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“Fine. I think, while I have him on the phone, I’ll ask him why we have one of his security guards sitting in the waiting area. I went to get something out of my car a couple of hours ago, and there’s another one of his guys parked out there watching the salon. Did Markus tell you what the hell’s going on?”
Brianna had been hoping Tiff wouldn’t bring up this topic. Markus hadn’t told her anything directly, but she’d started to put the pieces together and suspected the men were going after Jake. Realizing her reckless actions had once again caused problems for the people she loved most in the world, guilt invaded her. Knowing how much Tiff hated Jake, she reluctantly kept her hypothesis to herself.
Tiff saw through her. “All right, you’re holding something back. Spill it.”
“It’s nothing. At least nothing I have proof of.”
“So, what’s your guess?”
“You don’t want to know.”
Tiff used her best friend x-ray skills to come up with the answer. “Jake.”
Bri sighed. “Unfortunately, it’s the only thing that makes sense to me. What else would they be working on together? What else would have them afraid for our safety?”
She wished she’d kept her guess to herself. Tiff paled before asking quietly, “Jake wouldn’t come here again, would he?”
“I’d like to think he was smart enough to stay away, but let’s face it—it’s Jake we’re talking about. He doesn’t exactly play by the rules.” Seeing a visible shiver race through her closest friend, Bri tried to lessen her concerns. “I’m not worried. The guys are obviously making sure we’re protected. Call me if you get any news out of Lukus this weekend, and I’ll do the same.”
Tiff’s voice softened. “I’m more worried about Lukus doing something stupid and getting in trouble, or worse…”
“Call him. You’ll feel better hearing his voice. You really are almost out of time.” A soft bell rang in the reception area, letting the women know their next appointments had arrived. “Time’s up.”
Tiff picked up her cell phone. “Tell my appointment I’ll be out in a few. I’m calling Lukus.”
“Okay, just don’t be too long.” Hoping to give them some privacy, Brianna opened the door leading to the reception area, only to find her departure blocked by the solid frame of a bodyguard. “Really? Is this necessary?” she said.
“I have my orders, ma’am,” he told her.
“And those are?”
“Never let you get more than ten feet away from me.”
“Great. Let’s go. We’re short of stylists today. Have you ever thought about working in a salon?”
Chapter Eleven
Markus
“At least the kid is gonna be okay. Has Z tracked the bastard down yet?” Markus had checked in with Lukus several times while Brianna had been at the salon. She was due home any minute and he wanted to focus on playing with his sexy wife. He didn’t like the stress he heard in Lukus’s voice.
“The prick hasn’t shown up at any of his normal haunts. I hope he’s enjoying making us look like dumbasses. He’s been one step ahead of us the whole time. I should’ve gotten my head out of my ass and been in California a week ago.”
“Let it go. You have Z there now. I almost feel sorry for the bastard with him on his tail. That guy has serious skills. I feel better just knowing he’s on the case,” Markus said.
“I’ll feel better once he puts eyes on Davenport. Z can’t do jack shit if Jake is in Chicago. Until we know for sure, I’m keeping security outside your house this weekend. I’m going to lock down Tiffany here at the loft. I’m glad the salon is closed for the next two days. That’ll give us time to locate him, even if he’s in Chicago.”
Markus heard a commotion at the other end of the phone. “Did I lose you?”
“Derek just walked in. I didn’t expect to see you today, man. How’s Rachel?”
“The doc says the baby is fine and, thank God, the spotting stopped. She’s on bed rest until her next appointment, but it looks like everything’s gonna work out,” Derek said.
Markus could hear through the speakerphone how tired their friend sounded.
“That’s great news,” Lukus interjected. “But what the fuck are you doing here? You should be at home taking care of her.”
Derek was agitated. “She kicked me out. Can you fucking believe that shit? Her mom and sisters are there with her, and they said I was ‘hovering.’ Fuck, yeah, I was hovering. That’s my job when my baby is sick.”
