Kenzie

 

Kenzie shuddered as she poured drinks for the next tray to go out onto the dining floor. She was so sick of nasty old perverts constantly trying to play grab ass with her. It was a nightly event, and the manager never did anything about it no matter how much she complained. “It’s just the way it is,” he would say as he shrugged behind his desk in the office and went back to his computer. Kenzie slammed the cups down onto the tray and threw the chips that had been ordered after them.

 

“What’s your problem tonight?” Candy was putting an order together as well, and she flicked her blonde hair out of her way as she put a scoop of ice in a glass. Kenzie suspected that she didn’t use her real name, but she didn’t blame her. “You’re spilling stuff all over the place.”

 

“It’s the same problem I have every night,” Kenzie muttered through gritted teeth. “This bar is occupied by animal scum who seem to think they need booze and drugs and nacho cheese to survive. I’m fucking sick of it.” She grabbed utensil rolls from a nearby bin and chucked them on the growing pile on the tray. The bastards wouldn’t care how clean their glasses were or if their food had been spilled. They just wanted some hot chick to deliver it to them, and the rest didn’t matter.

 

“So quit,” Candy advised as she pulled a mirror out of her pocket to check her lipstick. “Go work in some fancy place where the guests aren’t allowed to pinch your ass. They’ll still check out those killer knockers of yours. You can’t stop that.”

 

Kenzie had to laugh a little at that one. Candy had a sense of humor about reality, much more than Kenzie did. She was satisfied working in the old dump of a bar, and she would probably be there until she retired. “You know it’s not that simple. I can work here in the evenings while I go to school during the day.”

 

“What? You don’t think there are other bars that would work around your schedule?” Candy batted her false eyelashes.

 

“Those bars aren’t owned by my father,” Kenzie replied as she picked up the tray. “I can’t see that going over very well.” She could just imagine the fit he would throw if he knew she was working for the competition.

 

Candy shrugged and smacked her gum. “I can’t help you, then. Did you see those sexy bikers that came in? All tattoos and leather and muscles. I think one of them likes me.”

 

Kenzie shook her head and stalked out of the kitchen. Even though they were about the same age, she saw Candy as being so young and naïve. She never thought about her future or how she was treated, and she was willing to fall into bed with any guy who made vague promises or bought her dinner. Strangely enough, she never even seemed to regret it. Kenzie had sworn a long time ago that she wouldn’t let a man run her life. Not again, anyway.

 

When the tray was delivered and she had taken several more orders, her cell buzzed in her apron pocket. She retreated to the kitchen, her shoulders sagging as she saw the number on the screen. “Hello, Dad.”

 

“You could sound a little more excited to talk to me, sweetheart.” Matteo Labriola’s voice came over the phone. “Don’t me they’re working you too hard tonight.”

 

She rolled her eyes, hearing the threat behind his words. He could make her quit, thereby cutting off her paychecks and making her completely dependent on him for every cent she needed. Or he could threaten to have the bar manager beaten up again, which was a scenario she would rather not go through. “No. I’m fine.”

 

“Good. I’ve got something I need you to do for me. There’s a man there tonight that I need to do a little business with. He should be pretty easy to spot, since he’s with a biker gang and he’s got red hair. You’ll know you’ve got the right one because he has a big-ass eagle tattooed on his back.”

 

Kenzie pushed open the kitchen door and scanned the room. She found the target quickly, and he turned to stare at her as though he knew she was looking for her. His eyes slid up and down her body, his gaze so intense that he might as well have been standing right in front of her. Kenzie sucked in her breath and let the door swing shut again. He was too good-looking for someone who had dealings with her father. “Okay, I see him. Is there a message I’m supposed to deliver or something?”

 

For some reason, Matteo seemed to enjoy using his daughter in his schemes. She didn’t know if it made her father feel like she was more a part of the “family” or if he just thought it was humorous, but she was sick of it. She had less than a year and she would be done with college, and then she could be done with him as well.

 

“Sleep with him,” her father replied casually.

