Trouble

“No catch.” I force the anger out of my voice in favor of calm reassurance. “I have two bedrooms on the first floor of my house no one is using. It’s basically the same size as your apartment, so it should be sufficient for you, Oliver, and Joselyn. You won’t even notice me upstairs.”

“Ollie has to go to school. It’s all the way back where we live.”

“Would it be possible for him to homeschool the last month? I can call the principal if it helps.”

“Why are you doing this?”

My jaw tightens. The whole truth of why is privileged information, but I can easily say, “I don’t like seeing people I care about with black eyes. I don’t like menacing cowards. Take the help I’m offering and don’t over-think it.”

Her reply is calm. “Okay. Thank you. I’m sorry—I don’t have many people I can count on right now.”

“You have Joselyn, and I hope you trust me to keep you safe.”

“I think I do.”

Her words move something in my chest. Maybe the fucking ice is melting, but it’s not for the reason Heather and Daisy like to tease me about. Or perhaps it is that… fueled by the past.

Replacing the receiver, I place my hand on Joselyn’s. “Let’s skip the massage today. I’ll take you to the Member’s Mark building to file a report, and I’ll drive you to your interview. Allied said they’ll have a man assigned to us by 6 pm. I can keep an eye on you until then.”

Her lips tighten, and I see her struggling with an argument. I’m not going to hear it, so she might as well save her breath. She lets it go, and my reaction is bittersweet. That fucker must have really scared her, which has me seeing red.

No one threatens my girl.

* * *

The security guard at the Member’s Mark high rise is an overweight incompetent with crumbs on his shirt. Joselyn’s hand is in the crook of my arm, and I cut her a look.

“This is the guy you expected to save you if anything went wrong?”

She cuts me a look right back. “The appointment was on the top floor. I wasn’t expecting him to save me. I was expecting him to be a deterrent.”

“He’s only a deterrent to a Twinkie.” I step forward, placing my palm on the dark console in front of him, reading his nametag. “Hello, Doug, is it?”

“Hi!” He stands up fast, smiling broadly. “That’s me. Doug. What can I do you for? Do you need assistance finding a floor?”

“How did a guy like him get a job in security?” I exhale under my breath. Joselyn pinches the inside of my upper arm, and I flinch away. “Stop.” It’s a level command.

“You are so sweet, Doug. I actually need to see Mr. Santiago. Is he in?”

Doug’s light brow furrows, his fleshy face tilts to the side. “Don’t I know you? You were here this weekend… yesterday? That’s a pretty bad shiner you got there. Are you okay?”

He’s overzealous, childish, and I’m ready to call the proprietor when Joselyn cuts me off. “Yes, I was here yesterday, and I need to talk to Mr. Santiago if he’s available.”

“He should be.” Doug looks down at the desk. “Oh… Oh, my bad, he’s not. It says Basil Santiago is in New York until next week. I’m sorry. Say, weren’t you here to see him yesterday?”

“Yeah.” Joselyn’s tone is placating, like she’s about to let Snuffy off the hook.

“She was,” I interject with a bit more force. “She had an appointment in Santiago’s office. When did he leave for New York?”

Stay-Puff looks at his computer screen again. “It says he’s addressing the United Nations…” He looks up at us with wide eyes. “He left on Friday. He stood you up?”

I’m about to rip into him, but Joselyn tugs my arm sharply again.

“Thanks, Doug. I actually found an intruder in Mr. Santiago’s office, so I wanted to file a complaint.”

“Oh!” His blue eyes go wide. “Oh no, Miss…”

“Winthrop. Her last name is Winthrop, and if you think—”