Read Online Mabe's Burden by Kelly Abell - Free Book Online Page A

the men
my father gambled with and they wouldn’t hurt me. They’ve known me
since I was a kid. I’m not afraid of them.”
    He grabbed two bottles of water from
the fridge. He set one in front of her. “I don’t make offers on
property lightly, Ms. O’Banyon.”
    “ Mabe.”
    “ What?”
    “ You said we should be on a
first name basis. My name is Mabe.”
    He raised one eyebrow. “Who names a
girl Mabe?”
    She rolled her eyes. “It’s short for
Mable. I hate the name, so I shortened it.”
    His mouth twitched again. “I see. Can’t
say as I blame you.”
    She narrowed her eyes. “You’re a real
jerk, you know that?”
    “ I’ve been called worse.
Anyway… Mabe …I did
my research on this property. I talked to your attorney, Gavin
McCain. Apparently, this time, your father really got in over his
head. He didn’t deal with his regular bookie, but someone connected
to the mob. He was in deep, I’m afraid. They are not patient
people.”
    She snorted, choking on the
water she’d just lifted to her lips. She reached for a napkin,
still laughing. “Oh come on. Aren’t you taking this thing just a
little too far? The mob? What the hell would someone from the mob be doing
in Monticello? They’ve got bigger fish to fry, I’m
sure.”
    “ Do you remember a trip your
father took to Vegas not too long ago?”
    She jerked her head up, wincing when
the movement caused her to bump her arm on the table. “How did you
know about that?”
    “ I told you I do my
research. He borrowed the money in Vegas. I’d say he chose his loan
shark poorly.”
    Tears pricked the back of
her eyes, and she fought them back. She couldn’t think of anything
more humiliating than to be told her father had been involved with
gangsters. It sounded so 1920’s. Surely these men would give her
time to at least get the life insurance proceeds in the works. No
one kept two hundred thousand dollars just lying around. Then
again, the trip her father had taken to Vegas had been nearly two
years ago. Perhaps these people had already been patient enough.
Then a thought occurred to her chilling her to the bone. She had to
ask him. It was better to know than not know. What had her da
always said? Keep your friends close, but
your enemies closer.
    “ Are you part of the mob,
Aaron? Are you looking after your own interest here?”
    The expression of shock on his face
told her what she needed to know. She’d insulted him, but she
didn’t care.
    “ Uh… no! ” He rose and paced the kitchen.
“Look, I’m just a broker trying to work a deal here. I like the
property. I’m willing to make you an offer. Enough to pay them off.
It will keep you and your sisters comfortable at least for a little
while.” Turning his back on her, he raised his arms, slapped them
back down. “She thinks I’m a fucking mobster.” He shook his
head.
    Her eyebrows rose at the dropping of
the f-bomb, but she didn’t speak. She still didn’t trust him, and
it was time she got home. She still needed to deliver this
wonderful piece of news to her sisters. They needed to figure out
something…and fast. She rose, holding her arm close to her chest.
Grabbing the ice pack, she dumped the unmelted cubes into the sink
and hung the towel over the oven door handle. “I’ve got to get
home. Thanks for the ice.”
    He spun toward her. “Let me take you to
a doctor. I really don’t like the look of your arm.”
    “ I’ll be fine. Don’t worry
about it.”
    “ What about the pub? At
least let me sit down with you and your sisters, explain my
offer.”
    “ We’re not selling, Aaron.
We’ll figure something out, but I’m not letting my pub
go.”
    An exasperated sigh followed but she
was already heading out the door. She strode to the gate, and gave
a small wave as she rounded the hedge. She and her sisters had a
lot of planning to do in a short amount of time.
    ****
    He watched her until she
rounded the corner. “That went well, you idiot,” he