Contents

Trusting The Boss
Copyright
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Trusting The Boss

Mallory Crowe

Trusting The Boss
by Mallory Crowe

reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express

written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief

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CHAPTER ONE

Emma knew she’d made a mistake the second the elevator doors opened. The clean, crisp

reception area she looked out at seemed so calm and peaceful and quiet. In her mind, she saw herself
confidently striding up to the receptionist and giving her a cool stare. “I’m here for Victoria Green.”
The receptionist would stutter and Emma would calmly brush off her protests and insist that she bring
the CEO out. From there, she and Victoria could finally sit down and talk….

The elevator doors started to close and Emma quickly stumbled out into the lobby. The

receptionist was now full-on staring at Emma and she knew she couldn’t wimp out. She clutched her
purse even tighter to her side as if it were a shield as she approached the desk.

“Hi there. How can I help you?” asked the friendly woman behind the desk. Instead of the hot,

twenty-something woman Emma thought she’d be facing off with, the receptionist was a woman in her
late fifties or early sixties whose hair was dotted with bits of gray and whose smile lit up her entire
face.

“Um, I’m here to talk to Victoria Green.”
“I’m sorry, but Ms. Green isn’t in the office today. Is there someone else I can get for you or can

I take a message?”

Emma’s mouth dropped open before she abruptly closed it. This wasn’t part of the plan! “I can

wait. Will she be back soon?”

“Unfortunately, she’s not scheduled to be back today.”
Great. This entire stupid trip over to Hunt Tower was for nothing. “I’ll probably just go then.”

Emma tried to look as though she didn’t just make a fool of herself. Who walked into a billion-dollar
corporation and asked for the CEO with no appointment set? But for some reason she’d been so sure
that Victoria would be there and she could get the answers to her questions.

She mumbled a thanks before she turned and retreated back to the elevator she’d just come

from. Once she got in and the doors closed, she was confronted with her reflection.

“Way to go,” she said to the door. “You’ve been in the city all of twelve hours and you’ve

already made an ass of yourself.” Of course, it wasn’t really as bad as she made it out to be. It wasn’t
as if the receptionist pointed and laughed at the silly woman who thought she could just waltz in and
talk to Victoria Green.

If Emma wanted to find out the truth about what happened between Victoria Green and her

sister, she’d have to take a different approach. Emma adjusted the scarf around her neck, trying to get
used to the feel of the excess fabric around her neck. She hardly ever wore scarves back home in
Georgia, but she wanted to fit into the stylish crowd of the city.

But the fact that it was suddenly bothering her now was probably more to do with her

embarrassment considering the itchy material hadn’t bothered her before. Emma untied the delicate
white and blue floral patterned fabric and let it hang loosely around her shoulders. She took a few
deep breaths. It wasn’t as though she was out of options. She still hadn’t visited Joslyn’s apartment to
look for clues about what she was up to in the city. And it was possible that Victoria would agree to a
meeting. Not a good chance, but Emma might be able to appeal to her sense of family.

Though Emma couldn’t promise how she would react had their places been reversed. If

Victoria’s sister tried to kill Emma, Emma wouldn’t want to be within a ten-mile radius of any of

Victoria’s family members. That was why she wanted to surprise Victoria. Just a few quick questions
about the circumstances that led up to Joslyn’s apparent psychotic break.

The elevator doors opened on the first floor and Emma adjusted her scarf once more. Her

cousins were big-time city businessmen. Maybe they could finagle a meeting with Victoria.

With every step she took in the lobby and then out the door, she felt like more and more of an

outsider. All these normal people around her with normal lives and normal jobs. Whereas Emma had
a psycho for a sister and extended family that could compete with any of the reigning reality show
casts out there.

But she wasn’t back home in Georgia now. This was New York, where no one knew who she

was. So one receptionist thought she was crazy. No big deal. She could still play the part of the rich,
sophisticated heiress. Two of the three were true anyway.

With her head held high, Emma passed through the revolving door into the busy city streets. But

instead of strutting to the waiting cabs as though she owned the city, the wind promptly caught her
scarf and blew it clean off her neck.

“Damn it!” Abandoning all hope of looking dignified, she ran after the rapidly retreating scarf.

###

Jace leaned back against the doorjamb and looked over the wall of monitors and computer

screens that covered the security office of Green & Sons.

He might actually miss this little job. He’d thought playing babysitter to the head of a hardware

store chain would be boring, but Victoria had been interesting as hell and her schedule was anything
but dull. Not to mention the fact that she wasn’t just some paranoid lady with too much money.
Someone really had tried to kill her.

But now that Joslyn Devereaux was locked up tight, he wasn’t going to stick around. As soon as

Gordon and one of the HR reps got back with his exit paperwork, he’d be gone.

The phone on the desk rang and Jace looked over his shoulder. It didn’t look as though Gordon

would be back any time soon and the other guy who worked security was out for the day.

As the phone rang for a fifth time, Jace leaned forward and snatched up the headset. “Jace

here.”

“Oh, I thought this was your last day,” said Denise in her trademark cheery voice.
“I’m heading out any minute now. What’s up?”
“Well, it’s probably nothing. There was just the oddest woman in here asking for Ms. Green.

She left, but I still wanted to let you guys know.”

Jace pulled the chair out to sit down and keyed his password into the system. “When was this?”
“Not thirty seconds ago. She just stepped onto the elevator.”
Jace’s fingers flew across the keyboard and he brought up the monitor from the reception area.

The woman didn’t look all that threatening. From what he could see through the black-and-white
monitor, she was tiny and not exactly the dangerous type.

But she did seem anxious. Her wide eyes and hesitant walk definitely told him something was

up. Something about her seemed familiar too, but he couldn’t put a finger on it. “Did she leave a
name?”

“No, nothing. As soon as she heard Ms. Green wasn’t in, she bolted.”
“I’ll check it out and make sure she leaves the building,” he assured her.
“It’s probably nothing, but I appreciate it, Jace.” Denise hung up.

Jace twisted off the chair and rushed out of the security office and down the hall to the service

elevator. The woman was probably in the lobby already, but the service elevator was much faster and
less crowded than the main elevator bank.

When the doors opened, he scanned the lobby of Hunt Tower. It would’ve been easy enough to

spot one tiny woman wearing an oversized scarf. But he didn’t know what color her hair or clothes
were, so it wasn’t as easy as he would’ve hoped.

Jace crossed through the lobby, keeping his eye out. Even if he found her, he didn’t know what

he’d do. It wasn’t as if he could pull her back in and interrogate her. He just couldn’t drop the nagging
feeling that he should know her.

Which never happened to him. When he saw a face, he remembered it. That memory had saved

his life more than once.

After he decided she wasn’t in the lobby, he crossed through the revolving door and into the

cool November breeze. By now she was probably in a cab and long gone.

Oh well. Like Denise said, it was undoubtedly nothing. Maybe if he took another look at the

surveillance footage, he could figure out what bothered him about her.

Something slammed into the back of his legs and he stumbled forward a few feet before he

caught his normally stellar balance. His gaze jerked down and he saw a familiar looking scarf
wrapped around his legs.

“Oh my goodness, this is so embarrassing,” said a feminine voice.
At his feet was the woman he was chasing after. She was crouched low and looking up at him

with dark brown eyes and cheeks blushing the deepest red possible. The woman snatched up the scarf
and stood, taking a step back. “I didn’t mean to run into you like that. The stupid wind caught my scarf
and I’ve been chasing it like a fool for the last few minutes and I wasn’t thinking and—”

“Don’t worry about it,” he interjected. He smiled at her, trying his best to make her feel more at

ease. “No harm done and if I weren’t here, you might never have caught it, right?”

She let out a small laugh and the pink slowly faded from her cheeks. “Right. I’m glad you’re so

understanding. You hear horror stories about how upset city folk can get when their routines are
interrupted.”

Interesting. Her voice held just a hint of a Southern accent and she admitted she was visiting.

“I’m Jace.” He held a hand out. “I’m glad I made a good impression on behalf of New Yorkers
everywhere.”

She studied his outstretched hand for a fraction of a second before she reached out to meet his

handshake. He could tell from her relaxed, hesitant grip that she probably didn’t work in the
corporate world. So why the hell did she seem so familiar?

“Emmaline Devereaux,” she said. “It’s nice to see a friendly face.”
Devereaux! He made sure the recognition didn’t show in his face. That explained everything.

Why she looked so familiar but he couldn’t quite place where he knew her from. This must be
Joslyn’s younger sister. The one who inherited the family fortune while Joslyn got nothing.

There was a strong resemblance between the two. Both were petite framed and had pale skin to

go with their red hair. But where Joslyn was curvy with fiery red curls, Emmaline was smaller and
her hair took on more of a brownish red. Emmaline also spoke with much less of an accent, he noted
to himself. Maybe she didn’t live in the family home she’d inherited… Either way, it didn’t matter to
him. Now that he wasn’t working with Victoria, all he could do was tell Gordon that Joslyn’s sister

was poking around.

Even so, his curiosity got the better of him. “So what brings you to the city?”
A fleeting shot of panic crossed her face and Jace felt a bit more comfortable with her snooping

around. Whatever Emmaline’s motives, her face was an open book. If she wanted to cause trouble,
Gordon could handle her easily enough.

As soon as she regained her composure, she was right back to smiling. “Oh, just family stuff. I

have a few cousins in town I’m visiting.”

Jace thought back to what he’d read about Joslyn’s cousins. Michael and Luke Devereaux, who

both ran DevX Enterprises. As soon as word got out about Joslyn’s arrest, they’d done everything
possible to distance themselves from the newly minted black sheep of the family. Jace wondered how
open they’d be to Emmaline showing up in the city.

“I hope you have a great time while you’re here then. Did you want me to hail you a cab?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary.” She secured the scarf around her neck and gave it a tight yank to

make sure it was firmly knotted in place.

Jace glanced over to the long line of cabs. He’d rather she was far away from Hunt Tower

before he went back upstairs to tell Gordon about the strange visitor. “Are you sure? Rush hour is
coming, and traffic is only going to get worse from here on out today.”

“My cousins won’t be home from work for a few hours, so I figured I’d wander around the

city.”

A laugh escaped him. “Wander around? It’s a big city.”
Her eyes brightened. “Michael showed me this app thing where you can input what city you’re

in and the GPS will lead you to all the best things to see.”

“Michael?” Jace already knew she was talking about her cousin, but it would be interesting to

see how much she’d tell him about her family.

“Oh, one of my cousins I’m staying with. They’re both very techy. Well, I should probably be

going. It was nice meeting you, Jace.”

He stepped away. He supposed he didn’t need any information from her and he didn’t think

she’d be a threat to his soon-to-be former employer. “Nice meeting you too, Emmaline.”

“Emma,” she corrected. “No one really calls me Emmaline. I don’t really know why I said it.

One of those days, you know?”

Jace nodded in sympathy. If she was in town because of the scandal caused by her sister, he

could only imagine how flustered she was. “You know what, it would be a shame for you to go
exploring by yourself. There’s this great little bus tour a few blocks away. It’s not that expensive and
it will give you a good idea of what you’ll want to see while you’re in town.”

“A bus tour. Aren’t those a little corny?”
Damn it. Why would she want to do a stupid bus tour? She probably had enough money in her

trust fund to buy half the city. For all he knew, she’d never set foot in a bus. “It was just a thought.
Don’t worry about it. I really should be getting back anyway.”

“I’ve kept you too long, haven’t I? Have I broken city etiquette by stopping to talk to someone I

ran into? I bet I was supposed to keep going. Well, I don’t want you to be late for anything on my
behalf. I will find my way from here.”

“I’m not going to be late. It’s my last day on the job.”
“Your choice or theirs?”

“Mine. My contract is up and I’m taking a bit of time off until I find another one that interests

me.”

“It must be so nice to have that sort of freedom. What kind of work do you do?”
Jace weighed his options, but didn’t see any reason to lie to her. “I work in security and

investigations mostly.”

“Really? Do you have a card?”
He frowned at the strange turn of conversation. “My card?”
“I’m in town handling a little family matter. I might need help looking into it and I don’t know

the first thing about investigating anything. So if you need a job and I need help, why don’t you give
me your contact info and we can work with each other. I can pay you very well, promise.”

He stared at the debutante in front of him and tried to get a read on what she was thinking. He

had no doubt she could pay well, but he had enough padding in his savings account that he could go
awhile between jobs. But how would she feel when she found out just what part he’d played in the
“family matter” she was looking into? “What makes you think I’m actually good at what I do?”

She tilted her head and smiled at him. “Well, I didn’t hire you, did I? That’s why I only asked

for a card.”

“Fair enough.” He fished his wallet out of his back pocket. He never actually used the cards

because his clients found him mostly through word of mouth, but he always had one or two on hand to
keep up appearances.

She took the card from him and studied it, glancing between Jace and the tiny piece of paper.

“Jace Lance,” she murmured. “Is Jace your real name? I’ve never heard it before.”

It wasn’t his real name, but he wasn’t about to fess up to her. “Emmaline isn’t exactly common

either.”

“Point taken. But most people call me Emma. A bit more modern.”
He took in her decidedly not modern outfit. Her skirt was a feminine, frilly material with blue

flowers spotting the material. Emma shifted her weight and he had the distinct impression that this city
would swallow her whole.

“Well, um, Emma, I should be getting back.” He stepped away.
She pushed his card into her purse and gave him one last smile. “It was nice meeting you, Jace.

Thanks again for everything.”

As she walked down the street, Jace couldn’t take his eyes off her. He’d come down mostly

because he needed to figure out who she was. Now that he knew, he didn’t feel any more reassured.
Well, he didn’t think she posed a threat to Victoria, which meant he was still done with his job. But
the thought of that fish out of water digging through her crazy sister’s life set off every inner alarm
bell he had.

As she disappeared into the crowd, he shook off any lingering thoughts of the heiress. As soon

as he went upstairs and found Gordon, this job would be behind him. People came to this city every
day and found themselves in over their heads. It wasn’t his responsibility to save them all. Besides, if
she knew what part he played in Joslyn’s arrest, she wouldn’t want his help anyway.

CHAPTER TWO

“Emma! You’re finally back. We thought you’d be here hours ago.” Luke held the door to his

apartment.

Emma looked between Luke and Michael, who stood behind his brother. She couldn’t tell

which one looked more annoyed. “I was doing some sightseeing.” She pushed between the two.

“We had reservations at some amazing new restaurant and both of us left the office early.”
She set her bags and purse down on the pristine white couch in the middle of Luke’s ultra-

modern apartment that constantly reminded Emma how far away from home she was. “Oh no, the boss
might get mad at you. Oh wait! You own the company. Besides, you never told me we had dinner
plans tonight.”

“You’re Luke’s guest,” said Michael. “And Luke takes care of his guests. It’s one of his rules.”
She could do with a little less of him taking care of her. She knew she should’ve just stayed at a

hotel like she’d originally planned. But when Luke learned Emma was coming to the city to tie up
some of Joslyn’s personal affairs that she couldn’t handle from behind bars, he’d insisted Emma stay
with him.

But now that she was here and surrounded by cousinly love, and rules, she second-guessed

herself. The hard lines combined with the whites and grays of the penthouse apartment were less
homey than any hotel she could’ve stayed at. Add to that the scrutiny she was going to face when the
guys found out where she’d been pre-sightseeing and she was half tempted to power up that tourist
app and find another place to stay.

“Luke, I really appreciate you making reservations for us, but I need to be told about these

things ahead of time. Now, I’m sure there’s something we can get delivered for the three of us to eat
and it will be just as much fun as going out.”

“There’s a fantastic deli right around the corner,” said Michael. “I’m sure they can send

something over in no time.” He looked to Luke. “Where do you keep your menus again?”

“Top drawer to the left of the sink.” Luke slid off his suit jacket. “I guess I can get more

comfortable if we’re staying in.”

Emma smirked. Considering suits were pretty much the only thing she ever saw Michael and

Luke wear, she couldn’t imagine a more comfortable outfit for them. But she could tell he was trying
to hold back his annoyance at changing his plans. Luke was the type who once he made up his mind,
there was no use convincing him otherwise. “I’m sorry for making you change your plans.” As soon
as she said the words, she regretted them. She wasn’t sorry! They couldn’t make plans and not tell her
and then have the nerve to get upset.

She’d read in an article that women apologize almost twice as much as men do. If she was

going to be digging around God knew where into Joslyn’s extracurricular activities, she really needed
to grow a backbone.

“It’s fine,” said Luke. “This place has some awesome sandwiches and we can reschedule the

reservations for another night. I’m sure Michael can convince them to find a table for us later this
week.”

Emma slipped out of her shoes and breathed a sigh of relief as the cool air hit her feet. If she’d

known how much walking she was going to be doing, she probably would’ve worn flats, but she’d

wanted to make a good impression on Victoria.

“I’m going to go get changed,” she said. “Just order me whatever you think is good, guys. I trust

your judgment.” Truth be told, she didn’t think she’d ever ordered anything from a deli before. She’d
made herself sandwiches plenty of times, but she had a feeling Michael and Luke would raise hell if
she ordered a turkey on wheat with light mayo, no cheese, and avocado. But this was a New York
deli. Those were practically sacred considering all the wonderful things she’d heard about them. If
Michael and Luke thought she should try a mass of red meat, cheese, and mayonnaise between two
hulking pieces of bread, she’d live on the wild side for a bit.

“Will do.” Michael flipped through the menu.
Emma set her shoes in the designated area in the entryway before she gathered up her bags and

moved into what she dubbed the “guest wing” of Luke’s apartment. She was sure that most of the
living spaces in New York were as small as she’d heard, but Luke spared no expense on his lavish
living area.

Not that he needed to. None of them were short on funds and, judging from the settlements they

all got from their parents’ deaths, they would never be short on cash. The Devereaux family gift and
curse. Blessed with money and cursed with early death. Or insanity, in Joslyn’s case.

Emma precariously balanced her items on one arm to free up her hand to open the guest

bedroom door. Once in, she set down her purchases and went through them. An Empire State snow
globe for Barry, the groundskeeper back home, and a souvenir sweatshirt for herself. Sure, they were
cheesy and touristy, but the bus tour really got her in the mood to be a bit silly. Everyone onboard had
been so excited and into all the sights and sounds going on around them. It was hard not to get swept
away.

Much better than the afternoon she would’ve had by herself if Jace hadn’t recommended the

little tour company down the street. She thought back to the tall, handsome Jace. She’d probably
freaked him out with all her babbling, but he’d been polite enough to humor her. A guy like him was
probably used to sophisticated city women slipping him their phone numbers and batting their
eyelashes in just the right way.

The one time Emma ever tried batting her eyelashes in the mirror, it had looked like a nervous

twitch. Not exactly the kind of thing that would get a man like Jace’s attention. Emma might’ve lived a
protected life, but she knew enough about people to know Jace’s type. His lean, strong build
suggested an athlete, but his reserved smile and world-weary eyes told her exactly what he was: a
bad boy.

She’d seen his kind often enough. Usually they were the boys Joslyn brought home to meet their

parents. During Emma’s long college career, she’d seen her fair share. In most cases, she kept her
distance. She’d comforted Joslyn one too many times after she came home in tears and Emma wasn’t
about to get herself wrapped up in that type of man.

But in this case, Jace was exactly what she needed. Emma wasn’t stupid. Coming to town and

looking into Joslyn’s life with a fine-tooth comb wasn’t something she was made for. Sure, she could
hire someone to get access to her email or rifle through her bank accounts. But Emma wasn’t here for
a distant analysis of what went wrong.

She wanted to see Joslyn’s friends. Someone or something sent her flying off the deep end, and

Emma wasn’t the type to inspire, or intimidate, the truth out of people. Jace, on the other hand, could
probably walk into the seediest bar in all of New York and have answers within minutes.

Emma slipped into her loose pair of jeans and her new t-shirt before she padded back into the

living room. “Is food on the way?” She slid onto one of the three barstools against the stainless-steel
island that separated the kitchen area from the living room.

“Yep,” said Luke. “Should be here any minute. The owner knows us, so he makes sure our

delivery is first priority.”

“You’re just that personable?”
Michael scoffed. “I think it has something to do with the tip we slip him whenever we order.”
“That sounds more like it.” Maybe she should try tipping more. Every time she ordered

delivery from one of the few places around home, it took at least an hour to get the food. But that’s
what she got for being surrounded by hundreds of acres of unpopulated land. Of course, as a result of
not being able to easily eat out, she did have a huge collection of recipes she’d perfected.

“So I see you’re firmly in tourist mode.” Luke eyed her bright pink shirt.
She beamed as she looked down at her shirt. “Isn’t it adorable? I got a sweater too. I figured I

have to while I’m here.”

“I can pull you a list of good places to hit up while you’re in town. I know I have a few

meetings I can’t bail on this week, but over the weekend, Michael and I can show you all the great
places.”

Emma kept the smile on her face even as she tried to think of a good out. She wanted to spend

time with the cousins, she really did, but as far as they were concerned, Joslyn was no longer a
member of the family.

Professionally, they couldn’t stand as a united front with Joslyn. Even if they didn’t think she

was guilty, it was bad PR for their company. Though Emma knew that DevX would be safe no matter
what.

Michael and Luke provided cyber protection software to some of the largest defense companies

in the world. Even if they didn’t approve of the Devereaux family, as long as their corporate secrets
were protected, they would still throw piles and piles of money at DevX.

“I really don’t want to disrupt your lives any more than I already have. I don’t need my own

personal tour guides, promise.”

Michael took a seat on the stool on the other side of the island. “So where all did you go today?

You said you got some sightseeing done.”

“I actually stumbled on this little bus tour. They took me on a great uptown loop. I got to see

Times Square, Broadway, and a bit of Central Park. Some place called Star Spangled Bus Tours.”

Luke and Michael exchanged a quick glance and Emma tightened her lips. What had she said

wrong?

“How did you hear about the tour? Was it something you wanted to do when you got here?”

asked Luke.

This was a trap. She knew it. “I happened to walk by the ticket sales booth when I was out

today.”

“You mean the booth right outside Hunt Tower where Green & Sons corporate offices are

located.” Michael handed a beer to Luke before he twisted the cap off his own.

Yep. Trap. “You know what? I think the tour did point out Hunt Tower. That’s an astute

observation, guys.”

Luke slammed down his beer. “Damn it, Emma. What were you doing over there?”

“I didn’t realize I needed your permission before I go out. Or is that another one of your rules,

Luke?”

“I’m not the bad guy here.” He leaned forward to rest his palms on the island and stared her

down. “Victoria was almost killed by Joslyn. I don’t want you anywhere near her.”

“I just need to ask her a few questions. She was closer to Joslyn before she went over the edge

than anyone else. A few minutes of harmless questions.”

“Harmless to you, maybe. But if you bother her, you’re going to have a lawsuit on your hands, if

not a trespassing charge. Do you really want to be in jail the same time as Joslyn?”

“Victoria Green isn’t going to send me to jail. She’s a reasonable woman,” said Emma

patiently.

“Victoria Green is reasonable, and any reasonable person would call the cops as soon as they

see the family members of their attempted murderer.”

Emma stared at Luke, refusing to back down. Of course he didn’t want her looking into Joslyn’s

secrets. The whole thing was cut-and-dry to him. “You never liked Joslyn. You’re probably happy
she’s going to prison for the rest of her life.”

“No, she’s not going to prison for the rest of her life. She’d have to actually be convicted of

murder for that one.”

Emma stood and pushed away from the table. “I think I’ll take my dinner in my room, Luke.”
“Damn it, Emma, wait.”
But Emma didn’t want to hear his apology or excuse or whatever he was going to give her. Luke

and she had been down this road before. He would warn her away from Joslyn, and she would accuse
him of being a cold bastard.

Even so, she had kept her distance from her sister. How many calls had Emma let go to

voicemail? Or the times Emma knew Joslyn would be in town, she’d never gone the extra mile to see
her or make sisterly plans.

“Let me know when the food gets here,” she shouted before she shut the door to the guest room.

Luke hadn’t followed her out of the kitchen, but she hadn’t expected him to. They’d had this fight
before and it always ended the same way: with both of them pretending nothing happened.

She was apparently being anti-social for the evening, so Emma decided to crack open her

computer and try to get something accomplished.

She dug the small business card out of her purse and looked over the small, simple black text.

Jace Lance, Security Consultant. The only contact information was a phone number and it didn’t
specify whether it was a cell or landline. Emma bit her bottom lip as she set the card aside and pulled
out her laptop. Now that she thought about it, she wasn’t likely to get any information from what little
she had. No way of telling whether Jace was just some crazy guy she’d met on the street who
happened to be smoking hot or a qualified investigator who happened to be smoking hot.

Emma shook her head and smiled at the turn of her thoughts. Sure, the logical part of her mind

knew his physical looks had nothing to do with what she was doing, but it sure was fun to remember
the way the sun hit his sculpted cheekbones and the wonderful way his muscles filled out his
buttoned-down shirt.

She knew that the city would be full of attractive men, but they’d really broken the mold with

this one. And he was a bad boy! Emma never liked the ones with edge. Not that she liked Jace. She
just thought he was nice enough and pretty to look at. No harm in thinking it at least…

As she smiled to herself, she pulled up her web browser on the computer and typed in his name.

Sure enough, all she got was a few social media profiles with photos that looked nothing like the man
she’d met on the street.

After another search that included the “security consultant” part, Emma let out a sigh of defeat.

There went her brilliant stroke of luck. Of course she wouldn’t just run into the perfect investigator
who could help her. Normally she would ask Luke or Michael for a recommendation of who she
could hire, but neither of them would be too happy about her looking into Joslyn’s life.

She’d have to do it the old-fashioned way and dig around until she found someone qualified

enough and could drop everything to work on her case the week she was in the city. At least she knew
Jace was between clients.

Oh well. She needed to push the man from her mind and refocus on the real reason she was in

town. Joslyn tried to kill Victoria Green. The papers gave the brief mention of money as the motive,
but Emma wasn’t about to take their word for it. What if Victoria had done something horrible to
Joslyn? Maybe she didn’t deserve to die, but Joslyn deserved someone taking her side.

Even if she refused to let that someone visit her in jail. Ugh, this whole thing would be so much

easier if Joslyn would just talk to her. But if she was a psychotic like everyone said, wouldn’t she be
happy to brag? Emma thought back to the criminal justice class she’d taken at her first college but in
the seven years since she’d been a freshman, she’d forgotten almost everything.

Emma deleted everything she had in the search bar and typed in Victoria Green’s name instead.

She’d done this search plenty of times in the past few weeks, but every day or so there would be
another news article that talked about the upcoming case. Though most of the articles liked to focus on
how depraved Joslyn was.

Apparently Emma had a masochistic streak, because she could never stop herself from reading

the newest story that rehashed the same old facts that had been repeated hundreds of times by now.
The news outlets even had the same pictures. The back of Victoria Green’s head as she was ushered
into her car, wrapped securely in a blanket. It was the only image of her from that night, but there
were plenty of Joslyn in the back of the police car as she was hauled away.

