“It’s very easy. You’re going to pack your things and move into my house until we find you a better place to live.”
Her jaw drops, but I hold up a finger. “No arguments. Tell Courtney and her son. I have plenty of room.”
“Courtney will not go for this. Ollie has school, and she already said he’ll find her wherever she goes.”
My fist tightens, and darkness clouds my vision. I’d love for that bastard to try something at my home. I’d love to show him what a real man will do. Clearing my throat, I give a more civilized answer.
“Our office has security on call for when we’re transporting expensive items. I’ll tell them I need a man at my house around the clock until further notice. Better yet, I’ll have him assigned to you until further notice. You’ll be perfectly safe—as long as you don’t do anything foolish like taking appointments from clients you don’t know. Even then…”
“I needed the money, Spencer. And I’m not having a security guard following me around like I’m the damned Queen of England. I have an interview this afternoon with Palmetto Rehab. If they give me a job, they’ll have security on-site, and then I won’t need to take any more clients I don’t know.”
Her protests fall on deaf ears. I turn to my desk, punching up Allied Universal on my iPad and arranging for a guard to start today. “Did you report what happened to Member’s Mark?”
“No.”
“They need to know exactly what happened, when, and where.”
“It was all so fast. I haven’t really had a chance to process everything…” Her face lowers, and when she blinks, a crystal tear hits her cheek.
It’s like a fist smashing in and grabbing my heart.
“Come here.” I pull her to my chest, and she melts into me. “You’re okay
now. I’ve got you. We’re going to find this guy and get him behind bars. In the meantime, you’ll be safe with me.”
“I can’t do that, Spencer. I don’t belong to you.”
Sliding my hand up and down her back, I vaguely note the prick her words cause in my chest. “It’s not about belonging. It’s about your safety—and Courtney’s. Men like that typically don’t stop until they have what they want.”
And I’ll be damned if he hurts Joselyn again.
“I can’t commit to something like that without talking to Court, and if she’s not onboard, I can’t leave her alone. I promised I’d stay with her, and we’ve been doing okay. We have a patrol car driving by every night—”
This stubborn, beautiful woman. At least she’s letting me comfort her. I’d like to kiss her, take her home, and lock the door, throw away the key.
Enough.
I step away, going to the desk and picking up my office phone. “Call her now and ask her. I’ll talk to her myself if necessary.”
She watches me, looking from my face to the phone, but slowly she takes it and gingerly types the numbers into the keypad.
I take a seat in my desk chair, picking up a stress ball and squeezing it in my fist.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a fight, but I can see myself smashing that guy’s head against the concrete. Repeatedly.
“Court?” Her eyes blink away, and she turns her back. “Hey… I’m just at my appointment with Spencer. He’s kind of angry. He wants us to live with him until Ozzy’s off the streets.” She exhales a laugh. “I know, that’s what I said.”
Leaning forward, I’m out of my chair, walking around to stand in front of her again.
When she looks up at me, I offer to take the phone, but she shakes her head no. “He says there’s plenty of room, and they have this on-call security guard. I know it’s silly…” Her eyes close, and I feel like she’s not selling it until they open again, wider. “What? You think it’s a good idea? Yeah, hang on.”
Lowering the receiver from her ear, she holds it out. “She’d like to talk to you.”
Taking the phone, I give her a knowing grin. “Hi, Court.”
“Hey… um…” Courtney’s voice is tense. “You’d be willing to let us stay at your house? What’s the catch?”
I recognize the fear in her tone, the hopelessness. It touches a part of me I locked away a long time ago, and now, seeing this happening up close, I’m taken aback by the rage it unearths in me.