“Yes!” I don’t even let her finish. “Yes, of course. As a matter of fact, I was thinking of hiring someone else, as well. It’ll free me up for other parts of the business,” I say, and go on to explain the party favor aspect I discovered courtesy of Izzy Dare. “I want to build the business, and you’re going to be a key part.”
Kelsey’s eyes light up at the prospect. “I won’t let you down,” she promises.
And I don’t think she will.
Kelsey returns to work, and I head back out front, my gaze falling on Jack Renault, who looks fierce as his stare holds the front door.
I sigh. If this mess doesn’t end soon, I won’t have customers. Jack Renault’s expression will scare them off.
I walked up to him, meeting his gaze. “Can we talk?”
“What can I do for you, Ms. Lancaster?”
“I want to know why it’s been so hard to find my brother? And if we do find him, how can we prove he’s been vandalizing my business and my house? I need to get my life back!” And so does Jason.
He’s made it clear he is finished giving up his time for me, and I want to free him up and get out of his space. As much asit hurts my heart, because I am definitely falling for the man, he can’t give me what I want or need. Oh, when he made love to me, I believed it, but not when he shut me out right after.
“Your brother is obviously hanging out with people who aren’t on the radar, so to speak. I haven’t been able to track a cell. He’s gone underground.”
I frown, wrapping my arms around myself. “What if I lure him out somehow?”
Now it’s the man’s turn to scowl. “Look, I don’t know how you’d find him, for one thing, and for another, Jason Dare wouldn’t just fire and not pay me, he’d have my head on a platter. Then Gabriel Dare would let me go and that’s my bread and butter. So I suggest you stay put. Your brother’s going to mess up sooner or later, and we’ll get him. I’m pretty damn sure it’ll be illegal, which will put him in jail. Just relax and let me do my job. You go make candy,” he says, talking down to me, which I don’t appreciate.
Stamping my feet won’t help, so I spin around and head back behind the counter. I can’t give Jason his space if I’m not safe, and I can’t change the status quo, either. Which leaves me frustrated at having to wait for Colton to make a move.
***
Jason
I spend theday and night at the club, back on my usual schedule. In an odd way, my mother’s issues allowed me to take a step back from Faith. After spending the day with Sienna, my mom is at my apartment with Faith, both women being watched over by Jack Renault’s nighttime bodyguard outside the building, who will keep both Colton and Robert Dare far away.
I don’t have to worry about either of them. I’m free to do my job. It’s exactly what I wanted… so why am I so fucking stir-crazy and unable to concentrate on anything but what Faith is doing? Worse, what Faith is feeling after my dick move of dumping her on a bodyguard with no warning.
“Hey, where do we stand with entertainment?” Landon asks, walking into my office, where I’ve been holed up all day. Normally we sit together in the joint space, but I haven’t been in the mood for the ribbing I’d take about finally joining them again.
“Grey’s out. My half-sister’s pregnant and not feeling well,” I say, knowing it isn’t like Landon is going to spill the beans to my family. “He’s trying to get us a performer.”
“Have you reached out to Charlotte as a possibility?” Tanner walks into the room, a can of cola in his hand.
I groan and close my eyes, a picture of Charlotte, her long black hair and willowy body, filtering through my brain. Worse, the memory of her hands on my body as we fucked also made its way through. I don’t want anyone touching me but Faith. Shit.
I shake my head. “Anyone but her,” I mutter.
Tanner narrows his gaze. “Are you really that far gone for the girl that you can’t even hire an ex to sing?”
Yes. “No. I just don’t want to deal with her wandering hands and inability to take no for an answer. It took me long enough to convince her it was over last time. No need to go there again.”
One stalker in a family is enough, I muse, thinking of Faith’s brother, until my words catch me up short. Family? Faith?
I groan and run a hand through my hair. “Can you assholes leave? I’m trying to get work done. You left me spreadsheets and work up the ass.”
Landon shakes his head and laughs, while Tanner says what he is thinking. “Whipped, man. Let me know when the wedding is.”
I ball up a sheet of paper and toss it at my friends. Then I go back to work. I want to finish up the paperwork before the club gets busy for the night. It will be the first time I’ve been downstairs in weeks, and I need to put on a good show for my partners that everything is fine and back to normal.
An hour later, I’ve reconciled some deliveries, made sure everything is copacetic, and am ready to join Landon and Tanner at the bar when my phone rings.
A glance tells me it’s Grey. Hope springs in my veins. “Hey,” I say, answering immediately.