Emma wished there was at least one image of Victoria looking at the camera. Some way to

judge her emotions after what just happened. Was she scarred for life because of Joslyn’s actions?
Proud that she’d survived? Some sort of insight that would help Emma better understand what was
going on in either woman’s head.

But all she got was the one shot of the back of Victoria’s head. Emma scanned through the rest

of the article, but there was nothing she didn’t already know.

Not that she was expecting anything else. If Michael was there, he could have a wealth of

information at her fingertips after only a few minutes at the keyboard. But he wasn’t here. Well, he
was, but he sure as hell wouldn’t help her. Resigned, Emma was just about to close out of the window
when a familiar blond head behind Victoria caught her attention.

She blinked a few times, making sure she wasn’t imagining things. No. Jace stood behind

Victoria, looking sternly at the camera.

Her heart beat faster in her chest as she zoomed in on the picture, which became exponentially

more blurry with each zoom in. But there was no denying it. Jace was there the night her sister went
off the deep end.

And that made her decision easy. One way or another, he was going to help her.

###

Luke grabbed another beer out of the fridge and slammed the door shut. The entire oversized

appliance shook with the force.

“Give her some time and she’ll be fine,” said Michael from his seat on the barstool.
Luke took a deep swig of beer and wished it was something stronger. “No, she’s not going to be

fine. She thinks it’s her fault for Joslyn being crazy.” For the first time, he wished Joslyn wasn’t in
jail. That way he could tell her exactly what he thought of her and her manipulative antics that could
tear his family apart even when she wasn’t around anymore.

“Joslyn is a grown woman who made her own decisions. Emma knows that.”
Luke knew that Emma was normally a logical and sensible woman. He trusted her more than

just about anyone in the world. Hell, at times he trusted her more than Michael. But not when it came
to Joslyn. Emma felt responsible for her older sister. As though they were supposed to stick together
no matter what once their parents died.

She just didn’t want to face facts that it was very likely Joslyn who killed them.
“I don’t want her digging around Joslyn’s life,” said Luke. “That woman was poison, Michael.”
“Hey, I know that more than anyone. I’m just saying that Emma needs a period to adjust. Give

her some time, okay? She never wanted to believe Joslyn was beyond saving.”

Luke took another drink, but it only seemed to make the anxious knot in his stomach worse. He

thought he’d taken care of the Joslyn problem years ago. “I have to tell you something.”

Michael narrowed his eyes at his brother. “Well, when you use that tone, I don’t really want to

hear it.”

“You need to know. Especially if Emma is going to be digging around.”
“Fine. What did you do now?”
Luke leaned against the back counter and set his beer down. “Joslyn didn’t just take off to the

Bahamas and suddenly disappear from our family for no reason.”

“Shit,” muttered Michael. “You paid her off?”
“What the hell was I supposed to do? She’d just gotten away with murder and was strutting all

around Georgia, acting like she owned the damn place. How long before she snapped again and hurt
one of us, or worse, hurt Emma? I did what I had to do.”

“I suppose I should be grateful you didn’t get her locked up on some bogus charge.”
“Trust me, the thought crossed my mind,” said Luke. As in he’d plotted out an entire scenario

where he could frame Joslyn for being an elaborate drug kingpin. It wouldn’t be easy, but he had the
money and connections to make it happen. But if Emma ever found out he’d gotten Joslyn arrested for
a crime she didn’t commit, she’d never talk to him again and the family he was trying so hard to keep
together would never heal.

As sad as it was, Joslyn trying to murder one of the richest women in the city was really the

best-case scenario. No one got seriously injured and Joslyn would finally be in prison where she
belonged. It would all be well and dandy, if Emma weren’t so hell-bent on blaming herself for her
sister being crazy. “If Emma finds out I paid Joslyn to stay away from her, I don’t know how she’d
react.”

“I thought she’d finally start agreeing with us after this whole mess.” Michael leaned back in

the stool.

“We can’t really blame her,” said Luke. “She already lost her parents. If she admitted to herself

that Joslyn was the one who caused that car crash, she’d lose everything.”

“Emma might not figure it out. There’s no need to tell her anything that could hurt her even more

than she already is.”

Luke crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not telling her anything. But if she gets her hands on

Joslyn’s bank statements and sees strange deposits coming in once a month, she’ll want to know who
it’s from.”

“It’s not like she’s a master sleuth, Luke. Even if she sees them, she won’t know they’re from

you. I’m assuming you covered your tracks, right?”

Luke had done plenty of covering. Michael had taught Luke more than he ever wanted to know

about sneaking around in the digital world. Normally he wouldn’t be worried about the truth coming
out. But Emma wasn’t normal. “Emma might not be able to figure it out, but she has time and money
on her side. All she has to do is hire the right guy, and she’ll never speak to me again.”

“Never speak to us again,” pointed out Michael. “She’s going to think I was involved too. But

there’s an easy enough fix.”

Luke rubbed the ever increasing crick in the back of his neck. “What’s your easy fix?”
“We have to find the people she hires and make sure they know that we’ll pay them more than

she ever will.”

CHAPTER THREE

Jace took a deep breath of the cool fall air as his feet pounded on the concrete jogging path in

Central Park. It was too crowded for his liking, but the rotating door of crazy personalities was one of
the things he enjoyed about New York. Working with Victoria had been his first job in the city and he
couldn’t say he hated it. Not sure if he’d ever want to live there forever, but it had a certain charm.

It would be a nice place to pass the time while he decided what job he was going to work next.

One of his old military contacts had already messaged him about some abandoned fuel station in the
Ukraine that needed guarding for some reason—probably because there was something much more
explosive than fuel in the underground tanks—but Jace enjoyed his time stateside and his taste of the
corporate world was more interesting than he ever expected it to be. Or it was until the whole mess
with Joslyn got sorted out. Once Victoria was free from death threats, he thought he was going to
explode with boredom.

Besides, he had a feeling even someone as rich as Victoria couldn’t afford his fee for a full-

time, year-round position. He was never a nine-to-five kind of guy.

But he could use this break to get back to his normal self. He’d put on a few pounds from sitting

in one position for so long and it shouldn’t take him longer than two or three weeks to get back to his
preferred fifteen percent body fat. His heart rate monitor beeped and Jace increased his pace, making
sure he stayed in the peak zone to keep his endurance up.

At least he’d been able to keep his running schedule. Most people didn’t see the benefit of

continuous endurance training, but he’d been in places where the ability to run five miles straight had
come in handy more than once.

Right after he hit the four-and-a-half mile mark, the phone strapped to his arm buzzed. He

debated letting it go to voicemail and checking it after his run, but at the last second, he pulled off to
the side of the pathway and checked the screen. It was an unknown number, but at least half of his
contacts would call from unlisted lines.

“Jace here.”
“Jace! I’m so glad you answered,” said a rushed, feminine voice from the other end. “This is

Emma Devereaux. We met yesterday outside Hunt Tower. I was hoping we could schedule a meeting
to discuss my hiring you for a job.”

He squeezed his eyes shut. Shit. He never thought she would actually try to hire him. Didn’t she

say that she was going to check him out first? How the hell could she have done a thorough look into
his history in less than a day? “I didn’t think I’d be hearing from you so soon.”

“Well, I’m not in town long and would like to tie things up rather quickly. Do you have time

later today?”

“I’m booked solid today,” he lied.
“Strange how a man between clients is so busy. I didn’t realize there was this much competition

for your services,” she said with just enough bite to let him know she was onto him.

“I don’t want your business. Do I make myself clear?”
“Oh, I suppose that’s clear enough. I suppose I’ll just have to go back to Hunt Tower and track

down Victoria myself then.”

Jace gripped the phone tighter in his fist. “What?”

“Well, you aren’t going to help, so I suppose I’ll just have to do everything myself, right? I’ll

have to go back to Hunt Tower and I’ll refuse to leave until Victoria will see me.”

He’d misjudged Emma. She was every bit as crazy as her sister. “Security won’t let you get

anywhere near her.”

“I have my ways, Jace. Anyway, I appreciate what little time you’ve given me. Now I really

have to get ready.”

“Wait! If you really want to meet, we can meet. But I am not taking you on as a client,

understand?” At least if he had her in person, he could look her in the eye and decide just how
dangerous she was. He’d written the tiny Southerner off as harmless yesterday, but apparently she had
a bigger bite than he thought. He just needed to see for himself whether she was bluffing.

“Great,” she said, the smugness clear in her voice. “Where and when?”
“Meet me at a coffee shop just outside Central Park in one hour. I’ll text you the address.” He

hung up before she could respond. Morning traffic could be a beast in the city but it was her own
problem if she had to rush to make it in time.

He sent her the address and tucked his phone back in his armband before he continued on his

run. So now the heiress knew he was involved with Victoria somehow. He made damn sure that his
name stayed out of the press, so she must’ve seen him in one of the pictures that leaked.

But he didn’t work for Victoria anymore. If Emma wanted to storm Hunt Tower for a second

day in a row, it really wasn’t his responsibility. Gordon could handle the heiress half his size and
Victoria had more than proved herself in stressful situations.

So why had Jace agreed to meet with her? He really needed to get back in the field. Working in

corporate America had already softened him. So what if Emma got arrested for trespassing? Her
family had the money and lawyers to take care of her.

He was half tempted to cancel the whole thing. But hell, she was right about one thing. He

didn’t have a full schedule. Maybe if he met her in person, he could actually convince her to leave
him and his former client alone. Jace had a feeling his intimidation skills worked much better in
person than over the phone.

###

“I’m heading out for the day. Let me know about any plans before you make them this time,

okay?” Emma gave Luke a pointed look.

He smiled up at her, no sign of lingering resentment from their argument on his face. “I promise.

You will be included in the planning stages next time.”

“Glad to hear it.” She pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator and placed it in her

oversized bag. She could grab something to eat at the coffeehouse. Jace didn’t seem like the kind of
guy to walk around with an oversized latte in his hand, but she wasn’t about to question his meeting
spot. As long as he showed up and didn’t stand her up, she’d be happy.

“So where are you off to today?” Luke poured himself a cup of coffee from the state-of-the-art

coffeemaker on the counter.

“Nowhere special,” she said. He motioned toward her with the coffeepot and she shook her

head. After her England trip, she’d been a faithful tea convert and had never grown re-accustomed to
the bitter taste of coffee. Unless it was packed with milk and sugar, of course.

Luke apparently didn’t have the same aversion as he poured his cup and brought the coffee

straight to his lips, no sweetener necessary. After he drank, he said, “I can have my driver take you.”

“Are you going into the office today?”
“It’s Tuesday. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Then I’m not using your driver.” Not that she wanted someone reporting her every move to

Luke anyway. “The doorman can get me a car in no time downstairs, so don’t worry about me.” She
checked the time on her phone. Forty minutes until her meeting with Jace. Traffic would be bad, but
the coffee shop was only two miles away. The day was nice enough, she might even walk back
afterwards—depending on her mood, of course. If Jace turned her down flat, she doubted she’d feel
like a leisurely stroll back to the apartment.

“So you’re really not telling me where you’re going?”
“It’s not all that interesting. I’m going to grab some tea down the street and then I might swing

by Joslyn’s apartment,” said Emma carefully. She’d prefer not to lie to Luke, but if he was going to be
an ass about her sister, she’d do what she had to do. Besides, he couldn’t get mad at her for stopping
by Joslyn’s secret apartment. As Joslyn’s only living immediate family, Emma needed to clear her
sister’s stuff out before the landlord threw everything away.

“Michael and I can help with the apartment,” said Luke. “I already have a list of storage rentals

where we can store things.”

“Thanks for the offer, Luke, but this feels like something I have to do alone.” Actually, it felt

like something she didn’t want to do at all, but it would be great for her investigation into Joslyn’s
psyche. Emma looked down at her phone again. She really needed to get going. “I have to run. Have a
nice day, Luke!” She slid out the door before he had a chance to ask why she was rushing off.

Once she was downstairs, it only took a few minutes for a doorman to get her a car and then she

had a chance to relax and prepare herself for what she would say to Jace. She was half surprised he
even agreed to meet with her, but it was a good sign. At least he had enough loyalty to his former
employer that he didn’t want her being bothered by Emma. That loyalty would be great on her side.

As far as how she could convince him to take her seriously, she had one major factor on her

side. Money. Whatever his normal rate was, she could double, even triple it. It wasn’t as if Emma
threw money around left and right and with her inheritance, she could afford to throw gobs and gobs
of money at a man who was actually there when Joslyn was arrested.

The only things she tended to waste money on was school. For most people, getting a college

education wasn’t a waste of money. But Emma firmly considered herself in the wasteful category right
around the time she got her third bachelor’s degree.

The driver dropped Emma off with a few minutes to spare. Emma tipped him and stepped onto

the street. She eyed the quaint coffee shop in front of her. Through the windows, she could see the
long line of New Yorkers eager to get their morning caffeine fix. Emma scanned the tables she could
make out, but there was no familiar blond waiting for her. Emma kept thinking back to how reluctant
he’d been to meet. What if he didn’t show? He’d probably be screening calls for the rest of the day
after her threats. She’d have no way of getting hold of him or finding him if he didn’t show up now.

She supposed she’d have to make good on what she said. If Jace stood her up, she’d have to

barge into Hunt Tower and demand to see Victoria. Sure, security could pull her away, but there was
a chance, albeit a slim one, that she could get into see the CEO.

But hopefully Jace would appear and save her the trouble. Emma tried to remain optimistic as

she pulled the door open and stood in line. Whatever was going down once Jace got there, she’d feel
much better if she was fortified with tea.

Right when she was next in line, her phone went off. Even though it was an unknown number,

she had a feeling she knew who it was. “Jace?”

“When you get up to the counter, tell them you’re here to see Phillip Smith.”
She frowned and glanced around her, trying to catch a glimpse of the man. “Are you playing a

joke on me?”

“You want my help. We’re doing things my way. You’re up.”
The customer in front of her moved aside and the barista looked expectantly at Emma. Damn it,

Jace was definitely watching her somehow. This wasn’t creepy at all. Emma stepped up and took a
nervous swallow. “Um, I’m here for Phillip Smith.”

The barista didn’t look confused at all. She just reached under the counter and pulled out a key.

“Here you go. The door to the stairs is to the left of the restrooms.”

“Thanks,” murmured Emma as she stepped aside and stared down at the key. Did this guy really

have to make things so difficult? She started to bring the phone back up to her ear, but saw that Jace
had already disconnected. They were supposed to talk normally over coffee, not exchange nuclear
codes.

But desperate times called for desperate measures, thought Emma, as she maneuvered her way

through the crowd to the back corner. Three doors lined the far wall: the women’s room, the men’s
room, and an unmarked door.

Emma glanced over her shoulder once more, hoping Jace would hop out and say he was just

playing some sort of stupid joke, but nothing happened. She took a deep breath. Was this really
important enough to risk going into a strange room with some man she knew nothing about while no
one knew where she was?

“Damn it,” she muttered as she stepped forward and turned the key in the knob. The door easily

opened to a dimly lit staircase, but due to the angle and the walls that surrounded the entire staircase,
Emma couldn’t tell what was at the bottom. Maybe it wasn’t worth it….

“If you stand there, you’re going to draw attention,” said Jace’s voice from the basement.

“Come on down.”

Emma quickly closed the door and started down the stairs. “Why would I want to avoid

attention?” she asked as she reached the bottom.

“Why would you want strangers to know your business?” he countered.
Emma’s eyes widened as she saw the room they were in. Even though the stairs didn’t look all

that classy, she and Jace stood in a beautiful bedroom. Despite the lack of natural light, the recessed
lamps illuminated the exposed brick wall that an oversized bed was pressed against. The tiniest bit of
sunlight penetrated the frosted windows right beneath the ceiling. The bright white comforter also
added the illusion of brightness to the room.

Emma’s mouth fell open before she forced herself to close it. “Um…what did you say?” She

had to stay focused on what she came here to achieve. Not get sidetracked by the curveballs Jace
threw her way.

She looked over the security consultant, whose smug expression told her just how proud he was

of causing her unease. He hardly looked ready for a business meeting. He was dressed head to toe in
black and looked as if he’d just come from the gym. His hair was damp and slicked back carelessly
as though he’d run his fingers through it repeatedly, and his sweatpants that hung low on his hips
seemed as if they’d been worn through countless workouts.

Somehow the reminder of how fit he was (not that she needed a reminder—his lean strength

was obvious with every move he made) made her feel even more uncomfortable.

“You said you didn’t care about avoiding attention. I asked why you’d want other people

knowing your business.” Jace leaned against the desk that rested against the opposite wall as the bed.

“I guess I’ve never had much to hide,” she muttered. “Why exactly are we in a bedroom? There

are perfectly good tables upstairs we could’ve used for this.”

Jace pushed himself forward and took a step closer to her. “Well, you seemed so comfortable

threatening me over the phone, Ms. Devereaux. I wanted to see how brave you were when I got you
all to myself.”

A chill went down Emma’s spine at the stark reminder that she was alone with a man she knew

nothing about. “I think you’re mistaking desperation for bravery,” she said, especially proud of
herself when her voice didn’t crack.

His eyes roamed up and down her body and the urge to run back upstairs intensified tenfold.

“What exactly makes you so desperate to bother Victoria Green?”

“I’m not trying to bother anyone!” she insisted. “But Victoria is a large part of the reason my

sister is probably going to prison. Why does everyone think it’s so insane that I’m curious about what
happened?”

“Because thinking she’d feel comfortable talking to you is insane. What could she tell you

anyway? Do you have a particular goal with your half-assed attempts to talk to her?”

“My goals are my own business,” said Emma. “And unless we’re in business together, I don’t

see any reason to tell you anything. Now, I came here with an offer for you.”

“And I came here to say no to your offer,” he shot back. “Now are we done here?”
“You haven’t even heard what I had to say!”
“And you haven’t listened to what I’ve been saying. I am on vacation and I’m not going to help

you investigate a client of mine.”

“I can pay you. Whatever your normal fee is, I can triple it.”
“Lady, with what you have in your trust fund, you can probably pay a lot more than that. But it

doesn’t matter. I have money and I don’t need any of yours.”

“Well, you have to want something. Just tell me and I can get it for you.”
“The only thing I want right now is a vacation. I finished a job yesterday and don’t plan to work

again until I damn well feel like it.”

“It’s easy work. All I need you to do is tag along while I ask around about Joslyn and give me

your professional opinion about what I’m looking at. Hardly exhausting stuff.”

He didn’t appear the slightest bit convinced by her pleas. “But it still conflicts with my last job.

Nothing you can say is going to change that.”

“Well, you were there. Could you at least give me your story about what happened that night?”
“There’s nothing to say. Your sister had a gun and was going to force Victoria to jump off the

roof of her apartment building. Luckily, her and her two-bit goon she hired were taken out
beforehand.”

Emma’s eyes widened. Jace really did know more about that night than any of the reporters

she’d managed to get a hold of. “I thought she was just going to shoot her,” murmured Emma.

“Nope,” said Jace. “You’re sister is as guilty as guilty gets. So if you’re trying to clear her

name, I suggest you set your sights on a more achievable goal. You know, like world peace.”

Emma tightened her lips. “I’m not trying to prove her innocence. I already knew she’s guilty.”
Suddenly, he looked just as confused as her cousins did when she brought up her Joslyn quest.

“Then what the hell are you doing here?”

She took a steadying breath before she met his eyes. “I’m here because I think I’m the reason

she did this. After our parents died, there was a lot of suspicion on her, even though the police never
proved anything. I pushed her out of my life during what could’ve been the darkest moment of hers.
She lost everything: her friends, her trust fund, and her sister. I want to find out if I’m responsible for
this.”

Jace was silent for a moment and Emma was infinitely grateful that he didn’t laugh in her face.

Sure, the logical part of her mind knew Joslyn made her own decisions and that sane, rational people
didn’t resort to murder. But she needed clarity before writing off her last living family. “So will you
help me?”

His face answered before he spoke. “I can’t do that.”
Emma squared her shoulders and refused to let the defeat show in her face. Jace had done

everything in his power to make her feel small and out of control and she’d be damned if she let him
win any more than he already had. “Fine then. I’ll just ask you a few more questions and then I’ll be
out of your hair.”

Jace shook his head and stepped forward, closing the distance between them until she could

feel his body heat. She jutted her chin up and refused to back down.

“Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to turn around and go up those stairs. Once

you’re out of here, you’re going to forget you ever met me and pretend that there’s nothing Victoria
Green can tell you that you don’t already know.”

A deep anger settled in her gut at the idea of this virtual stranger telling her what to do. “And if

I don’t?”

Jace leaned in, until his face was inches from hers. “Well, for starters, I will throw you over my

damn shoulder and carry you out of here until you’re far enough away I’m sure you’ll leave me alone.
Think I’m bluffing?”

For a long moment, Emma debated the merits of slapping Jace right in his smug face. Screw

slapping—punching would be much more effective.

“What’s it gonna be, Georgia? Are you walking out on your own or do you need assistance?”
Emma shook her head. Jace wasn’t worth the bruised knuckles. “I’d rather avoid being touched

by a Neanderthal, thank you very much,” she said in her sweetest voice, laying her natural accent on a
bit thicker than normal.

If he wanted to get rid of her, fine. She’d leave gracefully. Her anger simmered just beneath the

surface as she walked up the stairs. Let him win the battle. But she sure as hell wasn’t going to give
up and when all was said and done, she’d win the war.

CHAPTER FOUR

Jace watched Emma as she moved up the stairs, her back tense with rage. He was rather

impressed when she managed to refrain from slamming the door shut. He’d gone full-blown asshole
on her and he didn’t know many women who could keep their tempers under control for that.

But it was for her own good, he told himself. She was on some mission to wash herself clean of

her sister’s sins. Nothing she found by talking to people who should be left alone would lift that
burden from her shoulders. That kind of redemption would only come from time and distance. If hell
froze over and he ever actually saw her again in the distant future, she’d probably even thank him.

Okay, maybe she wouldn’t thank him. But somewhere deep inside her stubborn head, she’d

have to know he was right.

Now that the heiress situation was handled, maybe he could actually get back to his vacation,

starting with a green shake from upstairs. The small, one-room basement was hardly the most lavish
place he’d ever rented out, but it had everything he needed for his stay. He’d paid cash for another
two weeks and doubted he’d be extending his stay any longer.

Jace pulled the duffel he traveled with out of the small closet and traded his workout pants for a

pair of jeans and his black t-shirt for a white one. He tucked the dirty clothes into his laundry bag and
stashed the duffel back in the closet. Then he grabbed his wallet and headed back up the stairs. He
needed to remember to ask Michelle if Emma had ever returned the key he’d left for her upstairs.

The barista was a long-time employee of Phillip, who owned the coffee shop and the lower

level. It was his favorite spot to take his girlfriends and get away with telling his wife he was at work
late without technically lying. He thought the whole thing was hilarious, but Jace didn’t care who he
rented a room from as long as he had a place to sleep that wouldn’t leak when it rained.

The coffeehouse portion of the building was still packed from the morning rush, but all Jace had

to do was make eye contact with Michelle and she gave him a knowing wink. She knew he always got
the same thing and always tipped well, so she called out his order to the college-aged kid behind her
who prepared the orders.

He smiled his thanks and hung back while he waited for his drink. A second later, the slightest

movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He was being watched.

The man currently staring at Jace over the top of his newspaper sat a few yards away at one of

the tables next to the window. Jace couldn’t make out his face, but his point of attention was
unmistakable.

Damn it, if this was some trick or play by Emma, he was going to have to step up his asshole

game. Jace looked over his shoulder and full-on glared at the man, silently telling him exactly where
he could shove it.

But instead of looking intimidated, the stranger just tightened his lips and folded his paper. He

then pulled out a chair and looked expectantly at Jace.

The kid behind the counter motioned to Jace that his drink was ready. Jace grabbed the green

shake off the counter before he turned to sit with whoever the hell had been staring him down. “What
do you want?”

The man looked to be in his early thirties and wore the type of crisp business suit that was so

common here in the city. His face was cleanly shaven and, even though he was still young, he didn’t

appear intimidated by Jace.

“Nice to meet you,” said the man. “I’m Michael Devereaux.”
Good God, another one of them. “So are you stalking your cousin now?”
Michael smiled bitterly, as though he knew exactly how messed up the situation was. “I try not

to make a habit of it,” he said solemnly. “But this is for her own good.”

When Jace thought those same words, they sounded so reasonable. Somehow, hearing them

from her cousin’s mouth made them sound much more dickish. “How so?”

“Emma wants your help digging into certain parts of Joslyn’s life. All I want you to do is keep

her from finding out where all the big monthly deposits in her checking account were coming from.”

Jace snorted. “So what were you paying off the sister for? Some deep, dark secret you didn’t

want Emma to find out?”

Michael didn’t answer. Instead, he reached down to his briefcase and pulled out a piece of

paper before he slid it over the table to Jace. “This is how important it is to me that Emma doesn’t
know where Joslyn’s money was coming from.”

Jace had to admit even he was surprised by the amount of zeros written on that piece of paper.

And it took a lot to surprise him. “So this is pretty important to you.”

“Family is our number-one priority.”
Our. So Michael wasn’t here just for himself. Either way, none of this changed his answer. “I’m

not working for your cousin, so you can take your business elsewhere.”

Michael didn’t hide his surprise well. “I’m sure she offered to pay you well.”
Did Jace have some sign over his head that said he was desperate for money? “Oh, she did. I’m

just not interested.”

Jace saw the frustration play over Michael’s face. “Shit. She could be halfway across the city

by now.”

“So let her go. How much trouble can she really get into?”
Michael glared at him. “Gee, I wonder what could go wrong when Emma goes digging into a

sociopath’s life. Who knows what kind of people Joslyn surrounded herself with?”

Jace stayed silent. Emma seemed smart enough, but she had met with him in a secluded,

soundproof room without knowing anything about him. “Good luck with that.” He abruptly stood up.
There was nothing more for him to talk about with any of the Devereaux family.

“Wait.” Michael stood and held out a business card. “Take this.”
“Good luck,” Jace muttered as he put the card in his pocket. He’d planned to go back

downstairs but an anxious energy coursed through him and he headed back to the street instead.

Emma Devereaux was asking for trouble. He thought back to his own brief interaction with

Joslyn. One of the two-bit goons she’d hired gotten the jump on him and knocked him unconscious.
Stupid mistake on Jace’s part. He hadn’t considered that the doorman who wasn’t a doorman might
have backup.

If he had underestimated the guys working with Joslyn, what was Emma getting herself into?

How deep was she really willing to go to get to the truth?

For the first time, he actually entertained the idea of helping her. Really, it would be easy

money. She’d overpay for his services and then he could bank if he took up the cousins on their offer,
too. If he played his cards right, this could be the last job he needed to work. Sure, he could take on
more for fun. Maybe even do some pro bono stuff for causes he actually cared about. Why not help

out a fucked-up, rich family in exchange for buckets of cash?

All he had to do was keep Emma safe and far away from her family’s secrets. Maybe not the

easiest job, but as long as he could keep Emma away from Victoria, he could make it work.

