Satisfied that all was well, he signaled for me to come inside. He then leaned against the doorjamb of my bedroom while I changed out of my dress into fresh clothes, watching me intently with what could only be described as a wolfish glint in his eyes. I’d agreed he could watch providing he didn’t move from the doorway, since I was at serious risk of being late for work.
“When you leave work, Rossi will be waiting outside,” said Blake. “He’ll follow you home in his car and then check your apartment to be sure it’s safe.”
I paused with the brush halfway through my hair. “That’s not necessary.”
“I disagree.” He folded his arms. “I was thinking about this while you were snoring beside me this morning.”
“I don’t snore.”
“You can’t argue that it’s not good for you to be out alone. This bastard hasn’t tried to harm you yet, but that doesn’t mean he won’t. His behavior is escalating, and I’m not willing to risk you. Are you so willing to risk yourself?”
My shoulders sagged. “No.” I styled my hair into a high ponytail as I added, “It just galls me that he can disrupt my life like this.”
“Think of it this way, then. His goal is to get rid of me. Instead, his actions are just making us spend more time together.”
That did make me feel better.
“I originally thought of having Rossi take you to and from work, but I know your independent streak will balk at that. Also, he can’t stay with you all day, and I want you to have your car in case you need it. So, he’ll follow you to work, make sure you get inside without a problem, and then go back when your shift is finished to follow you home. He’ll check your apartment before you go inside, just to be safe.”
My brow creased. “Rossi isn’t going to want to—”
“Already talked with him about it. He wants to help and he’s on board. He doesn’t like that some sick fucker is on your case.”
“Rossi doesn’t even know me.”
“He thinks you’re good for me. He’s right.” Blake slipped his arm around me and drew me close. “I think you’ll be safe enough at the bar, since you’ll be surrounded by people. Sherry will shoot the face off anyone who tries to harm you anyway.” He glanced around. “I don’t much like you being in this apartment alone, considering how easily he got in.”
“That was before I improved my security.”
“There are ways to bypass alarms, no matter how good the systems are,” Blake pointed out gently. “I’ll feel better if you spend your nights with me, whether we’re in my place or yours.”
I bit my lip. “Blake, when I said that you need to let me into your life, I didn’t mean you had to spend time with me every day. I know you’re super busy and don’t have a lot of spare time. I don’t expect you to—”
He put a finger to my lips. “I like having you with me. I’ve let myself accept it. Why would I then fight it?”
“I don’t know.” It made sense when he put it like that.
“I am busy, yes, but I plan to shuffle some things around so I’ve got time to devote to sorting this fucking mess out before that asshole can do anything else. I have people I can delegate to. I just don’t like delegating much.” His lips curled. “I have issues with giving up control.”
“I never would have guessed,” I said, deadpan.
He lowered his smiling mouth to mine and kissed me. “Ready to go?”
“Yep.” I locked up and walked outside with Blake. Again, there was no one loitering, and no Sedan.
“I’ll follow you to work, and then I have to get going,” said Blake. “Don’t tell me you’ll be fine. Get in the car and drive.”
I huffed but did as he asked. When I finally pulled up outside the bar, I saw that Cade was just parking his bike in the lot. I expected Blake to keep driving and head off to wherever he needed to be. He didn’t. He whipped his car into the space next to mine and climbed out.
I slid out of my own car and raised my brows at Blake in question. And then he was on me. His mouth moved hard and hungry against mine, feasting and dominating … and marking his territory in front of God and everyone. Or, more specifically, Cade. Even half-dazed from racing chemicals, I saw that for exactly what it was—a territorial display.
Breaking the kiss, I shot him a cool look. “That wasn’t necessary.”
“It was very necessary.” He looked up as Cade walked toward us, eyes narrowed.
Cade sighed. “I figured it was like that. You gonna help keep her safe from the bastard who’s messing with her?”
“I’m going to find and rip him apart limb from fucking limb,” said Blake in a matter-off-fact tone.
