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He nodded, yellow hair swinging at his shoulders. “Earlier this morning. I just happened to see him and a big security-looking dude walking through the place like they owned it, so I asked. When he said he’d just bought the place from Slotnick, I informed them what an asshole landlord he’d been and made him swear he’d keep things in working order.”
I drew in a breath. A gorgeous guy and security dude? Couldn’t be.
“Oh yeah? What’d he say?” I asked with strained composure.
Jaxson didn’t notice. In fact, he grinned. “The dreamboat said he’d do me one better and rent control the building indefinitely.”
I nodded, limbs tingling, face smoothing to neutral. “And what was this white knight’s name, Jax?”
His lips curved into a lovesick smile. “Julian Bashra. God, what a fucking perfect name,” he said wistfully before shaking his head and coming back to reality. “Too bad he’s as straight as they come, and completely untouchable. Damn, I could have had a good time climbing that god of a man.”
Eight
I stompedaround my apartment as I got ready for my shift at the bar.
Who the hell did he think he was?
Buying my building while he kept me tranqed in his compound? And for what? Keeping tabs on me?
I could understand wanting to vet me. A king could never be too safe. But that shouldn’t include buying my building.Who the hell just does that?
I ripped a brush through my still-wet hair and braided it into a cute Dutch braid bun. Then, I tugged on my high-waisted jeans and cropped halter. The outfit was my work uniform. I had seven different halters in seven different colors and countless pairs of high-waisted jeans. I’d discovered early on which outfit earned me the highest tips and bought a week’s worth.
I shucked on my comfiest pair of boots and headed to the bar for my shift.
I was still mad.
Really fucking mad. If this was the kind of controlling bullshit I had to look forward to while working for him, the king and I woulddefinitelybe having words.
At least I had the bar to distract me for a while.
The walk through town burned off most of my foul mood, and Jerry’s greeting at the back door took care of the rest.
“Hello, my star bartender. How was your day off?” He wore a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes, and I had to resist the urge to give Jerry a big bear hug right then and there.
“It fucking sucked, Jer, but I’m here now and ready to get the night started.”
“Atta girl.” He gave me a fatherly wink. “Just so you know, April had to call out because her boyfriend is in the hospital.”
I paused, employee password half-typed into the MICROS system. “Oh, no. I hope he’s all right.”
“Me too. But we won’t know anything for a few days. It’s pretty bad. The doctors say it was some kind of animal. They put him in a medically induced coma.”
I kept my face neutral, but my skin went cold and tingly. Animal attacks were never animal attacks. Not in Laurel Cove. “Oh, God, how awful.”
Jerry nodded, face grim. “Yeah. It really is. And it means you’ll have the bar to yourself. I couldn’t get anyone to cover her shift on such short notice.”
“Sure, no problem. I can handle a Sunday on my own.”
Honestly, I was glad for the distraction of constant customers. Plus, there was the fat wad of tips I’d have at the end of the night.
But poor April. An animal attack?
That was going to sit in my head all night and fester, I could tell.
We had a deal with the local officials. They gave us access to their blood bank, and the king made sure their re-election campaigns stayed fully funded.
All the vamps in Laurel Cove knew that. No one here would be careless enough to feed off someone in the wild.