###

Emma sat on the brand-new looking sofa in the center of Joslyn’s apartment. Joslyn’s secret

apartment, not the one she’d shared with her now ex-fiancé Terry Green. This was where Joslyn lived
her double life. The apartment wasn’t even in her own name. It was rented by a “Casey Jones.” Emma
had no idea what Joslyn was thinking when she’d set her plans in motion, but this was Emma’s
starting point.

She glanced around the room. Bright pops of color against a mostly white pallet. Did Joslyn

decorate this on her own or did she hire someone to do it for her?

Their family home was so different. Sure, they had grown up in a relatively extravagant

mansion, but it was so homey and happy. Every piece of furniture had a history and a story. Every
antique had been passed down through generations of the Devereaux family and whenever Emma
walked in the front door, she felt an immediate sense of warmth and security.

Was that how Joslyn felt when she came here? Was this were she found her warmth? Or was

this just another tool she had to get Victoria Green out of the way to get her hands on the Green
fortune?

Emma might never know if Joslyn refused to talk to her, which was a whole new level of

frustrating. Was Joslyn mad at Emma? Maybe she felt too guilty to talk to family? Emma was going to
get some answers, with or without Joslyn’s help.

Her phone buzzed from beside her and Emma debated even looking at it. Michael had called

her three times already and was probably calling again. She couldn’t handle a judgmental talking
down to right now. She’d been in a bad mood ever since she left the meeting with Jace, and she
doubted that anything Michael would say would cheer her up.

And her suspicions were only stirred at the fact that he hadn’t left a voicemail after any of his

calls. As the buzzing continued, Emma gave in and checked the screen only to see it wasn’t Michael
but a number she didn’t recognize. She bit her lip. He wouldn’t be sneaky enough to call from a
different phone, would he? She answered it and brought the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

“I didn’t think you were going to answer,” said the familiar, deep voice.
“Jace,” she breathed. “I thought you were done with me.”
“I thought so too, but apparently my conscience doesn’t want you getting hurt because I was too

stubborn to help. So I’m taking you up on that blank check offer to help. Where are we starting?”

Her mouth fell open in shock. Was this some sort of elaborate joke? Or had someone else gotten

to him…. “Did my cousins put you up to this?”

“I promise that no one but you asked me to help,” he insisted. “But, hey, if you’ve changed your

mind…”

“No! I mean, I still want you. Still want you to help.”
“Great. So tell me where to meet you, and I can head over now.”
Half of her wanted to keep asking him more questions about what changed his mind, but the

other half just wanted him to get his ass over there and start helping now. She quickly rambled off the
address she was at. “I’m assuming you remember how to get here?”

“Oh yeah. That place is burned in my memory,” he muttered. “I’ll get a cab and be over there as

soon as possible.” He hung up.

Emma stared at the phone in her hand and tried to figure out whether she just imagined the entire

exchange. Jace had seemed so adamant he wanted nothing to do with her that morning. Maybe he was
lying and it really was her cousins who put him up to helping her.

But why would they want her to have help? If anything, they’d want her to go back home and

stop getting in the way.

A sense of renewed hope swirled within her. This was a man who knew what he was doing. He

knew how Joslyn reacted, what she said, what she did the night of the attack. He knew the questions
to ask and he would probably be able to help her find who to ask. But she had to get ready for him
arriving. As soon as he got there, he’d want to know what she’d already done and how much she
already knew.

Emma pulled her laptop out of her bag and powered it up. She already had a rough

brainstorming spreadsheet she’d created. Now she just had to get everything in a readable order so
someone besides her could make sense of it.

By the time she heard a knock on the door, she felt almost ready to face Jace again. She jumped

up and ran to the entryway, almost surprised he’d shown up. She was still half convinced he’d still
been playing with her as he made his little phone call earlier.

Sure enough, there he was. Standing in the hallway and right in front of her. He’d changed

clothes since she’d seen him last. Instead of wearing workout clothes, he was now in a crisp, white t-
shirt and jeans. The v-neck of the shirt made the cords of his neck stand out and the sleeves exposed
the hint of biceps she’d already noticed before. Why was she still looking at his damn biceps?

“So can I come in?”
Emma winced at the direction her thoughts had taken. “Yeah, please.” She moved out of the way

for him to enter.

“Do you have a trash?” He held up a clear, empty glass with some sort of green stuff left along

the edges.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “What on earth is that?”
“Breakfast. Kale, apples, some flax, and about as many vitamins and minerals that can fit into

one drink with no added sugar.”

“What’s so bad with added sugar?” She tried her best not to imagine how horrible the

abomination he described tasted.

Jace smiled at her obvious discomfort. “It’s an acquired taste,” he admitted. “And it’s not like

it’s the only thing I eat.”

Emma shuddered at the thought. “God, I hope not.”
“I take it you don’t eat a lot of vegetables?”
“Oh no, I eat boatloads of vegetables. They just look like they did when they came out of the

ground when I eat them.” She could’ve sworn he rolled his eyes at her, but he looked away before she
could be sure as he scanned the room. “I think the trash is over here.” She crossed to the kitchen and
randomly opened cabinets. “Or maybe not,” she muttered.

Every cabinet and drawer she opened was empty. Jace moved to the other side of the kitchen

and opened the overhead cupboards. “Looks like your sister didn’t really have a chance to settle in.”

“That’s one way of putting it.” More likely was that Joslyn never meant to spend any time here.

The last cabinet Emma opened was right next to the sink and had a small, plastic bin. “Here’s a

trash.”

As he took care of his cup, she walked back into the living area and looked at the mail she’d

already seen when she walked in. The pile was soaked in some sort of dried, red liquid and
everything was addressed to Joslyn’s alias, Casey Jones.

“I saw the mail and thought she might’ve actually used this place to live.”
“I don’t think anyone can escape junk mail.” Jace picked up the pile and thumbed through it.
“Whatever’s on it… people don’t spill things on ignored junk mail, right?”
His lips tightened as he met Emma’s eyes. “Victoria spilled her drink on it.”
“Huh?”
“When Victoria got suspicious about what Joslyn was up to, she spilled her drink as a

distraction so she could text her boyfriend for help,” said Jace. “This pink stuff is margarita.”

“Oh.” Well, there went that idea. One more way Emma tried to humanize Joslyn just went out

the window.

“Don’t look so defeated,” said Jace. “There’s still a lot more apartment to go through.”
She squared her shoulders and took a steadying breath. “You’re right.” She never really

expected Jace to be the voice of optimism, but she’d take what she could get.

“You want to check the bedrooms together or divide and conquer?”
“I thought I’d update you on what I know so far.” She sat on the sofa and opened up her

computer. “I have her laptop and one of her email accounts had a saved password so I could get into
it. But it looks like she had a second account that didn’t have a saved password. I’m also working on
getting the password to her bank accounts.” She studied Jace, trying to determine whether he judged
her for her less than legal activities.

His face was blank, but she could tell he was skeptical. “And who exactly do you know who

can hack into bank accounts?”

“His name is Russell. We went to school together back in Oxford and I know he had a bit of a,

um, checkered past. I figure if he didn’t know how to gain access to her accounts, he’d know someone
who could help.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You went to Oxford?”
She snorted. “Oxford, Yale, and UGA. I’m a bit of a school whore.”
“You went to Oxford and Yale? Because one wasn’t enough?”
“They were all such different experiences. Besides, a person can never have too much

knowledge.”

The corner of Jace’s mouth hooked up. “I know one or two people who’ve had rather negative

encounters with me thanks to their wealth of knowledge.”

Emma shuddered at the implications of that, but she wasn’t about to ask Jace for clarification on

what he thought of as “negative encounters.”

“So what’s with all the schools?” he asked. “Are you a PhD or something?”
“Oh no. Three bachelor’s degrees.”
“Doesn’t that seem excessive?”
“It’s not like it’s four years for each. Once I got the electives out of the way at Yale, I only had

to take the classes specific to whatever major I was pursuing at the time.”

“So what are these three majors?”
Emma glanced down to the hardwood floor. As much fun as she had at all her schools, she

didn’t like talking about them. It was too hard for everyone to wrap their head around her flip-floppy
way of thinking about her career. “I’ve majored in business administration, anthropology, and
biology.”

“And none of those were interesting enough to keep your attention?”
“It’s not that they were boring. It’s that there’s always something out there more interesting.”

How was she supposed to decide how to spend the rest of her life? She had all the money she’d need
to live multiple lives of luxury. If she was going to pick a career, she was going to choose one that
made her happy. She just had to find it first.

“And Joslyn didn’t share your love of school, I’m assuming,” said Jace.
Emma could feel the tension creep back into her body at the mention of her sister. “She was

never really the academic type.” Joslyn had too many other distractions. She was busy cheerleading
and going out with all the boys on the football team.

Emma was a cheerleader too, but it didn’t define her high school career. Joslyn was cheer first

and foremost. Student came somewhere close to last. But she’d never really had to worry about
getting good grades. DevX Tech had taken off before Joslyn even hit kindergarten, so they’d always
had the security of knowing they could be whatever they wanted to be. Joslyn wanted to be popular
and Emma was still trying to figure that part out.

“So what has Russell found in Joslyn’s laptop?” asked Jace.
“It was delivered to him yesterday, so hopefully we’ll have access to the bank statements

sometime today. He works for a software firm during the day, but he should be getting off work
around five in the UK.”

“So we’ll do a sweep of the rest of the rooms here and if we don’t see anything suspicious,

we’ll agree to meet up once this Russell guy gets you more information to go on.”

Emma really didn’t want to hold off any longer, but she supposed they could wait until they

heard from Russell. Maybe then she could even go out to dinner with Luke and Michael so they
wouldn’t worry about her as much. “Sounds good. Why don’t we start with the master bedroom?”

Jace held a hand out to signal for Emma to lead the way. As they walked, her boots clanked

against the wood, but Jace’s sneakers made no noise. If she hadn’t known he was right behind her, she
would’ve thought she was alone in the apartment. She wasn’t used to feeling like the largest person in
the room.

She pushed the door open to the master suite. The entire room was just as pretty and sterile as

the rest of the place. A bright pink comforter covered a king-sized bed and an oversized modern art
piece over the headboard contained a mix of pinks and golds. The rest of the room contained pristine
white furniture and walls. “Doesn’t look like Terry ever spent much time here.” She took in the
feminine aesthetic.

“According to him, he had no idea she even had the place,” said Jace from beside her.
Emma frowned. “Then how did she afford it? This place has to be thousands of dollars a

month.”

Jace crossed the room and opened up the top drawer to the dresser. “I guess that’s something

we can figure out when we get access to her bank statements.”

“Don’t do that,” snapped Emma as she ran over and pushed the drawer shut.
Jace raised a brow. “Isn’t this why I’m here?”
“You’re here to help me dig into her life, not her underwear drawer.”

“Sorry,” muttered Jace as he backed up. “Why don’t I just sit here and let you do all the work?”
Emma sighed and looked through the drawers. “It seems we keep on ending up in bedrooms

today.”

Jace let out a little laugh. “Looks that way, doesn’t it?”
“What was that place you took me to this morning?”
“It was quiet and out of the way,” said Jace.
Emma shot him a knowing look. He knew exactly what she’d been asking.
“That’s my apartment,” said Jace. “But when I’m not renting it, it’s where the coffee shop

owner meets his mistresses.”

“You brought me to an affair hidey hole?” exclaimed Emma.
“Quiet and out of the way,” repeated Jace.
“Disgusting.”
“Convenient and cheap.” Jace stood and crossed to the bathroom. “I guess we’ll agree to

disagree.”

As pristine as the place looked, there were a few personal items. A change of clothes in one of

the drawers. A pair of sneakers and a pair of black, strappy stilettos. There were no drawers full of
underwear so she’d officially overreacted to Jace doing pretty much exactly what she asked him.

And he was either nice enough to not say anything or he hadn’t noticed. Emma would bet money

on option number one, though.

The last drawer Emma pulled open had a small black clutch and nothing else. A quick glance

inside the tiny purse showed it was empty, but something was in the side pocket. “Jace,” she called.
“Check out this receipt I found.”

He came out of the bathroom and crouched down next to Emma as he read the receipt in her

hand. “Drax Club,” he said. “You ever heard of it?”

“I’m not from here,” she said. “You?”
“Nope.” Jace pulled out his phone. “Let me look it up.” He took the receipt from her hand and

entered information in.

“She wasn’t going there alone,” said Emma. “One of the charges is for whiskey and Joslyn

would never drink that.”

“And I can say the bar isn’t a complete dive. Or else it would be cash only, no receipts.”
“There are places that don’t accept credit cards?”
Jace let out a laugh. “You’ve led a very sheltered life, Ms. Devereaux.”
“Doesn’t feel that sheltered,” she said. Both parents dead at a young age. Sister on her way to

prison. If Emma had been sheltered, it was a shelter made out of straw instead of brick.

“Looks like an upscale bar in Brooklyn,” said Jace. “I can check it out later tonight and see if

it’s worth following up on.”

Emma shook her head. “No. I’m going with you.”
He raised a brow. “Do you think you can find out things I can’t?”
“I think we both know very different sides of Joslyn,” said Emma. “You think of her as a cold-

blooded killer. I think of her as a confused family member. It would be better if we both went there.”

“Hey, if you want to come, I’m all for it. I just think it’s going to be a waste of your time.”
“Then I guess you’re lucky I have a lot of free time on my hands.” She smiled.
“Lucky is one way of putting it.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Jace pulled his black sedan into one of the few parking spots available on the crowded

Brooklyn street. The city was notoriously unfriendly toward vehicles and that reputation was well
founded. Jace had outrun angry mobsters on the streets of Moscow and that was less dangerous than
navigating through the various boroughs during rush hour. The sun was just starting to go down and he
was supposed to meet Emma in front of her cousin’s building in two hours. He figured he could get a
bit of reconnaissance done before he brought Emma here.

Sure, this wasn’t a bodyguard job, but he wasn’t about to bring her into a pit of vipers. She was

just too…small. She talked a good game and was quick-witted enough to handle herself in most
situations. But no amount of smarts and bravado could hide just how vulnerable she was when she
went walking into Drax.

He might not have wanted to help her at first, but he couldn’t deny that she needed all the help

she could get. When they got closer to Joslyn’s friends who were more like Donny, who Joslyn hired
to kill Victoria, Emma would need backup.

But before he went in to scope out Drax, he had to see to Michael’s one request for this

investigation. He grabbed his phone off the seat next to him and typed in the number he knew by heart.

After two rings, Hansen answered. “About time you called,” he said with his posh British

accent.

“So you got my message.”
“Do you think I’m a miracle worker?”
“I think you’re smart enough to get me what I want. If you do, there’s five thousand pounds in it

for you.”

That seemed to perk Hansen up. “Well, why didn’t you say that in the first place?”
“It’s more fun to hear you bitch,” Jace deadpanned. “Now, how quick do you think you can get

to Russell?”

Hansen snorted. “All you gave me was a first name, probable major, and that he went to

Oxford. Do you have any idea how long this would take MI5 to look into?”

“So you already found him?”
“And am currently digging up whatever dirt I can use. It looks like the man has a sealed

juvenile record, so once I crack that, I’m guessing we can get the poor bloke to do whatever we
want.”

“Don’t make him flee the country, Hansen. We just want him to think that working with us will

be more beneficial than him working with his classmate. I also want you to get your hands on that
computer.”

“Of course. I’m sure this guy knows his stuff, but he’s no me.”
“There’s only one you,” agreed Jace. He’d met Hansen while working on a job in the Middle

East for a private firm. “Private firm” meaning a government mission that the government would deny
any involvement in if asked. When working with people in those circumstances, it was easy to get a
good idea for skill level and Hansen was cocky for a reason. “Russell might’ve made contact with
Emma earlier today. We need to know exactly what he told her.”

“You don’t think she’d give you updates?”

“I’d rather know the answer before I ask the question.”
“Got it. I’ll see what I can get tonight and try to intercept the mark before he catches the train to

work tomorrow.”

“Great. I’ll get the first half of your fee wired to your accounts by tomorrow. If Russell needs

any additional persuading, I can send more over.”

“You’re too nice to your informants. There are cheaper ways to get what you want.”
“It’s not my money.” Jace grinned.
“Well, in that case, I think I’ll need a bigger fee.”
“Thanks for your help, Hansen. Keep me updated.” Jace hung up the phone. Emma might be

furious if she knew that he was intercepting information, but Jace could guarantee Hansen could find
out a hell of a lot more from that laptop that any random classmate from Oxford.

He turned his attention back to the public entrance to Drax. Like he’d suspected, the outside

front of the club didn’t look all that shady. Doors were scheduled to open in fifteen minutes, but it
probably wouldn’t get too crowded until much later.

Jace held his position in front of the club for another hour before he felt satisfied that there

wasn’t any reason not to bring Emma around. He threw the sedan into gear and made his way back to
the parking garage where he’d rented a spot for his car. The damn parking spot was more expensive
than the room he was renting, but he needed to have a vehicle on hand in case he needed to get out of
Dodge fast.

He ran his fingers through his hair a few times and adjusted the collar of his black buttoned-

down shirt. He hadn’t ever gone to one of these places for fun, but he knew how to fit in at least. He
wondered what Emma would wear. How did a billionaire dress for a night on the town? Would she
wear one of those barely there skirts? Of course, considering the conservative, suspicious woman
he’d spent the afternoon with, he half thought she’d be covered from head to toe in jeans and a
turtleneck.

He laughed at the thought as he jumped out of the car. If he had to tell Emma to change clothes,

she’d probably sucker-punch him. He knew she’d thought about it more than once that day, so him
insulting her style would be the straw that broke the heiress’s back.

Jace waved down a cab and gave the address of the building where Emma was staying. He was

familiar enough with the neighborhood because Victoria lived only a few blocks down, but getting
parking in the busy club district at night wasn’t worth it. Besides, the ride would give him and Emma
a chance to go over the game plan for the night. Namely, he’d have to convince her to keep quiet
while he asked questions.

As soon as the cab came to a stop in front of the building, Jace sent Emma a text to let her know

he was there. Even though it would be hilarious to make his way past the doorman and knock on her
cousin’s door, he’d let Emma pretend she was pulling one over on her family.

On his way to meet Emma earlier, Jace let Michael know that he would accept their offer of

employment and provided them his bank account number to wire a deposit payment. Within the hour,
Jace was a much richer man. Looking back, Jace had done much worse things for much less money. If
he played his cards right, Emma would never know he was two-timing her and he could get his
easiest double payday yet.

As Jace waited for Emma, he looked around the street at the various upper class of the city

come home from work or head out for their upscale dinner dates. This was by far his highest-paying

gig and it was in one of the best locations. He started to feel stupider for not taking Emma up on her
offer immediately.

But his mind went blank as he finally saw the familiar reddish-brown hair poke through the

crowd. Her hair was down and flowed around a short black leather jacket. Her small frame was
elongated by her ankle boots with a four-inch heel and her legs were covered by skin-tight dark
denim.

Okay, maybe he’d misjudged her, he admitted to herself as he stepped out of the backseat to

wave her over.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” she said as she approached. “I wanted to sneak past Luke and it

took him forever to stop checking his email and go back to his wing.”

“His wing?”
Her lips curled up and Jace found himself entranced by their dark red shade with just a hint of

brown, a play on her hair color, which he started to find himself more and more obsessed with.

“Not technically,” she clarified. “But you should see his apartment, Jace. The thing is massive.

It’s ridiculous. Like, I have a big house, don’t get me wrong, but at least there isn’t a serious land
shortage in Georgia.”

“I kind of figured you guys had a bigger place than me anyway,” he said. “Why sneak out,

though? Couldn’t you lie about where you were going?”

“I did. I told him I’m going back to Joslyn’s apartment. But I didn’t think he’d approve of my

outfit if I was going to sit alone in an abandoned apartment.”

Jace frowned. “You don’t look suspicious.”
Emma raised a brow and brought her fingers up to the zipper of the jacket. Jace held his breath

as she caught the zipper and lowered it farther and farther down. For long, agonizing seconds, more
and more skin was revealed, but when she’d completely unzipped the jacket, he understood. She wore
a dangerously low-cut halter top and he would bet his entire payday that she couldn’t manage to wear
a bra under that small amount of fabric.

He jerked his eyes back up to her face and struggled to keep his face calm. “I can see how that

would be a problem.”

“Right? Since the only people I know in town are my cousins, I can’t really say I’m going out

with friends. So sneaking it is.” She glanced to the still waiting cab. “Now, are we going or do you
want to talk on the street all night?”

Jace stepped aside and held the door open for her. Two minutes in and the night was already

throwing curveballs. Hopefully she would keep her jacket on all night and everything else would go
smoothly.

CHAPTER SIX

Emma slid out of her jacket and hung it over her arm as she eyed the line to get into Drax.
“It’s freezing,” muttered Jace. “Don’t you want to keep that on?”
“I’d rather get into the club quicker.” Emma eyed the burly bouncer in front of the door. “Think I

can flirt my way in?” Or was that something that only happened in movies?

“Why don’t you let me handle this?” said Jace.
“Or we could bribe him to let us in! I only have a hundred. Is that too much?” Jase shot her an

annoyed glance and Emma backtracked. “Too little?”

Jace shook his head and grunted as he stalked over to where the bouncer stood at the front of the

line and Emma had to shuffle to keep up with him in her heels. Not exactly the most dignified
entrance.

Jace had been grumpy ever since she got into the back of the cab with him and she couldn’t

figure out why. On the street, he was fine and then all the sudden, he told her that he was going to do
all the talking and she was just there to observe. Granted, that was what she wanted, too, but that
didn’t mean he had to talk down to her.

The bouncer was a burly man who appeared to have a good hundred pounds on Jace. This guy

looked more like a pro wrestler while Jace came off more as an Abercrombie model.

“Back of the line,” said the bouncer as soon as they approached.
Emma plastered on what she hoped was a charming smile. “Hi—”
“Jace Lance.” Jace held out a hand.
The bouncer looked at the outstretched palm and pointedly ignored it.
“I couldn’t help noticing your tats,” said Jace, seemingly unfazed by the cool welcome.
That seemed to perk up the bouncer. “Which ones?”
“I always like to say hello to a fellow SEAL.”
Emma glanced between the two men. Jace had been a SEAL? And this oversized man had once

passed some of the most stringent physical requirements of the US military?

The bouncer narrowed his eyes at Jace. Apparently he didn’t buy Jace as a SEAL. “Name

sounds kind of familiar. Which team were you on?”

“Chrome 10. That was awhile ago.”
“No shit? I’ve heard stories about Chrome. I thought all those guys died.”
“There are a lot of people I’d like to keep thinking we’re not breathing,” said Jace.
Emma bristled with the need to ask questions, but she bit herself back. She really knew nothing

about this man who she was trusting to help her. Normally she’d do a thorough background check of
anyone doing business with her, but as soon as she knew Jace had insider knowledge on what
happened with Joslyn, her normal checks had gone out the window.

“So do you think you could do me a solid and let us slip in? My girl here has been dying to

check this place out.”

Emma leaned into Jace and batted her eyelashes.
“Sure. Always happy to meet another SEAL.” The bouncer stepped aside and held the rope

open for them. With his free hand, he reached out and finally returned the handshake originally offered
by Jace.

“Thanks so much,” said Emma quickly.
Jace set his arm around her back and led her inside. “See? No flirting necessary.”
Emma smiled. “Thank goodness. I’m afraid I haven’t had much practice.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself. I think you could get into more places than you realize,” Jace

whispered into her ear.

She stiffened against him as his warm breath caressed her neck. Did Jace just pay her a

compliment? No. He was just stating a fact. The sun sets in the west. The sky is blue. You can get
into more places than you realize. Nothing more than a quick opinion.

“Want a drink?” asked Jace, as though nothing strange just happened.
Emma glanced around her at the crowded dance floor and bar. They’d paused in a relatively

secluded corner, but they’d have to move if they wanted to talk to the club goers. “I don’t think
drinking is a good idea,” she said loud enough so he could hear her over the thumping music.

“I think you’ll stand out if you don’t have one,” replied Jace. “And I want to talk to the

bartender.”

Well, why didn’t he say that in the first place? “I’ll have a fuzzy navel,” she said.
He frowned down at her as though her choice surprised him, but didn’t comment on it. He could

laugh at her girly drink if he wanted to. She’d tried plenty of cocktails, but nothing beat the sugary mix
of peach schnapps and orange juice, in her opinion.

On second thought, maybe she should’ve asked for something she wouldn’t be tempted to drink

quickly. Couldn’t she just get a water and pretend it was vodka?

Jace and she made it to the crowded bar, but Jace was somehow able to get a few guys to move

out of their way so there was plenty of room to lean against the black granite bar top. Must be nice to
shoot one look and suddenly have a spot open. After a few minutes, the bartender finally got around
to their order.

“A fuzzy navel and a Scotch on the rocks.” Jace pulled out his wallet.
The bartender was a handsome young guy who was probably a model on the side. Emma

noticed that all of the young staff behind the bar killed it in the looks department, which was probably
one of the reasons such a nondescript club was packed to the brim on a weeknight.

The bartender came back with their drinks in a flash and Jace set down a piece of paper and a

hundred dollar bill on the granite bar.

“Take a look and tell me what you think,” said Jace.
The young guy stared hesitantly down at the money before he reached out and swiped both the

cash and the piece of paper. He held it down low enough so no one else, including Emma, could see
what was on it.

She gave Jace an annoyed glance for not telling her what he had planned, even though she

couldn’t say she was surprised at this point. It seemed like every guy in her life at the moment knew
the best way to do everything and she just needed to stand back and twiddle her thumbs.

The bartender looked at Jace and shook his head. “Can’t help you, man.”
Jace nodded and put two more hundreds on the table. “I understand.”
Emma’s eyes widened as Jace gave the unhelpful man even more money, but Jace picked up the

drinks and moved out of the way of the eager clubbers who stood behind them.

“What the hell was—”
Jace twisted and put his back to the wall as he scanned the crowd. His gaze seemed to lock in

on something against the far corner and Emma turned to see what it was.

There was a nondescript door along the back with a not-so-subtle bouncer who stood guard in

front. “What is it?” she asked.

Jace leaned in so he wouldn’t have to shout as loud. “The bartender looked to it. He didn’t

want anyone to know he was helping me.”

“Or he just had an eye twitch,” said Emma. It wasn’t as if they were hunting down cartel

members. Why would he feel the need to be so secretive about where Joslyn had been?

Jace shook his head in exasperation. “I think I’d know if it was an eye twitch.”
Emma smiled. There was no need to push him when he was already grumpy. “You’re the

professional,” she said in her sweet tone.

If anything, he looked more irritated. “Stay here. I’m going to ask a few more people what they

know so it doesn’t seem like the bartender is the one who gave us the tip.”

Well, that was considerate of Jace. Not that Joslyn could really get angry with anyone for telling

her secrets while she was locked up, but she supposed if the bartender wanted to be subtle, they could
let him. “Sounds good,” she said, but Jace had already turned to make his way through the club
without her slowing him down.