Cade nodded. “Good. But if you hurt her, I’ll smash your fucking jaw.” He then cast me one of his bright smiles and strode off, whistling.
I gave Blake a pointed look. “See, no jealousy.”
Blake watched him walk away. “It was there. He just hid it well. Very, very well, in fact.” His brow wrinkled. “Does he know about your penname?”
“Yes.” I saw the glint of suspicion in Blake’s eyes and shook my head fiercely, pretty damn shocked that Blake’s mind went there. “Cade wouldn’t hurt me.”
“So far, you haven’t been hurt. Cade knows enough about you to write a story. He knows your cell number. Knows where you live. Knows your schedule.”
I shook my head again. “Cade wouldn’t hurt me physically or emotionally. He wouldn’t mess with my head like this. He has no reason to anyway.”
“Maybe he got tired of being so close to you yet still being so far and he’s letting out that frustration. Or maybe he just hoped that if you were scared, you’d run straight into his arms.”
I clenched my fists. “It’s not Cade. It’s either Ricky or Linton. Probably Ricky.”
“We shouldn’t assume it’s anyone,” said Blake. “You assumed it was Ricky, and that meant he was the only person you watched out for. You weren’t as wary of Linton as you may have a right to be. I say may have a right to be, because we can’t be sure it’s him either. It’s best to just be on the lookout for anything or anyone suspicious.”
Okay, that was a good point. “I won’t make assumptions, then. But I won’t believe it’s Cade. If you weren’t so damn paranoid that he wanted me, you probably wouldn’t have looked in his direction.”
“It’s not paranoia, baby. I know when someone wants what’s mine.” He framed my face with his hands. “Although I don’t like being around someone who’s been inside you, I wouldn’t point the finger at Cade—hurting you in the process—if I didn’t think we needed to at least consider him. I would never set out to hurt you. Tell me you know that.”
I exhaled heavily, losing some of my anger. “I know you wouldn’t purposely hurt me.”
“Good.” He gave me a quick kiss. “Be vigilant. Stay safe. And call your mom to arrange something.”
My nose wrinkled at the reminder. “Enjoy your lunch with Bastien and Tara.” See, I could be mature. I could push past my petty jealousy that she knew him better than I did. I could push past my distaste of her so he didn’t feel torn. It probably wasn’t fair of me to be so opposed to her because she hadn’t really done anything wrong. I just didn’t like what I’d heard and seen of her so far.
He smiled, as if aware that it had been a bit of a struggle for me to say those words. “I’ll call you later.” With that, he returned to his car and drove away.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Sarah was so desperate for the gossip on Blake that she refused to wait until we took our break. She harassed me for information until finally, as I was mopping up a spillage on the hardwood floor, I quickly brought her up to date. I told her about my meal with Blake, how I’d stayed at his place last night, and that I’d decided to give a relationship with him a try. She was ecstatic to say the least.
As the pace was real slow and the only person near us was Henry—who was having his daily nap in the corner booth and snoring like a barnyard animal—I also told her th
at Linton had been loitering outside the Vault last night and could possibly have called me, her mouth went slack. “Noooooooooooooo.” I refrained from adding that I’d been lured into the garage and had witnessed quite a scene—Blake’s business was his to share or not to share.
“We thought it was Ricky who’s been playing games with me, but it could have been Linton all this time.”
Her nostrils flared. “That shit-eating prick.”
I smiled despite myself. “You think he eats shit?”
“I will make him eat shit.”
“You’ll have to get in line if you want a shot at him.”
“I’ll bet Blake’s at the front of that line.” Her brow furrowed. “Why are you scowling?”
“He said something that pissed me off.”
“Is this a new thing?”
“No, but … he considers Cade a suspect.”
Sarah’s head jerked back. “That’s ridiculous. Cade would never—”
“I know he wouldn’t. I’m just telling you what Blake said. Honestly, I think it’s just a little petty jealousy on his part, though. He wants Cade to be a bad guy.”
