How dare she?
No. How darehe?
I storm out of the restroom, stewing, fucking pissed off that Carter brought me here for his harem to use as their punching bag all evening.
“What’s wrong?” Koby asks as I march past him to climb the metal staircase.
“Nothing.”
He grips my wrist, holding me on the first step and looks over his shoulder as Pam exits, her face bright pink.
“What did she tell you?”
“Koby, I’m fine. Annoyed, sure. A little confused why Carter brought me here to hang out with his hookups, hell yes, but otherwisefine. I guess I shouldn’t be all that surprised.”
A lazy sort of ire burns his eyes as he throws his arm round my shoulders. “Come on, let’s get you a virgin mojito.”
28
CARTER
Koby risks losing his fucking arm if he keeps it around my girl’s shoulders any longer. I watch him take her to the upstairs bar, my teeth scraping against each other.
It’s new, this jealousy. New, irrational, and uncontainable. I trust him. I trust her even more but she’smine.
Only I get to touch her.
Broadway catches my eye from across the room, one eyebrow raised, a contemplative look tainting his face as he checks the screens, noticing why I’ve tensed up.
“I’ll take care of it,” he mouths, motioning toward the table so I’ll get my head back in the game.
We’re almost done here, the plan for tomorrow set in stone and Dante’s approval for the bank raid granted. No guns unless we’re held at gunpoint. No force unless it’s our last resort.
Jackson’s researched the establishment through and through, so we know their particular line of business. We also know the bank owner wouldn’t take such blatant disrespectlightly. He has branches all over the States and deals mostly with the high rollers from the criminal world.
Also,bankis used very loosely here. It’s not really a bank, more like a high-security vault and money-laundering scheme.
“What time are you setting off?” Dante asks me, butting his cigar in the ashtray.
“Around noon.”
“I assume you’ll stay with me while you’re in town?”
“Preferably.”
The safe house is no longer safe. Rhett’s sending a few scouts out there tomorrow to check if it is where he thinks. For now, he’s busy planning his ambush, but word we’re in Chicago will reach him soon. I could draft in an army of men to make my loft secure, but if I’m not with Hailey, I want her under Dante’s wings.
Rhett won’t bring a war to his doorstep.
“Good.” Dante smirks, sloshing his whiskey glass. “Layla already instructed the staff to prepare the guest house for you and Hailey. I know it’s not the kind of privacy you have in mind after the safe house, but you’ll make it work.” He looks to Broadway and Ryder. “We’ve had the spare bedrooms in the main house made ready for you two and Koby as well.”
“Stopping at your loft on the way here wasn’t smart,” Jackson pipes in. “You’re lucky Rhett’s too single-minded to set up surveillance outside.”
He’s not wrong, but we took the necessary precautions. “Ryder wired my place years ago and hacked into the city surveillance before we left. We monitor it daily. It’s good.”
“For now,” Nate drawls. “Don’t underestimate a desperate man, Carter. Sloppiness doesn’t become you. Now you’ve brought Hailey here, it’s only a matter of hours before Rhett knows she’s in Chicago.”
“Which is why we have everyone on high alert and the mansion secured with more men than necessary,” Dante says, pinning me with a pointed stare. “She’ll be safe while you’re gone. You have my word.”
