Clover squinted his eyes and clasped his hands under his chin. She could be a bonus to really seek some revenge on Jameson and Jax. Maybe he could steal her away from them, rip off Darian Rothesburgh, skip town, and take the girl, too? She was probably fantastic in bed and maybe she would like it as rough as he enjoyed it. No other women had been able to keep up with his bedroom fantasies.
“I don’t like that look, boss.”
“I’m thinking of adding some things to the plan.”
“Things, sir?”
“Yes, Buster. I want you to try and keep an eye on where they take Mariana. I want to know when she returns, which I am assuming will be for the gala in two weeks. Jameson and Jax especially are really into art. Even though they didn’t get the security detail, they’ll attend.”
“And why do you want her followed?”
“I’m thinking that she may be a great going-away gift for me. You know, someone who can possibly handle being in my bed.”
Buster’s eyes widened. “No other woman had been able to thus far.”
“She’s special. As you said, handling two men as big as those two at once is interesting and appealing, don’t you think?”
Buster smirked. “I’ll take care of it, boss. When do you want to nab her?”
“As soon as the artwork is securely in the trucks and safely out of town. She’ll be there, too. So maybe that will be the time to take her. While you’re at it, get rid of the snitch in X-Caliber’s organization. We don’t need her anymore either. Make it so that no one ever finds her.”
“Very good, sir. I’ll start planning accordingly.”
Clover smiled as he thought about the new life that lay ahead of him and the new brunette that would be in his bed soon enough.
* * * *
Mariana was tired of arguin
g with Jax and Jameson over shopping for clothes. She picked out the necessities and then tried to pay for them with her own money and they flipped out. They totally made a scene in the store and she was embarrassed into letting them pay for stuff. With a trunk full of new clothing and shoes, she finally convinced them that they could head out of town and to what they referred to as their small getaway retreat house.
After leaving the city and seeing all the small houses, it reminded her of home. Not that her mom and her place was special. It was old, crappy, had a roof that leaked, and a damp mildew-like smell in the spring, but it was still her home. It was the only one she ever had.
Mariana closed her eyes and thought about her mother. She hadn’t been back to her graveside since the day, before the night of her first escort job. She wasn’t even sure why she went there. Maybe because she didn’t have anyone else to talk to, or to tell about the new job? Maybe because she hoped that her life would change for the better and she would have a chance to make some money, save some money, and get her dream job.
“Hey, baby, you’re awfully quiet. Tired from shopping?” Jameson asked as he turned sideways in the seat.
“Just thinking.”
“About what?” Jax asked, in a rather sharp tone. She was coming to realize that Jax was hard and abrupt more often than not. She still wondered about this trip and its real purpose.
“Actually, thinking about when I was a kid. Growing up in a neighborhood like the ones we passed a while back. As rundown as it was, I still called it home. Haven’t felt like home anywhere else since. I guess someday I will.”
“We want you to think of us as home, baby. Wherever we are.”
She smiled at that comment from Jameson. He was sweet.
A while later they pulled up to a gated community, with huge houses that were acres apart. They traveled along the roads passing house after house, small mansion after small mansion, and then to another gate with a large S decorating the center. Another long driveway and there it stood. Their very large, very country-looking estate. It was modern, yet rustic with stone and wood siding. The double burgundy doors were gorgeous, and in the center was that signature S, again. Spaulding. The S is for their name. This is their country home.
Jax parked the car, and Jameson opened the door for her to get out. She was in awe of the beauty both of the home and the surrounding open land. There was a gorgeous wraparound porch that was extra wide, and she could just imagine sitting out there in the warmer months, reading a book or enjoying the property.
“This is gorgeous,” she said, and Jameson smiled.
“I’m glad that you like it.”
“Like it? What’s not to like, Jameson? It is stunning and I love that porch.”
“Come on, let’s head inside. It’s kind of cold out here,” Jax said, and they climbed the four steps of the porch as Jax unlocked then opened the front door. He disarmed the alarm system, and they headed inside. There was so much to see. The floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, the large entertainment center and flat-screen television, and the open floor plan. She twirled around noticing the high ceilings and the winding staircase that led upstairs to a second floor.