“I need to talk to her. Now.”
She points to a door at the far end of the studio. “Through there, but?—”
I hurry across the room, dodging equipment and workers. My heart hammers against my ribs as I reach the door and shove it open.
Sasha’s head jerks up, eyes widening in alarm. “Jax? What are you doing here?”
Sitting behind a desk, surrounded by stacks of paperwork, her hair is pulled up in a messy bun, with a few loose strands framing her face.
Damn, she’s beautiful.
“I’ve been trying to reach you.” I close the door behind me. “Is your phone off?”
She frowns, reaching for her bag. “No, it’s just—” She pulls it out, checking the screen. “Well, shit. Looks like the battery’s dead.”
“We need to talk.” I take a step closer, trying to keep my voice steady. “Dylan found more information about Ryan and your blackmailers.”
She takes a deep audible breath. “Tell me.”
I drag a hand down my face, trying to figure out how to say this without freaking her out. “It’s not good. The people Ryan owes money to? Turns out they’re not just some random loan sharks like we thought. They’ve got connections to a Vegas crime family called the Triple Six.”
Sasha’s face drains of all color as she grips the edge of her desk. “Are you serious?”
I nod grimly.
Crossing the room, I crouch beside her chair and turn it so she’s facing me. “He’s been tracking the burner phone they used to text you. It’s not in Vegas anymore—he thinks there’s a possibility they could come after you.”
Eyes wide, her head jerks back. “You think they’re cominghere? To Lakeside?”
“Dylan doesn’t know for sure, but we need to stay alert, just in case.” I rest my hands over hers, which are now twisting nervously in her lap. “There’s more. He found email correspondence between Ryan and someone inside Triple Six going back almost a year.”
“A year?” Her voice cracks. “But that means...”
“It predates when you found out about his inappropriate behavior with your employees,” I confirm, watching her face closely as she processes. “We don’t have all the details yet, but Dylan thinks it might have something to do with Summit.”
She pulls her hands out from under mine, standing so abruptly her chair rolls back and hits the wall. “That son of a bitch! What the hell was he thinking, getting involved with people like that?”
I rise to my feet, giving her space as she moves from out behind her desk to pace the small office. “We don’t know exactly what he was involved in yet; Dylan’s still digging.”
“This is insane.” She tries raking a hand through her hair, but all it does is dislodge more strands from her bun. “First the blackmail, and now this?” She slams her hands down on the desk. “I knew Ryan was shady, but this is a whole other level of fucked up.”
“That’s why I came to find you as soon as I heard,” I tell her, trying to keep my voice calm. “We need to be careful. At least until Dylan can shut this thing down. Hopefully, he’ll be able to dig up some dirt to threaten them with so they’ll back off from you.”
Sasha stops pacing and comes over, standing close as she looks up at me. “What do we do now?”
“First, we need to keep you safe.” I run a hand over my hair,yanking at my ponytail to try to keep from touching her. “I think you should stay with me until this all blows over.”
Her eyes flare. “I already told you I’m not going to hide?—”
“This isn’t just abouthiding.” My hands come up to grip her shoulders, and it takes all I’ve got in me to not literally shake some sense into her. “This is about being smart. These people don’t mess around. If they can’t get their money from Ryan, there’s a good chance they’re gonna come after you. And that text you got? It’s proof enough that ball has already started to roll.”
I can see the struggle in her eyes—fierce independence warring with reality.
“Look,” I say, softening my tone. “You’ll still go about your day like everything’s normal. But at night, let me keep an eye on you. My security system is top of the line, and I’ve got cameras covering every angle of the property.”
When I see the fear flicker in her eyes, something in my chest tightens. Without thinking, I pull her against me, wrapping her in my arms.
“Hey,” I murmur against her hair. “No pressure for anything else, okay? This is just about keeping you safe. You can even sleep in the guest room if you want.”
