“He appears friendly, and he’s determined to win Madi over, but there’s a current under it. I don’t trust him.”
“Has Madi said anything to counter your assessment?” Jamie asked.
“No, she wants to believe he’s innocent, but her body language tells a different story.” Every time we talked about him, she picked at her cuticles.
“We don’t love the idea of you pretending to be her boyfriend, but we agree Madi needs coverage until we get to the bottom of this,” Jamie said.
“As her brother and your boss, I’m warning you not to cross the line. Don’t take advantage of her irritation with us. Or her vulnerability.”
Did they think she’d sleep with me to piss them off?
“Damn, is your opinion of me that low?”
“No, it’s not. But we’re worried about Madi and you two have a history,” Jamie said.
“A history between two consenting adults, both of whom would’ve bet a vital organ they’d never see each other again.”
None of that mattered to them. The only fact they focused on was that I’d slept with their sister.
“Guess it’s a good thing you didn’t place that bet,” Jay deadpanned. I had a feeling he wanted to collect on the unmade wager.
It was time for a subject change. “I’ve been looking into Paul.”
“Your job is protection, not investigation,” Jay said.
Snark snuck into my reply. “Yet.”
I had to complete the forty-hour class and do a year of on-the-job training before I could officially become a private investigator, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have the skill set required.
“We’ve got it covered. You need to stop investigating and focus on your job,” Jay said.
“If I don’t?” I’d protect Madi with my life, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t investigate too. Plus, I had the advantage of being near her every day to pick up clues.
“Any particular reason you’re not willing to back down?” Jamie’s smug grin implied he thought he knew the reason.
Even if he did, I wouldn’t confirm it. I’d been trained by the best. It’d take a hell of a lot more than a question and an annoying know-it-all grin to make me talk.
“No, sir, I just don’t like that someone’s terrorizing her.”
Jamie asked, “Do you think we, her family, do? You think we’re not working around the clock to figure out who’s behind this?” He stood and rounded his desk, getting right in my face “Do you think your three months at SSI make you more qualified than her father and brothers and their fifty-plus years of combined experience?”
“No, sir.”
“Then stand the fuck down.”
“I can’t.”
Jay asked, “Can’t or won’t?”
Won’t.“Does it matter?”
“No,” Jay said, stepping too close for comfort.
If they thought I’d back down, they were in for a rude awakening.
“If you can’t man up and get your head out of your ass and admit it’s personal, then you don’t deserve her.”
Well, fuck. Jamie called me out professionally and personally in the same breath.
