Stuffed

“Okay,” I say, still waiting for an explanation of why he was in jail.

“It was like Dad always said.” He stops and stares at me with wide eyes, but I see the truth in what he’s trying to tell me. “One look and I was done. I didn’t care that she was a dancer or escort or whatever. I saw her and I knew, Rogue. I knew she was the one.”

I drop my hands and take a step toward him. Our dad always said we’d know when we found the one and the thought has been eating at me since Ember walked in that poker room. “Are you sure?”

He nods and swallows hard. “I’ve got to find her. She came to the room with a bouncer and I couldn’t get her to stay. I let her go and went to the escort service today to talk to her again.”

“What the hell did you do?” My mind swirls with possibilities of how he ended up in jail over this woman.

“They told me she was in the back with some guy, and I lost it. I forced my way in and when I got to the room, some guy was on top of her.” He shakes his head. “I don’t know what happened after that. I woke up in jail with bloody knuckles and a headache.”

He’s pacing now like a caged animal, and it’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him to let her go. That’s exactly what I would have said before I met Ember, but now I’m thinking think about what I’d do in that same situation.

“Let me call in a favor and see what I can do.” Angus stops and stares at me.

“Can you do that?” There’s hope in his eyes, and I nod. “God, Rogue, I know you don’t like to call in favors, but I swear she’s it, man. She’s the one.”

I take out my phone and pull up a number I have saved in a folder I don’t like to use. Calling Theo will mean I owe him big, but if the shoe was on the other foot, Angus would do this for me. I don’t hesitate as I dial the number.

While I’m on the phone, I get all the info I can from Angus and relay it to Theo. He only says a few words before he tells me he’ll have the address in an hour. He also reminds me that now I’m on his books for tonight, and when he needs his favor called in, I better come running. Great.

I hang up, and just when I’ve finished telling Angus everything I know, my phone rings with a call from my security company. Thoughts of Ember send me into panic as I answer it and give them my confirmation code.

“It appears the front door was unlocked and a young woman exited the house,” the security team member tells me.

“Where the hell did she go?” I ask through gritted teeth, knowing they have no way of knowing that information.

“From what we can see, she left in a rideshare vehicle, sir.”

I hang up because I know they don’t have anything else useful to offer. I squeeze my phone so tight in my hand that I’m afraid it’s going to shatter.

“What happened?” Angus asks, and if he didn’t look so broken, I’d be the one going to jail this time.

“Now my woman has gotten away.” I stomp around to the driver’s side and open the door. “Get in. I’m taking you home and then I’ve got to pay a debt to Theo while trying to find Ember.”

“How the hell did this happen to both of us at the same time?” Angus looks around like the answer is going to jump out at him. He really is fucked up over this Bambi woman.

“I don’t know, but you better keep your ass out of jail. I’m not letting her slip between my fingers again because of your shit.”

“Don’t you worry about me,” he says as he gets in the car. “The second I find her, I’m taking her underground.”

“I wish I’d thought of that,” I agree as I pull out of the parking lot.

Chapter Thirteen

Ember

I set my tray on the bar, waiting for my next round of drinks. I’m not so sure I can handle the floor here. I’ve lost count of how many hands I’ve dodged, and I’ve only been at it two hours. Even I know the crowd is worse the later it gets and the drinks kick in. If I knew how to make drinks, I would request to be behind the bar.

“How’s it going?” Lawrence asks as he surveys the club and Pour Some Sugar On Me blasts from the DJ booth.

“You need more bouncers.”

“Sorry.” He gives an apologetic shrug. “They really don’t want to follow the rules with you. I think it’s because you won’t dance, and you’ve got a top on.” He stares at my tits.