“That’s not the plan.”
“What if Archer gets caught up in it? Will you be able to live with yourself if something happens to him?”
Simon stopped what he was doing and looked at the woman who’d worked at his side for the past few years. “Do you not trust me, Paige?”
“I do. Of course I do. It’s just … we haven’t done anything like this yet. I’m not sure what to expect, so I’m…” She shrugged.
“You’re scared.”
Her eyes widened. “Yeah. A little bit. Can you blame me?”
No, he couldn’t. Not when he looked at it rationally. This story could very well take them down a dark, winding road. One that might lead to far more danger. Simon knew how to maneuver in Max Adorite’s world because he knew where the line was. He could keep it in his sights at all times and never cross it.
No, he wasn’t planning to get on Max’s bad side.
He did worry, but his concerns had to do with the FBI and what they might be doing. If they had rogue officers doing shady shit, they might not see it coming.
•••••
As soon as Violet saw Simon andPaige walking toward the shop, she started to smile. Simon had told her they were going to be setting up in the apartment today. She wanted to get a behind-the-scenes look, and he’d promised—after she sweet-talked him with a blowjob—that she could come up there anytime to check it out.
No better time than the present.
Since she rarely saw many customers at this time of the afternoon, she waited a few minutes for them to get upstairs, then hurried over and flipped the sign on the door before locking it. She slipped out the back door, tiptoeing up the stairs, though she wasn’t sure why. Maybe it had to do with the giddy feeling she got whenever she thought about Simon.
And yeah, she knew it was coming to an end at the end of the week, but she decided to set all that aside and enjoy the time she had with him. There was nothing to say he wouldn’t come back one day. Maybe then the timing would be better for a real relationship to transpire. And his absence didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends.
She walked down the second-floor walkway at the back of the building, slowing when she heard voices coming from inside. They’d left the door open.
“You’re scared,” Simon said, his tone was calm.
“Yeah. A little bit. Can you blame me?”
“Not really, no.”
Violet stood against the wall, eavesdropping. She knew she should just walk inside, but they were in the middle of a conversation, so she didn’t want to interrupt. At least, that was what she told herself.
“And what about Violet? Are you ready to deal withthat?”
“No, of course not. But she knows what’s coming. We’ve talked about it.”
“Have you?”
“Yeah,” he said hotly. “Can we drop it? I’ll take care of it when the time comes.”
“Like on Friday?”
Simon sighed. “Just drop it, please. I’m done talkin’ about it.”
The giddiness in her belly turned sour, twisting as it shifted to her chest. He wasn’t ready to deal with her? He would takecare of it? Meaning what? Dumping her like she was yesterday’s garbage?
Not wanting to hear more, Violet raced back down the stairs, fighting the tears that threatened. She was not going to cry over a man. Never ever ever. If she meant that little to him, he could go back to Dallas and forget she even existed.
“Hey, girl.”
Violet nearly ran into Archer, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs.
“You good?” he asked.
