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There was that tough girl smile that did fuck all to hide the vulnerability she tried so hard to conceal.
“Damn, you are small for your age.” I took in Madison’s appearance again, searching for signs I missed about her age. But she had small bones, delicate features, and weighed about one hundred and ten pounds, soaking wet.
“This is what growing up poor and eating what and whenever you can gets you, rich girl.” I flipped Madison the bird and she laughed. “Here’s my ID if you don’t believe me.”
I waved her off. “I believe you until you give me a reason not to. How are you feeling?”
“Like I got stuck with a knife, but the pills help with the pain, and the wound is clean, so thanks.” She shrugged and looked away, seemingly uncomfortable with emotions like gratitude.
“No problem. I’m just glad we found you in time.”
“Me too. My Spanish isn’t all that good.” Her words were glib, but there was relief in her tone and the set of her shoulders.
“So, Madison, are you happy on the streets or do you want to work?”
She was more than old enough to work and earn a living so she could support herself eventually.
Her smile dissolved, replaced with a frown as she folded her arms defensively. “I don’t—”
“—Need charity,” I finished for her with a laugh. “I know and I’m not offering you charity. I’m offering you a job. You do know the difference, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I’m not stupid.”
“Didn’t think you were but that chip on your shoulder might affect your ability to think clearly. If you want to work, I’ll find something for you to do while we track down your sister. What can you do?”
“Whatever shit job exists, I’ve done it. Cleaned houses and bathrooms. Flipped burgers. I was even a valet for about two weeks. I’m good at math and I can type really fast.”
I wrote down everything she said and sent an email to my assistant.
“By the time you’re healed enough to work, we should have a few options for you.”
“You and that blond hunk, Terry?” she asked and waggled her eyebrows.
“No, my assistant.”
But her eyes brought a smile to my face as I remembered how hard, how turned on Terry had been on that balcony, and it was all because of me. But that was just a fleeting thought. Jasper would kill us both.
A knock sounded on the door and Madison gasped, but her shoulders immediately relaxed when Sadie walked in carrying four oversized shopping bags. “Good morning, girls.”
“Mornin’, Ma. What did you bring me?” I flashed a teasing smile.
“These are for Madison.” She dropped the bags at Madison’s feet, smirking when our guest looked at them like they were toxic waste.
“Kat you need to go into the office. No one has seen Ravager since the fight and rumors are swirling. You need to deal with it.”
Of course, I did. “I thought this was Jasper’s deal?”
“It is, but he’s doing something else right now.” Something more important, which meant this job managing House of Ashby was still mine for the foreseeable future.
“Shit. Yeah. All right.” I stood reluctantly and made my way to the bathroom with a grunt. Was it just a few minutes ago I thought how nice it was to work without heels or makeup? Thirty minutes later, I had my work bag in one hand, phone and coffee in the other as I said goodbye to Madison and strolled out of the guest house toward my car and came up short.
“Terry. What are you doing here?” He looked irresistible in jeans, a t-shirt and a blazer, leaning against my car like all my wildest teenage fantasies had come true.
He flashed a teasing smile and stood to his full height, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.
“I’m your personal bodyguard until Ravager is found and all the bullshit passes.”
“Is that how it works? Bullshit actually passes?” Not that I was complaining about spending more time with Terry. It would be a particularly unique form of torture, but maybe it would cure me of these lustful images in my head I had of him.
“So, you’re my bodyguard…forever?”
He shrugged. “I guess you’re stuck with me.”
“There are worse people to be stuck with.” I snickered at his words. “Impressive lengths you’ll go to just to get close to me, Stalker.”
His deep laugh bounced off the hot concrete as he held his hand out, waiting impatiently for me to hand over the keys. “Don’t worry, Kitty Kat, you can ignore me the way you always do.”
That pulled an unladylike bark of laughter from deep in my gut. Ignore him, as if I could.
“If I could ignore you, Terry, I’d be a lot less bothered by you.”
Hot and bothered was more like it, but since he didn’t return my feelings, there was no way in hell that I’d ever say that out loud.
