She picked up her portfolio from the bar. “Let me get to what I need to do so I can get out of your hair. Gene, give Sandy my best wishes, okay? Jack, good to see you.” She nodded at the two men before moving further down the bar and opening her portfolio.
What the hell does he mean, they have their fingers in several different pies? I know they’re involved with several other microbreweries in the area, but it sounds like they haven’t been playing in the craft beer space for long, from what Jack said. What else have they been involved in then, and where? Who ARE they?She growled under her breath.Too many damn questions, not enough answers.
Forcing herself to compare her concept art drawings with the microbrewery set-up around her while her mind raced, Brooke knew as well as she knew her last name that she wasn’t going to see a dime from this job. Those four jackass thieves had no intention of paying her one red cent. If she were smart, she’d break her contract and walk away—but the Reflex Rebranding Group would smear her good name in revenge, letting it be known that Brooke was the type of person who wouldn’t honor a signed contract. Neither her reputation nor her future business prospects would survive that kind of hit since there was no proof Thom Geralt and his partners had done anything illegal.
Fuck.
Plus, there was the matter of Gene and Sandy Wheeler to consider. At this stage of the game, because she had nothing more than her suspicions to go on, she couldn’t go to Eugene to tell him what she thought the Reflex Rebranding Group was up to. Right now, Gene regarded the four men as white knights who had ridden in to save him and his failing business. Therewas no way he would believe her at the moment. The thought that they planned to steal everything from him and crush his microbrewery to smithereens would be unfathomable to him.
What Brooke couldn’t do was walk away, knowing the Wheelers stood to lose everything if she did. Although she hadn’t felt any sense of urgency from Eugene’s new partners—making her reasonably certain this wasn’t a smash-and-grab operation—she wondered if that was because of the other microbreweries they also had in their crosshairs at the same time. Perhaps they didn’t want to raise suspicion by moving too fast. Besides, they would have to make sure their timing was perfect, so they could grab all the money and assets from the microbreweries they were exploiting at the exact same time before disappearing for good.
Two hours later, no closer to a solution or a plan, Brooke packed up her portfolio and headed for the door, waving goodbye to Eugene. Jack was nowhere in sight, so she figured he had vanished back into the office. As she got into her car, her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she had eaten nothing but a piece of toast that morning. Deciding she would run back home to change her clothes, then go out to get something substantial to eat—her cupboards were fairly bare as usual, since she didn’t cook—she headed back to Whimsy, thankful she had missed the worst of the morning rush hour traffic on I-275.
Arriving at her small duplex, she let herself in and dumped everything on her artist table, then went into her tiny bedroom to change into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Although Brooke hadn’t admitted it to anyone, being in her duplex by herself still stirred her nerves a bit, considering she and Lulu Emerson had almost been kidnapped from here by The Candyman’s thugs not that long before. Giving herself a mental shake, telling her mind not to be silly and that she was safe, Brooke threw on a light hoodie, slid her phone into her purse, and grabbed her keysbefore going out her front door, shutting and locking it firmly behind her before testing the door numerous times to make sure it was secured.
As she turned to walk down her few front steps, however, Brooke froze in surprise when she saw Blake Seibert striding up the walkway, determination on her face.
Chapter 3
Blake paused at the end of the walkway, almost to where it met the front stairs, and raised a brow. “Is there any reason you felt you needed to yank on your front door ten times to make sure it was secure, tigress?” she asked casually, putting her hands on her lean hips.
Recovering quickly, Brooke snarked, “Don’t be as ass, Seibert.” Her gray eyes narrowed. “Don’t worry about my door. What are you doing here?”
“Well, you see, baby, things aren’t adding up with you lately.” Blake moved closer, causing Brooke to stiffen. “If you think you’re flying under the radar or that no one has noticed you’re acting weird, you’re fooling yourself. APS has noticed. Your girls have noticed.I’venoticed.
“And,” she continued, cutting Brooke off as she opened her mouth, “if you think you’re going to hand me a line of bullshit about only being aggravated because of your current project, you’re going to find yourself over my knee with that pretty little ass in the air before you know it.” Brooke’s mouth dropped open in disbelief, her eyes growing huge before they narrowed. “I’m not playing with you, Brooke. Something’s very wrong, and I want to know what it is.”
Her temper getting the better of her, Brooke exploded. “Are you fuckingseriousright now?” She marched down the stairs until she was in front of Blake, jabbing her forefinger into the APS team lead’s chest. “Nothing’s wrong!Even if I do have something going on, it’s no concern of yours! Nor that of APS!”
Holding Brooke by her shoulders, Blake growled, “What about your girls? You don’t give a shit they’re worried sick aboutyou, just like the rest of us are?” Brooke froze. “Jaime says Alyssa is beside herself, trying to figure out what the fuck is up with you. So is Nova, according to Trill. Kelly, Piper, and Sabine are ready to beat someone’s ass.Friends do not let friends worry like this, Brooke.” She wrapped her arms around Brooke tightly. “Especially when they care about them as much as we do you.”
