Jason
I grit myteeth as we walk up the dark stairs to Faith’s apartment so she can pack up her clothing and stay with me. The buildingis small and narrow, with plenty of dark corners for someone to hide in, and I’m glad I’m getting her out of here before something worse than building damage happens. Her brother will have to go through me in order to get to her.
While she disappears into the bedroom to gather her things, I dial Gabe, a man who has Alpha Security, the best firm available, on retainer. At this point, I’m going to owe my cousin more than just money for the favors I’m accruing, but it can’t be helped.
“Gabe? I need something. Your private investigator? I have someone I need him to dig into. Colton Holland,” I say, giving Gabe Faith’s former last name. “Start in Cedar Pointe, Iowa, but I think he’s here now. Drug addict, so he isn’t hanging out with the best people in town. Whatever he can find on him, I need.”
I go on to explain what has been happening with Faith so Gabe can give the PI the rundown. At best, I want her brother behind bars. At the very least, I intend to make sure he’s out of Faith’s life for good.
“I’m on it,” Gabe says. “I’ll have Jack Renault contact you personally so you can deal directly with him.”
“Thanks, cousin.”
“So much for not seeing her again,” Gabe says, chuckling as he disconnects the call.
At that moment, Faith walks out of the bedroom, rolling a suitcase behind her. I shove my phone into his back pocket. “Ready?” I ask her.
She nods, letting me take the suitcase from her hand.
“Don’t you have a club to run?” she asks.
“Yes. And two partners to help in case of emergencies. Getting you out of here and settled at my place is an emergency.”
Her lower lip juts out in a pout, and it’s all I can do not to kiss her and taste that plump flesh for the first time. I understand she’s frustrated with the situation, that doing as I say bumps upagainst her independent streak, but she’s also smart and knows that I’m right about her apartment and its location.
“Come on.” I follow her out the door, wait as she locks up, and together we head for my car.
She settles into the plush seat, the sweet scent I’ve come to associate with her filling the air around me. Little by little, in the smallest ways, she’s making herself a part of my life. I break into a sweat because despite how hard I’m pushing her to move in and be safe, I’m breaching my own defenses in the process.
She’ll be living in my house, a room apart from me. And though I want her in my bed, I have a gut feeling once I taste her, touch her,haveher, she’ll burrow so deep inside me, I’ll never get her out. I never felt this way about any of the women I slept with before. There is something different about Faith, and it shakes me to my core. The core I’m determined to protect from more pain and loss.
I clear my throat. “So I have a doorman who won’t let anyone up who isn’t cleared on a list,” I say into the silence that has overtaken us as I drive.
“That’s good.”
“I’ll drive you to the store in the morning, and I can work from there during the day.”
She freezes, turning slowly in her seat. “You don’t need to be by my side twenty-four hours a day.”
One hand on the wheel, I glance at her. “Do you want to be alone in the shop when your brother shows up?”
She sighs and shakes her head. “No.”
“Then me working from your store it is.”
Before she can say another word, I turn into the parking garage beneath my apartment building. In silence, I guide her up the elevator, taking her silence as nerves.
We walk down the bright hallway, a stark contrast from where she lives. I unlock the door and unset the alarm before letting her step inside.
“So here we are. I’ll give you the code and a set of keys, but you’re not going out alone. Not until your brother is behind bars. Speaking of, did you tell the police about him?”
I roll her luggage inside, close and lock the door.
“No. I didn’t. If it wasn’t Colton, I didn’t want to send them after him and anger him even more. Besides, we have no proof it was him. If the police find fingerprints on the brick, they’ll have evidence then. Can we stop talking about this?” She turns away and I step closer, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“Hey. It’s going to be okay. Let me show you around the place,” I say to distract her from her problems.
She perks up at the subject change. “Show me the palace,” she says.