She shook her head vigorously. “My brother wouldn’t harm you by word or deed. Ever. He adores you.”
“And I adore him. We’ve been friends a long time.”
“Yeah, but he …” She clamped her lips together and averted her gaze.
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s definitely not Cade. But if your caller disguised his voice, it could be that he thought you’d recognize it. That means that if it’s not Ricky or Linton, it could be someone else you know. Like Joshua Buchanan. That small-pricked asshole would relish messing with you.”
“You think he has a small prick?”
“He’ll have a small prick once I chop most of it off. I’ll leave him a stump so he can still pee.”
I smiled and put my hand over my heart. “I love you, Sarah.”
“Who wouldn’t?”
“Oh, and I met his stepsister and the redhead.”
Sarah’s eyes bulged. “Spill!”
“I saw Emma this morning at his apartment. She’s nice. She’s a PI, and she’s going to do some research on Ricky and Linton.”
“Well that’s good.”
“She definitely doesn’t have any designs on Blake, unlike Laurel. As for the redhead, Tara, I’m not so sure. I met her at the club last night. I don’t like the way she looks at Blake. Or that she apparently tries luring women away from him as part of some imaginary competition.”
Sarah pulled a face. “Ew. That’s just weird.”
“I’m not convinced she’s gay. I think she’s bi.”
“And, what, lures away Blake’s women out of jealousy?”
“Maybe. This could just be me being bitchy because I don’t like that she knows his secrets when I don’t.” I would have loved to be able to mention ‘Montgomery’ to Sarah, just in case she recognized the name. But this was something close and personal to Blake. I wouldn’t repeat any of it to anyone else.
“You two done gossiping?” Sherry called out.
Sarah snorted. “Like that will ever happen.”
Sherry just huffed. “Get to work.”
As usual, I made coffees, jotted down orders, wiped tables, and collected dirty glasses. Whereas I’d ordinarily disappear into my own imagination when there was a lull in the flow of patrons, I couldn’t today. I had too much on my mind, and too little to occupy it. The more time went on, the more I started to feel like a bumble bee trapped in a jar.
As I rattled off an order for three beers to Reed, he said, “I’ll take these drinks over.”
I tilted my head. “Why?”
“Those guys are on the rowdy side, and they can get pretty damn handsy. It’s bad enough that they were flirting with you like crazy. I’ll bet Blake won’t like hearing that guys were making moves on his woman.”
“I’m a waitress at a bar, Reed. Dealing with flirts is part of the deal. Anyway, it’s not like they touched me or anything. They’re just a little enthusiastic.”
Reed shook his head. “I’m taking the drinks over, deal with it. You know, I gotta say, I wouldn’t have thought you’d be interested in a guy like Blake Mercier. He’s not your usual type. Not fun and outgoing. He’s more …”
I didn’t hear what Reed said next, because I caught sight of a cobweb on the neon ‘BEER’ sign above the bar. My muscles bunched. Dammit, how did I miss that? It needed to go. And fast. If I could—
“You okay?”
I blinked at Reed. “Fine. Just need to get rid of that cobweb.” Did it annoy me that my mind seemed to obsess over shit like this when I was stressed? Yes, but there was no ignoring it.
Letting him serve the beers, I dusted the neon ‘BEER’ sign. Then I went on to brush and vacuum the pool table felt. After that, I cleaned the jukebox with antibacterial spray, scrubbed the restrooms with bleach, and then sponged down all the windows before getting rid of the excess water with a squeegee.
As I was returning the cleaning supplies to the closet, Sherry sidled up to me with a huff. “What’s wrong, Kensey? Don’t tell me nothing. You’ve been like Martha Stewart on crack all afternoon. The men’s restrooms are so pristine, you could eat in there—probably even off the floor itself.”
“I wouldn’t recommend it.” The very idea, even in jest, made me shudder.