Unable to help the tears that sprang to her eyes, her anger gone, Brooke stammered, “Even—even if I told you, this isn’t something th-that APS or my girls can help with. What I’m dealing with is far outside the scope of anything APS handles. And the girls couldn’t do a thing.” She sniffled. “Besides, I don’t want them anywhere near this situation, particularly since they could get hurt.” Her face blanched as the words fell out of her mouth, clearly realizing immediately that what she’d said was a mistake.
Blake’s sunlit green eyes grew dark. “Are you in danger, tigress?” she asked calmly, holding the suddenly subdued femme closer. Brooke gulped.
“I don’t—I don’t think so, not at the moment at least. But…I wasn’t lying when I told you this was something APS couldn’t help me with, Blake. It has absolutelynothingto do with protection and security for women, andthat’swhat you need to keep focusing on. You can’t be wasting your time and resources on—” Brooke stopped, her jaws snapping together.
Bending forward, Blake rested her forehead against Brooke’s. “You have me scared to death, baby,” she said softly. Brooke closed her eyes, tears slipping out from between her lashes. “I want to go back into your apartment so you can pack a bag.” Her eyes flying open, the startled femme drew in a deep breath. “We can send some associates to get your art shit and anything else you might need in the next week or so. Lys can come over with Jaime to tell them what to bring. You’re coming home with me.”
She put her finger over Brooke’s mouth and shushed her. “You don’t feel safe here, tigress. I saw that the minute I watched you shake your front door the way you did to make sure it was secure. That isnotacceptable to me…but one thing at a time. For right now, you’re going to pack some clothes and whatever else you think you’ll need for the next week or two, then I’m taking you out to lunch. In the meantime, one of my people can bring your car to the APS complex, and I’ll get you a remote for access.
“And then, my tigress, you are going to tell me just what thefuckhas been going on, from start to finish. What have you been hiding from everyone, why are you so worried these days, why don’t you think APS can help you…and whose goddamn ass do I have to kick for putting you in this state in the first place?”
?ω?ω?ω?
Brooke held Blake’s hand as the head of Utopia led her to the larger of the two conference rooms inside the massive APS headquarters complex. Over lunch, Brooke had come completely clean about the embezzlement fiasco that had her buried up to her earlobes. “The whole entire clusterfuck is why I’ve been so standoffish with everyone,” she had admitted to Blake as they were eating. “Thesearen’tnice guys, Blake. Of course I’m pissed they are putting my reputation and the good standing of my business in jeopardy by what they’re doing.
“But to take advantage of a man whose wife has been battling breast cancer, to exploit him by using his inattention and distraction to rob him blind? Thefuckthose pieces of shit ballsacs are hurting that man onmywatch.” Brooke’s gray eyes had flamed. “Eugene’s wife is cancer-free now, thank God, but I still can’t believe there are people out there who would take advantage of someone’s misfortune like this. It’ssick.”
“We see it every day at APS, baby.” Blake had speared a piece of broiled fish and ate it. After swallowing, she’d pierced Brooke with her penetrating green gaze. “Now, we’re going to talk about why you didn’t come to me about any of this in the first place.” After Brooke had told Blake about why she had been so reticent about coming to them, the Utopia head had immediately texted the rest of the management team, telling them to meet her in Conference Room A in one hour.
Now, as they entered the conference room, Brooke was surprised to see every single one of the APS management team there, including Kelly and Piper. To her astonishment, Kelly smacked the side of Brooke’s head lightly before pulling her into a tight hug. “The next time you pull this bullshit, sister, I’ll do more than tap you upside the head,” the redhead glowered. “Youdon’tkeep secrets like this from your girls.Ever. You’ve had us scared shitless, homeslice.”
After Brooke had hugged everyone else, Blake seated her, then handed her a bottle of cold water. When everyone else was settled in their chairs, Blake began. “To Brooke’s credit, she wasn’t keeping secrets from us for any reason other than that her situation has nothing to do with the protection and security business. Because of that, she didn’t feel right taking any time or attention away from our charter.
“She now knows,” Blake arched a pointed brow at Brooke, who actually blushed, “that we could give a shit less if a problem has to do with our charter when one of our friends needs help. At the very least, we’re always here for our APS family and friends, no matter the reason. Maybe we can help, maybe we can’t, but we can give them suggestions on avenues to explore, at a bare minimum. However, in this particular case, I told Brooke we can definitely assist, even though we’re not talking about anything protection- or security-related.
“Baby,” Blake looked at her, “I want you to tell everyone what you told me when we were at lunch. This is not a situation I’m particularly happy about, although I actuallydothink we can provide some assistance, Trill and her crew especially.” Trill cocked her head to the side, even more interested.