Emma took a few steps back and leaned against the wall and watched him. Just like at the bar,

people seemed to move out of his way. Even through the strobe light and alcohol-infused daze, people
knew to watch out for Jace. Maybe he could give her pointers on how to do that?

Nah. He was probably born with it. Emma didn’t think anyone ever told Joslyn how to

captivate a room or her cousins how to close any deal they wanted. It was just some intrinsic ability
they were born with. That gene must’ve skipped over Emma.

Maybe it was her own fault. If she actually practiced being assertive or standing her ground,

she could get a bit more respect in her family. Maybe instead of walking away from her argument with
Luke, she should’ve laid her reasoning out there and if he didn’t agree, then she could’ve left. Gotten
a hotel to stay at so she wouldn’t have to sneak out to investigate with Jace.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder and Emma jerked in surprise. Her untouched drink sloshed

over the sides and dripped down her hands. When she glanced up, she saw it was only Jace. Without
a word, he took the drink from her and set it on a ledge to the side of them. In a flash, he grabbed
some napkins from a table a few feet away and came back, immediately wiping down her hands.

So much for being an assertive woman. She couldn’t even clean her own damn hands.
She stood still as Jace held her wrist in one hand and wiped her palm down with his other.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I’m grumpy,” she said loud enough for him to hear as she stared at where he had touched her.

The entire club was warm, but somehow his touch seemed fifty degrees hotter. Great. Now she was
grumpy and turned on. Emma yanked her hand away and grabbed one of the napkins to wipe down her
arm even though he’d already gotten most of it off.

Jace didn’t seem fazed by her mini outburst. “Are you ready?” he asked after she left her

napkins on the ledge next to her drink, since there appeared to be no trash cans in the entire place.
Emma wrinkled her nose at the mess, but there was nothing else she could do.

“Let’s go.” She turned back to Jace. He moved to put his arm around her again and she kept

walking, not wanting to be led around like his arm candy. He wanted her to be quiet and she had been.
No reason to treat her with kid gloves.

She made her way across the floor, pushing her way through the crowds, which noticeably did

not part for her. But soon enough she made it to the mysterious door. Unfortunately, in this section of
the club, they were so close to the speakers that subtlety was not an option. “Hello!” she shouted to
the bouncer.

The six-and-a-half-foot man with the buzz cut didn’t even look down at her.
Jace unfolded the paper, which Emma now saw had a picture of Joslyn on it. “Have you seen

this woman around here a lot?”

“She’s not here,” said the bouncer.
Emma rolled her eyes. No shit, she wasn’t there. “She’s in jail,” said Emma.
“Like I said. She’s not here.”
Emma shot Jace a “do something” glance but she could tell from his expression that he was

thinking a thousand miles per hour.

Then he looked to her and shook his head. “Let’s get you cleaned up and get out of here.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but then remembered her agreement to let him take the lead. So

she obediently followed him to the restroom.

“Why don’t you wash your hands and we can regroup outside,” he said.
“I want an explanation,” she warned as she slid into the restroom, quickly washing the remnants

of the sticky drink off. Jace said he would talk to her outside, but instead of leading her to the main
exit like she expected, they moved deeper into the club, toward the tiny, glowing emergency exit sign
that hung above a barely noticeable door. When Jace pushed it open, she half expected the fire alarm
to blare, but she shouldn’t have been surprised to realize that Jace knew exactly what he was doing.

When they emerged in the cool, dark alley, Emma immediately slid her jacket back on. “What

are we doing out here?”

“The boring part of investigating. We’re going to wait.” Before she could ask him for a better

explanation, he continued, “There was no use talking to that guy in there. He was on home turf. If we
wait for him to come out for a smoke break, we’ll get better results.”

Emma stared blankly at Jace, trying desperately to follow his logic. “We didn’t even try! We

could’ve asked different questions, could’ve bribed him and where the hell was the intimidating
security consultant I thought I hired? You aren’t supposed to run away at the slightest challenge!”

He raised a brow but didn’t seem nearly as offended as she wanted him to be. “This will work

better, okay? Trust me.”

She scoffed at the very notion of trusting him. “What makes you think he smokes anyway?”
“He had a pack in his back and front pocket and his fingers and teeth were yellow. I’m thinking

we won’t have to wait long for him to get a nicotine fix.”

When the hell had Jace had time to check out the guy’s back pocket? “Fine. If you think this is

the best way, I guess I trust you.”

The door burst open and a young couple stumbled outside, giggling the entire time as they tried

to regain their balance while tilting dangerously in both directions. Jace immediately moved between
Emma and the couple as they passed by, too engrossed in each other or whatever drinks were in their
system to pay any notice to Emma and Jace.

“At least they’re having a good night,” muttered Emma once they passed. She glanced around

for something to sit on, but everything out here looked as though it had ten layers of filth on it. She
settled for leaning against the brick wall, the leather of her jacket keeping the worst of the cold from

seeping through.

“Come on, Ms. I’ve Been To Three Colleges. You’re telling me you’ve never stumbled home a

bit past curfew?”

Emma rolled her eyes and stared at the pavement beneath her heels. “I didn’t go to college to

party. I went in the pursuit of knowledge and purpose.”

“And how did that work out for you?”
“Still lookin’,” she said. “I’m guessing you joined the military right out of school? Or were you

bullshitting the bouncer when you said you were a SEAL?”

Jace crossed the alley to lean on the wall next to Emma. “Oh, I joined up as soon as I could

fake my age well enough.”

“You’re kidding. You lied to the government about your age? How?”
Jace ran a hand through his hair and for a flash of a second, he seemed uncomfortable with the

conversation. “A guy’s gotta have some secrets.”

Come on! He couldn’t weasel out of this that easily. “Not necessarily. I don’t have any.”
He looked her over skeptically. “Really? Not one piece of dirty laundry you don’t want anyone

knowing about?”

“I’m keeping you a secret from my cousins, so that’s something. But I make it a point to not do

anything I’d be ashamed to cop up to later.”

“Then you’re missing out.”
“How’s that?” she asked.
Jace leaned forward. “Because some of the best things I’ve ever done are the ones I don’t want

to talk about.”

She tried to think of something to say back, but then his eyes fell to her lips and her mouth went

completely dry. Suddenly Jace was closer. Like an inch away from her close. Had he moved in or did
she lean forward? Damn, it was hard to think straight when he was so close.

The door behind Jace swung open again and Emma squeezed her eyes shut. That had not almost

happened. This was a professional arrangement and she’d known him for less than a day and—

“Emma?” said Jace softly.
“Umm hmm?” she said, still not opening her eyes.
“Remember when you accused me of running?”
Her lids popped open and for the first time she noticed that the person who’d come out into the

alleyway was the bouncer they were waiting on. “I remember,” she whispered.

“Well, keep that in mind.” Jace turned around to face the bouncer. “Hey,” he called.
The big man looked up as he flicked his lighter on. “You again? I told you, she’s not here.”
Jace stood confidently in front of the bouncer, despite his obvious weight disadvantage. “We

know she’s not here. When she was, what did she do? Who did she see?”

The bouncer narrowed his eyes and smiled at Jace. “As I said. She’s not here. And that’s all

I’m saying.”

Emma moved over a few inches to get a better view of how Jace reacted.
Jace held his ground and didn’t seem deterred by the man’s constant refusals. “I’m just going to

keep asking.”

The bouncer took a long drag of his cigarette before he stretched to his full height and took a

step toward Jace. “Is that—”

In a blur, both of Jace’s fists shot out in quick succession, one slammed into the man’s gut, the

other rammed into his throat. Before the bouncer could recover, Jace gripped the cigarette hand and
twisted it hard until the man’s entire body had to move to avoid it breaking and he fell to his knees.

Jace now had both of his hands on the bouncer’s meaty palm as the cigarette tumbled to the

ground. “Joslyn Devereaux. What did she do here?”

“Is this really necessary?” asked Emma, but one stern look from Jace had her backing against

the wall.

The bouncer grunted in pain and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Jace, on the other

hand, didn’t look strained at all as he stared dispassionately down. The bouncer started to swing his
free arm around to grab at Jace, but he adjusted his grip just the slightest amount and the bouncer let
out an anguished scream as he quickly stopped his assault.

“Your hand’s not broken yet,” said Jace. “How long do you think it will stay that way?”
“I don’t know who she was with!” he screamed.
Jace shook his head. “Not good enough.”
“Wait, wait! I have first names,” spat out the bouncer before Jace could do any more damage.
A victorious smirk curled Jace’s lips. “I’d be really interested in hearing those names.”
“She’d hang out in the VIP room with some guy named Brian. He looked like a big shot. Huge

tips. Nice clothes. That’s all I know, okay?”

“Are there cameras in the club?”
“No. Nothing. I swear.”
Jace stood still for a moment as though debating how honest the answer was before he abruptly

released his grip. The bouncer fell limply to the ground and cradled his wrist against his chest. Emma
stood wordlessly as she watched this man who was so much bigger than Jace crawl away in fear. Was
this what she’d signed up for?

In her daze, she didn’t realize Jace had moved closer until his hand was on her arm. She

flinched at the contact and stepped back instinctively. Jace tightened his lips, but didn’t call her out on
it. “We should go,” he said softly.

Still speechless, all she could do was nod as she headed out of the alley on unsteady legs. She

let Jace hail a cab and open the door for her. As she slid into the back, she realized she was
shivering. Was that from the cold or from the violence she’d just witnessed?

Jace gave the cab driver the address to her cousin’s apartment building before he looked over.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t realize you’d be so affected.”

She let out a small laugh. She didn’t realize she’d be so affected either. “Was that really

necessary? All that for what? A first name? I’d ask why you didn’t push him harder, but I’m terrified
to know what harder would be to you.”

“If he didn’t have anything to hide, he would’ve told us when we originally asked,” said Jace.

“And I can do more than you think with a first name only. Besides, it was all he knew.”

“How can you be so sure?” Considering how hesitant the man had been to talk, Emma had a

hard time believing he’d suddenly decided to spill anything and everything he knew within thirty
seconds.

“I’ve interviewed enough people to know. Give me a day, and I’ll see what I can dig up on a

Brian who frequents the place. Until then, we can go over what your friend Russell finds. Did he call
you today?”

Emma glared at Jace and wished the backseat was bigger so she could scooch farther away.

She really didn’t want to drop the subject, but she didn’t want to debate the ethics of what he’d done
in front of a cab driver either. “He called me, but apparently he needs more time. This isn’t exactly
his specialty.”

“I’m sure he’ll have something soon,” said Jace.
It seemed like a strangely optimistic thought, but Emma didn’t comment. Instead, she leaned her

head against the cool glass of the window and closed her eyes. So what had they really learned? That
Joslyn went into some mysterious VIP room with someone named Brian. There were probably a
million different “Brians” in the city and thousands who were rich enough to make it into the VIP
room.

But Jace didn’t seem concerned about the lack of information. If anything, he seemed happy

with what they’d gotten. After the cab came to a stop, Jace paid the driver before she had a chance to
pull out her credit card and then got out to walk around to her door. Normally, she wouldn’t wait for
him to open the door for her, but she wanted to catch him outside the cab to ask some very pointed
questions.

She started in as soon as she stepped out. “What do you know that I don’t?”
His brow creased as he shut the cab door behind her. “I know a lot of things you don’t,” he

deadpanned. “Care to be more specific?”

She grabbed his wrist and pulled him away from the cab and closer to the side of the building

so they’d be out of the way. “If you have a plan to find out more about this Brian guy, let me know.
We’re partners, right?”

Jace glanced down at where her hand was on his skin, but didn’t pull away. “We’re not

partners. You hired me to do a job and I am going to get that job done one way or another. And even
though there aren’t supposed to be any cameras at the club, I can promise you there are some in that
VIP room, even if no one knows about them. So tomorrow I’m going to track down the owner of Drax
and politely ask him to give me the information I need. Unless you want me to only use Emma-
approved interrogation techniques.”

Emma’s chest rose and fell as she took deep breaths. How important was it for her to clear her

conscience and understand what drove Joslyn off the deep end?

“No matter what happens, your sister is still going to prison for a crime she committed. Nothing

is going to change based off what we learn about her extracurricular activities. So if you want to call
me off, now is the time.”

“Find out who Brian is,” she said with a shaky voice. “She already had a rich boyfriend and

she hadn’t been in town long. I don’t know why she’d be out clubbing with anyone besides her
fiancé.” Well, former fiancé now.

Jace nodded. “Consider it done.”
Before Emma could relax, a familiar voice reached her ears from over the normal sounds of the

street. “Thanks, Dalton. Have a great night if I don’t see you!”

Emma’s eyes went wide in terror. “Oh my God, that’s Luke.”
Jace didn’t seem half as worried about it as Emma. He stepped in closer and shielded her from

view with his body. “He doesn’t know what you were wearing when you left,” he assured her. “Let
him just get a cab and you can head up without any problems.”

Emma nodded and tried to think of plausible lies to tell if Luke discovered her. Jace was an old

friend from school she met up with? A friendly stranger blocking her from the wind? Working with a
charity she was thinking of donating to?

Jace shuffled closer until Emma’s forehead rested against the top of his chest. “He’s hailing a

cab and walking closer, okay? He’ll be gone in a second.”

What if he wasn’t? Would he cause a scene if he realized that Emma had been looking into

Joslyn’s life with some…some…whatever the hell Jace was? And what if he caught her cowering
behind Jace like the complete coward that she was? He’d totally know something was up.

Acting out of pure impulse, Emma reached up, wrapped her hands around Jace’s neck and

pulled him down to her, kissing him fully on the lips. There. Now if Luke saw them, she was just
partying a bit too hard in the city with some random guy. Maybe not the most respectable cover story,
but it would cause her much less trouble in the long run.

But she never planned on how Jace would react to her ruse. Instead of simply standing there

while their lips touched, his hands gripped her hips and pushed her back until she was wedged tightly
between the hard wall and Jace’s burning hot body. She gasped at his unexpected enthusiasm, and his
tongue slipped inside her mouth, just teasing the seam of her lips.

This wasn’t the plan. She’d kissed him for cover. He wasn’t supposed to kiss her back. She

should push him away and damn the consequences of Luke seeing them.

But then Jace’s hands pulled up the hem of her shirt until he could slip both palms under to

press against her bare back, causing her to arch against him. Jace groaned as her stomach pressed
against his hard cock, and Emma was lost. She curled her fingers in the collar of his shirt and kissed
him deeply, fully.

One palm was still against her lower back while the other one came out from her shirt and

slipped under her jacket to cup a breast, thumb teasing the now hard nipple through the fabric of her
shirt. A bolt of electricity shot through her and she shuddered at his touch and her eyes drifted closed.

When she opened them again, he’d pulled away slightly and looked behind him. “I think Luke is

gone.” His voice was calm, steady.

Emma just stared up at him, not even certain she was capable of forming words. “I, um—”
Jace stepped away and the cold air swooped in around her. “I can walk you to your door. First

thing tomorrow I’ll see what I can find out about this Brian and hopefully Russell will be able to get
into your sister’s computer by then.”

Emma pushed herself away from the wall and forced herself to stop acting like a love-struck

teen. “Sounds like a plan. Thanks for your help tonight, Jace. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

He fell in step with her as she made her way to the entrance and a bit of Emma’s calm façade

cracked. “I don’t need you to walk me to the door,” she snapped. “I’m fine.” He didn’t reply and she
didn’t bother to look back to see his reaction. She’d made enough of a fool of herself for one day.

And she couldn’t even blame him. She’d kissed him and he’d put on a good show. If he had

pushed her away in disgust, Luke would’ve seen them. She weakly nodded at the doorman as he held
the door open and made her way to the elevator. What if he didn’t want to kiss her but only had
because she was his boss? Was that sexual harassment? Had she put him in an uncomfortable position
and he’d been too afraid to say no?

Well, he’d sure as hell seemed into it. And he’d seemed just as out of it as soon as the kiss was

over.

But that’s good! She didn’t want to date Jace. They had nothing in common. He was a

dangerous, violent man who considered himself always right. She was supposed to be attracted to
doctors or lawyers—established professionals who wanted to settle down and start a family and
didn’t only want her for her money.

No. Her pride might be the slightest bit bruised at Jace’s quick recovery from their kiss, but her

brain knew better. He was no good and she would be better off if she got over the kiss just as quickly
as he did.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jace couldn’t stop thinking about the damn kiss. It had been over twelve hours ago, and certain

parts of his anatomy had not gotten the message that he should be focusing on work.

Hansen had sent him over Joslyn’s bank records and gave him access to her email accounts. He

also had Hansen get him the name and address of the owner of Drax and he was hard at work digging
up dirt on the guy—for a fee, of course. Jobs were so much easier when Jace had unlimited funds to
throw around.

Though he couldn’t guarantee Emma wouldn’t be pissed when she got his bill, at least he was

getting results fast. And at this point, he was thinking speed was going to be an important factor in this
job. He’d only been on it for one day and already he’d managed to scare the hell out of Emma and
basically assault her on the street where anyone could’ve seen him completely lose it.

But what the hell did she expect him to do? It had been hard enough not to stare at her sexy body

wrapped in that halter that clung to her every curve, and then he was supposed to contain himself
when she kissed him?

Even now, he could feel the weight of her breast against his palm. He could almost feel her

moans vibrate against his lips. Because as crazy as it seemed, she’d wanted him right back. Jace
wasn’t an idiot. He knew she didn’t kiss him for any reason other than hiding from her cousin. But
he’d been with enough women to know when they fell over the ledge between clear thoughts and the
animalistic urge to find some secluded dark corner to get back to their primitive side.

Whatever the hell it was that happened between them, it was over now. He’d finish up this job

and then find some hot twenty-year-old with loose morals who wouldn’t mind a night (or two) of no-
strings attached fun. Emma wasn’t the one-night stand kind of woman. She was the kind of woman a
guy left the Army for and started pounding in the white picket fence.

And good for her, but that sure as hell wasn’t what he was looking for. The very thought of

spending more than a week with the same woman practically sent chills up his spine. And if she was
smart, the thought of spending more than one week with him should have the same effect on her.

Jace shook his head to clear away all thoughts of the heiress to go away and willed his ever

present erection to die down. Even after he took two separate shower breaks, his cock seemed to
make fun of him for trying to fake it out.

With his teeth clenched, Jace pulled up the bank records. He would take a look at what Joslyn

was doing and then doctor a fake copy that would remove the evidence of Emma’s cousins paying
Joslyn off.

Once he had finished, he’d send them back to Hansen to make sure they looked legit and then

Hansen would send them to Emma from Russell’s email account. Jace started with the monthly
statement from right before Joslyn’s parents died. He knew that Joslyn had been suspected of
tampering with the vehicle, leading to their deaths, but there was never any evidence to press charges.
Because of that, the entire estate had gone to Emma while Joslyn only had her trust fund that was
meant to get her through a high-class education but no further.

Most people would’ve been happy with a five hundred thousand dollar inheritance, but Joslyn

had lost billions. And, judging by the activity on her bank account, she burned through tens of
thousands of dollars a month. It was easy enough to see when the payments from the cousins started.

Five months after her parents died, a fifteen thousand dollar deposit went into Joslyn’s account
monthly. Jace got to work taking out the deposits and adjusting the other charges and totals so it
appeared Joslyn lived a bit more modestly. He did add some dummy deposits that would appear to be
investment income so her exorbitant spending wouldn’t completely vanish.

A few hours into the tedious labor, he’d almost managed to get Emma out of his mind. Page by

page, item by item, he snipped and cut and pasted over the PDF documents, making sure they looked
pristine. Hansen probably could’ve gotten the same job done much faster, but Jace wanted to do it
himself because he knew more about Joslyn than his IT friend across the pond.

When Jace hit January of the current year, the bank statements took a dramatic change. Instead

of the one large deposit that he’d been clearing off, there were two. The fifteen thousand dollar one
and another for a hundred grand.

He sat up straighter as he flipped through the next few statements. Same large-ass deposits once

a month up until when she got arrested and all her assets were frozen. Was there something deeper
that Michael and Luke Devereaux were trying to hide? Why would they suddenly up the amounts she
was getting?

There had to be more to the story, but it was his job to make sure Emma never realized there

was more to question. Jace grabbed his phone and sent a call to Hansen.

The Brit picked up within two rings. “Are those statements taken care of?”
“I’m almost done, but I’m seeing something off on here. Can you remote into my screen and take

a look?”

“Be there in thirty seconds.” True to his word, less than a minute later, the cursor on the screen

moved on its own, signaling that Hansen had taken over. “What am I looking at?”

“The deposits for the month. I was told that her family was paying her off to stay out of their

hair, but she started getting a lot more income in the past few months. Can you look into those
deposits? I want to know if they’re from the same person.”

“Or if someone else was paying her off,” said Hansen.
Jace clenched his jaw at the possibility he hadn’t wanted to acknowledge. If she was getting a

payday from someone for that much, that meant that she had inside knowledge on powerful people.
Powerful people who wouldn’t want Emma to poke around their business. “Just let me know what
you find out. Now, what do you have on the owner of Drax?”

“The guy is clean. No arrest record. No back taxes. He’s a square family man who happens to

own a nightclub. So no luck there yet but it’s still early in the search.”

“Damn it,” muttered Jace. Blackmail was an old tactic, but it was sure as hell dependable when

it came to getting easy information. Usually the mark was so happy that you weren’t going to drain
their bank accounts that they started to talk immediately.

“But I got something else for you.”
“I hope it’s good.” Jace didn’t need another curveball today.
“Oh yeah. I got into Drax’s accounting system and was able to access all credit card

transactions for the year. You should have a list of all the Brians who purchased anything there and
weed out the big spenders.”

Jace smiled. He should’ve known Hansen would come through. “You never fail to impress.”
“Don’t I know it? I’ll get on tracking where the money came from after I send this list over to

you.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be in touch.” Jace hung up. The sooner Emma was able to look over the

statements, the better. And then she’d call him so they could look over the bank activity together and
he’d have to pretend that he wasn’t thinking about fucking her the entire time he was with her.

Jace rubbed the bridge of his nose. She was just a girl. This was just a job. Yet somehow he

couldn’t help feeling he was in over his head with this one.

###

Another love song came on Emma’s mp3 player and she tried not to roll her eyes. Come on. She

needed a power song. Or an angry breakup song. Nothing about love. Particularly love and sex. Her
afternoon jog was supposed to clear her head, not clutter it up even more.

But as much as she tried to turn off her mind, she just couldn’t reach her happy running place.

She skipped five different songs until she settled on some rap/rock thing she didn’t even remember
adding to her collection. But the angry words coming out of her earbuds were exactly what she
needed to get her the rest of the way back to Luke’s apartment. She pointedly did not look at the spot
where Jace had held her up against him, and slipped through the door as quick as possible with a
smile at the doorman.

As soon as she was in the elevator, she slid the headphones out and let her head fall back

against the elevator wall. What a waste of a day. No word from Russell yet. No word from Jace. Luke
had been at work before she’d worked up the courage to crawl out of bed, too afraid to know whether
he’d realized she was the woman making out ferociously with some guy against the side of his
building.

She was only supposed to be in town for four more days. What if she was still as in the dark

about Joslyn’s life then as she was now? What if she learned that there was no deep secret explaining
all her behavior? Then she’d have to actually face the fact that she’d caused this whole mess by
cutting Joslyn off in the first place.

The elevator doors opened to Luke’s apartment and Emma immediately crossed to the

refrigerator and pulled out a water bottle.

“Oh, hi,” said a feminine voice from behind her.
Emma’s eyes widened and she twisted around to see a strange woman on the other side of the

kitchen island. She had long, blonde hair that was trimmed neatly past her shoulders and wore an
emerald green silk blouse tucked neatly into cream-colored slacks. She didn’t give off a criminal
vibe… “Um, hello.” Emma didn’t know whether she should call the police or introduce herself. “Are
you a friend of Luke’s?”

“I’m Cali Carson. I work with Luke. Sorry for barging in, but Luke left a file here and needs it

for his four p.m. meeting.”

Emma glanced down to the file Cali held in her hands. Cali Carson…that name did sound

familiar. “I’m Emma Devereaux. I’d shake your hand but…” Emma motioned to her sweat-soaked
top.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Cali. “I figured you were Emma. I booked the flight and car for

you when Luke heard you were coming to town.”

Of course Luke wouldn’t do it himself. He was too busy running New York. “Well, I appreciate

it. Did you want something to drink?” Emma wasn’t really sure about the proper etiquette for this
situation, but if she were back home, Cali would already have a sweet tea in hand.

“Oh no, but thanks. I’m heading out now. Luke will want these ASAP.”

Emma nodded as Cali moved to the door. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Cali. Thanks for all

you do for Luke. He needs all the help he can get.”

Cali let out a knowing laugh. “Oh, I know. Nice meeting you.”
Emma shook her head as she pulled out her phone. Still no word from either of the men she was

waiting on. She tried to hold back her frustration as she called Luke’s private cell number and left him
a message to inform him that a strange woman had been in his apartment and walked out with a file.
But her worries were eased a few moments later when she saw that Luke had text her to confirm that
Cali was his assistant.

After a quick shower and changing into jeans and a pink blouse, Emma was right back to her

laptop, but this time when she checked her email, Russell had finally come through. He sent her the
email and password for one of Joslyn’s email accounts.

Emma couldn’t contain her grin. She probably should feel bad about going through her sister’s

life like this, but Joslyn had brought this on herself. Between refusing to talk to Emma while awaiting
her trial and deciding to try to kill people, Emma lost some of her sympathy.

As soon as she accessed the email account, she confirmed something she’d already known

about her sister. Joslyn loved shopping. The whole thing was full of ads from some of the highest of
high-end stores. These weren’t like normal ads, though. These were handwritten, personalized notes
from the salespeople at the fancy stores. Why advertise sales when Joslyn probably took pride in
paying full price for everything?

After Emma weeded out which emails were from stores, there wasn’t much left. There weren’t

notes from friends or family. No type of personal connection.

Emma sat back and thought about her own email account. It wasn’t as if hers was blowing up

with touching emails. She made acquaintances easy enough. Always seemed to have people to go out
with at school. But then she’d leave those schools and her classmates behind.

And after her parents died, she’d leaned toward online classes and traded the social scene for

the familiarity of her own home. At least Joslyn would go out. When was the last time Emma went
dancing? Or even to the movies, for that matter? This New York trip was the biggest thing she’d done
since she’d gone to Oxford and the only reason she’d made the trip was because Joslyn had been
arrested.

No wonder she craved Jace’s attention so much. She was lonely. That explained so much! Once

she got home, she’d be different. She’d find men who were actually acceptable for her and make
herself available. Go to town functions and laugh at their jokes. Maybe she could even join a
committee or two. Mom had been on a bunch of town committees. Library, parks… It seemed like
every function of the town needed a gaggle of rich housewives to make them run smoothly.

Feeling slightly better about her life choices, Emma started to go back through the emails when

a new one popped up in the inbox. There was no subject line and the sender seemed like a random
assortment of numbers.

