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“The other way,” I told him.
I’d ask him how he’d found me, my private entrance, and known the code to enter, but I already knew the answer—Maegan. She had been fucking Kiro back in LA, but then he got bored with her, and I offered her this job. She wasn’t some groupie. She’d been our estate manager until Kiro decided he was done with her and wanted her out.
I heard him curse while ranting about my kitchen being too small, and I smiled. He would always be Kiro Manning, rock legend, lead singer of Slacker Demon. Not even sweet little Lila Kate could change his persona. His granddaughter, he worshipped. She looked so much like her mother at that age. He watched his cursing around Lila Kate, but that was about it.
When he arrived back in the living room, he held up the beer, scowling. “You can do better than this shit,” he said, then sat down across from me.
“I take it, you are talking to Maegan again,” I said.
He let out a short laugh. “Hell no. She was too attached. That’s a closed fucking book.”
“But you called her to get my information,” I pointed out. “And she gave it to you.”
He shrugged. “So? You and I have lived together since we were twenty years old. We own a house together. She knows that. Why wouldn’t she give me the code to your penthouse?”
Because he didn’t own this place. But I didn’t say anything. It wasn’t like Kiro was going to be visiting often. He hated the Florida heat and humidity. Besides, with him here, I wasn’t alone.
“You want to head to Rosemary with me? Visit the kids?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Rush just left a few hours ago. I told him I’d be there sometime next week.”
Kiro waved his beer around. “What the fuck you gonna do here?”
I had been debating on checking out Brielle McGinnis on social media. See if she had an Instagram or even a TikTok. I was more intrigued by her than I needed to be, but who the fuck could blame me? Her barely covered ass down at the pool had taunted me. I liked her sass and attitude. Then, there were her tits. Damn, I liked big tits, and she had an excellent set. Even if she was a cheater … but then maybe she wasn’t. Maybe she and Cam had an open arrangement. Who was I to judge? Especially after the shit I’d done.
“I have to meet with the construction crew. I noted some more renovations today that should be done,” I told him.
“Didn’t you hire Maegan for that shit?” he asked.
I had hired Maegan to manage the building, not the construction, but I wasn’t going to explain that to Kiro. He’d have no idea what that meant. The last job he’d had, other than entertaining millions of people with his voice, was a fast-food joint when we were eighteen. My renovating this place was work to him. He didn’t comprehend my desire to do it.
A loud alarm suddenly went off, and I stood up, recognizing it. A fire alarm.FUCK!
“Holy hell, what is that noise?” Kiro asked, not moving from his relaxed position.
“Fire alarm,” I said, heading toward the door that led to the main elevator.
The stairs were located in the private entrance. I needed to get to the source of the smoke faster than that.
My phone started ringing, and Maegan’s name lit up the screen.
“Where is it?” I asked her as the elevator doors opened.
“Security system says the third floor.” Her words were rushed. “But it just says smoke detected. The sprinklers have only gone off on the third floor. Maybe not even every apartment. I can’t be sure. This is new, and I am still working out how to read the system alerts.”
“I’m headed there now,” I snapped, then ended the call as I stepped into the elevator.
Kiro stood at my open door, watching me. “In a fire, you’re supposed to take the damn stairs,” he barked at me.
“You take the stairs and get out,” was my response.
I let the elevator close, and I went down to the third floor—Brielle’s floor. I didn’t know if it was her apartment, but I did know there were only three apartments on the third floor.
Brielle and the apartment beside hers were smaller, but the apartment across from hers was a three bedroom/three bath with double Brielle’s square footage. The apartments on the first and second floor were either Brielle’s size or smaller. The fourth floor had two of the larger apartments, and then there was my floor.
When the doors to the elevator opened, the first voice I heard was Brielle. She was talking to someone in a comforting tone. The sound of her voice calmed me, but I didn’t want to think about that too deeply.
I hadn’t raced down here to make sure she was safe. I was worried about all my tenants and my investment.
