“How could you take her job away?She needs the money.”Dagger shook his head, disappointment written all over his face.
“Wow."Race shook his head."You took her job away?Did you forget she's still making a payment on a house she no longer lives in?"
“I was trying to keep her safe.”He was getting irritated with their censure.He already felt bad after what she told him, so he didn’t need them piling on the guilt, too.He knew they were messing with him, but it was starting to piss him off.“The easiest and fastest way to do that was to take away Tinker’s access to her.”
“You know this business with Tinker is going to take longer than a week because we’re not lucky like that.Sadie needs money coming in now.She can’t wait around indefinitely for us to get our shit together,” Trick explained.
“Well, maybe she can take this time to look for another job that doesn’t require her to work nights.It would be better for her nephew.”He tried to defend his corner, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he’d fucked up.Just like when he’d said it to Sadie.
They all shared a look before Chris spoke up.“Is that what you said to her?”
Jed felt an uncharacteristic flush creep up his neck.“Maybe.”He was never going to admit that he did say something similar and equally stupid.
“That’s a lame excuse, and you know it,” Dagger pointed out.“A lot of women with kids work nights.”
Chris snorted.“And how’s she supposed to find a job that’s going to pay as good as Bottoms Up and have health insurance as good as ours?”
“I had to do something.Now that Tinker knows the club owns Bottoms Up, he’s going to be there every night.And if Sadie’s there, he’s going to end up doing something to her.We all know his history with women.I can’t sit back and take a chance that he does something like that to her, too.I don’t know how or why, but she’s got his attention.We interrupted his time with her on Friday night, and it will only make him more determined to get to her.”
Dagger and Race shook their heads.
“What?”Did he really want to know?
“We’re just a little confused about why you needed to have her fired to keep her safe.You could have just made sure she was protected and had her followed to and from work.That’s what you would have done with any of the other women,” Dagger reasoned.
“I did not have her fired!”Jed shouted.He was getting aggravated with these assholes.Did any of them listen to why he’d done what he’d done?Did any of them think they could do better?Well, let them have at it if they had all the answers.
“You know what I think?”Dagger had a gleam in his eye that Jed knew was not going to bode well for him.“I think you got her fired because you’re interested in her and you don’t want someone to snatch her up before you figure it out.”
“What thehellare you talking about?The only interest I have in her is a fuck.”
“So you wouldn’t mind if I asked her out?”Was Chris purposely trying to poke the bear?Wait.Was Jed’s eye twitching?
“She doesn’t have time to date," Jed declared."She’s raising her nephew.”Wow.Everything that was coming out of his mouth kept getting lamer and lamer.
“Now that she’s fired, she has plenty of time for dating,” Trick had to add.
“Just because she’s raising her nephew doesn’t mean she doesn’t get lonely and wouldn’t mind companionship.”Chris’s smile spread across his face, clearly having fun at Jed’s expense.If he didn’t watch it, Jed was going to punch him in his face.
“She definitely has spunk.”Race smiled as he jumped back into the conversation.
“She’s a spitfire for sure.I like her,” Dagger added.
Before Jed was able to tell them all to go to hell, the sound of someone beating urgently on the back door drew their attention.Race was closer, so he led the way, pulling his gun and holding it at his side.He checked the peephole, stepped back, and slipped the gun behind his back before he opened the door.He barely had time to reach out and catch Sadie before she tumbled to the floor.“Sadie?What’s wrong?”
“Someone’s been in my apartment.”Her face was pale and her eyes wide as she clung to Race’s arms.
“What do you mean someone’s been in your apartment?”Dagger asked.All trace of his earlier teasing self was gone in a flash.
Sadie released Race and took a step back.She cleared her throat and said, “Come with me.I’ll show you.”
Race nodded at Jed to lead the way, with the rest of them following behind.When he got to the top, he found the door unlocked.“You didn’t lock the door when you ran downstairs?”
“No,” she shook her head and frowned at him like he was stupid, which seemed to be the consensus at the moment.“I was freaked the hell out and forgot.All I was thinking about was getting out in case someone was still in there, and I ran.Sue me.”
Jed clenched his jaw to keep from growling.Nowshewas trying to provoke him with that sassy mouth of hers again?
He pushed the door open, and not seeing an immediate threat, he eased his way inside.With how open the living room and kitchen were set up, he clearly saw several bags of groceries on the kitchen table that Sadie hadn’t yet put away.Something had to have really spooked her for her to take off so fast.
