Page 50

“Who the fuck are you?” Thorin asks. The guy scowls, and brushes his greasy hair behind his ear. His jeans are dirty, and so is his t-shirt.

“Fucking paparazzi,” Mya says from beside Fletch. “Found him lurking around the damn kitchen.”

“I’m calling the cops,” Thorin says.

“No, no, please, don’t. I just—”

“Wait,” Thorin cuts him off. “Isn’t this the same sleaze bag you found in the garden yesterday?” He looks at Fletch, who nods. “Yeah, but he’s not the first.”

“Damnit,” Thorin mutters, his hands going to his hips.

“What do you mean not the first?” I ask.

“This is part of why I came home early,” he tells me. “Paps have been loitering around the guys’ house, and the ranch lately. Benji caught this fucker here yesterday morning, too.”

“I just wanted some pictures,” the guy says. “Your manager declined an interview.”

“For good reason,” Fletch replies. “We don’t want to speak to the press!”

The guy swiftly lifts his camera, and takes a few shots in rapid succession, then takes off, running down the driveway. Thorin yells as he takes off after the sleaze ball. Fletch is right behind him, and it doesn’t take long for them to tackle the pap to the ground. They get into a scuffle, and after destroying the guy’s camera, Fletch escorts him past the open ranch gates. We should have seen this coming, since everyone knows Thorin and the band are in town, but this guy must be from one of the big cities because no one in Horseshoe would bother Thorin and his bandmates. People here know who they are, since they were all born and raised here, and when they’re in town, they’ll acknowledge them, but then go about their day as if seeing them is nothing out of the ordinary. Hell, not a single picture of them has been posted online since they arrived.

“Nice t-shirt,” Mya says from the porch. I was so worried something had happened to Eli, I forgot what I must look like. She smirks. “Looks like my plan worked, after all.”

“What plan?” I see Thorin and Fletch walking up the drive way in my periphery.

Mya pivots on her heel. “Want some coffee? Looks like you need it.” She disappears inside, and I follow.

“Mya, what plan?” She doesn’t answer me, and that can’t be good. “Mya!”

“Oh, come on,” Mya chides from her spot against the counter. “It’s not as bad as you think. I just paid a few people off, and got the two of you in the same room.”

I want to be mad, or at least a little annoyed, because her meddling knows no limits. But I’m not, because if she hadn’t meddled, last night wouldn’t have happened. Not that I’m going to give her the satisfaction of knowing that.

“And there was no mold in Thorin’s penthouse building either?” I ask, spying Fletch and Thorin coming up the porch steps.

“Nope.” Mya smiles around the rim of her coffee mug, and rather than continue this discussion—I’ll save it for later—I pay attention to Eli. I missed him last night, and judging by the way Thorin smiles when he sees the little tike, he did too.

“Everything okay?” I ask. He pours himself some coffee, and takes a seat next to me at the island. Fletch takes up his spot next to Mya.

“I’m not sure,” Thorin tells me. “I’ll have to call Alex, but I think we’re going to have to get a security system, and maybe consider building a wall around the front end of the ranch. I can’t risk yours, or Eli’s safety, babe.”

“Or yours and the guys’ safety,” I add. “Don’t you think it would be better if you all stayed here? It’s not like we don’t have the space.” Fletch, and Thorin share a look, and Fletch sighs. “She has a point, but I’m not sure what’s going on with Carson. The party last night was his idea.” He casts a glance my way. “And he’s the one who invited Jessica and her friends over after bumping into them at Jameson’s.” Jameson’s is the bar in town, a landmark in Horseshoe Bay, really. It’s been around longer than we’ve been alive. “I’m sorry about not keeping an eye on them, Reese. Benji and I were policing Carson most of the night.”

“Don’t worry about it, thanks for taking care of Mya and Eli while Thorin and I…”

Fletch grins, and so does Mya. “Sorted out your differences?” He chuckles. “It was about time, in my opinion.”

Thorin gives him a high-five, and I can’t help but roll my eyes. Boys.

“But seriously,” Mya says. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I just didn’t expect to find Jessica in my house. I didn’t even know she still lived in town, I’ve never actually seen her around.”

“She doesn’t live in town,” Fletch says, his brows furrowed. “She lives in Austin.”

“Huh.” I look at Thorin. “Maybe last night is exactly what she was hoping for, then. To see Thorin.”

He snorts. “Please, I don’t want a damn thing to do with her. Hopefully, she fucked off back home last night.”