Emma opened the email.
Hello. I’m trying to reach Joslyn. Please have her contact Sean as soon as possible.
She raised a brow. Obviously the guy didn’t think he was talking directly to Joslyn. Did he

know she was in prison? She typed a response.

Joslyn can’t talk to anyone. I’m her sister. If you need something, please let me know.
Emma stared at the screen as the cursor hovered over the Send button. Should she add in her

phone number? She had no idea who this guy was. Maybe she should get Jace to look at the email
address. Or Russell, for that matter.

Well, sending him an email from an address he already had could hardly cause trouble. Emma

sent the email and held her breath as she stared at the screen.

After a few moments, she let out a small laugh. It wasn’t like a text message. She should go do

something else to keep her mind distracted and come back in a few hours. But before she could tear
her gaze away from the screen, there was a response.

I have a lot of questions about what happened. Is there any way to meet with Joslyn or you?

There is a café next to Joslyn’s apartment. We can meet there at three.

Emma stared blankly at the screen. This random person wanted to meet? Well, that didn’t seem

like a good idea. She needed to get Jace to come with her and three o’clock was rather close. She
sent him a message asking if he was able to meet her at Joslyn’s apartment.

Who was this guy? Just a friend worried about Joslyn’s legal trouble? Maybe Emma was

overstating things in her mind. It wasn’t as if Joslyn was easy to get a hold of these days. Even Emma
couldn’t reach her and they were sisters.

Either way, Emma wanted Jace there. She’d seen enough Lifetime movies to know that you

didn’t meet random people from the Internet alone, even if you were meeting at a public, well-lit
area. When Jace finally text her back that he’d meet her there, Emma sent an email to confirm the
appointment.

Finally. Someone who knew Joslyn, who might be able to provide the insight she was looking

for. Hell, if this guy knew enough, she might even be able to stop her investigation and then she’d
never have to see Jace again.

Of course, some dark area of her mind was sad at the thought of never seeing the tall, muscular

blond again, but Emma tamped it down. No. As of right now, Jace was nothing more than an
employee. Coworker maybe, but nothing more than that. Once she got home and out of the city, her
muddled brain would finally understand.

Filled with a fresh sense of determination, Emma packed up her computer. She slipped on her

black ankle boots with heels short enough to let her walk comfortably and high enough to give her a
smidgen more confidence, and headed out the door.

After a cab ride she was becoming all too familiar with, she was at the café across from

Joslyn’s apartment. Her eyes immediately zeroed in on Jace. Of course, he was hard to miss. Even in
a city full of exceptional men, Jace managed to stand out.

He leaned against the wall next to the door, eyes immediately meeting hers. His face remained

blank and she tried to judge his mood. Was he upset about what happened last night? Excited about it?

As she approached, she got her answer. He pretended it never happened. “Hey,” he said. “So

what’s so important that we had to meet right now?”

“Well, there’s been an update. I got access to my sister’s email. One of Joslyn’s friends wanted

to know how to get a hold of her. I responded that I didn’t know how, but said we could meet here.”
Emma didn’t really intend to lie. It just popped out of her lips. Like things were much less awkward if
it was her idea to set up a meeting.

“So this girl agreed to meet you, no questions asked?”
“Well, it’s hardly like we’re meeting in a back alley at midnight. Bad things don’t happen at

cafes, Jace.”

He didn’t appear convinced. “So what does she look like?”
“I don’t know.”
“What will she be wearing?”
“I don’t know.”
“How will you know who she is?”
So maybe Emma wasn’t good at setting up last-minute meetings. “This may be a good time to

mention this might be a man.” Jace stared daggers at her, but Emma wasn’t in the mood for that.
“Broad daylight.” She held up one finger. “Public place.” She held up a second. “And I brought you
along. How much more safety conscious do you really expect me to be?”

“Fine. I guess you aren’t a complete idiot,” admitted Jace. “But I would’ve appreciated some

warning about what was happening.”

“Fair enough.” She probably could’ve called him in the cab. “But then you might’ve talked me

out of this and I didn’t want that.”

“Ms. Devereaux?” said a voice from behind her. Emma twisted around to see the well-dressed

man approaching them. He wasn’t much taller than Emma, maybe around five foot eight inches, and
his thick, brown hair was slicked back. That, combined with his neatly pressed suit, gave the
impression of a local businessman.

“Yes. Emma. Hi.” She held out a hand.
He met her handshake. “Dave. Thanks for agreeing to meet with me. You look so much like your

sister.”

“In some ways I suppose.” It was the nicest way she could think to tell him that no one ever

said they looked alike. He hadn’t given her a last name and she wondered whether she should be
concerned about that.

Jace moved from behind Emma and held out his hand as well. “I’m Jace. Emma’s boyfriend.”
Emma tensed but didn’t correct him. Unfortunately, Jace pretending to be her boyfriend would

give him a good enough reason to tag along and sounded less threatening than admitting he was her
hired muscle.

“Should we get a table?” she asked. The café was seat yourself and it was between dinner and

lunch, so the crowd wasn’t bad. Jace and Dave both made their way to the closest table. Dave took a
seat while Jace held a chair out for Emma.

As soon as they were all seated, a waitress popped up and Emma tried not to glare at the

woman preventing her from asking Dave questions.

The waitress handed each of them a menu. “Hi, would you all like to start out with a drink?”

asked the friendly sounding blonde.

“Just water,” said Emma.
Jace nodded. “Same.”
“Nothing for me.” Dave shook his head. He glanced over to Emma and Jace. “I don’t think

we’ll be here that long.”

“I’ll be right back with those waters then.”
As soon as she had twisted around, Emma started in. “How did you know Joslyn?”
Dave leaned back in his chair. “I actually didn’t. My boss knew her. They were exceptionally

close.”

Emma straightened as she realized what he was implying. “How long were they close for?”

“Honestly, I didn’t keep detailed records. Probably a year. But she has something that belongs

to my employer. I’ve been sent to get it back.”

Jace narrowed his eyes as though sizing up the man who sat across the table. “What exactly

does your employer do?”

“That’s not important. The important thing is that I get a few items from you.” He looked

pointedly at Emma. “Namely your sister’s computer and a USB drive with Excel Bank’s logo on the
front. I’ve been trying to get a hold of Joslyn, but she isn’t seeing visitors.”

Emma shook her head. “You need to give me more than that. Joslyn hasn’t spoken to me in

months and I don’t have her computer.” Not technically a lie. “Do you have any idea where she’d hide
something like that? Because it’s a big city.”

“You have access to her car and apartment. I suggest you start there. All of her assets are now

yours, Ms. Devereaux. All I’m asking for are two small things.” He slid a piece of paper across the
table. “Contact me through this email address once you get what I’m looking for. If I don’t hear from
you in a week, I’ll pay a personal visit.”

Jace stood and stretched to his full height. “I wouldn’t mind a personal visit.”
Dave didn’t appear cowed. Instead, he raised a brow at Jace’s tactics. “Well, if you find what

I’m looking for, I’ll be sure to stop by. With friends.” Dave stood and nodded at Emma. “Nice to meet
you, Ms. Devereaux. You should’ve come alone.”

Emma clenched her jaw, but didn’t say anything as Dave turned and walked out of the café less

than five minutes after he’d come in. She heard Jace take his seat next to her, but she didn’t look at
him. Instead, she stared blankly at the seat Dave just vacated.

“Are you okay?” asked Jace.
She scoffed. Okay. “Of course I’m not okay. This whole stupid investigation has caused nothing

but trouble. If I’d never checked her email, I wouldn’t have had this stupid meeting and wouldn’t be
fending off stupid threats. So, no. I’m not okay. How are you doing?” She finally glanced over to
confront his smug, I-told-you-so expression. But he didn’t look smug. He appeared somber and, Lord
help her, was that pity in his eyes?

“Hey, you know I think this meeting was a stupid idea,” he said. “But you didn’t cause this. If

you hadn’t responded to his email, he would’ve contacted you somehow. Especially if whatever he’s
looking for is so important. I’m just glad I was here.”

“Why? I’m glad you were here too, but it didn’t stop him from threatening me.”
“I don’t think he came here to threaten you. I think he came here to play you.”
Oh great. She wasn’t sure which of those options sounded worse. “Oh really? What do you

think would’ve happened if you weren’t here?”

“He would’ve preyed on your sympathies. Said he was a friend of your sister’s and asked if he

could see her apartment sometime to look for something he’d left there.”

Emma frowned. “And you think I would’ve been dumb enough to go up to her apartment with

some stranger.”

“You went up there with me,” he pointed out.
Emma stood and pushed the chair out with a clatter against the cement. “You’re right. I have

horrible judgment and am lucky I’m not dead yet.” She threw a five on the table for the waitress as a
silent apology for not ordering anything before she pulled her laptop bag over her shoulder and strode
out of the patio area.

She didn’t hear him, but she knew Jace followed her. Probably to tell her how illogical she was

being. Again. She should just get Russell to overnight her the laptop and hand it over to this creep.
Then she could do what Michael and Luke had been telling her to do for years and write off Joslyn.

From now on, she wouldn’t have a sister.
“Emma, we should talk about this.” Jace came up beside her as Emma impatiently waited for

the crosswalk signal to change.

“I don’t have time to talk. I have to go look for some USB drive that could be anywhere in the

city,” she snapped at him. The light changed and she strode into the street with the rest of the
pedestrians. Jace stayed quiet, but kept walking beside her as she made her way to Joslyn’s building.
Even though the silence was self-imposed, as they got into the elevator together, something nagged at
the back of Emma’s mind. “Why wouldn’t he be worried that we just copy whatever was on the
USB?”

“I’m thinking it’s encrypted so that files can’t be moved or saved. Probably protected so it’s

view-only.”

“That’s a thing?” There had to be a way around it. She was sure Michael could manage to crack

any type of firewall or encryption or whatever it was called.

Wait. What the hell was she thinking? She was going to give this guy what he wanted, not try to

get around his demands.

“These days, information is worth more than gold. There are some pretty inventive ways of

protecting it.” It was only then she realized Jace still held onto the menu from the café. Had he
forgotten to set it down? That didn’t sound like Jace at all…

The elevator doors opened. Emma headed straight into Joslyn’s apartment and pulled her laptop

out as she sat on the couch.

“What are you doing?” asked Jace.
“I should’ve had those bank statements by now.” She powered up the computer. “Russell said

I’d have them by yesterday. I don’t know what’s been the holdup. If there are fishy deposits in
Joslyn’s accounts, maybe we can figure out exactly how much this USB is worth to these guys, right?
Maybe we can even figure out who they are.”

“Why don’t you take a break?” Jace sat next to her and set the menu on the coffee table. “This

whole thing was stressful enough to begin with. Now that we realize all the shit she was involved
with, I think you need to take a day off to regroup.”

Emma shook her head as she pulled up her email. “You heard him. I only have a week or else.

Which means if I don’t find what this guy is looking for, I need to go to the police and tell them that
my sister is more psychotic than everyone thought and that some person I know nothing about might do
something.” She met Jace’s eyes. “And then they’ll laugh me out of the station. If I am in danger, we
need to find out as much as possible so I have specifics. Not vague threats from some guy named
Dave.”

“That’s probably not his real name.”
“I know!” she snapped. “I’m half surprised he didn’t introduce himself as John Smith.” She

glanced in her email inbox and let out a sigh of relief when she saw the message from Russell. “And
it looks like we have bank statements. At least something is going right.” Russell had attached twenty-
four statements to the email and Emma opened them.

“So what are you going to look for?” Jace leaned in closer.

“I don’t really know,” she admitted. “Anything that looks strange. If she was running out of

money. If this ‘Dave’ guy was paying her off. Really, anything suspicious.”

“Well, I know you are not having a great day, but I do have some good news.”
Emma glanced up to Jace. “Yeah?”
“My version of Russell was able to send me a list of all the Brians who racked up large credit

card bills at Drax. It didn’t look too long, but I got your call before I could dig into it. I’m thinking we
will know who Joslyn’s mysterious friend is by the end of the night.”

Emma sighed and looked back to her computer. “I suppose that is good,” she muttered.
“Funny, you don’t sound too excited about it.”
“I’ve been thinking about calling the whole thing off.”
She could feel Jace stiffen next to her. “You’re finally convinced that there’s nothing to find?”
“I’m convinced it won’t make a difference. Joslyn’s going to prison no matter what. And no

matter what her friends or apartment or email or bank statements told me about her, I’d never truly be
convinced that it wasn’t my fault in some way.”

He reached over as though to put his hand on her knee but pulled back at the last moment. Even

through her stress, the corner of Emma’s mouth tilted up. The fact that Jace was awkward around her
somehow made this whole mess more bearable. He wasn’t some stone statue completely unaffected
by everything.

He took a deep breath. “The problem with blame is that it’s a fluid term. I’ve been to a lot of

different places, Emma. I’ve seen bad things happen. I’ve done bad things. If I spent all my time trying
to figure out how much blame rested on my shoulders, I would go insane.”

Oh God. She was stressing out about her sister when she was sitting next to a soldier. Probably

an American hero who’d been through so much more than her sheltered mind could ever imagine.
“You must think I’m a moron.”

This time he did reach over and set his hand over hers on the keyboard. She stared at his fingers

against hers. The skin of his palms, callused from hard work, brushed up against the back of her hand
that she treated with ridiculously overpriced moisturizer every night.

“While I do think the vast majority of the population are morons, I’ve never thought that about

you.”

Emma raised a brow and ripped her gaze away from where they touched. “Never?”
“Well, maybe when you first threatened to storm into Hunt Tower and demand to see Victoria

Green. But you’ve grown on me since then.”

She couldn’t help but smile up at him. For some reason, the idea that Jace didn’t think she was

an idiot was really important at the moment. Maybe it was because she knew he wouldn’t lie to her. If
he thought she was being stupid, he wouldn’t hesitate to tell her to her face.

“It’s nice to know that I have at least one supporter.”
“Hey. Just because I don’t think you’re an idiot doesn’t mean I support this. I think your idea to

give them what they want and go back home is probably best.”

Emma chewed on her bottom lip. “I know. But it feels like I’m letting them win. Or Dave win. I

don’t know him all that well, but I’m very, very certain I don’t want him winning.”

Jace gave her hand a small squeeze, and Emma’s stomach did a little summersault. “Come on.

Dave’s boss is probably some rich CEO named Brian who’s been cheating on his wife, okay? So
don’t bother with the bank statements. We’ll just get the laptop back and try to find the USB drive.”

“Can we at least try to see what’s on the USB drive?” She knew she didn’t need his permission,

but she might need his resources to crack any password protection.

Jace shrugged. “Hey, if you want to plug it in and see what it will do, go for it. But let’s focus

on finding it first.”

“Sounds good.” Emma jumped up and made a beeline for the kitchen, where she pulled open

each drawer and dug through the contents.

She could feel his eyes burn into her back. “If there were a USB drive here, I would’ve noticed

yesterday,” he said.

Emma slammed a drawer shut and opened the next one. “I’m not looking for a USB.” She

stopped her search as her final target came into view. She held up the jangling prize in victory. “I was
looking for her car keys.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Emma wandered through the parking garage and repeatedly hit the alarm button on the keys. At

this rate, the thing would be out of batteries by the time she found the Jaguar that belonged to Joslyn.
She’d never considered looking for a car before. It was New York. No one had cars.

Jace was right when he said they’d searched every inch of the apartment the day before. If one

of them had seen a USB drive, they would’ve checked it out. Emma hadn’t paid much notice to the car
keys. She was sure Joslyn had a vehicle somewhere in the country. But she’d been traveling around
with Terry, so Emma had assumed she’d either travel in one of his cars or use one of the many town
cars in the city.

Footsteps pounded behind her and Emma turned to see Jace jog toward her. “Did you have any

luck?”

He shook his head. “None of the tow lots that serve the area have any unclaimed Jaguars. This

is the closest lot to the apartment. If she wanted to keep the car a secret, she would keep it close to the
hidden apartment.”

“Or she could keep it at one of the other thousand garages in the city,” muttered Emma. A lot

this close to the apartment would cost more than most people’s apartments. Jace held out his hand and
she gave him the keys as they walked.

“Did she have a preferred color?” he asked.
Emma snorted. “Pink. Everything she could get in pink, she would. You should’ve seen her

bedroom. It looked like a barrel of Pepto exploded.”

“I take it you aren’t as big a fan of pink then?”
“Oh, my bedroom looked the same. I’m a follower.”
He glanced over and narrowed his eyes. “Really? Pink walls and bedspread and everything?”
“If Joslyn had something, I wanted the same thing. It wasn’t until we were both in high school

together that I realized I wasn’t born with her natural…talents.” He raised a brow and Emma shook
her head. “Not those kind of talents. She was a people person. Wherever she would go, she would
always have a whole group of followers. I tried to be exactly like her, cheerleader and everything, but
I never reached her heights.”

“Cheerleader with an all-pink bedroom. I hate to break it to you, but I think you were the girl of

my dreams back when I was in high school.”

Emma bit her lip as she tried to figure out what to say to that. Was Jace flirting with her? He

had to be. She’d been around enough men to know this was definitely flirting. What changed? It
seemed as if he hadn’t wanted anything to do with her earlier. “You fantasized about a lower-level
cheerleader when you were a teen? Low aspirations, huh?”

Jace kept walking and hitting the alarm button. “I think if I had a girlfriend like you waiting for

me in a cheerleader outfit in a completely pink bedroom, I would’ve had a much different ending to
my high school career.”

Before Emma could ask what he meant by that, an alarm blared through the garage. They both

took off running to follow the sound. They cut between a row of cars to see a deep green sedan with
its lights flashing and horn blaring. Jace hit the button on the keypad to silence the alarm and they
approached the vehicle.

“Not pink.” Jace grinned.
“I feel like I don’t even know her,” she said sarcastically. Her mouth curved up and Emma

suddenly realized she was having too much fun. She had come to town to feel guilty and go on a
mission to understand her sister. She was further from her goal than ever and was facing threats from
a shady man, but instead of wallowing, she was joking and flirting with Jace.

Jace opened the driver’s side door. “Hop in.”
Emma frowned. Was he planning on taking a joyride? But Jace already sat down and closed the

door, so Emma was left with no choice but to climb into the passenger’s seat. The tiny car was a
sporty two-seater convertible with the cloth top pulled up. The cream leather seats were cool from
sitting in the covered garage for so long, and there was a definite feminine scent in the car. As though
Joslyn’s perfume had managed to hang around for the entire time she’d been away.

“Feels like we’re trespassing,” she muttered as she glanced around at the pristine interior.
Jace snorted. “You’ve been crawling around her apartment for days, but this feels wrong to

you?”

“Well, her apartment was fair game. She’d attempted to murder someone in it, therefore I’m

allowed to dig around.”

“Technically, she tried to kill Victoria on the roof.”
“Close enough.” She opened the glove box. some lip gloss, car paperwork, the wheel lock key,

but nothing that resembled a USB. “Nothing in here.” She picked up one of the tubes of pink gloss
with golden sparkles and sighed. “Damn, that’s pretty.”

“Then take it.” Jace opened up the compartment between the seats.
“Ew. No. That feels so wrong.”
Jace stopped his search to look up. “Where your sister’s going, I doubt she’ll miss it.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better about raiding her stash.” Jace sat back after his search and it

looked like he came up empty-handed too. “So this whole thing is a dead end?” Instead of answering,
Jace started up the car. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”

“You have such little faith.” The touch screen control monitor came to life and lit up the interior

of the car. “We can use the GPS to tell us some of the most recent places she went to.”

“And she might’ve hidden the USB drive at one of those places.”
“It’s still a long shot,” he clarified. “But it’s more than we had before.” Jace maneuvered

through the menu until he found a list of recent destinations. “Hotel, restaurant, hotel, restaurant… I’m
seeing a pattern here.”

“This screams affair.” Emma stared at the list. Some of the names she didn’t recognize, but the

ones she did were very upscale places. One night at these hotels would probably be at least five
hundred dollars. Terry had his own place in the city, so Emma doubted Joslyn was going out with him.
“Maybe she was with a married guy and this was what she had on the USB. Proof of the affair.”

“It’s a possibility.” But Jace didn’t sound convinced. He kept scrolling through. “Does anything

here stand out to you?”

Emma shook her head. “I’m not very familiar with the city.” He went to another page of recent

destinations and Emma set her hand over his. “Wait. That.” She pointed to the screen.

“May’s Mart? What about it?”
“It’s a discount store from down South. That doesn’t make sense.”
“Because it’s a Jersey address?” asked Jace.

“Well, that. But mostly that it would be in Joslyn’s GPS. If there’s one thing we’ve learned

about her, it’s that she didn’t do discounts.”

Jace hit the “navigate to” button and within thirty seconds, the route popped up.
“Must be a nice car,” said Emma. “I don’t think my GPS has ever once worked in a parking

garage.”

Jace leaned back and set a hand on the wheel. “So you want to check it out?”
“What happened to backing off the investigation?”
“I think finding whatever this guy is looking for has moved up to the top of the priority list.”
Emma glanced down at the clock. It was getting late and Luke would be expecting her at his

place when he got back. For some reason, no part of her cared about making Luke happy at the
moment. “Let’s go on a road trip.”

###

Jace glanced over at Emma again as he tried to judge her mood. It had been such a stressful day,

but she seemed to be handling it well. To be honest, she was handling the whole thing better than Jace
was, but he was working damn hard to not show his concern.

The second he’d seen the guy approach the café, he’d known Emma was in over her head. The

guy dressed well and played the part of a businessman well enough, but Jace could recognize his
own. Dave was a professional and if he was sent to retrieve something, he wasn’t going to stop until
he got it.

Something about the way his eyes scanned the street. That they both went to the same table that

would allow them to observe their surroundings. Through his suit, his body was toned and maintained
in a way that the hotshot Wall Street types just didn’t have time for.

He was the type of guy who cleaned up messes and apparently someone thought Emma was part

of a mess. Shit. It was easy enough to track down what Joslyn or her rich lovers were up to, but
professionals were a whole different story. They knew how to cover their tracks. They knew how to
sneak around and get a person when they least expected it.

So until he was able to get something on these guys, he was going to have to stick with Emma as

long as possible.

“Did Luke sound concerned?” he asked as they crossed the bridge into Jersey.
“Luke always sounds concerned. It’s in his DNA.”
Jace nodded. He hadn’t met the eldest Devereaux, but from what he’d read and overheard from

Emma, he did seem like a bit of a control freak. “So have you always been close to your cousins?”

“Very. Our dads started DevX together before I was even born. So growing up, it felt like we

did everything together. When my uncle bought out my father and moved the headquarters to New
York, it was like I lost my brothers.”

Jace didn’t know that much about the history of DevX, but he was more than familiar with their

product considering the US military was one of their number-one customers. “Why break up the
family business? It was already Fortune 500 by then, right?”

“Just different opinions. Uncle Todd didn’t want to have to get permission every time he made a

decision and I think Dad wanted to spend more time with the family.”

“So did Joslyn get along with Luke and Michael as well as you?”
“She was always busy. She was out with friends all the time and the boys would entertain me

while I was home alone. They were very sweet about it. I remember one time I was so upset that I’d

never had a boyfriend that Rourke took me to the drive in, just me and him. It’s a bit creepy looking
back, but I remember being so happy to be there with one of the most handsome boys in town.”

Jace frowned. “Rourke?”
Emma was quiet for a moment before she answered. “Luke and Michael’s younger brother.

They had a bit of a falling out a few years back. None of us have seen him since.”

“Whoa. Do you think he’s okay?”
She shrugged. “Knowing him, he’s fine. He’s like a cat. No matter what life threw at him, he’d

land on his feet. I just wish he’d call once in a while.”

Jace sensed the topic of her missing third cousin was a sore topic, so he switched back to

Joslyn. “Since they don’t seem one hundred percent supportive of your cause, I’m assuming they’re
not losing any sleep over Joslyn being in prison?”

“She’s in jail awaiting trial,” pointed out Emma. “Important difference.”
“Fine. They don’t care about her being in jail?”
Emma took a deep breath. “I’m assuming I’m paying you enough to keep secrets?”
“You’re the boss.”
“Michael and Luke think that Joslyn killed my parents.” Emma was dead silent after the

revelation, as though waiting for him to gasp in surprise.

“I figured.”
Emma jerked to the side and frowned. “You knew? How did you know!”
“When the head of security at Green’s fingered Joslyn as the one who was responsible for the

attacks on Victoria, he looked at the police file for your parents’ car accident. I know that their car
was sabotaged and she was suspected, but nothing could be proved.”

Emma rested her head in her hands. “Oh, God. I can’t believe people know.”
He reached over and set a hand on her knee. “Don’t worry. It’s not public. I just have

connections.”

“It’s not something I like people knowing.” She glanced down to his hand on her knee, but

didn’t move away.

“Is that because you think she did it or because you think she’s innocent?”
“It’s because I never made up my mind. Luke and Michael were never fond of her to begin with,

so it was easy for them to paint her as a killer and move on with their lives. But I couldn’t accept it so
easily with no evidence. But I could never look at her the same. I came home from Oxford and moved
into the family home. It was left to me. They had a stipulation in their will that anyone considered an
official suspect in the case of their murder would get nothing. The police didn’t know that when they
pointed a finger at her, that they were destroying her future. And when she asked for my help, I never
called her back.”

Jace thought back to the crazed woman he’d taken down that night. He didn’t know all the

details from the night Emma’s parents died, but he sure as hell wouldn’t be surprised to learn she was
behind it. “Have you tried to talk to her again?”

“Her lawyer had told me that she doesn’t want to see any family members. You’d think that

once someone is in jail, you could force them to face you, but apparently they still have the right to
piss off family from behind bars.”

“Well, if she doesn’t want your help, I don’t think you should feel bad about going back home

without cracking into her psyche.”

Emma sighed. “You’re right. And I’ve known that. But it was nice to do something. Luke and

Michael are off changing the world, Joslyn has been traveling to all corners of the earth and getting
into all sorts of trouble and I’ve been…hiding. Hiding behind different majors and colleges and my
big-ass mansion. I just wanted to feel like I was being active instead of passive.”

“Why don’t you get out there and do something you want to do? Not something your sister or

family makes you feel obligated to fix or find out. But you have the time and resources to really make
a difference if you wanted to.” Jace tried to think about how different his life would be if he’d grown
up with money. Would his dad have drunk less or would his poison just be higher-shelf liquor? And
who knew how different things would’ve ended up for his brother.

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot. Maybe now that Joslyn is going away, it’s my turn to live and

stop playing it so safe.”

Before he could ask her what she meant by that, the GPS told him to get off the highway and

onto a secluded service drive. The lights along the road were sporadically burnt out, making it harder
to see anything in the dark street. “I’m just going to make a wild guess that this isn’t the type of area
Joslyn would usually frequent?”

They drove along an abandoned old dock road. Every mile or so, there would be a building

along the water with a light on, but for the most part the entire area seemed abandoned and boarded
up.

Emma had her nose practically pressed to the glass as she tried to make out their surroundings.

“Yeah. This isn’t exactly her scene.”

