“Of doin’ my job?” My mouth twisted. “Thanks for that.” I leaned toward him, leaving him in no doubt about the seriousness behind my next words. “I liked her—a lot. Saint was the first woman I’d liked a lot since Allie. She ghosted me, and it wounded my pride, but it was a long time ago. If I’d known back then that confiding in my best friend would one day work against me, I would’ve thought twice, just like I’ll think twice next time.” I got up from my seat and made for the door.
“Jake,” Hendrix called out.
I stopped and craned my neck to stare at him.
“I’m trying to stop you from gettin’ hurt again,” he explained gently.
“No, Prez,” I bandied back. “You’re trying to control a narrative that doesn’t exist. I’m nearly forty years old. Don’t need you or anyone to look out for me when it comes to women. It tells me you don’t trust me as a man or as a brother, and after the way I’ve stuck by you through thick and thin, that hurts me more than Saint McClure ever did. We could put what happened behind us, or I could get even more pissy with her. Who the fuck knows? But either way, it wouldn’t stop me from bein’ respectful or from doing my job, Jimmy, and you fuckin’ know it. Never done anything to make you think you can’t trust me, brother, but after this, I can’t say the same for you.”
He stood and moved toward me, and his hand shot to my shoulder. “Sit down, Ice.”
I glowered at him.
He sighed his frustration. “Jake. Please. Sit down.”
My jaw tightened to steel, and I returned to the table before flopping back down in my chair.
“I’m sorry, brother. Thought I was helping you out,” he muttered, taking his seat again.
“No, you didn’t,” I argued. “If that was the case, you’d have called me in for a meet and given me a heads-up.”
“You’ve been away,” he pointed out.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did all our cell phones get cut off without me knowin’?”
“You were visiting Allie,” he said gently. “Didn’t think it was right to call you about another woman on your wife’s birthday.”
“Mydeadwife’s birthday,” I reminded him. “She’s been gone twelve years, Jim. I’m not gonna break ‘cause you call me on Allie’s birthday and mention Saint McClure.”
He smiled wryly. “Yeah. I see now I did you dirty. If you wanna take on the job, then do it. We can take Trick off the team and send you instead.” His stare held mine. “How was NOLA? You okay?”
“It was fine. Good to see our folks.” I decided to throw him a bone. “The moms are tryin’a fix me up.”
“Jesus,” Drix breathed.
“Believe me,” I drawled. “Jesus was no help.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “How you feelin’ with everything?”
“Exhausted, unsettled, antsy, and ready for a job.” I grinned. “Some time in LA could be just what I need.” I gave him a tight-lipped smile. “I won’t be an asshole to her, Jimmy. But it’ll also be good to get some answers. Maybe this is just what I need so that after I finish the job, I can look forward instead of lookingback. The moms are right. If I want kids and a family, I need to get my ass moving.”
The years hadn’t dulled Saint’s appeal, which was probably why I didn’t let myself dwell on her. Though deep down in my soul, I always knew this day would come.
Finally, it was time to get some answers and, more importantly, some goddamned closure.
CHAPTER FOUR
SAINT
“How the hell did they get so close?” I whispered, looking down at the glossy black-and-white photographs that Talia had laid out on my patio table.
“That’s what I asked just before I fired the dude from Covershield’s ass,” my manager said with a cock of her perfectly shaped eyebrow. “I swear to fucking God, Saint, trusting somebody to just do their fucking job is like pulling teeth. I needed them to look after you for three days until the boys from SDSS flew in, but nooooo, those dicks were more interested in watchin’ TV than looking out for you.” She took a sip of her cooler, her gaze sliding out to watch the waves rolling in from the Pacific Ocean. “Luckily, the SDSS boys’ flight should have landed by now.”
Ignoring the uneasy feeling in my stomach, I allowed my eyes to drift across the beach. The ocean didn’t just inspire, but it settled me too, which was good because I’d been coming out of my skin since the minute I’d heard that Jacob would be part of the security detail hired to look after us.
Talia’s voice pulled me away from my thoughts. “You okay, babe?”
I nodded, forcing a smile. “Yeah... Just a little freaked out.”
