“Thank you, Bash.”
“For what?” I asked, slightly distracted now that her body was on top of mine.
“For being you. For being here with me. For just…being.” She shrugged, looking a little shy.
“I want to spend every minute with you, Fee. Just try to keep me away,” I declared, sliding my hand into her hair to pull her mouth back down to mine.
The rest of the night was spent languidly exploring each other, taking time to appreciate being together, joining, and becoming one. If it was up to me, we would never be apart.
Chapter 20
Fiona
A weird feeling of déjà vu swept through me as Bash drove me to his parents’ house the morning after Jackson stopped by my apartment. The only difference that time was that I was the one who called the meeting. Pushing all thoughts of Jackson and my past aside, I prepared myself for the tough conversation ahead of me.
Entering the house, once again, only Reaper and Guard were there, and a heavy quiet weighed down the space. Anxiety racked me, so I skipped formal greetings and started pulling out my computer and the notebooks I had been working on. By the time I had finished, I had covered most of the available surface space.
“The money issues are originating from the strip club,” I said, and the men frowned. Over the next few hours, I walked the three through what I had found, showing them the receipts and invoices, the document I had put together, detailing all of the suspicious withdrawals.
“Any idea who would be able to pull this off?” Guard asked Bash, as Reaper remained suspiciously quiet.
“Not yet. I have to think about it more, go through all the operations there. The person responsible for the upcharges during the VIP parties would have to be someone very familiar with the bottle inventory, like Ginger or one of the other bar managers. That doesn’t explain the $9,000 going to that account—the one Fee said she couldn’t find any info on, so I’m thinking it’s a shell corp,” Bash answered, leaning back in his chair, the look in his eyes unreadable.
The mood was tense, the air heavy as all three men fairly vibrated with anger. I knew they weren’t upset with me, but couldn’t help but feel a bit responsible. I had confirmed their fears that someone was stealing from the club. It was irrational because I had done what they asked of me, but I wished I had been able to hand them the culprit and all of the evidence to take them down, tied up in a nice bow.
Without that person, they had nowhere to place their rage, no one to punish for the betrayal. The three looked at each other and seemed to communicate quietly. Obviously having come to an agreement, they thanked me for the work I had done and said they needed to look it all over and discuss next steps.
Once back in the car, silence lapsed as Bash digested the fact that someone was stealing from the club—someone they trusted with one of their biggest businesses. The MC worked hard to create a safe environment at the strip clubs they owned, with a focus on destigmatizing the taboo associated with them. The club put the dancers’ comfort at top priority, and prided themselves on providing a clean and safe space for both the employees and patrons.
“Can we sleep at the house tonight?” Bash asked, finally breaking his silence and pulling the car onto the main road.
“Sure. Can we just stop at my apartment so I can grab some clothes? I’ll follow you in my car so I have it for Monday morning.” Bash grunted his assent and began the drive to my place.
Lost in my own thoughts, the ride was a blur. I kept flashing back, remembering what a terrifying sight the men made, their anger palpable. A moment of fear ran through me at the idea ofwhat they would do to the person responsible and my part in handing them over to the club.
Shaking that off, I reminded myself of the facts, and that whoever was taking advantage of the club deserved retribution. When we got up to my apartment, Bash plopped down onto my couch with a heavy sigh, dropping his head in his hands. Hesitating, I eventually sat down next to him, placing my hand on his back.
“I’m sorry, honey. I wish I was able to find out more for you guys,” I said, and he looked at me, surprised.
“You have nothing to be sorry for. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have any idea how long this has been going on. I’m just pissed it took so much time for us to find out. So much money is already gone that could have helped with Seph’s Trail.”
“What do you mean? What is Seph’s Trail?” I frowned, confused.
Bash sighed, dropping his head back.
“Sorry, it’s club business. I shouldn’t have said anything,” he replied, in a tone I hadn’t heard before.
“Alright. Well, do you want something to eat or drink? I can make you something before I pack?” I offered.
“Nah. Just get your stuff so we can go home.” The way he saidhomemade me feel both scared and elated at the same time. We were spending increasingly more time at the house, and he easily referred to it asourhome, not his. It wasn’t something I had missed, but it scared me. It felt fast, and in my experience, something that good never lasted.
In my bedroom, I packed up some clothes for the weekend, as well as an outfit for work on Monday. I made my way around the space, packing my overnight bag. Stepping out of the bathroom with some toiletries, I gave a little jump when I saw Bash leaning against my bedroom door. He was staring at my duffle, a frown marring his face.
I had a few things I kept at his house, such as a toothbrush and a blow dryer. Other than that, though, I had been shuttling my personal belongings back and forth each week. It was slightly annoying, but I felt like it was fairly typical in relationships, and so far, we had managed the multiple locations with ease.
“Why don’t you just move in with me already? What are you waiting for?” Bash said casually, throwing me for a loop. I was genuinely surprised by the statement, feeling like it came out of left field. My mouth gaped open, doing a sad job of trying to form an answer.
“You never asked me. I mean, we haven’t talked about it…ever,” I sputtered, trying to wrap my head around his sudden proposal.