The GPS signaled their destination was on their right and Jace turned in to one of the empty,

crumbling parking lots outside the dock. He put the car into park and for a moment they both just sat
there. He wanted to get out and look around for any reason Joslyn would come out here, but he didn’t
want to leave Emma in the car alone. Or have her step out of the car. He was unarmed and had no
idea what was out there, but he was damn certain this was a textbook definition of a sketchy
neighborhood.

Before he could make up his mind, Emma pushed open her door. “Are you coming?” She

stepped out.

“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath as he got out and locked the doors behind him.
Emma looked around and wrinkled her nose. “I guess the stories about Jersey weren’t

exaggerated.”

“Well, you can’t exactly judge an entire state by this.” He scanned the surroundings and looked

for any sign of movement. Instinctively, he reached around to where he’d have his gun strapped to his
thigh during missions, but he came up empty. Once again, if Emma had told him she was meeting some
random dude that afternoon, he probably would’ve actually come prepared. “I don’t think we’ll be
able to find anything here.”

“Let’s at least see if the door to the dock is open. There has to be some reason Joslyn would

come out here and put a fake name in her GPS.” Without waiting for a response, Emma headed toward
the boathouse at the front of the dock.

“My guess is that she was meeting someone here. I doubt we’ll be able to find out anything by

breaking and entering.” Though by the looks of the broken windows on the dilapidated looking
boathouse, there had already been plenty of activity there.

Emma turned the knob on the door and it swung open. She looked over her shoulder at Jace.

“What about no breaking and just entering?”

“I’m going first.” He brushed past her. There probably wasn’t anyone too dangerous inside, but

the last thing he wanted to do was have Emma sneak up on someone high on some strange cocktail of
drugs.

The inside of the boathouse was in just as bad, if not worse, condition than the outside. The salt

water wasn’t gentle and the metal and wood had seen better days. He pulled out his phone and turned
on the flashlight app. The entryway was closed off from the enclosed dock, which was big enough to
hold a moderate-sized cargo or fishing boat. This canal area was too small for any of the bigger ships
to make their way through, but it had direct access to the ocean and was probably prime location for
all sorts of questionable things to make their way into the country.

“Let’s make this quick.” He turned to the rusty metal cabinets. “We’ll do a quick scan to see if

there’s a USB drive here, but if we don’t find anything in ten minutes, we’re getting out of here.”

Emma shook her head. “Are you afraid of something?”
“Yeah. I’m afraid the hundred thousand dollar car outside is going to be missing by the time

we’re finished here,” he muttered as he pulled open the first cabinet. It was mostly empty except for a
few abandoned mugs and plates. He reached up and carefully felt around the top shelf where he
couldn’t see to make sure there was nothing hidden out of sight.

Emma followed suit, though she seemed much more apprehensive before she stuck her hand into

the darkness. Good. At least she had the sense to be nervous about something. This place was
straight out of a horror movie. If anything, she was the one who was supposed to want to get out as
soon as possible.

“We can come back tomorrow when we can actually see and look around again,” she said.
Jace went through the last cabinet and then started in on the drawers, which were mostly

populated by cobwebs. “Sounds good to me,” he muttered as he came up empty. “I’m going to take a
look by the dock. Stay here.”

He opened the door to the enclosed dock area. The only sound was the crickets from outside

and the gentle lapping of the waves against the old wood. Emma stood in the doorway as he made his
way over the creaking boards of the dock. “Why am I staying here? If you think the boards are going
to break, I weigh less than you.”

“Yeah, but I can guarantee I’ve spent more time in water-based military training than you.”
“Smart ass,” she muttered. “Why don’t we just leave? We can’t see a damn thing anyway.”
Jace ran his light over the shelf along the side of the wall, but there was mostly empty beer cans

and cigarette butts. Whatever Joslyn had been doing out here, they’d probably never know unless she
specifically told them. “Yeah, we can head out.” Right as Jace turned to leave, he hit a soft spot in the
wood. He heard the ripping of decaying wood fibers and blindly reached out, gripping onto the shelf
as his foot fell through.

“Oh my God!” shouted Emma.
“Stay there!” Jace carefully balanced between his one good foot and his hand on the shelf as he

tried to pull himself without ripping the shelf off the wall or causing more damage to the dock. After a
few tense seconds, he once again had both feet firmly planted on the wood. He looked around him,
praying his phone hadn’t ended up in the water.

“It’s over here.” Emma took a step toward him. Not three feet in and the boards once again gave

way. But Emma didn’t have his reflexes. There was no time for her to grab anything to hold her steady

as she plunged into the black water beneath him.

Jace lunged forward and slid on the dock as he approached the hole she fell through. He forced

himself to remain calm as he stared down into the darkness, but less than two seconds later, he headed
for the side and took a deep breath as he prepared to jump over.

A form emerged from the water right beside him, and he turned to see Emma taking gasping

breaths as her legs and arms worked to tread water.

Jace let out a sigh of relief as he narrowed his eyes at her. “What part of stay there didn’t you

understand?” He held out a hand as she got closer to the dock.

“That’s not fair! You walked way farther out than me and you’re a beast!” She grabbed his hand

and he helped haul her up. After her torso started to clear the top of the dock, he wrapped an arm
around her back and pulled her flush against him as he carefully rolled them both over until her feet
cleared the dock. Freezing cold water soaked through his shirt and jeans, but he didn’t let her go. He
could only imagine how deep the bitter cold, dirty water soaked into her bones. She lay still on top of
him for a moment and he could feel the shivers she was probably trying to suppress.

“Are you okay?”
Another shiver racked through her. “No. I’m cold and pissed.”
Her Southern accent was more noticeable in her anger and he cracked a small smile. “You have

seaweed in your hair.” He plucked it out and tossed it back into the black water.

Emma set her hands on his chest and pushed up. “Do you have any idea how much seaweed was

down there? It was disgusting! I thought it was going to grab me and pull me down.”

Jace had swum through his fair share of seaweed-infested water and he knew exactly how

disconcerting it could be. But he couldn’t stop himself from giving her a hard time. “Come on. You’re
not saying a little old plant scared you?”

She gave him a playful punch to his chest. “You’re such a show-off. I can’t believe that you

made it all the way out there without an issue and I took two steps and fell in.” She glanced to her left
and rolled her eyes. “Not even your phone fell in after all that!”

Jace let out a laugh and caught her wrist as she went in for another blow. “Hey, I’m not going to

apologize for being good at what I do. I walked on the edge closer to the support. You ran out right
onto the weakest part of the planks.”

Emma stared down at him and in a flash, the joking air was gone, replaced by something

decidedly hotter than the ocean water that now soaked through their clothes. “I guess I hired the best,”
she said softly.

Jace saw the moment she realized that they’d crossed a line and she started to push away. He

gripped her arms and held her steady. “Stay to the edge, okay?”

She nodded as she gently stood. Jace had been cold before, but as he lost the added warmth of

her body heat, a deep chill set in. Once she was up, she stood still. “You want to head out and I’ll
watch were you step?”

“Sounds good.” He rolled to his side so he could just reach his phone and then gingerly stood.

Once he was steadily up, he took shorter strides so Emma could easily follow his path and stuck
toward the edge of the dock. When he was at the door, he turned and held a hand out to Emma to help
her over the threshold. Luckily the car was still in the lot and he immediately turned the heat on full
blast.

To Emma’s credit, she didn’t complain about the cold, but as soon as warm air was spitting out,

she held shaking hands up to the vents.

Jace put the car in reverse and backed out of the lot. “I’ll get you back home in no time,” he

promised.

“No! I can’t go back to Luke’s like this!”
“I thought you weren’t as worried about what he thought?”
Emma emphatically shook her head. “He told me that this was dangerous and if he sees me

walking in like a drowned rat, it will make his already oversized ego expand even further. Just let me
get cleaned up at your place. Maybe when it’s later, I can even sneak back and he won’t even notice
how filthy I am.”

Jace tightened his hands on the steering wheel. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” It wasn’t that

he didn’t want her at his place. The problem was that he wanted her there way too much. Between
kissing her last night and getting a bit more than professional with her after pulling her out of the
water, Jace was skating on thin ice at the moment.

And if it weren’t for the freezing cold water, she’d already know exactly how much being close

to her got to him.

“Come on. I’ll be quick, I promise. If I make a mess on the way in, I’ll even pay for a cleaning

service so your security deposit is safe, okay? Everything is white at Luke’s and I can’t exactly clean
all night without him noticing.”

Jace tried to think of any reason he could give her for why his place was out of the question.

Damn it. If she hadn’t been there already, he could’ve had a lie ready in a second. But he couldn’t
blame a roommate or fussy hotel policy for keeping her away. “Okay,” he finally said. “But you’ll
have to be quick.”

She smiled in victory as she huddled closer to the heater. Really, this shouldn’t be a problem.

She was soaking wet and covered in dirt, and tiny remnants of the seaweed and algae she’d fought her
way through clung to her clothes. Hell, she didn’t even smell good at this point.

But damn if Jace couldn’t stop thinking about the feel of her. Twice now he’d had her in his

arms. The first time had been an act, okay. But just now at the dock…that was playful. As though they
were on some kind of date. She’d smiled down at him and laughed all while her soft curves were
splayed across his body.

And now she was going to be in his apartment, which consisted of a bedroom and bathroom.

She’d probably have to shower, too, so he knew he was going to be in trouble.

Because in a few minutes, Emma would be naked in his bedroom.

CHAPTER NINE

Emma let the warm water from the faucet wash over her shoulders and stream down her back.

Dirty water pooled by the drain as the dirt and grime started to come off. Another night, another strike
out. She turned around and held her head back as she let her hair get soaked.

She looked at the soap and shampoo lined up on the side of the shower. All scent-free. She

thought back to the times she’d been alone with him, only then realizing that she hadn’t been
overwhelmed by the smell of cologne that seemed to follow some men around wherever they went.
Emma picked up the bar of soap and ran it up and down her arms to get all the dirt that hadn’t wiped
away yet.

After quickly shampooing her hair, she shut off the water and stepped out. As much as she’d

love a long and relaxing shower, she didn’t want Jace to think she was taking advantage of his water.
She pulled one of his green towels off the rack and wrapped it around her, tucking the fold into the top
of the towel to hold it together before she used another towel to dry her hair as much as possible.

Biting her lip, she stared at her fuzzy form in the fogged-over mirror. Should she just walk out

like this? He said he’d have clothes for her, but it felt rather immature to crack the door an inch and
ask him to pass them through. They were both mature adults, and she had worn dresses that bared
more skin than the oversized towel wrapped around her.

But she’d never worn those in front of Jace. And they weren’t surrounded by people, as if they

were at a party. It was just the two of them in his one-room apartment. And, as much as she tried to
push it to the back of her mind, they’d kissed the night before. Sure, it might’ve meant nothing to him,
but there had been a few moments during the day that the line between employee and employer had
been blurred.

She let out a soft laugh. She had a feeling Jace didn’t have much respect for lines and

boundaries. No matter if Jace had been more pleasant with her today, he wasn’t about to jump all
over her because she wasn’t wearing as many clothes as normal. She would just walk out there like a
normal adult woman and he would react like a sane adult man. Nothing to worry about.

With a steadying breath, Emma pulled open the door and stepped out. Jace sat at the small desk

in the corner and scrolled through the computer. He swiveled around and for a moment, he didn’t say
anything. His eyes scanned over her body and she saw his Adam’s apple bob as he took a deep gulp.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I just need some clothes.”
He stood and shook his head. “No. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” He broke off and took a deep

breath. “I have some clothes over here for you.” He crossed the room and had to walk in front of her
to get to the other side of the bed, where he’d set out some folded clothes. “Nothing fancy. Just a t-
shirt and sweatpants, but at least they’re clean and dry.”

“It’s perfect.” She held out a hand.
“I’m sure they’ll be big, but the pants have a drawstring, so they should stay up.”
“Thanks.” She started to turn to the bathroom, but at the last minute, she twisted back around.

“What did you intend to say?”

“When?” he asked, but his clenched jaw told her he knew exactly what she was asking about.
“I walked out of the bathroom and you said you didn’t mean to…something. I’d like you to

finish your sentence.”

He cocked his head and considered her for a moment. “I don’t think you really want me to

answer that.”

Emma squared her shoulders. “I think I’m a grown woman and I asked you a question.”
“Fine. I didn’t mean to ogle you like a fourteen-year-old virgin. I should’ve been more

professional than that.”

The corner of her mouth hooked up. “I knew it! You were affected by that kiss last night.”
“The kiss you started. And yes, I’m a red-blooded male. You can’t expect me to be a robot

when a woman like you makes a move.”

Her heart beat faster in her chest as she replayed his words in her mind. She’d gotten what she

wanted. An admission that she wasn’t the only one going insane. Now she should turn back and get
dressed and pretend this whole conversation never happened. “A woman like me?”

Jace reached up and ran a piece of her wet hair through his fingers. “What do you think you’re

doing, Emma?”

She opened her mouth but no words came out. Her second attempt was a bit more successful. “I

don’t really know. I kind of like not knowing, though.”

“Well, I’ll make this simple for you. I want you. I’ve wanted you since I first saw you. If you

want to take this further, I will give you the best week of your life and I’ll make you come more times
than you can count.”

Emma’s breath caught in her throat. She’d known where this was heading, but hearing him say it

out loud was still a shock.

“So do you really want to know what kind of woman I think you are?” he asked.
She looked up into his blue eyes and even though she knew all the reasons she should turn

away, she knew her answer immediately. “I think I asked a question, Jace.”

The tiniest smile curled his lips. “Well, Emma, I think that you’re the type of woman I shouldn’t

be touching with a ten-foot pole.” As he spoke, he lowered his hand to brush his palm against the bare
skin of her thigh right beneath the towel.

“That sounds a bit cliché, doesn’t it? I’m not exactly untouchable.” She punctuated the thought

by reaching up to run the back of her fingers along the side of his neck.

They stood so close that when he breathed in, she could feel his chest brush hers. His hand

switched direction and headed up, catching in the terrycloth and pushing it up the slightest bit higher.

“You can’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Jace right as his hands moved up to grip her waist. He

pulled her against him as he stepped back until he sat on the bed with her legs on either side of his
waist.

The rough denim of his jeans brushed against her inner thighs and even through the thick

material, she could feel the bulge of his erection pressing against her naked sex. The strange sensation
was unexpected and undeniably erotic.

“Jace,” she murmured from above him.
He leaned forward and ran the tip of his nose along the skin of her neck. “Mmmmhmm?”
“Against your better judgment, I’d like to take you up on your offer to give me lots and lots of

orgasms.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, he kissed her. His fingers wrapped in her hair as

he angled her just the right way. Without hesitation, she opened her mouth for him, the tip of her
tongue teasing his.

He groaned as his free hand tugged at the towel. Without removing her lips from his, Emma

shifted so the offending material could be pulled from her body. But despite her best efforts, Jace
broke off from the kiss to stare at her exposed flesh.

His palms ran down her sides, traced the curve of her breasts, the dip of her waist and came to

a rest on her hips. “Just like my fantasies,” he breathed.

“Your cheerleader fantasies?”
He grinned and met her eyes with his. “In my fantasies of you.” Before she could trip over

herself to try to match his level of smoothness, he said, “You’d have to be holding pom-poms for this
to come close to my cheerleader fantasy.”

“And in this fantasy, do you happen to be fully clothed?”
“Nope.”
She pulled at the hem of his shirt. “Then maybe we should work on that.”
He lifted his arms as she worked the shirt off and then she was free to touch his bare skin as

much as she wanted. He wasn’t the only one who was having fantasies come true. She ran the edge of
her fingertips over his pecs and lower as they went over his abs, one by one.

Then she pressed her palm flat against his chest and pushed him until he lay flat on his back

beneath her. Emma leaned forward and covered his mouth with hers. The slow banter they’d been
sharing flew out the window as he kissed her back with a sudden urgency. His hands ran up and down
her back, from her shoulder blades to her ass, as though he couldn’t get enough of her, before they
came around to her front and cupped her breasts, thumbs running along her nipples and sending a tiny
spark of electricity shooting through her.

Impulsively, she rubbed against him, the sensation of the denim against her clit completely alien

and amazing. She moaned into his mouth as her hands found his and pulled them away from her
breasts. She intertwined her fingers with his and pinned him to the bed as she kissed him harder.

He seemed content enough to let her have her fun, since she knew if he wanted to, he could have

her on her back in a heartbeat. She kissed him to her content, alternating between soft and sweet and
deep and fierce.

When she had her fill of his lips, she trailed kisses along his jaw, the slight stubble rough

against her skin. His chest rose and fell beneath her as his breathing quickened. In order to move
lower, Emma was forced to release his hands as she kissed his chest, taking a moment to let her teeth
gently scrape over his small, hard nipples.

He stiffened beneath her and one of his hands tangled in her hair. Not moving her away, just as

though to remind her that he could. Emma nipped at his other nipple and smiled to herself as he
stiffened again.

“Minx,” he breathed out as she started to go lower again.
She softly laughed against his abs, laying another soft kiss right above the fly of his jeans. “I

don’t hear you complaining.” Her fingers went to the button of the jeans and she met his eyes that
stared intently down at her as she undid his pants. She gripped the top of the pants and his boxers and
he lifted his hips as she pulled down.

“No complaints here.”
As his rock-hard erection sprang free, Emma caught her breath. Was she really doing this? It

was as if she were a stranger to herself. The Emma she knew would never strip a man down as though
he was an object for her pleasure.

But this new Emma was apparently fine with it. Maybe it was the city creeping into her bones.

Maybe she was just trying to take what she wanted in a slightly more healthy way than Joslyn. No
matter what was happening to her, Emma couldn’t deny the rush that came along with doing something
new. She glanced back up over Jace’s now naked, beautiful body. Really, as far as experimenting with
pushing boundaries went, Jace was the perfect guy to try out the new and improved Emma on.

As though he picked up her strange thoughts, Jace pushed up on his elbows. “Are you okay?” he

asked gently.

As an answer, Emma smiled up at him, before she leaned forward and took his cock deep into

her mouth.

“Sweet Jesus,” he breathed as he fell back.
Emma was emboldened by his obvious reaction and moved faster up and down his shaft. She

wrapped her fingers around the base of his cock to pick up the slack where her mouth couldn’t reach
and worked him over.

His hand found her hair again and he showed her the exact rhythm he wanted, hips bucking

periodically beneath her. She could hear his breaths coming faster and faster and every once in a
while a moan would escape. As she felt him come closer and closer to the edge, she couldn’t help but
move even more frantically over him. Right when she thought she had him at the precipice of orgasm,
Jace’s fingers tightened in her hair and he pulled her off his straining erection.

As soon as her mouth was clear from his cock, Jace shot up, hands grabbing her waist and

picking her up as if she weighed nothing and he tossed her on her back. For a brief moment, Jace
disappeared as he bent next to the bed and picked up his jeans. Was he getting dressed?

“Hey,” she protested as she braced herself on her elbows. “I was having fun down there.”
His actions started to make sense as he pulled out the small foil packet from his back pocket.

“So was I.” He grinned. “Believe me.”

She started to smile, but when he slid the condom over his length, all she could think about was

how much she wanted him inside her. As soon as the condom was on, he climbed up the bed, set a
hand on each of her knees and pushed her thighs apart.

She bit her bottom lip as she parted for him. A strange mix of confidence and uncertainty floated

in her stomach. But any doubts quickly fell as his hands moved up to her hips.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured as he bent forward, the tip of his erection right at her

core, just brushing her clit.

She gasped at the unexpectedness of the sensation. “Jace,” she breathed.
He ran the head of his cock against the tiny bundle of nerves a few more times before he

adjusted himself to line up with her entrance. Emma was about ready to lose it if he didn’t enter her
soon and she moved her hips up to meet him, silently asking for more.

Jace groaned as she took him just the tiniest bit into her, and with one long thrust, slid the rest of

the way home.

Emma gasped as pain and pleasure mingled together. It had been a long time since she’d been

with a man and Jace was, well, endowed.

Jace paused above her. “Are you all right?”
Emma took a moment to answer as the need for more outweighed any discomfort she’d initially

felt. She nodded. “More,” she moaned.

But before he moved, Jace kissed her again, angling his mouth to take complete possession of

hers. Emma kissed him back and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Only then did Jace thrust.
Emma’s head fell back, breaking their kiss. She let her eyes close and focused on the sensation of his
length hitting all the right spots. It felt as though his hands were everywhere, roaming along her sides
and gripping her ass as he held her down, and his thrusts grew more intense.

But she wanted that intensity. He kept pushing her closer and closer to the edge. Each movement

sent another spark of pleasure through her until finally the dam broke and wave after wave of intense
heat washed over her.

But even then, Jace didn’t stop. His fingers bit even harder into her hips as he pounded into her,

his own body tensing and going stockstill as his orgasm crashed into him.

For a moment, neither of them moved. Both just caught their breath and held onto each other.

Emma didn’t even know what to say. Did he expect her to leave now? Should she grab the clothes he
offered and make a break for it?

“Stop it,” muttered Jace as he pushed himself up and off her and padded to the bathroom.
Emma pulled the comforter over her as soon as he was gone. Apparently New Emma was

perfectly fine with blowjobs, but when it came to being naked after sex, she was just as prudish as
Old Emma. “Stop what?” she asked.

“Thinking,” he said. She heard the water come on and figured he was washing up.
Stop thinking. She smiled to herself. Like that was going to happen any time soon. Maybe she

should take the opportunity while he was out of the room to get dressed…

But then Jace was back and crawled into the bed beside her. His arm wrapped around her waist

and pulled her against him, her back to his front. His bicep was a decidedly uncomfortable pillow,
but damn if the rest of him didn’t feel fantastic against her bare skin.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he whispered into her ear.
“I was going to do a walk of shame home.” She wiggled her hips against his.
He kissed along the side of her neck, taking a moment to nip at her earlobe. “Well, that is a

shame. Because I’m nowhere near done with you.”

CHAPTER TEN

Emma rolled over and blinked a few times. Wow. It hadn’t all been a dream. She really was

here with Jace.

The small, frosted windows up toward the ceiling of the basement bedroom let in the tiniest

amount of light that bounced off the hard planes of Jace’s face. He didn’t have his normal stern
expression that seemed to always mark his features. Well, not always. He’d been quick enough to
laugh with her after she’d fallen through that stupid dock. And he’d been soft and playful and gentle in
bed.

Emma felt the blood rush to her face as she remembered all the things she’d done with him the

night before. Had she really just had no-strings attached sex with someone she barely knew? Not that
Jace was a stranger. On some level, he seemed more dependable to her than people she’d known for
years. And if it was no-strings attached, should she have left after the first round?

But if she’d left then, she would’ve missed the second and third rounds. Once again, heat filled

her face. Maybe she should leave before he woke up. That way they could avoid any awkwardness
and could go back to their professional relationship.

Unless he’d want to do it again. Emma was totally open to the idea of more mind-blowing sex,

but she didn’t really know how these things worked. It wasn’t as if she wanted a relationship. She
was headed back to Georgia in a few days and didn’t think Jace was the type to settle into the slow
pace of Southern life. Though even Emma had to admit that the fast-moving city was rather seductive.
She’d only been there a few days and already she felt as though she’d experienced more in New York
than she had in years in Georgia.

So maybe sneaking out before there was any sort of “this was nice, please leave” conversation

was best. Emma took one last long look at Jace, trying to etch his peaceful sleeping form into her
mind. She slowly rolled back over and pushed the covers off her, but a steel band of an arm shot out
and wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against Jace’s warm, hard body.

“You’re sneaking out,” he whispered in her ear. His breath tickled her neck.
Emma let out a tiny giggle. “Sneaking is a strong word.”
“Either way, you’re not allowed to leave.” Jace flipped her on her back and leaned over her.

“We have a lot to get done today.”

She bit her lip and looked up at him. Her heart sped up in her chest as she considered all the

different positions they could get things done in. “Like what?” she asked coyly.

He cocked his head and gave her a mischievous smile. “Not that,” he said, ruining her hopes

and dreams. “I was thinking maybe we could stop by the jail and see if we could convince Joslyn to
talk.”

That sounded much less fun than more sex. “What’s the point? She’s just going to be a brat and

ignore me. The only difference between this and high school is that the prison guards will enforce her
ignoring me.”

“Jail guards.”
She lightly tapped his bicep. “Smart ass,” she muttered as she stretched beneath him.
“Come on. This will be a lot easier than searching random places around the city.”
“I know, I know, I know.” Emma wiggled underneath him, surprised at how comfortable she

was around him already. But it was hard to get embarrassed over nudity when he’d seen, touched, and
kissed some of her most private areas.

And the fact that he was naked too helped.
“I need to go back to Luke’s. A change of clothes would be nice.”
Jace leaned in and laid a soft kiss on her lips. “I wouldn’t mind seeing you in my shirt all day.”
And the damn blush was back. What was she supposed to say to a compliment that sweet? And

he sure as hell wasn’t acting as if this was a no-strings attached relationship. “Luke will be at work
by now. I can sneak in, change, and be back in no time.”

Jace pushed off her and rolled into a sitting position. “We can get breakfast and then head to

Luke’s together.” He handed her the t-shirt and sweatpants they’d left on the floor the night before.

“Didn’t you have a list of ‘Brians’ to go through? I’ll just grab a muffin upstairs when I head

out. We don’t need to do breakfast.” It was great that Jace was so cool about all this, but she needed a
few minutes to herself. She hadn’t been a relationship, strings attached or not, for years and needed to
collect her thoughts.

Not to mention the idea that he wanted to talk to Joslyn today. That required a whole different

degree of mental fortitude she wasn’t sure she had at the moment. Also, the whole idea of Jace being
clingy felt off to her. Him being playful in bed was one thing, but practically begging her to spend the
morning with him? That didn’t seem like the reserved security consultant she’d hired.

She slid into her clothes and grabbed her phone off the dresser while Jace pulled on a pair of

jeans. “Phone’s dead. Wonder how many missed calls I have from Luke.”

“I probably have a charger.”
She shook her head. “No. On the off chance Luke is home and I tell him my phone’s dead and

show up with a charged phone, he’ll call bullshit.” And this way she could get out of Jace’s apartment
a bit quicker.

Jace held out a plastic bag. “Did you want your clothes from yesterday, or should I just toss

them?”

Emma gingerly took the bag from him. “I’m sure it’s nothing a good dry cleaning can’t handle.”

She gathered the rest of her things and crossed to the door. “Want to regroup around twelve?”

Jace moved to stand in front of her. “Sounds good. I can pick you up at your cousin’s.”
Emma looked up at him and couldn’t help but smile. Even if this morning wasn’t exactly what

she expected, it made her happier than she’d like to admit that she’d be seeing Jace again within a
few hours.

Jace reached behind her and pulled open the door. “I’ll at least get you a coffee.”
Emma bit her lip as she made her way up the stairs. This really was a new side of him. Even

though there was a huge line of customers who waited for their drinks, Jace was able to discreetly tell
his order to one of the baristas.

