A clean-shaven man with deep brown eyes exited what I assumed was an office. Keith wasn’t a small guy. The T-shirt he wore had grease stains on it and was taut against his body. Blue coveralls sat on his hips, the top part hanging loose. “It’s about time. I have shit to do.”
“He’s nice,” JJ told me. “I promise. He just has a Cadillac that’s giving him grief.”
“Day’s got it while I’m in here.” He held out his hand. “Forest, it’s nice to meet you. If you’ll step inside, we can get started.”
I nodded, grateful to move on from the weird conversation out here.
9
SHELDON
It shouldn’t have bothered me that Forest went behind a closed door with a man I’d never met. JJ was Jordan’s son. There was no reason for me not to trust him. Keith working with him and being a co-owner, that should be good enough. It wasn’t. I hated not having Forest in my line of sight.
“There’s only one door in and out of there,” JJ said, drawing my attention to him, briefly at least.
“Fantastic,” I deadpanned.
“Do you admit to yourself how much you desire him, or is this something you’ve buried and only let out because you can’t contain it?”
“I don’t need to be nice to you,” I said calmly, although I was itching to raise my voice. “Jordan knows me well enough that he expects me to behave a certain way around you. I don’t have to disclose how I may or may not feel.”
He tilted his head slightly. “Did he ask you to come along today?”
“No, Hartley called and said Forest needed a ride. That was all I knew until Forest was in the vehicle with me.”
“Oh, Hart’s fucking slick. He’s aware of your feelings. I don’t even need to ask. He set this up.”
“The ride, yes. This conversation, no. I doubt he thought you’d be here.”
“You underestimate him. He’s aware of how much I can’t stand you. I’m seeing another side of you today—one, I’m not sure what to do with. A crack has formed in your mask. I think the only person who can fully break it is the man behind the office door. If he does, you won’t let it fall in public except where he’s concerned. When you’re guarding my old man and the people he loves, you’ll be as you always are, as my dad expects you to be. That’s your selling point. You have a way of calming him.”
“Thank you for the explanation of where I’m best suited.”
He groaned and dragged his hand over his face. “I shouldn’t have come today. Greer told me to go to the office, yet I had to be here. Something pulled me in. Maybe it’s for the best. I’ll know what we’re getting into if we hire him. You’ll be here more often.Ifmy dad lets you.Ifhe gets sick of your shit and sends you to protect Forest.Ifthere’s nothing else he’s assigned to you.”
“That’s a lot of ifs.IfI were you, I’d keep to my lane. Your shop, your men, and your other job.”
“And what’s yours?”
“My job.” I took a step closer. “My poisons.” Another step. I was only a foot away from him now. “And Forest. He’s in the fucking center of my lane, and I will put him in a goddamn armored tank so nothing can hurt him. Do I make myself clear?”
JJ held my gaze, not flinching, not even blinking. “Do you mistake me for someone easily intimidated, or do I need to remind you who my old man is and how I grew up?”
“My father beat the shit out of me and my mom until she had a heart attack and died. He’s been rotting in prison since. Should we continue down the road of whose childhood sucked more, or can I go back to waiting for Forest? Oh, and so we’re on the samepage, I’ll be wherever Jordan wants me. If that’s with Forest, find a fucking chair and slap my name on it. I’m moving in.”
I was used to pissing matches, to men thinking they were bigger or badder than me. I didn’t need to flex my muscles or pull out the arsenal I always kept on me. Guns, knives, or tiny vials filled with pretty liquids, it didn’t matter. I was a breath away from ending a life whenever I wasn’t in the safety of my home.
“Forest is overqualified for the job,” JJ stated instead of replying to what I’d said. “Everyone else who’s applied wasn’t the right fit. Chances are good he’ll be hired.”
“Why are you telling me instead of him?”
“Because every word out of my mouth elicits a different reaction from you. If I can catalog them all, then I can read you. If I can read you, I can deal with you better. Don’t mistake my walking away from you right now as a sign of me backing down. It’s anything but. My dad likes you enough to keep you around for as long as he has. It’s for a reason. I’d like to know what it is.” He walked around the reception desk, sitting behind it.
“I have a pleasant attitude, what can I say?”
“You don’t try to hide, do you?”
“What would be the point? I won’t get anywhere by concealing who I am.”
