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The problem is, I don’t know. I don’t know what he wants or thinks, and I have no idea how to find out. He says I am his now, but is he mine?
I shower quickly and dress. King isn’t in the room when I exit, and a part of me deflates at that. I shake myself mentally and head downstairs. I hear the girls before I see them. When I round the corner, they’re sitting at the bar sipping on cocktails while one of King’s men plays barkeep. King is at the end of the bar, keeping watch. I’m pulled to him by an invisible string.
He passes me a drink and leans in where no one else can hear before speaking. “They don’t know anything yet. I figured you would want to be the one to tell them.”
“Thank you.” I take a sip from the glass and turn to Veronica, Jasmine, and Carley.
For a moment, I watch them laughing and joking, knowing that in a few minutes the grins will slip from their faces. I would save them from this if I could, but hiding the truth from them would only endanger them more. Steeling myself against the inevitable, I walk over. Carley notices me first. She opens her mouth to speak and closes it, sensing with that uncanny ability of hers that something is amiss.
“Nolan! You’ve been holding out girl.” Veronica lifts her glass and salutes me before taking a gulping sip. I force a small grin.
“What’s wrong?” Carley asks, getting straight to the point. I glance back at King once. He tilts his head in a gentle nod.
“Something’s happened,” I blurt out.
I have no clue where to even start, and the story comes out slowly, my words careful and unsure. Ten minutes later, they’re all caught up on the last twenty-four hours. Blank stares quickly erupt into startled exclamations, followed by outright disbelief and horror when I show them the video and photo.
At some point, King steps behind me, lending his silent support. The heat of his body and his unique scent calm my racing emotions.
“Who is doing this?” Jasmine asks, her face ghostly pale.
I grimace. “We don’t know yet.”
“I will find out,” King reassures them, his tone confident and calm. “I asked Nolan to bring you here for two reasons. The first and most important was to make sure you’re safe. My men will remain here with you. If you must leave, one will go with you. Cancel all plans until we find the sonofabitch responsible.”
“And secondly?” Carley asks.
“I need to know if any of you have heard or seen anything recently that’s strange or just not part of your normal. It doesn’t matter how small or inconsequential.”
My heart drops when one by one, they each shake their heads.
“Do you think this is related to the business?” Carley asks. I appreciate how levelheaded she’s remained, even if she’s asking questions I don’t have answers to.
“I don’t know. I have run through every single client in my head, every non-client or person we turned down. For a second, I even contemplated whether it was related to King because of the timing, but he only appeared in my life two days ago. I feel like this has been planned and set in motion for longer. I don’t know what caused it or who is doing it. My gut tells me it’s directed at me, but that could just be my guilt. I blame myself for putting you all in danger.”
“You didn’t put us in danger. Scratch that thought. Now. We chose this, same as you,” Carley says.
“There wouldn’t have been anything for you to choose if it weren’t for me, though.”
“I don’t care. You don’t blame the police force when a cop is shot on duty, do you? You blame the bastard who shot him. You created a company and hired us to do a job. Nothing more. This person, whoever they are, is attacking you just as much as Erin. Do we think he has Dani too? Fucking hell, I can’t imagine someone hurting little Dani.”
King leans against the bar, letting us hash through everything alone. I’m thankful he doesn’t try to steer the conversation. He may seem disinterested, but I know he’s listening to everything, running through every detail to gauge its importance. For the most part, Jasmine and Veronica have remained silent. I worry for them, wishing they’d rant and scream instead of hiding inside themselves.
Someone is targeting the people I care about. I may not know why yet, but that much is obvious. It’s the reason he didn’t touch me. He wants me scared and alone.
“Oh, God.” The thought hits me like a freight train out of nowhere. “My dad.” I dial my dad’s number, praying he’ll answer. The line rings once and goes straight to voicemail.
I turn to King, panicked. “They could go after him too.”
My chest aches at the thought of someone harming him. More so than the idea of any harm they could do to me. I would not survive if my dad were attacked because someone was trying to get at me.
“I’ll check on him. I can fill him in and stay with him... keep him safe.” Jeffrey is the last person I expect to offer, considering how much he despises me, but he does. King nods, giving his approval.
Sitting back on a barstool, cradling my cell in my hands, I try and fail to breathe. This can’t be happening. It just can’t. I can’t lose him.
Veronica walks over, taking my cell and placing it on the bar. “It’s going to be okay. He’s probably in court or talking with a client,” she says. I know she’s right, but it doesn’t keep my brain from overreacting.
“I don’t know if this matters, but if something happens to Erin and it was connected, I would hate myself for not mentioning it.”