“Cutter,” she said under his breath to him.
“Well, I happen to have this client who’s paying me way too much at the moment, so they’re

getting pretty generous tips,” he whispered as he set an arm around her waist.

A few minutes later, her light latte and some disgusting green drink was ready for them. Oh

good Lord, she’d forgotten that Jace was a health nut. And then she remembered exactly how little she
knew about the man she’d just spent the night with.

“I should be going.” She pulled away. “See you soon.”

“Let me know when your phone is back up,” he said as she headed out to the street. As she

hailed a cab, she could feel his eyes on her. All through the ride back to Luke’s, she tried to shake off
the disconcerting feeling that something was wrong. Emma ran her fingers through her hair and leaned
back in the cracked interior of the cab. Maybe she was just reading too much into this. Of course Jace
was being nice and super attentive. They’d just slept together. Nothing to worry about or suspect.

The cab pulled up to the building and Emma hopped out after she tipped the driver. As she

nodded at the doorman and made her way to the elevators, she pushed all her worry out of her mind.
Even if Jace was clingy or acting strangely, he was allowed to. After this week, she’d probably never
see him again. He’d made that clear last night and that worked perfectly for her. She’d just have to fit
as much great sex into the next few days as possible, because she didn’t know whether it was
thinkable to go her entire life without having a repeat of last night.

She smiled to herself as the elevator opened to Luke’s penthouse apartment. Emma didn’t know

what had gotten into her, but she kind of liked this new, carefree version of herself.

“Where the hell have you been?”
Emma froze at the unexpected voice. Damn it. It was almost ten in the morning. What was Luke

doing home? She slowly turned to face where he was spread out in the living room sitting on the sofa,
the coffee table covered with various papers and his laptop. “I didn’t expect you to be here,” she
said, avoiding his question.

“My cousin doesn’t come home and doesn’t answer any of my messages. You’re lucky I didn’t

call the cops on you.” He pushed himself up to stand.

Emma shook her head and started for her room. “There you go again, thinking I need to get

permission from you before I do things.”

Before she got far, Luke crossed to stand in front of her. “Hey. You’re my guest, okay? It’s my

responsibility to—”

“To what? Make sure the city doesn’t swallow little old me whole? I can handle myself, Luke. I

have been for years.”

“So I don’t deserve any explanation? It’s not like I’m locking you in your room, Emma. You’re

family and I was worried about you.”

Emma took a deep breath and clenched her fists. As frustrating as Luke could be, he had a point.

She was his guest and even if she had the right to stay out all night, she should’ve let him know she
was okay. Even if he was going to totally judge her once she came clean. “You’re right. I do owe you
an explanation. As you know, I’ve been looking into Joslyn’s life a bit. I hired a sort of private
investigator to help me and last night I spent the night at his place.” There. Now he knew the truth and
she could get on with her life.

But Luke didn’t look the slightest bit happy about her confession. “You spent the night with Jace

Lance? Are you crazy?”

Emma felt the blood drain from her face and took a step back from Luke. “How do you know

his name?”

“Did you think I’d let you run around the city with some stranger? Of course I checked in on

you.”

“You mean you had me followed? My God, Luke. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Emma, don’t make this about me. You’re one of the smartest women I’ve ever met. I admit that.

But you’re also way too trusting and naive. You just met this guy.”

She scoffed at his insinuation. “Because you’ve never slept with a woman you just met? Don’t

think I haven’t heard the stories about you.”

“You don’t get it.” Luke shook his head. “Lance is only in it for himself. He would play you in a

second if it meant he would make a dollar off it.”

Emma smiled, remembering how money had hardly swayed him when she first approached him

for help. “He’s not like that. He doesn’t care about money.”

Luke’s jaw tightened and some mix of anger and pity crossed his face. “Damn it, Emma, how

could you sleep with him?”

“I’m sorry you’re upset, but my reasons are none of your business. Now if you’ll excuse me, I

need to change and spend the rest of my day cleaning up my sister’s mess. With Jace.” Emma brushed
past him, determined to make it to her room and put this whole uncomfortable fight behind her.

“Jace Lance is working for me.”
Emma stopped in her tracks at Luke’s words. “You’re lying.” She refused to look at Luke. “He

wouldn’t.”

She heard Luke move and after a few strides, he stood in front of her again. “Emma, there’s a

reason I didn’t want you digging into Joslyn’s life. You thought you were the one who pushed her
away, but I paid her off to stay away from you.”

Her breath caught in her throat as she shook her head. “What?”
“That woman is poison. She killed your parents and was acid to this family. So I offered to

make her comfortable as long as she stayed the hell away. When Michael and I found out you were
hiring Lance to help you look into her life, we paid him to make sure you never found out what I did.”

Emma took a step back. “Then why tell me now?”
“Because I’m not paying him to screw you!”
“No, you’re just paying him to screw me over,” she snapped as she shoved both hands hard into

Luke’s chest. The plastic bag of her soiled clothes clattered through the silence. Though she knew she
wasn’t strong enough to move Luke if he didn’t want to move, he did step aside as she stormed past
him. She slammed the door to her room and turned the lock on the handle.

As she crossed to her charger, Luke knocked on the door. “Please, I never wanted to hurt you.

Can we talk?”

Emma ignored him as she frantically hit the power button. No, she didn’t want to talk to him. He

was a maniacal, controlling, ruthless man who was no better than the sister he was trying to protect
her from. How dare he go behind her back instead of telling her the truth? Worst of all, if she hadn’t
slept with Jace, he probably wouldn’t even feel bad about what he did.

Emma sat on the edge of her bed and stared at her phone, willing it to turn on faster. Was Luke

telling the truth? If he was paying off Joslyn, Emma would see it in the bank statements. She thought
back to the few statements she’d glanced at. Granted, she hadn’t looked for long, but there hadn’t been
anything too suspicious. Unless someone got to Russell…

Her phone finally loaded and she found Russell’s number. Luke banged on the door again as the

ringing sounded in her ear. “Pick up, pick up, pick up,” she muttered under her breath as she willed
her old classmate to answer.

On the seventh ring and right before Emma was about to give up hope, Russell’s posh accent

sounded over the line. “Emma, I can’t help you anymore,” he said in a hushed tone.

Well, that wasn’t a good sign. “Russell, I need to ask you something.”

“I gave you what you wanted. I’m sorry about your sister and all, but I can’t do anything else for

you.”

Tough luck if he didn’t want to deal with her. She just had one question. “Did you give me the

original bank statements or did you doctor them to hide deposits from me?”

Silence stretched over the other end and Emma squeezed her eyes shut. This couldn’t be

happening, this couldn’t be happening…

“I didn’t change anything,” he finally said. “But I sent them to someone who did something to

them. I’m sorry, but somehow they got into my sealed juvenile records and threatened to expose them
to my boss if I didn’t help them and—”

“Don’t worry about it, Russell.” Emma tried to sound calm even as a tear fell down her cheek.

“I can take it from here.” She hung up the phone and sat dead still for a few minutes, staring down at
her sweatpants-clad legs. Jace’s pants.

What if Luke was lying? What if he’d found out about Russell? To do that, he’d need to get into

her laptop. Michael would be able to crack her password and then access her email account.

But she’d told Jace about Russell. With his shady connections, it would be easy to get to

Russell’s sealed records. And he’d been so adamant about not helping her and then suddenly all gung-
ho. If he was doubling his money by working with Luke and Michael, of course he’d be more willing
to help.

None of that explained why he slept with her.
Emma leaped off the bed and pulled her suitcase out of the closet. She haphazardly tossed her

clothes into the case before she zipped it shut. At the last second, she realized she still wore Jace’s
clothes. Her skin felt as though it was crawling as she tore the pants and t-shirt off. She re-opened the
suitcase and pulled on a skirt and white blouse. She debated leaving Jace’s stuff lying on the floor but
picked it up at the last minute.

If Luke and Jace really were in cahoots, she didn’t want Jace getting any of his stuff back. She

stuffed them in her suitcase before she unlocked the door. Luke was mid-knock as she stared him
down. “Move.” She pushed forward anyway, running her shoulder into his side when he stayed in her
way.

“Why don’t you put the suitcase back and we can talk about this?”
She wheeled the luggage through the apartment, only stopping to wait for the elevator. “Your

chance for talking is over, Luke. I’m going back home.”

“You’re flying back to Georgia?” He followed her inside the elevator when the door opened.
She pressed the button for the lobby. “You’re stupid, not deaf.”
“Let’s go back upstairs. I know you didn’t have time to pack everything and I can arrange the

company jet to take you back.”

The doors opened to the first floor. “Ship my things to me. Throw them out. I don’t care. And

I’d rather hitchhike all the way to Georgia than spend another second here with you.”

###

Jace dialed Emma’s number again, but it went straight to voicemail for the twentieth time.

Damn it. He’d stood outside Luke’s building for fifteen minutes now. He knew that sometimes women
took awhile to get ready, but he’d already given Emma a half-hour head start.

He paced to the door before he turned back around to his original spot. If she was stuck with

her cousin, he didn’t want to barge in. But he also didn’t want her out of his sight any longer than

necessary. With yesterday’s threats still fresh in his mind, he’d done everything possible to get Emma
to stay by his side. As long as this Dave guy wanted something from her, he didn’t want Emma to be
alone for even a second.

But Emma would never believe him unless he told her the kind of payments Joslyn was getting

as a result of her dirty dealings. Which, in turn, would force him to come clean about doctoring the
statements she’d gotten yesterday.

Hell. He probably should’ve told her yesterday, but it wasn’t as if he planned to sleep with her.

He’d been doing his best all day to keep his eyes and hands off her. But she did something to his
control that Jace didn’t even want to think about.

And if he told her now, there was no way she’d agree to spend the day with him.
After ten more minutes of no answer, Jace wasn’t willing to wait around anymore. He strode in

the building as though he belonged and faced the doorman. “I need you to call up to the penthouse.
Emma Devereaux and I had an appointment she’s late for.”

The doorman nodded. “Let me call upstairs for you.”
Jace crossed his arms over his chest as he waited impatiently for the doorman to come back.

Finally, the older man hung up the phone. “He says you can go up. If you get in the elevator, Mr.
Devereaux will trigger it to go up to the penthouse.”

Jace clenched his jaw. So he was going to be confronting one of her cousins. He knew he would

be at a disadvantage if he went up, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to turn back. He took a steadying
breath and crossed the lobby to the elevator. As he moved, he adjusted his leather jacket and subtly
pressed against his side holster. Not that he expected to use his gun, but it was a nervous habit of his
to make sure it was there.

He got in the elevator and looked up to the camera, knowing that Luke or Michael probably

sized him up at that very moment.

The high-speed elevator took no time getting up to the penthouse and opened to a very pissed-

off looking Luke Devereaux. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here after last night.”

Jace ignored Luke and strode into the apartment. “Where is she?”
“The deal was that you kept our involvement with Joslyn from her. At what point did you think I

was paying you to sleep with her?”

Jace twisted around and his fist slammed in Luke’s face before he even knew what he was

doing.

Luke fell back and slammed into the counter, covering his now bleeding nose with a hand. His

eyes narrowed at Jace and for half a second, Jace thought the man was going to charge him.

But then he seemed to reel himself in. “You have ten seconds to get the hell out before I call the

police and charge you with assault.”

Jace took a calming breath in and out, trying to formulate his next move. “Where. Is. She?” he

repeated.

Luke sneered, spitting pure venom with his eyes. “She went home. I told her everything about

you working for us and she was disgusted with you.”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit. “You told her? What the fuck was the point of working for you if you

were just going to tell her your secrets?” he shouted. “Motherfucker, you don’t even know—” Jace
broke off as he ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm down.

Think. Where would Emma go? She could be taking a private or commercial jet. There were

three major airports she could be leaving from and countless small ones.

“That’s it. I’m calling the cops.” Luke pulled out his cell phone.
Jace curled his lip at the man as he walked past, trying to get a read on the man. He invited Jace

up so he could gloat in his face about Emma leaving, but didn’t fight back when hit. Judging from the
fit of the man’s suit, he was reasonably fit, but who knew if the billionaire had ever been in a fight
before.

But Jace knew fear when he saw it and Luke Devereaux was not afraid of him. Which was a

mistake on his part. “If anything happens to Emma because you’re a dick, I will throw you out the
fucking window.” Jace strode out of the apartment and hit the button for the lobby.

Even through his pumping adrenaline and rage, he knew he couldn’t blame Luke for this. Jace

never should’ve slept with Emma. He’d known he shouldn’t touch her but he’d been thinking with the
wrong damn head and she was probably halfway to Georgia by now.

As much as he wanted to believe she’d be safer there, people didn’t shell out over a hundred

grand a month if they weren’t deathly afraid of some information leaking. His gut told him that if they
didn’t give these guys what they wanted, Emma would be in trouble.

And that trouble would come sooner rather than later if they knew she left the state.
Jace knew he had to go after her. He might not know how she was getting home, but he knew her

final destination. He would just have to meet her at her house, whether she wanted him there or not.

But before he could leave, he had to tie up some loose ends. He hailed a cab and gave the

driver the address to Joslyn’s apartment. Emma had the only key that he knew of and, even though
Jace was more than capable of picking a lock, he didn’t have anything on him that would get the job
done. So he’d have to work fast.

The cab came to a halt in front of the building and Jace handed the driver a twenty before he

jumped out. He strode inside and rode the elevator to the apartment. After he verified no one was in
the hallway and confirmed that the door was locked, Jace pulled out his gun, carefully aiming so the
bullet would go through the lock and lodge in the wall.

The sound of the gunshot reverberated through the halls, but it didn’t faze Jace. He would be

long gone before anyone could call the cops. As the door swung open, Jace crossed into the kitchen
and rummaged through the pantry until he found an empty plastic bag. Then he moved to the couch and
carefully picked up the menu he’d swiped from the café that he’d left on the coffee table.

As soon as it was in the bag, he took one more glance around the room. Emma’s computer was

gone, so she must’ve been here already to pick it up. Jace cursed under his breath and made a quick
exit out of the apartment and rode the elevator back down. He didn’t see anyone poking their heads
outside their doors, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t gotten a good look at him through peepholes.

As soon as Jace was back on the street, he pulled out his phone as he walked. Even though it

went against every instinct in his body, he found the contact information for the New York FBI offices
and dialed.

After he made his way through the automated system, he finally got a hold of an operator. “I

need to be connected to Evelyn Price.”

“One moment, sir,” said the operator.
Jace ducked into an alley between two buildings to shield him from the noise and wind of the

street.

After a few rings, Evelyn answered. “Price here,” she said in the no-nonsense tone he was

relying on.

“It’s Lance. I need to call in a few million favors.”
There was silence on the other end for a few moments. Then she finally responded, “You know

I’m not in the field anymore.”

“That’s what you get for getting shot.”
“Dick,” she muttered.
Jace smiled. Getting injured on a mission was never something he imagined would happen to

Evelyn, but he had a feeling that whoever brought her down suffered a far worse fate. He never asked
the details of what landed her behind a desk for the rest of her career and she’d never offered them
up. “I need you to run a set of prints for me.”

“Sounds easy enough.”
“Off a restaurant menu.”
“You’re a moron.”
He’d expected the reaction. There had to be dozens of prints on the laminated sheet and even if

they could isolate Dave’s, he might not be in any local or federal database. “Can you at least see what
you can get? I know the general area where he held the thing. You owe me.”

“Fine. If you want to waste a perfectly good favor on this, I’ll play along. What else did you

want? I’m assuming that’s not the only one of the ‘million’ favors you need to call in?”

Jace tightened his lips and looked out at the street in front of him. This was going to be harder

to get than a rush fingerprint job. “Do you know anyone with a plane I can borrow?”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Emma turned onto her street and let out a deep sigh of relief. She already started to feel better.

Maybe it was breathing in the familiar Southern air, or the feeling of being able to drive herself
somewhere for the first time in days, but damn it felt good to be home.

She could do what she wanted, when she wanted—without having to explain herself to an

overbearing cousin. She didn’t have to worry about Jace screwing her over anymore and she was far
enough away from Joslyn’s poisonous influence that she could breathe easy for the first time in days.

So what if that guy came back around looking for whatever Joslyn had on him? Emma would

just say she didn’t have anything that could be used against him and that would have to be good
enough.

The drive gate finally came into view and Emma couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Home,

finally. After an exhausting last-minute flight and flying coach for the first time in her life, Emma was
ready to crawl into her own bed and curl up. She’d miss the always available delivery that New York
offered, but she’d gladly have some granola bars for dinner until she could get to the grocery store
tomorrow.

She hit the button on her keychain to open the gate that led to her family estate and drove

through once it was open wide enough. She hit the button to close it behind her and continued up the
long, winding drive to the main house. The yard was in good condition, so it looked like the
groundskeeper, Barry, had been hard at work while she was gone.

She needed more people like Barry in her life. Hardworking. Reliable. Not working for her

asshole cousins. Yep. She definitely needed more Barrys.

Finally her family home came into view. The massive, sprawling mansion was ten thousand

square feet of comfort and familiarity. That comforting feeling abruptly fled when Emma realized a
person sat on her front porch steps. She squinted and tried to see better. It didn’t look like Barry….
“No,” she breathed as recognition slammed into her. “No, no, no, no.” Emma flung the car into park
and hopped out as her mind went into full panic mode.

Jace, however, appeared completely relaxed as he stood and flashed her a weak smile. He was

in his normal outfit of a white t-shirt and jeans topped off with a black leather jacket that was way too
warm looking for a Southern fall.

“Go.” She pointed in the direction of the gate, which should’ve been locked tight enough to

keep intruders out. “This is trespassing and I want you gone.”

“Emma, I need to talk to you.”
“Ugh! Why won’t you just leave me alone? Is this about money? I wasn’t going to pay you, but

if it will get you away from me, sure.” Emma pulled out her phone and made a big show of opening
her banking app. “What’s your account number? I’ll transfer money now.”

Jace clenched his fists and glared at her. “This isn’t about money.”
“It’s all about money. Come on, what’s the account number?” Jace didn’t say a word, but Emma

wasn’t about to let this go. “Tell you what. The sex was good. Why don’t I throw in a bonus for that?
What’s your going rate these days?”

His lip curled in a sardonic smile. “So what? You’re calling me a whore?”
“That is one of the least derogatory names I can think of for you right now.” Emma gripped her

house key and held it in front of her like a weapon. “I’m serious, Jace. I want you gone.”

He took a step closer and eyed the keys in her hand. “Or what? You’re going to slit my throat

with that dull-ass edge?”

The rage that snaked through her veins had her shaking with rage. “Well, I figure you don’t need

both your eyes. It’s sharp enough to get rid of your pesky depth perception.”

Jace wasn’t shaking though. He looked at her with that calm, collected way that somehow made

her even more upset. “I know you’re angry about what happened last night. It was a mistake—”

That did it. Something within Emma snapped and she lunged at Jace. She supposed somewhere

in her mind, she knew she’d never be capable of hurting him. He had seventy pounds of muscle on her
and years of training. But in that moment, she aimed her keys straight for his eye.

Jace moved faster than she could even see as one hand twisted the wrist that held her makeshift

weapon and the other wrapped around her waist and hauled her fully up against him.

Her breath left her as the keys tumbled to the ground. Adrenaline pumped through her, but every

breath pushed her breasts into Jace’s chest. Great. Because he didn’t think she was enough of an idiot.
Emma pulled away, but Jace’s arm suddenly held her tighter. She looked up and for the first time
noticed that Jace wasn’t so collected anymore. He was breathing just as heavily as she was and his
eyes were locked firmly on her lips.

“Let me go, Jace,” she said softly.
He seemed to snap out of it as his eyes met hers, but he didn’t let her go. Instead, he walked

forward, which forced Emma to grasp at his jacket to keep her balance as she was pushed backward.
“Jace, what—” Her words stuck in her throat as her back connected with one of the white columns
that framed her porch. Half of her thought Jace was screwing with her, but there was no hint of
amusement in the hard planes of his face. “Jace?”

“I need you to listen to me and refrain from any more murder attempts.”
She took a steadying breath. “Don’t worry. Next time I’ll succeed.” With that, she rammed her

knee toward his crotch.

“Damn it, Emma.” Jace just missed her blow and inserted his feet between hers, effectively

immobilizing her.

But before she could think of her next move, she realized she felt more than just his stomach.

His hard and heavy erection was pressed fully against her. She met his gaze with hers and for the first
time noticed that the cords of his neck were strained, as though it took everything within him to keep
from pouncing on her.

Was he the type of guy who got off on beating down women? No. He wasn’t hurting her. All

he’d done was keep her from stabbing out his eye. Even if he totally deserved it, he was allowed to
defend himself.

He was supposed to be calculating and callous, not on the verge of losing control. “Okay, I’m

listening,” she squeaked out.

Jace took a deep breath before he backed away far enough that his cock wasn’t straining against

her anymore. “I came because I think you’re in danger.”

Emma pulled back, testing his grip a little, but he just held tighter. “And you couldn’t have said

that with a simple phone call?”

He frowned down at her. “And exactly how many of my hundred phone calls have you

answered today?”

Big fat zero. “So I’m in danger? Fine. I’ll find someone local to keep watch on the place for a

while. You didn’t need to fly all the way down here to tell me. Especially since I don’t ever want to
see your face again.”

“There’s something you don’t know. When I altered the bank statements”—Emma narrowed her

eyes at him, but he didn’t stop talking—“I noticed that your sister was getting massive deposits from
someone. I took them out because I didn’t want you to start looking into it and get into trouble.”

“How big is massive?”
“Over a hundred thousand a month.”
Her jaw dropped open. What on earth could Joslyn have done to be getting that kind of money?

“Even so, that doesn’t mean anything.” Jace was obviously a little unhinged if he flew all the way
down here in order to talk to her. Even if she was in trouble, having a crazy man around didn’t make
her safer.

“Fine.” He abruptly released her and stepped back.
Emma set a steadying hand on the pole. She glanced at her car, which still had the driver’s door

hanging wide open, but she crossed out the possibility of running. Even if she wanted to, the keys
were in the dirt right behind Jace. She’d just let him say what he had to say and leave. If he’d wanted
to hurt her at this point, it’s not as if she could stop him.

Jace pulled out his phone and ran his fingers over the screen. “Do the names Rick Lincoln,

Glenn Yeun, Daryl Reedus, or Scott Harrison mean anything to you?”

Emma studied Jace’s stern face as she tried to guess what he was getting at. “Should they?”
“Well, all of them were probably killed by the guy we had lunch with yesterday.”
Her blood went cold at the words as she thought back to the intimidating, threatening man she

sat across from. “What?”

“There are ten other crime scenes his fingerprints have been all over.”
“That’s why you took the menu from the café.” Emma felt like a moron for not making sense of

it earlier. “You ran his prints.”

“My contact at the FBI did it while I was pulling in fifty different favors to get an express flight

down here. Emma, whatever these guys want from you, they already have a cleaner working on it.”

She shook her head. “There’s nothing to clean up! I don’t know anything! Besides, how good

can this guy really be if he leaves fingerprints everywhere?”

“The kind of good that either isn’t scared of getting caught or knows he won’t. Not many people

can do this many things without ever being printed by the cops, Emma.”

Her mind flashed back to his brutal treatment of the bouncer at Drax. “Have you ever been

printed?” Jace’s silent, hard stare was answer enough. “Takes one to know one, I guess.”

“Emma, let me help you. I—” He broke off and turned to glance out through the wooded land to

the side of her home. “I don’t want to see you get hurt,” he finished.

Emma tried to judge his sincerity, but damn it was hard. Had her cousins sent him? Luke had

seemed just as upset as her that Jace had slept with her while being on their payroll, but at this point
she had no idea what her family was capable of.

And she knew what Jace was capable of. “Who is your FBI contact?”
“Evelyn Price. We did a few jobs together back in the day. She ended up working for the

government and I—”

“Didn’t,” she completed for him. How much did she really know about this man she’d let into

her life and bed? “So what, you thought you could come down here unannounced and convince me to
let you crash on my couch? What did you expect me to say?”

“I expected you to see reason. And I wouldn’t stay on your couch.”
Well, that was something at least. “Are you staying at one of the hotels in town?”
“No, I’ll be in your bedroom.”
Okay. The plan to kill him was back on.
“On the floor,” he quickly added. “You have a massive house. There’s no way I can watch all

entry points or hear everything happening. The best chance you have is if I stick close by. I know you
don’t like me and I know you don’t trust me, but this is serious.”

Emma narrowed her eyes. “So let me get this straight. You know that if I let you inside my

house after the stunt you pulled, that would make me a complete moron, right?” He nodded. “And if
there really is a psycho out there who wants me dead and I turn you away, that would make me a
moron too.”

“That’s pretty much where you’re at.” At least he didn’t look happy about it.
Emma let out a deep sigh and set a hand on her hip. “You can stay for one night. I will call

Michael, and he will figure out how much trouble I’m in. If he thinks I’m at risk, we will find anyone
who isn’t you to help out. Understand?”

A muscle ticked in Jace’s jaw and for a moment she thought he was going to fight her on it. But

then he nodded in agreement. “I’ll take it.”

Emma crossed to pick up her keys, but Jace beat her to it, bending down and handing them to

her from his crouched position.

“Thanks,” she muttered before she remembered that she shouldn’t be thanking him for anything.

She started for the car to grab her luggage, but Jace was once again ahead of her. He popped the trunk
of her BMW and shut the driver’s door before he reached in to grab her one carry-on sized bag.

“This is all you have?”
“I actually had more, but I left in such a hurry that that’s all I grabbed. Luke will have to send

me the rest. So you’ll just have to deal with a makeup-less me for the next twenty-four hours.” Ha.
Take that, Jace.

He shrugged and hauled up the bag, not bothering to use the wheels. He crossed toward the

door, but stopped in front of Emma. His eyes roamed over her. “You look pretty good now.”

Emma’s mouth dropped open, but before she could respond, he was already past her. She

stumbled over herself as she caught up to him. “I don’t appreciate those types of comments.” She put
the key into the lock and turned.

“You don’t want me to say you look good without makeup?”
“From now on, the only phrases in your vocabulary should be ‘yes ma’am’, ‘no ma’am’, and

‘you’ll probably die if you do that, ma’am.’ Understand?”

She reached for the handle, but Jace’s hand got to it first. “You might die if you do that,

ma’am.”

Emma rolled her eyes and glared at him. “Seriously?”
“I’d explain why, but I have a limited vocabulary at the moment,” he said with a smug

expression firmly in place. She narrowed her eyes, and luckily Jace explained himself without any
spoken threats of violence. “I’ve been here for a while, so there’s probably no one hiding in wait.
But, on the off chance there is, wouldn’t you rather it’s me who gets stabbed or shot instead of you?”

She smiled sweetly up at him. “Well, in that case, please go in first.” The inner hostess in her

cringed as her guest for the night carried in her bags, but then she reminded herself that she in no way
wanted Jace to feel comfortable or welcome.

He set her bag down next to the winding staircase and looked around at her house. Emma

stiffened as she studied his reaction. What did he think of the house? Was he expecting it to be bigger?
Smaller? Was he judging her for living in such an extravagant place all on her own?

