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She glanced in Zack’s direction. He seemed lost in thought as he sat in the seat beside her. She could see raw hurt in his sexy, dark eyes. What was on his mind? He was miles away.
“We’re going to pick up your sister. You’ll get a chance to gather your things.”
“What?” Blue’s heart pounded hard and fast in her chest. “What are you talking about?” she queried. She did not like the finality in his tone.
“You don’t think I’m going to let either of you stay at your apartment after this, do you?”
“Well, where else would we stay?”
“In one of my apartments in the city, if you wish. Or you could stay in Mayberry.” His tone, it was hard, authoritative. Commanding.
Blue was speechless. Her mouth hung open for what seemed like forever. “You’re not serious.”
“I’ve never been more serious, Miss Monroe. You are currently in my employ. The incident happened close to the estate. You’re my responsibility. Until we find out who did this and get to the bottom of this…” He seemed to be giving her an order like a soldier under command of his higher ranking officer. However, she was not a soldier and he was not her commanding officer.
The memory of Elliot bossing her around, bullying her to do whatever he wanted her to do came crashing down on her mind like a violent tornado whirling her thoughts and emotions all over the place. So Zack was rich and powerful. Did that make him the boss of her life? Hell, no. Was she some cheap, mindless being who when told to jump would ask how high? This was her life he was talking about.
“But you can’t just tell me what to do!” Blue’s ears burned. She could not believe what she was hearing. “You didn’t even consult me about it first. My sister goes to summer school and I…I’ll be fine at home, thank you.”
“I’ll decide that.” Ooh, his tone was clipped and curt.
The hell you will. “Is this how you treat everyone in your life? You just order them around and they do as they’re told without question? Well, I’m not one of your pawns. You seriously have control issues, Mr. Romero.”
“Ouch. Remind me to send you the bill from my therapist.”
Despite herself, Blue giggled. Was this guy for real? Okay, he was hot and sexy and oh, so charming. It was damned hard to stay mad at a guy like that. Okay, maybe she was being a bit harsh.
“I’m sorry, I…I’m not usually this rude.”
“Oh, here I thought it was the impact of the accident.”
“That’s not funny.”
“I know. I apologize. And I did not mean to be overbearing, Miss Monroe. It’s a very serious thing that happened. Would you and your sister like to stay in a more secure housing complex like the Romero Towers at the waterfront, or at the estate?”
Ooh, now that sounds like an enticing proposition. What could she say to that? “I…I don’t know how my sister will feel about that, Zack. I…thank you.”
* * *
“Who the hell are you?” Elliot asked the towering, muscular man in the black suit. He looked like a mob hit man but he couldn’t be sure.
“My boss sent me,” the man said, closing in on him. “Where were you this evening?”
“What do you mean? I was here. At home.” Elliot loosened the tie around his neck. He’d just gotten home from work at the station and turned on the game. He hadn’t even changed out of his suit. Who was this monster of a man working for? He’d slept with that model from the club and never called her back. Could she have been a call girl or something? Heck, there were a lot of women who he couldn’t care less about calling in the morning once he got what he wanted. They would get over it. He racked his brain trying to figure out which broad he had screwed and couldn’t subsequently handle the fact he did not dedicate his life to her. Bitches. They were all bitches.
When he reached his apartment earlier, he’d heard a knock at the door and when he opened it thinking it was the pizza delivery guy, the thug of a bodybuilder barged through the door.
“Never mind that,” the man hissed in a dangerously low voice, void of emotions.