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”
Even if I’d wanted to blow her off, I couldn’t. It was pretty obvious that I was stressed. “Yes, I’ll tell you.” I needed to update Clear, Sherry, Dodger, and Cade on the Linton situation anyway. “Family meeting at my Mom’s place?”
“I’ll be there. Call her and arrange it.”
Going into the breakroom, I called Clear. She was more than happy to have us all over for dinner later, not sounding the slightest bit uneasy that I was calling a meeting. Apparently, she was still convinced of what she’d said in the library that day. Probably even thought I was going to announce that the problem was officially gone.
Just as I was about to return the phone to my locker, it began to ring. Seeing that it was Blake, I smiled and answered, “Hey.”
“Hey, baby,” he said in that rumbly, velvety voice. “I’ve shuffled some things around, but I still won’t finish up today until around seven-thirty.”
Leaning against the wall, I said, “That’s fine. I’m going to my mother’s house for dinner at six-thirty. Sherry, Dodger, and Cade will meet me there so I can give them an update.”
There was a long pause, and I wondered if he was unhappy to hear that Cade would be there. “All right,” Blake finally said, sounding a little stiff. “What time do you think you’ll be done?”
“Probably around eight. It’ll take a while to make my mother settle once she hears what’s been going on.”
“Okay, drive straight to my place afterwards.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask how his lunch with Tara and Bastien went, but I held back. “See you then.”
“See you then, baby.”
The rest of my shift went by pretty fast, and soon enough I was slipping on my jacket and retrieving my purse from the locker. Walking out of the bar, I spotted Rossi’s car in the lot. No Silver Sedan anywhere, though. The only person hanging around was Cade, who called my name when he saw me. I stopped, but his footsteps were hesitant as he approached, glancing around us nervously.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
He gave me a too-quick smile. “I’m good.” He folded his arms across his chest. “You sure about Blake? It’s your business, I know. But I’ve heard things, Kensey.”
“What sort of things?”
He glanced around us again. “Not things I’d feel comfortable sharing in case I had to deal with the kind of blowback that puts a guy in hospital. He has a lot of shady connections. And I know that some of the men who work for him are ex-cons.”
I wondered if Rossi was one of those men. “If they?
??ve paid their debt to society—”
Cade snickered. “No one really pays the debt they owe to society anymore. The system doesn’t work, but that’s off topic. Look, if I believed that Blake would harm you, I’d share everything I heard. But I don’t think he would. He can protect you. He has the means and power to do it, which is why part of me is glad that you have him around you right now. But if what I’ve heard is true … Maybe you’d be able to overlook it—I don’t know. I mean, you’re no spun glass princess. You learned early that the world isn’t an innocent place. But I think it might hit you hard, even if just for a few moments.” He put a hand on my upper arm. “Just be prepared, okay?”
I nodded. “Okay.”
His smile was strained. “See you at your mom’s place.”
With my imagination going stir crazy, I crossed to my car. I gave Rossi a quick wave before climbing inside. I’d wanted to press Cade to share more, but pressing him on anything was fruitless. He wasn’t warning me away from Blake, so what he’d heard couldn’t be that bad, right? Cade just wanted me to be “prepared.”
But for what?
I knew the moment I stepped into my mother’s kitchen and smelled garlic, onions, and tomatoes that she’d made spaghetti bolognaise. One of my favorite meals. I almost fell to my knees in gratitude.
Instead, I put a hand to my rumbling stomach. “Damn, I’m starving.”
Clear smiled. “You won’t be for much longer.”
“Need me to set the table or anything?”
“It’s already done, sweetie, but thanks. What do you want to drink?”
“Any Coke?”
“Check the fridge.”
After I poured myself a glass, I sat at the kitchen island as she pottered around. To look at the airy kitchen, no one would think she’d just cooked a meal. There were no crumbs or spills on the granite counter; no dirty pans or cooking implements in the aluminum sink. She was already way ahead on the cleaning.
I didn’t bother offering my help. Clear had her own way of doing things, and she didn’t like anyone interfering.