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“I knew it.”
“Knew what?”
“He was bad news.”
“You still haven’t answered my question. Where’d he go?”
Proceed with caution my inner voice screamed in my head. She didn’t need to know that when Luka and Rurik offered him money to leave, they found pictures of all the female tenants plastered on the wall inside his apartment. Just like she absolutely did not need to know they taught him a particularly painful lesson about respecting others' privacy. Less was more in this situation.
“I evicted him.”
“And took his place.”
Rather than answer, I reached across the table and opened the Styrofoam box. Inside was her favorite mushroom-and-cheese omelette from the little deli down the street from the casino. She visited that place at least once a week to get us breakfast or lunch, sometimes both, depending on the daily special. Their food was good, but it wasn’t the same caliber as Quantum.
Handing her a fork, I pointed at the container. “Eat while it’s still hot.”
She took a bite, and my dick went rock solid at the sound of pleasure coming from her mouth. It was nothing new. I hid more hard-ons than I could count since she waltzed into my office that first day. Everything about Pru made me hard.
“Mmm. God, I love their food.”
“I know.”
We ate while we went over the agenda for the day. An hour block of time had been set aside for a meeting with the general managers of the resort and the casino. Brian Turnball and Alice Davenport excelled at their jobs, however the two of them got along about as well as a lit match and a drum of gasoline. Since I hadn’t been the one to request the meeting, the likelihood I’d have a headache before noon was very real.
After breakfast, we took the elevator to the ground floor where Emil was waiting with the SUV. It wasn’t until we were halfway to the casino when Pru asked the questions I’d been dreading.
“Why did you buy my apartment complex, Zak, and why did you move in next door?”
My answer was swift and honest. “To keep you safe.”
“You couldn’t do that without spending an obscene amount of money?”
“Money doesn’t matter.”
“Says the man who bought a building on a whim.”
I chuckled, threading my fingers through hers and giving them a squeeze. “It was an investment, not a whim.”
“Poh-tay-to, Poh-tah-to.” Pru was quiet for a moment, then squeezed my hand back. “I was serious earlier. I don’t think I can stay there any longer. It brings back too many bad memories.”
“I may have a solution.”
“Really? What is it?”
“I’ll show you after work.” She’d been through a combination of traumas, between the kidnapping, assault, and losing part of her leg. As much as I hated to admit it, my support alone wouldn’t be enough to help her heal. “Have you considered talking to someone?”
“Daria asked me the same question a while back.”
“And?”
“I said I’d think about it.”
“There are people who specialize in situations like yours.”
“You’ve done your research.”
“Of course I have.” Using two fingers on her chin, I turned her head to face me. Three words sat on the tip of my tongue, but she wasn’t ready for them. “You have no idea how much you mean to me Prudence Mary-Elizabeth Turner. That’s entirely my fault, and I plan to rectify it. Until then, please know your health, both physical and mental, are my top priority.”
