the slinky material. Uncrossing my arms, I bring the material back up to cover myself. I want to say a smart-ass comment to him, instead I turn to look back out the window. Flynn is obviously not going to answer my question. If I want answers, I’m going to have to ask my father and make sure he answers me.

  We pull up to a gorgeous house. There’s a circular driveway surrounded by flowers, shrubbery, and statues. Looking up at the house, there’s a large home with pillars standing from the balcony in the front down to the porch waiting below. The porch is cement and wide with a table and chairs set up on one end and rocking chairs on the opposite end. Flowerpots sit between the pillars as ivy and different kinds of flowers flow over the pots.

  My door is opened for me and the man who led me out of the restaurant. He holds his hand out for me to get out. I offer him up a small smile and get out, not worrying or wondering what’s going on with Flynn or what he’s doing now. The same man leads me up the front stairs and opens the door for me. This time my eyes bulge from my head. What I can see of the downstairs is absolutely immaculate and stunning. Art lines the hallway while in some of the corners of the rooms I can see have statues placed on columns, so they stand out.

  The floor is marble with the walls a bright shade of white. The trim is beige. Looking to my left I see an office. Everything inside is dark, large, and in perfect order. There doesn’t seem to be a thing out of place anywhere my quick glance lands.

  To the right is a living room. It doesn’t look as if anyone ever uses it. There’s no TV anywhere in sight. Books line a few shelves built into one wall while two chairs and the world most uncomfortable looking couch sit.

  “You’re room is upstairs, first door on the right. Everything in there is new and it hasn’t been used before. Feel free to use anything in the kitchen you’d like. If we don’t have anything you like, make a list and we’ll make sure it gets bought and brought in for you. The same with anything you may need for showers or your bed,” Flynn tells me. “The only room that’s off limits is my office. Unless I call you in there that is.”

  “I have nothing here with me. No clothes or toiletries. Is there something I can wear to change out of this dress?” I ask him, turning to see him standing right behind me.

  “I’ll send Henry to get your things,” Flynn answers as if that’s the answer to everything going on right now.

  “Fine. For now, is there something I can change into? I really don’t want any other reminders of what today was supposed to be,” I say, letting my frustration and anger come out in my voice.

  “What’s today?” Flynn questions as if he has a right to know anything about me.

  “Today is my twenty-first birthday. That’s why I’m dressed up and went to the restaurant to begin with. I thought my dad was going to take me out for dinner,” I answer him honestly.

  “I didn’t know,” is all Flynn says.

  I shake my head as tears fill my eyes and I make my way upstairs to shut myself in my ro
om. Well, my temporary room because I don’t plan on being here for very long. Opening the door to the room, I see it’s done in blues and light greens. It reminds me of the ocean on a clear day when you can see through the water. Or the reflection of the sky in the water on a beautiful, sunny, warm day where everything seems to reflect on the water’s surface.

  The bed is large with several pillows. Everything on the bed seems to be done in white. A white dresser and nightstands make up the rest of the room. The only other thing in the bedroom is a chair that sits right next to the doors leading out onto the balcony I saw when we pulled up. I hope I can sit out on the balcony and read at some point. That’s about the only thing that will make staying here bearable.

  Two other doors are in the room. One in the left corner of the room next to the dresser. Walking over I open it to find a large walk-in closet. It’s almost as big as my room at the home I grew up in. Shutting it, I make my way to the other door and find a bathroom. There’s a large tub which will hold at least three or four people. A stand-up shower rests next to the tub. A small wall separates the toilet from the rest of the room. on the right side of the bathroom, shelves hold several fluffy towels which look big enough to wrap around my body more than once. I can’t wait to soak in this tub with a good book.

  Walking back in the room, I slip my shoes off and leave them just under the side of the bed. Pulling back the covers, I slide in while still wearing my dress. The sheets are soft against my exposed skin. After today’s events, I let sleep worm it’s way in and claim me. I don’t want to think about being in the same home as Flynn Mackay.

  Chapter Three

  Flynn

  IMOGEN WENT UP to her room and I haven’t seen or heard her since then. I’ve been in my office, but I left my door open so I could see her if she came back downstairs. She hasn’t made an appearance as of yet. Honestly, I want to see her more than I want to deal with the rest of the bullshit I have to do before I can head to bed.