“And your sister? How are you going to handle her?” I ask truly concerned for her. He may have kept her from going to the cops for now, but what will happen when he’s not around? I’m not worried about her giving them my name; they wouldn’t touch me anyway. I have a reputation, and they know it very well. You fuck up enough cops, and they tend to stay out of your way. Plus, I’m very careful how I run my business. That’s why I have men like Blane—an errand boy. They’ve tried before but can’t pin anything on me. I’m just concerned about what that would do for Blane. He’s no use to me if word gets out on the street he’s working for me.
He looks up at me, head tilted to the side. “That sounded as if it was a question, but I have a feeling you’re gonna handle her for me.”
I feel a smirk grow across my face.
TAYLOR
I softly knock on the door to my boss’s office in the back of the coffee shop. “What?” he growls.
“Mr. Binsen?” I ask, opening up the door to peek my head in. “May I speak with you?”
He doesn’t look up at me but lifts his hand and motions for me to enter. Walking in, I look around and frown at all the stuff he has stacked in his office. Even more than what he had last time I was in here. He has an addiction to buying junk off the internet. Amazon, Craigslist, or eBay—it doesn’t matter where it comes from, he has to buy it. I once asked him why he stores it all in his office at the coffee shop, and he had said, ‘My wife won’t let me put any more in our house, and our storage is full,’and then shrugged. If I were his wife, I would suggest he quit buying junk and spend his money on therapy for his addiction.
“What do you need, Taylor?” he asks without looking up from his computer. “Make it quick. I have an auction ending in less than two minutes, and I can’t miss this once in a lifetime chance at this luggage set.” He rubs his hands together excitedly.
Luggage? The man never travels, and his wife is afraid of flying. But that’s not why I’m here. I take a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “Okay …” I clap my hands together to get his attention, at least to get him to look up at me. He doesn’t. “Well, remember how I took off the last few weeks of school to get ready for finals?” He nods once, but I’m not sure he heard what I asked. “I was wondering if I could do the opposite now.”
“Which is?” he questions impatiently. His dark brown eyes scan his computer screen quickly.
“I want to add more shifts to my schedule. Maybe doubles on the weekend? I’ve been picking up every shift I can for the last week, but I wanna be on the schedule, not just take the ones that need to be filled.” He starts to shake his head, and I speak again. “I will take whatever you will give me.” When he just continues to stare at his computer, I start to ramble. “My house got broken into last night, and I had some money stolen. Almost everything in the house is gonna have to be replaced …” His computer makes a beeping noise, and he lifts his hand to quiet me.
“Noooo,” he shouts fisting his hands in the air. “You little bastard,” he hisses before he starts running his fingers over his keyboard as he narrows his eyes at the screen. “Whatever you want,” he says to me not taking his attention from his computer.
I smile. “Thanks, Binsen,” I say as I reach behind me, grab the door, and open it before turning around and walking out. Well, that went easier than I had expected. He knows he can always count on me, though. I’m always here early, and I never have a problem with staying late. If we had an employee of the month, I’m sure I would get it every time.
“Taylor.” My co-worker Shanna comes running down the hallway toward me. Her brown hair pulled up into a tight ponytail bounces behind her. “There is a really hot guy here asking for you.” Her dark brown eyes light up.
“Please don’t talk about my brother that way,” I beg. It’s sickening how much all the women love him. All he does is bat his eyes, and the girls fall to their knees for him. And I can’t even stand to look at him right now. I’m still pissed beyond belief at him, and he hasn’t even tried to apologize to me for the way he treated me and the words he said.
“It’s not your brother,” she says with a frown, “But I wouldn’t tell this guy no either if he tried to get me in bed.” She winks at me, and I have an urge to vomit, just thinking of her asking my brother to sleep with her.
“Who is it?” I ask not really caring who the guy is. No one comes to see me at work. Or at home. And if it was my ex, she would just tell me.
“Weren’t you listening? Some hot guy.”
She places her arm in the crook of mine and starts to drag me down the hallway. She shoves the double swinging doors open at the end of the hallway and I take in the light from the front bay windows of the coffee shop.
“I found her.” She giggles, pulling me behind one of the registers.
As the man standing on the other side of the counter comes into view, I pause as my mind momentarily goes blank. It’shim. Case is standing in the coffee shop, staring at me as a smile tugs at the corners of his full lips. He’s wearing a black tight fitting t-shirt and worn-out jeans. He has a black hat on backwards making him look even younger than I know he has to be. He reaches up and runs his hand over his facial hair that lines his defined jaw. And my heart rate speeds up in terror.
He knows where I work?
Has he been following me?
“Case.” My voice is high from the shock. “What are you doing here?” I take a quick look around to see if his big sidekick is here with him. Would Case kill me himself or would he have his security guy do it? “You need to leave,” I demand as my eyes continue to dart around in panic.
Shanna looks over at me as if I’ve lost my mind talking to him like that. If only she knew what kind of man he truly is. She would be running from him, not drooling over his wide chest and tatted arms.
“I came to check on you.” The words sound harmless, and Shanna even sighs at that explanation, but I’m not gonna fall for his shit.
“Sure, you did,” I mumble.
His smile just widens, and it makes his face light up with mischief. “Can you take a break?”
I’m about to say no when Shanna shoves me to the side. “Of course, she can.” I stumble but am able to stay upright. I shoot her a glare, and she nudges her head over in Case’s direction as if I didn’t know the idiot was standing right there.
“I’m not leaving with you,” I inform him as I walk around the counter cautiously.
