Page 59 of False Flag

In most circumstances, he wouldn’t bother to answer the prick, but it was important to establish that his history with Staci was limited. “I met Anastacia at a fundraiser.”

He reached into the guest bathroom that was right off the entryway and grabbed a hand towel. He handed her the cloth as he asked, “Do you go by Staci?”

She took it and wiped her face as she nodded. Her eyes were wide with shock. She was flushed and breathing heavily. Mopping her face resulted in streaks of blood on her chin, making her look fierce.

She looked at the red streaks on the white towel, and…smiled?

She’d gone from fierce to magnificently feral. She climbed to her feet and looked down at her attacker. She pointed to the open front door. “Get out.” The man’s own blood spattered him as she spit out the command.

“You can’t order me around. I’m security.”

“You assaulted her,” Jake said. “Gerard won’t like that.” He actually had no idea what Gerard would think, but he hoped the man had one iota of decency. Or that at least he’d fake it for Staci’s sake.

“It’s her word against mine. We have history.”

“So I gathered. And I heard her say no through the door.”

“But you didn’t see what she did. She’s always liked it rough. Biting is just one of her games.”

Jake grabbed his shirt and hauled him to his feet. The security guard was bigger than Jake, but he wasn’t worried. “You’re going to leave here, and she and I are gonna have a little talk. If she tells me she wants your attention, fine. If she says no means no, then I will rip you a new asshole if you ever touch her again. Got that?”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

“I don’t give a crap what you’re afraid of. I don’t rely on terrorizing people to get what I want.” Jake pushed him out the door. “My brother isn’t going to like that you assaulted her either.”

“He’s pussy whipped.”

Jake really wanted to punch him, but he hadn’t even been here twenty-four hours. Too soon to risk getting ejected. Not when Staci clearly needed protection.

He slammed the door and locked it, then turned to see the hand towel covering the blood and vomit on the floor. The bathroom door was closed. He heard water running on the other side.

He went to the kitchen to get more towels and a glass of water for her. This was going to be a tricky conversation. He’d done a cursory scan of the house for bugs, but couldn’t trust it. Hell, most of the appliances had internet connections. Why anyone needed a fridge that could post to social media, he would never know.

He’d read reports of microwaves that had bugs embedded in the wiring. The only way to be certain no one was listening was to turn off the power to every device in the house, including modems and routers. But even then he would wonder. This property was owned by a billionaire who made his money with internet hardware and software.

Jake had to play his part. He couldn’t tell her why he was here. He couldn’t even let her know he was on her side. She needed to continue to feel isolated and alone.

When she came out of the bathroom, he handed her the water glass, then bent down to clean the floor.

“I can do that.”

“No. I got it. Grab a seat in the living room. I’ll be right there.”

She didn’t argue, and he hoped she wouldn’t escape out the back door. But this time, there was nowhere for her to run. She’d have to see him. Tonight. Tomorrow. Every day between now and whenever they were done here.

After cleaning with towels, he swiped down the floor with disinfectant wipes and dropped the towels in the laundry room and the wipes in the garbage. Then he washed his hands and braced himself to face her.

He stepped into the living room to find her with her back to him, staring out the window that faced the water and Vancouver Island.

His gut clenched. She was so small, and that asshole had overpowered her in an instant.

He cleared his throat. Time to get their stories straight, keeping in mind they might have an audience.

“I’m not sure if you remember me. I’m Jake. Jake Burns.”

She let out a small sound. A laugh? A growl? “Oh, I remember you. You were very…egotistical.”

He couldn’t help but smile. “And hot as fuck.”