I didn’t feel much better. Pink and Olive were accustomed to our lifestyle, but Mia wasn’t. She couldn’t and didn’t understand the gravity of it. Yet, they weren’t going to come home just because we didn’t want them out.
I passed more cigars around. “Archer’s there with his team.” I tried to be a voice of reason, but fear and unease snaked through me. “We’ve issued a warning. Plus, we’re here. If someone wanted to fuck with us, they’d come for us.”
“Or they’d come for what we care about,” Bane grumbled. He had his phone to his ear and growled, “Get the cameras up to speed, or I’ll be there to do it myself.”
And the relief for someone other than my daughter sank into me stronger than I would have imagined.
Mia was becoming a weakness. More than a distraction. And more than someone I could ignore.
Mia Darling was becoming mine.
Instead of dwelling on it, we discussed business. We made plans for next quarter and mapped out territories we could expand into.
I was happy to say I’d distracted myself until past midnight, but we still had the cameras on in the background, and we all still watched them dancing while we lit more cigars and drank away our concerns.
Cal threw up his hands when there was a lull in conversation. “Are we just going to watch them all night? It’s a complete invasion of privacy.” He just wanted to fucking goad me.
“Go home then,” I growled.
“Why did you all let them go if you can’t handle it?” he asked us collectively.
“I don’tlether do anything.” But I wished that was the way it was.
Daily report?
I sent you one.
Not for my daughter. For you.
Why are you texting me? Aren’t you busy on your Friday night?
No. Instead, I’m worried on my Friday night about one of my employees.
It’s well past my curfew, Darling.
Funny. I don’t recall having a curfew. I’m staying out. Chicago is alive at this time of night.
Then give me an update. How’s the club?
How do you know it’s a club and not a bar?
Because I’ve got eyes everywhere.
Do I even want to know what that means?
Do you?
She didn’t answer, but I saw her looking around and making eye contact with a few of the security cameras before narrowing her eyes. Then, she flipped off a camera, and Pink frowned at her. She pointed to all of them, and I saw Pink nodding.
She knows as well as I do, Darling, you guys are going nowhere without being watched. Now … Provide me an update. Dance with anyone yet?
I saw her shake her head and then try not to smile down at her phone like she was avoiding the inevitable. It wasn’t one that she let me see easily, and it had me smirking too.
This is too over the top. I don’t need a stalker, Jameson.
And yet you have one while out.
Well then you know, there’s been no princes to dance with yet. How long have you been watching me?
