Hayden blinks, her expression revealing the first sign of uncertainty before it’s quickly wiped from her face. “Whatever your reservations, I’ll eliminate them.”
Hayden is pretty and feminine, with a delicate voice, but the girl plays hardball.
I wish I could work for her. She’d be a cool boss. I respect the fact she’s not willing to back down to these jerks, but—I shake my head. “I really can’t. Even if I could…”
I glance toward the door. Even if Drake is on leave, there’s no way I can work in a place with Denim Jacket around.
“As a director, I have influence, no matter what Drake led you to believe through his intimidation tactics. I’m sorry about that interruption. He likes to make people feel small. But I don’t frighten easily, and the casino has to support my decisions. I’m holding their image together. You and I working as a team would form relationships with other trustworthy coworkers to get the job done.”
This doesn’t seem professional, it seems crazy. There’s something spectacularly wrong with this place, considering the assault allegations—which I know to be fact—and running into the hitman who attacked me in the woods. But that statement alone—the part about other trustworthy coworkers?—it’s like there’s a war being waged at Blue. Good versus evil. What the hell?
Hayden’s not backing down, so I’m going to be blunt. “Really, Hayden. I appreciate you offering me the job. I know it would be a huge step up for me, but it doesn’t matter. The reason I can’t work here isn’t only because of Drake. That man he was with…I shouldn’t be near him. Matter of fact, I need to stay as far away from him as possible.”
“I see,” Hayden says, though her expression says otherwise.
Of course she doesn’t get it. I’m not making sense. I haven’t given her any of the pertinent information. And I’m not going to.
A gleam takes over Hayden’s eyes. I don’t like that look. “Scrappy” is right. “Mira, Drake will be out of the picture for a while. What if I made sure that other man didn’t return either?”
I shouldn’t encourage her, but I’m curious. “You can do that?”
“Yes.”
I can’t really be considering this job. With Drake potentially stopping in from time to time, a man with a connection to Denim Jacket?
I shake my head. It’s no good.
“And I’ll offer you a signing bonus,” she adds. “How does five thousand dollars sound?”
Ahhh, crap. Just—crap.
Of all the things she could have said to convince me to take the job—things I could easily shoot down—she has to say the one thing that makes a difference.
I return to the cabin to find Tyler pacing the small living room the way Lewis was the night Tyler brought me here. Worse, Tyler is dressed and his hair is combed.
All is not right with the world.
Tyler’s hair is perpetually disheveled and he rarely wears a shirt around the house—or maybe that’s just since I arrived. It wouldn’t surprise me if he walked around half dressed to antagonize me. But today he’s professional-looking? Something’s up.
“Where’ve you been?” he asks, as if he doesn’t already know the answer to that question.
I set down my ratty purse. “You suffer a brain injury while I was away? You know where I was. I had an interview.”
“At Blue. You were there the entire time?” he asks disbelievingly.
What is this, the Inquisition? I’m still coming to terms with what went down at the casino. I don’t need Tyler pestering me.
“Yes,” I say, and shake off my heels, padding barefoot into the kitchen for a glass of water. When I turn around, Tyler is directly in front of me, crowding me at the sink.
I draw in a breath, which has me inhaling his scent—Tyler and soap mixed together. The scent I love.
For once, Tyler steps back, as if realizing he’s standing too close, or maybe he detects the sparks my body is shooting off. “You were there a long time. Did something happen?”
I shrug. If I say no, that would be a flat-out lie, and for some reason I don’t want to lie to Tyler. He’s good at sniffing them out. Funny, no one else is.
“You’re shrugging. What does that mean?”
“Nothing.” I brush past him and head toward my bedroom. “Just, yes, stuff happened, but it’s no big deal.”
