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“Um. A black one. A Jeep. Why?" she asked when he swore under his breath.
“I thought I saw him standing by the door while you were in the back, but I wasn’t sure, so I got up to check. By the time I made it outside, the only thing I could see was a black Jeep peeling out of the parking lot.”
“He was here?”
“I think so. But you’re fine,” he added, giving her arm a quick rub. “You want to tell me what the fuck this guy’s problem really is?”
“What’s there to tell? He’s an asshole who didn’t like to hear the word no. And he disagreed with his fists. Or with a well-aimed slap to the face. We hadn’t really progressed to fists yet. Not until I told him I wouldn’t marry him.”
“And he’s been bothering you ever since?”
She shook her head. “No, actually. I haven’t heard from him since Leo broke his nose. I figured my father or brothers warned him off. Papa thinks he’s just trying to break up the alliance by scaring me off.”
“Declan thinks the same.”
“But you don’t,” she said at the skepticism in his tone.
“I don’t have a reason not to, but…”
“But?”
“Do you have anything else to do today? Are you lying to me?" he asked and she shook her head. “All right, then I’m going to take you home.”
Viv unfolded the jacket she’d draped over her arm and slipped her arms through the sleeves, frowning when her fingers brushed a piece of paper that shouldn’t be there. She gripped it in her fist, forcing it through the opening and looking up at Aidan, who was studying it.
She hadn’t even opened it all the way when she saw the thick slashes of a black marker bleeding through the page.
You have one week to do the right thing.
Before she had time to process all the words, Aidan snatched it from her hands and read it through again, lips moving as he scanned it. He balled it into his fist before shoving it violently into his pocket.
“Excuse me,” he said, voice calmer than he looked, stopping a passing consultant with a light hand on her arm. “Is there another way in and out of the shop besides the front door?”
The woman frowned, looking from Aidan to Viv and back again. Something in Aidan’s gaze had her answering his question.
“There’s an employee entrance that opens into what I guess you could call an alley. There are dumpsters back there and a little loading dock for deliveries. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Everything is fine. Thanks.”
He put his hand on the small of Viv’s back and led her out into the parking lot. His hand never left her, forcing her to keep pace with his long strides around the side of the building and toward the back. When they rounded the corner, he stopped short, gripping her hip to keep her close.
There were two employees leaning against the side of the building, one smoking, the other bent over their phone. The door was propped open with a plastic container. Anyone could slip in through that door if someone wasn’t paying attention or made a quick run to their car and left it unattended.
“What are you looking for?" she asked when she noticed his eyes darting around the perimeter of the buildings.
“Cameras. This is the direction I saw the Jeep pull out from.”
That’s right. Libby had mentioned Brogan was good with tech. Viv tracked Aidan’s gaze around the space. Nothing. He muttered a stream of curses, apparently coming to the same realization.
“There’s a security system at your house, isn’t there?”
“Yeah. Papa had it installed after… After.”
“Good.” He turned and led her to the truck, hand tight on her waist while his eyes constantly scanned the parking lot as they crossed it.
“If Collin and his family are really trying to undermine this alliance, what does that mean for the wedding? For the families?”For us, she wanted to say but didn’t.
“I don’t know,” he replied, opening her door and helping her inside. “First, I’m going to take you home.”
