Mo knew she’d been freaked.
Her face got a little pale, and that was it.
But he could smell it on her.
Then she listened to Smithie, and after, Hawk, total eyecontact, short head nods, complete focus.
No interruptions.
No hysterics.
No backtalk.
Almost the same when he was going over things with her.
Sure, she balked at the shower gig.Sleeping in her room.Hegot that.It was an intimacy and invasion of privacy she wasn’t ready for.
She still didn’t give him shit and make him spend half anhour explaining precisely why he knew what he was doing, and she had to listento him.
And she’d agreed not to bring in Eddie or Lee and his boys.
This, Mo knew, was to protect them.Those men had livedthrough a lot while claiming their women.Car bombings.Kidnappings.One oftheir women shot.Another one raped.
There’d been peace for a few years.They’d had weddings.Made babies.
It was all copasetic, or as much of that as it could be withRock Chicks in the mix.
They’d go apeshit at that letter.
And Lottie knew it.
So she agreed immediately to protecting them by keeping themin the dark.
It was the smart call.
But for her, it was more the loving one.
Charlotte McAlister was a class act.Funny.Smart.Talented.Thoughtful.Together.Professional.
And sexyAF.
Yeah.
This job was totally going to be torture.
“Jorge, other side,” Hawk said in his ear and Mo turned hishead to look at his boss who was standing behind him.Mo was unconcerned andunsurprised Hawk got the drop on him.If the man wanted to, he moved like aghost.“Need you a minute.”
Mo only left his place to follow Hawk when he looked acrossthe stage to see Hawk’s second in command, Jorge, standing there.
Jorge was not watching Lottie, his attention was on thecrowd.
This was good.
Mo trailed Hawk as he walked down the back hall past thedancers’ dressing room to the end where there was a door to the back.Quieterthere, but you could still hear the music.
Hawk stopped and turned.
Mo stopped and shifted slightly to the side so he wouldn’thave to waste the nanosecond it’d take if he had to make a full turn to getback to Lottie if she needed him.