 

“What?” she sputtered, unsure that she had heard him correctly. “You want me to do what?”

 

“Oh, come on. Don’t act like you’re a virgin. I know you’ve had a little fun here and there.” His voice was smooth and cajoling. He knew he would have his way, whether she liked it or not. And she didn’t.

 

It was true that she’d had her fun, but when her last boyfriend hadn’t been good enough for her father, he’d had the poor man beaten half to death and dragged behind a car until he swore he would stay away from Kenzie. Mitch had been a guy she’d met at school. His good looks and charming manner had been enhanced by the fact that he was incredibly brilliant. Kenzie had loved to just listen to him expand on their material as they were studying, questioning what he read and suggesting how things should change in the future. But Matteo wanted her to be with a mafioso who could help him build his empire. He wanted Kenzie to have a man who would kiss his ass and be yet another member of the family. That was never going to happen, not if Kenzie had a choice.

 

“Dad, this is ridiculous. I’ve given plenty of cryptic messages to random strangers and I’ve dropped packages into post office boxes, but I’m not going to just sleep with some random stranger.” A shiver ran down her spine at the thought. Sure, the guy was good-looking. The assignment could have been worse in that regard, but still. “Why would you want me to do that, anyway?”

 

Matteo laughed softly. “For the same reason I do anything else, pumpkin. I want money. The man’s name is Xavier Flynn, and he’s a prominent member of the Reaper’s Hearts motorcycle club. They’ve taken it upon themselves to steal some of my business, and I can’t simply let that stand. Nobody messes with the Labriolas and gets away with it; you know that. I can extort him and his club for everything he has, including guns and drugs. It pay me back for the profits I lost, and then some.” He spoke as though she was donating to charity instead of using her body for the sake of her mafia boss father.

 

“Why would he give you any of that just because I slept with him?” She shouldn’t have even bothered asking. Kenzie knew her father always had a plan up his sleeve, and maybe it was better if she didn’t know all the sordid details.

 

But Matteo was ready with them. “Simple. You’ll threaten to tell the police you were raped. This man knows as well as I do that no tattooed biker can go into court on a rape charge and get away with it. They’ll proclaim him guilty on sight. Men like him are never innocent. Judges know it, juries know it, and even the bikers know it. So he’ll give me what he wants.”

 

Kenzie leaned against the counter and pinched the bridge of her nose. Countless times, she had considered running away. She didn’t want to be part of this world. But Matteo and his men would just track her down and bring her back, and things would only be worse if she made him do that. There would be no more college, no more job, and no more contact with the outside world. She would be under lock and key the entire time. Or worse. Still, this was asking too much. “I just can’t do that.”

 

“I figured you would say that, so do me a favor and take a peek out the window.”

 

With cold sweat forming on the back of her neck, Kenzie did as she was told. Her car was parked in the back lot, away from the customers, and under a flickering street lamp. A man she recognized as one of her father’s goons leaned against the fender, tossing a chunk of metal from one hand to another and grinning. Shadows came and went across his face as the street lamp blinked, giving him an even more sinister look than the man normally had.

 

“Angelo’s already got the starter,” Matteo said in her ear. “He wanted to cut the brakes, but I told him we would save that for a later date. You’re going to sleep with Xavier and report back to me tomorrow morning. The standard threat applies.” There was a click as he hung up.

 

Kenzie stared at her phone for a minute, wishing she would wake up from this nightmare. But she knew exactly what the “standard threat” was. If she didn’t do as her father asked, he would cut her off completely. She would have no money—even the money she had worked for and had put in her savings—and no car. She wouldn’t have her job or the ability to go to school. Matteo had also threatened to kick her out. That part didn’t sound so bad, since she wouldn’t have to be a part of his world anymore, but she had a feeling he would actually make that part of the threat much worse. Kenzie picked up one of the beers she had just poured and took a slug of it. She wasn’t supposed to drink on the clock, but what was the manager going to do? Fire her? Not if he wanted to keep his bones intact.

 

With a deep breath and a solemn vow that she wouldn’t do any more favors for Matteo, she went back to work.