Emma had stayed in her share of dorms, so she knew how to downsize when she needed to. But

this was her home. She’d grown up here and knew the surrounding woods like the back of her hand.
And so what if Jace was judging her?

“You actually live here?” he asked in awe.
Emma crossed her arms over her chest. “Born and raised. It’s my family home.” The family that

consisted only of her and her imprisoned sister. In-jailed sister?

Jace let out a small whistle. “It looked nice from the outside, but this is…”
The hardwood floors were polished and the natural light from the windows shining into the

foyer and living room on either side of the front door reflected off the pristine surface. The walls
were painted a light hunter green, which gave the room a deep, historic feel.

A good seventy percent of the furniture was well-preserved antiques. Her family hadn’t come

into most of their wealth until the past century, but Emma’s dad had been obsessive about keeping
family heirlooms or purchasing other antiques. It wasn’t exactly Emma’s style, but even she couldn’t
deny the impressive air they gave to the rooms.

And if Jace was going to look down on her for being a poor little rich girl, she wasn’t going to

hang around and let him. “Look all you want. I’m tired and am going to take a nap.” After her flight
and drive, she had planned on crashing in her bed and not moving until the next morning, but she
severely doubted her ability to relax with Jace around.

She crossed to the stairs and Jace picked up the suitcase and followed. His frown was firmly in

place as he kept looking around at the house. As she reached the top of the stairs, she turned to look
down at him. “Would you please wipe that look off your face?”

He appeared genuinely confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Yes. It’s a big house, okay? I know it’s too big for just me, but there’s no one else besides me

to live here at the moment.”

He let out a small laugh. “I wasn’t thinking that. I just feel like I should burst into flames from

even being in some place this nice.”

In his worn jeans and leather jacket that had obviously been with him for a while, Jace

definitely didn’t fit in with the aesthetic. Seeing him in her familiar, safe environment was a little bit
too much for her mind to handle at the moment. “Oh, that,” she murmured as she turned back around
and headed down the hall that led to her room. “Well, I feel the same way sometimes and I’ve lived
here as long as I can remember.”

After what felt like way too long, she finally got to her room and pushed open the door. Oh,

look. Another one of her most intimate places she didn’t want Jace to ever see.

Not that there was anything embarrassing in the room.
“Damn,” he said. “No pink.”
Despite herself, Emma smiled. She’d long since had it updated from the garish pink she’d

adored as a teen. “It took me awhile, but eventually I did get a style of my own.”

The room was a decent size. It fit a queen-sized bed easily enough and had a sitting area with a

white recliner and a light. The bedspread and walls were both a soft purple while the sheer curtains
along the door that opened to her balcony were a bright white.

“You get the chair.” She slipped out of her shoes and crawled into the bed. As soon as she lay

down, she realized she probably should’ve gotten a snack from downstairs. All of her cosmetics were
at Luke’s, so her nightly moisturizing routine would have to wait. She’d gone to the restroom as soon
as she’d gotten off the plane, so she was good on that for a while, but, good God, he wouldn’t want to
come in the restroom with her too, would he?

“You’re sleeping in your jeans?” He slipped off the jacket and set it over the back of the

recliner.

“Well, I’m not about to undress in front of—” She drifted off as she sat up and noticed the

shoulder holster that stood out starkly against Jace’s white t-shirt. Well, that explained the jacket in
such warm weather. “How did you get that past security?”

Jace pulled the gun out of the holster and Emma’s entire body tensed before he set it on the

nightstand beside the recliner. “I didn’t take a commercial plane.”

Emma snorted. Of course he took a better flight than her. That was just icing on the cake. She

pulled her comforter aside and climbed under the covers, trying desperately to get comfortable even
while still wearing her socks, jeans, and bra. Was it really just last night that she’d slept naked in
Jace’s arms?

Ugh. How could she have been so stupid? And now he was in her room, wearing a weapon

she didn’t even know whether she approved of and she was just supposed to be okay with it? “Why
are you here?” she asked quietly.

Jace sat in the recliner and looked out over the room. “I told you. Because there’s a man who is

very good at killing people who is unfortunately interested in you.”

Emma rolled over on her side and rested her head on her hand. “So? That’s not your problem.

Are Luke and Michael paying you? I didn’t think Luke would ever want to see you again after he
found out what you did to me.”

He scoffed. “What I did to you? If I remember correctly, I think you did a few things to me too.”
She could feel the blush taking over her face and wished desperately that Jace didn’t notice.

“You know what I meant.”

Jace leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs. “Why did you do it?”
Great. He was answering questions with questions now. “Do what?”
“Me. You don’t know me all that well. I’m sure you have and can do better. So why last night?

What happened?”

Damn it. How dare he compare what she did to him to what he did to her? “I slept with you

because I cared about you,” she snapped. “You were different than anyone I ever met and I didn’t
want to spend the rest of my life thinking I was never with you.” As soon as the words were out, she
wished she could take them back. As though she needed to be any more vulnerable than she already
was in front of Jace.

At least he didn’t look too smug at her unfortunate confession. Instead, he rose and stood over

her. “Did you ever stop to think that I feel the same?”

Emma couldn’t speak as her eyes met his. No. He couldn’t feel the same. He would’ve been

honest with her if he had. He would’ve been helping her, not running around behind her back. “No,”

she finally said. “I never thought that.”

His jaw tightened as though he wanted to defend himself, but whatever he wanted to say, he

didn’t. “I’m using the bathroom,” he finally said. “So you have thirty seconds to change so you don’t
have to sleep in your damn jeans. Then you can go to sleep and pretend I don’t exist again.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Michael nodded a thanks to the guard as he sat down. He looked around at the jail visiting area.

The whole thing was just so…depressing.

The colors were either beige or gray and everyone he’d passed who wasn’t a guard had an air

of hopelessness that only came from people in especially hard times. Hell, he felt like shit being here
and he didn’t even like the inmate he was going to see. How horrible would it be to visit a mother or
brother in a place like this?

Before he could dwell too much on all the different turns life could’ve taken, the door behind

the glass he sat in front of opened and there was his nemesis. He allowed himself to feel a brief
moment of victory as the guard led in Joslyn.

Her dyed red hair had grown out, so there was a good inch or two of her brown roots visible.

She wore the standard drab gray outfits of all the inmates with the name of the jail stamped on the
back.

The guard let her to the seat. Joslyn narrowed her eyes at Michael as she picked up the phone

on the other side of the glass. “Funny,” she said. “I was told I was meeting my lawyer.”

Michael knew she probably picked up on the fact that he’d paid the guards to lie to her but he

wasn’t about to admit it. “The man at the front must’ve been confused.”

“Well, now that we have this cleared up, have a shitty day, Michael.”
Before she could stand, Michael said, “Your sister is in trouble.”
Joslyn paused for a moment before she responded. “I don’t have any family, remember? Luke

made that very clear.”

“Some guy met with her the other day. He said his name was Dave and threatened that she’d pay

if she didn’t get him some USB drive and your computer. Care to share where that USB drive is?”
The question burned in his throat. The very notion of needing his cousin to help him with anything
went against everything inside him.

Emma and Joslyn were practically polar opposites. Emma was welcoming and funny. Joslyn

always had better things to do than associate with family and even back when she was in high school,
Michael could see that her mind always calculated the best way to get ahead. His minor dislike had
turned to full-on disdain after his aunt and uncle died. He knew everyone handled grief differently, but
Joslyn didn’t even bother to fake any tears. She was going out with friends, buying new cars and even
had scheduled to have the entire Devereaux Georgia estate completely remodeled.

Luckily, Luke and Michael were able to get her access to the family funds blocked by then.

After they were able to prove she was an official suspect in her parents’ death, they celebrated that
she’d never have access to the family money again. It might never bring back his family, but at least he
could cut the bitch off from her one true love: money.

“I can’t help you.” The corner of her mouth twisted up as though she enjoyed seeing him squirm.
“If you don’t like me, fine. But don’t take your anger at Luke and me out on your sister. She’s

always supported you.”

She scoffed. “Support is a strong word, but at least she never hated me as much as you. You’ve

been around for a while, Michael. You know that when you ask for help, you need some sort of
leverage. So if I do help you, what are you willing to offer me?”

Fucking bitch. “I don’t have anything for you. You’re going to prison for years. No possibility

of a plea deal since there is no doubt you’re guilty as hell. Your only saving grace right now is that
you failed to kill Victoria. That’s what’s keeping you away from life in prison.”

She leaned back and smirked at Michael. “For someone so good at business, you still have such

a hard time getting the most basic concepts of life. If you don’t have leverage, you need to fake it.”

Realization hit him like a brick to the face. “You faked it.”
“Sometimes you have to play the cards you’re dealt. I saw an opportunity to improve myself

and I took it.”

“So when this guy goes banging on Emma’s door demanding things you stole, there’s no

possible way for her to give it to him.”

“Oh, I don’t think that is going to happen. The Dave I met wasn’t exactly the knock on the door

type. She’ll never know what hit her.”

Before Michael could say anything else, Joslyn hung up the phone and stood to signal the guards

to take her back. “Joslyn!” called Michael, not sure whether she could hear him. “Who does Dave
work for?”

She gave him a wink before she turned away. “Who does he work for?” shouted Michael again,

but by then it was too late. She was already gone, and the jail workers on his side approached him
with stern expressions.

Before they could yell at him, Michael twisted away and stormed away from the visiting

section. He needed to call Emma back and give her the news, but the very thought of telling her the
situation she was in made him want to throw up. Luke never should’ve let her go back home. At least
if she were here, Luke and Michael could keep an eye on her. There were people they could hire for
the times neither of them could be around her. They could track down this Dave guy and stop him
before he got close.

But now the only way he could protect her was through a phone call. The only saving grace was

that Jace Lance was still with her, but even that was questionable. When Michael had met with the
man, he’d seemed professional enough. Michael never thought that Jace would sleep with Emma.

For that matter, he never thought Emma would sleep with Jace. They might be the definition of

polar opposites, but he couldn’t fault the man for good taste in women. But if Luke was right about
how pissed off Emma had been when she left, Michael could only imagine what had gone down when
Jace showed up at the Devereaux estate.

Something must’ve gone right, because when she’d called Michael that morning, it didn’t sound

as if she’d killed him. She hadn’t sounded happy about it, but she hadn’t killed him. As angry as
Michael was at Jace at the moment, he was just damn grateful Emma wasn’t alone.

Michael’s private car waited for him outside the jail. He got in and told Jim, his driver, to head

back to the office. Once there, he could handle the call to Emma and tell her that he couldn’t help at
all. He was used to making unpleasant calls in his office. He could handle it better there.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he leaned against the seat and took a breath. Everything had

been going so well. The company had turned record profits. He and Luke were probably on the best
terms they’d been on for years. Joslyn had been arrested and would no longer be a problem anymore.

But he should know better. Just like whenever he sat down to analyze why the new software

being designed wasn’t keeping everything out they shouldn’t. At first, it would seem as if there were
an easy solution, but as he drilled down closer and closer to the problem, it always ended up being

more complex than he originally anticipated.

But once he got down to those complexities, then he could demolish whatever virus he was

going after and make a firewall ten times more powerful than before. He just had to look at this
problem like a virus. Once he drilled down and found out who was controlling this Dave guy, he
could demolish the real danger and keep his family safe.

The car stopped in front of the towering DevX Tech building a few blocks away from Times

Square. Michael nodded his thanks to Jim before he climbed out of the car. The building guards didn’t
ask for his credentials or ID, since they all knew him. He took the elevator up to the executive floor,
running his security badge over the keypad, signaling that he had the authority to go to that level.

DevX Tech. He tried to run a lean operation, but a certain amount of top-tier talent demanded

flashier offices. The software field in general was known for fancy perks for all employees. The
executive level included a fully stocked lunchroom, a gym, and a rec room that included a pool, Ping-
Pong and foosball table.

It sure as hell made it easier for him to pull the long hours that he was becoming more and more

used to.

The elevator doors opened to the executive floor and Michael made his way straight to his

office. Though they enforced an open door policy, Michael kept his door locked whenever he wasn’t
in his office due to some of the more sensitive documents he kept.

He paused when he noticed that not only was the door open, but someone sat at his desk. Not at

the visitor side of the desk, but in his damn chair.

Motherfucker, this was the last thing he needed today. He quickened his stride and pulled out

his phone. But instead of getting scared when the woman in the chair saw him, she simply sat up
straighter and looked him over.

Michael didn’t quite know what to make of her. She was bombshell gorgeous, with thick, curly

dark hair and deep brown eyes. Except her eyes were stone cold as she observed him without a hint
of guilt or shame for breaking into his office.

“You have two seconds to tell me who you are or I’m calling the cops.”
The corner of her mouth hooked up. “Well, look no further.” She picked something off the desk

and held it up.

Shit. That looked like a pretty official badge. He held out a hand. “Can I see that?”
The woman pulled it back a bit. “No. But you can call my home office and verify the badge

number.”

And he sure as hell was going to do that. As soon as he found out what she was doing there.

“Can I help you with something, Officer?”

“At the FBI, we’re referred to as agents, actually. And I’m here to help you.” He raised a

questioning brow as he waited for her to continue. “My name is Evelyn Price, and I can save your
cousin, but only if I get the full cooperation of you and your brother.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Emma hung up the phone and looked out over the front of her home. The picturesque trees that

swayed in the breeze. The pristine, curving drive that led up to her family home that she’d been so
desperate to get back to.

And all for nothing.
“What did Michael say?” asked Jace from behind her.
For a moment, Emma was so tempted to toss her phone out into the perfect scenery that

surrounded her. Damn it, why couldn’t anything go right?

Jace apparently picked up on her mood. “That bad?”
She tightened her lips and tried to take deep, calming breaths. “There is no USB. She faked it.

Wouldn’t tell Michael who she blackmailed, but was nice enough to laugh at the idea that Dave was
sniffing around me.”

“Don’t worry, Emma. We’ll handle this.”
She snorted. “We’re not doing anything. The second Michael and Luke find someone else

qualified to be my babysitter, you’re going back to New York.” The words burned in her throat. The
very idea that she needed someone to watch out for her drove her crazy, let alone the idea that Jace
was the one who would be watching.

And instead of fighting her, Jace stayed quiet. Somehow that pissed her off even more. Did he

want to be the one down here? He’d said that he cared about her last night. If he was telling the truth,
wouldn’t he be more insistent about it?

All morning, he’d been this silent, constant presence. As she did her morning tasks, walked

around the gardens to make sure everything was doing well, checked her email, emptied the
dishwasher she’d filled before she’d left for New York, Jace was there and not saying a word.

And as much as she wanted him gone, the thought of a stranger doing the same thing seemed

somehow worse. Jace was seeing her most intimate rituals, but they had slept together. Somehow him
standing by her side as she did mundane tasks like laundry didn’t seem as annoying.

Not to mention he hadn’t asked for a single thing. She’d even been a little sadistic and hadn’t

offered him any breakfast. Now that even her stomach was growling, Jace had to be starving. He
probably needed to eat twice as much as her a day just to maintain all his muscle.

“I need to go to town,” she said. “We can get some breakfast and some food to stock the

pantry.”

Jace nodded. “Sounds good. Are you ready now?” He wore the same outfit as the day before,

gun securely in place under his jacket. He was probably ready to leave at any given moment if
needed.

She wasn’t quite as ready to drive off at the drop of a hat. “I need my purse first.” He nodded

and followed her inside through the entryway, up the stairs and back to her bedroom where she’d left
her purse the night before.

Even though he’d been in the room with her the entire night before, the feeling of Jace behind

her, watching her, as she bent over to pick up the shoulder bag set every nerve on edge. But she
supposed she shouldn’t be surprised by her nerves. She’d never had any men over to her family home.
The few boyfriends she’d had in the past had all started and ended on various college campuses.

Most of the available men in town were either too afraid to approach a member of the

Devereaux family and the ones confident enough to approach were too arrogant for Emma’s tastes.
Which was strange because Jace sure wasn’t lacking in the arrogance factor, but somehow it didn’t
bother her as much.

Maybe because even though he was always right, he would take the time to listen to her

opinions? Or because the few times he did make mistakes, he was able to admit it and shrug it off?

Not that it mattered, thought Emma as she grabbed her keys and headed out of the bedroom,

Jace dutifully a few steps behind. As soon as they were down the stairs, Jace quickened his stride so
he could reach the front door first and hold it open for her. “Thanks,” she said under her breath,
belatedly realizing she’d broken her own rule and said something pleasant to him.

“Can I drive?” he asked as they approached her car.
Emma let out a huff. Just when she thought they were getting better, he went and said something

else frustrating. “Don’t trust a woman behind the wheel?”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Or it’s a really nice car and I’d love the opportunity to try it out.”
Oh great, she was being paranoid again. She thought back to how excited he’d seemed to try out

Joslyn’s Jaguar.

“But I really want to drive because on the off chance we have to make a quick getaway, I’d like

to know how it handles.”

Looked as if she wasn’t the only paranoid one. “Go for it.” She tossed him the keys. Of course

he snatched them out of the air easily. But instead of crossing over to the driver’s side, he remained
next to the passenger door and held it open for her.

Emma slid inside and once again found herself thanking Jace. Darn Southern manners were so

ingrained in her she couldn’t seem to turn them off.

Jace slid in the driver’s seat and the engine roared to life. Well, it was a luxury car, so it sort of

hummed to life. “Where to?”

“Turn right at the end of the drive onto the highway. It’s about ten miles down the road until

Main Street. I like to get a lot of my food from the weekend farmers’ market, but since we probably
need to eat between now and then, we can stop at the big box store to pick up essentials.”

“Works for me.” Jace put the car in gear and navigated through the winding driveway.
Emma let her head fall back against the headrest and stared out the window. This whole silent

treatment she’d been giving Jace all morning was much easier to maintain when they weren’t
enclosed in a tiny space together. “Tell me something about yourself,” she blurted out.

His eyes shifted between the road and her. “What exactly did you want to know?”
Emma shrugged. “I don’t know. You keep telling me to trust you, but I don’t really know

anything about you. You already know pretty much everything there is to know about me and you’ve
taken over my family home. Don’t I deserve something in return? So tell me something that you’ve
never told anyone before.”

Jace was silent and Emma sighed. What was she expecting? It wasn’t as if they were dating.

Jace had no reason to be anything other than distant.

“My real name is Sean,” he said softly.
Emma perked up in her seat. “Sean?” She supposed the name fit him. Strong. Virile. But she

didn’t know if she could ever think of him as anything besides Jace.

“I mentioned earlier that I enlisted in the Army when I was sixteen. I got away with it by signing

up as my brother, Jason. Except I never got used to being called by his name, so I shortened it.”

But what would make a sixteen-year-old think that the Army was a better option than staying at

home? “How did you get away with that? Your brother didn’t mind?”

Jace shrugged, his face hard and emotionless. “I doubt he minded. He was killed himself long

before I took over his identity.”

Emma felt the blood drain from her face. She should’ve just kept her mouth shut. If he didn’t

want to get into his whole history, he didn’t have to. She had no right to pressure him…not that she’d
pressured him about his family. He was the one who offered the information…

“Don’t worry about it. Jason and I had it rough growing up. Mom couldn’t take the heat, so she

left us with Dad. After Jason killed himself, Dad and I buried him in the woods out back. Dad didn’t
want to lose out on the welfare checks, so he covered the whole thing up.”

And Emma had a sickening feeling she knew why Jace would help with the cover-up. From the

sounds of it, their father wasn’t the warm, cuddly type. “I’m so sorry.” She wished she hadn’t brought
the whole thing up.

Jace turned onto the highway. “It was a long time ago. But it’s something I’ve never told anyone

else, so now you know a secret about me.”

Emma took a deep breath in and exhaled. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
“I didn’t have to answer,” he reminded her.
And that was true. He could’ve told her to stick it where the sun don’t shine, but instead he’d

chosen to tell her. Maybe he wasn’t full of it. Maybe some part in the back of his jaded mind really
did care about her.

Or she was just being a naive romantic again. She wondered whether Jace was the type who

left broken hearts trailing behind him at all the jobs he worked.

Jace slowed down as the speed limit changed to adjust for the nearby town. “So if you ever

want to know any of my deep, dark secrets, just ask.”

Emma made a mental note to not ask him any more questions in the near future about his past. It

was easier to stay mad at him if she thought of him as some random asshole with no history. She
managed to keep the conversation mostly casual and pleasant as they did a quick round of grocery
shopping.

She prided herself on eating healthy, but Jace’s diet put hers to shame. He knew exactly what he

wanted and, Emma noticed, was getting enough vegetables and meat to last him for a week at least.

But he was only going when he didn’t think she was in danger anymore and neither of them had

any way of proving how long it would take, so Emma didn’t bother fighting with him about the
quantity. Because she only got a few things and he knew exactly what he wanted, it didn’t take long
before they were back in the car. At this point, Emma felt as though she were going to die if she didn’t
eat soon, so they pulled into the mom-and-pop diner at the edge of town.

Of course, Emma couldn’t just walk into a local establishment with some new guy with her and

not cause a huge fuss. So the owner, the cook, and the three waitresses on staff all came over to make
a scene. The good news was that Emma didn’t feel pressured to fill any awkward silence between her
and Jace. Instead, she had to lie to people she’d known her entire life. No, she and Jace weren’t
together. He was helping out around the house for a bit. No, really, they weren’t together. Yes, he did
love the beautiful scenery. No, they really, really weren’t together.

After the Spanish Inquisition of brunches, Jace and Emma escaped the diner back into her car.

Even though he probably had a feel for her car by now, she didn’t argue when Jace held open the
passenger door for her. Once they were back on the road, Emma let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks for
handling that so well.”

He shrugged. “Hey, I’ve played worse parts than a beautiful woman’s not a boyfriend friend.”
Emma felt a blush creep up her neck at the compliment. She could normally take a compliment

like a competent human being, but hearing it from Jace was different. He’d been all over the world
and had more than his share of good looks, but he still thought she was beautiful?

Okay, fine. She obviously was incapable of staying mad at him and apparently her schoolgirl

crush had somehow managed to get worse since he’d followed her home. She could deal with this.
They’d go back to being colleagues for the time being. Nothing changed. It wasn’t as if they’d been a
couple. They were planning to have a week-long stand that turned into a one-night stand. Even if she
didn’t hate him anymore, it didn’t mean she was going to jump his bones that very second.

And even though he hadn’t made any type of sexual move on her, Emma knew he still wanted

her. During their silent morning, she’d felt his eyes on her the entire time, and not in a platonic
bodyguard sort of way. She’d tried to push it out of her mind, but now she needed to confront the idea
that they were both still attracted to each other.

They turned back onto the drive to the estate and Emma snuck another glance at Jace. He had

promised to give her the best week of her life, filled with hot sex and laughter. Why should a little
thing like death threats keep her from taking advantage? Sure, the line between casual lovers and
something more was already more than a little blurred, but her one day of staying as far away from
Jace as possible hadn’t helped. Maybe the answer was to get closer.

Emma let out a small snort at her own strange logic. Her mind was apparently desperate to

think up a reason for her to get Jace naked again. Jace tensed next to her and Emma glanced out the
windshield to see what had him spooked. Her heart leaped in her throat when she saw that the front
door of her home was wide open. Jace brought the car to a soft stop and reached down to his ankle.

“What are we going to do?” she asked. Jace seemed as if he had some sort of plan. He

definitely didn’t seem as freaked out as she felt.

He pulled out a tiny gun from an ankle holster and handed it to her. “Take this. I’m going inside

to check it out. As soon as I get out of the car, lock the doors and get into the driver’s seat, okay? If
you see anything that scares you, drive away. If you see anyone who scares you, drive away. If you
hear or see something and you don’t know if it should scare you, drive away. Got it?”

Emma gingerly took the handgun from him, trying to remember her few times at the shooting

range years ago. “Why don’t we just turn around and go straight to the police? Get backup.”

“I am your backup.” He set a comforting hand on her knee. “The door is open, which means that

if there was anyone here, they’re not being subtle. I’m thinking there’s going to be a warning to you
inside. If it is who we think it is, they still want something from you.”

Emma nodded as Jace climbed out of the car and shut the door behind him. Before he moved

away, he stared at her through the window and Emma remembered that he’d told her to move.
Carefully keeping her hand off the trigger of the gun, she climbed over the center console until she
was in the driver’s seat and hit the button to lock all the doors.

That must’ve satisfied Jace, because he turned toward the house and pulled his other gun out of

his shoulder holster. He held it cautiously in front of him as he made his way up the stairs and inside
the house.

She never should’ve let him go in there. What if it was just one of her neighbors who’d

wandered inside? Would he shoot them on accident? Not that anyone had ever once wandered into her
home uninvited, but there was a first time for everything.

Or there really was some dangerous psycho in there and she was letting Jace go in all by

himself. Damn it, this was ridiculous. Even if the police couldn’t do anything, she knew she wasn’t
exactly helpless.

Emma reached across the passenger’s seat to where her purse sat on the floor and pulled her

cell phone out. After glancing up to make sure Jace wasn’t running out of the house bleeding, she went
to her recent contacts and sent a call out to Michael.

“Hey Emma,” he answered on the first ring.
“Someone was in my house,” she blurted out. “They could still be there. I don’t know. Jace is

looking through now and I don’t know what to do.” Well, she did know what to do. Jace had given her
very detailed instructions. But still she felt as if she should be doing more.

“Shit. Are you okay? Did they hurt you? Put Jace on the line.”
Emma shook her head in frustration. Michael wasn’t getting it. “I’m fine. Jace isn’t with me. I’m

sitting in the car, scared out of my mind and God knows what Jace is seeing in there. He told me not
to call the cops and I kind of feel like the police are the best people to call in this case and I really
didn’t want to be alone out here, so I guess I called you.” Not that Michael could help, but she was
already feeling a bit calmer now that she could talk things out with him.

“Don’t call the police,” snapped Michael.
Emma frowned. She could understand that Jace wouldn’t want a small local police force getting

in the middle of something he thought he could handle, but Michael always sat on the side of caution.
“What?”

“Luke and I are working on something. I didn’t want to mention it until things are more

finalized, but by tomorrow, you should be out of harm’s way.”

“And you didn’t think it was a good idea to mention this sooner?” The only reason he’d keep it

a secret was if he was doing something she wouldn’t approve of. “Don’t get yourself in trouble
because of me.”

“I have things handled over here. Just stick with Lance and make sure he takes care of you.”
Her comforting phone call was suddenly making her feel even worse than before she’d called.

Just then, Jace emerged from the front door. His expression was somber and serious, but at least he
didn’t look hurt or scared. “I have to go,” she told Michael. “Remember what I said. Don’t be an
idiot.” Even as she hung up, she knew nothing she could say over the phone would convince one of
her cousins to change their minds once they decided on something. Jace approached the car and
knocked on the window.

Emma reached down to hit the unlock button and pushed the door open as much as she could

with Jace’s body in the way. “What happened?”

“We should find somewhere else to stay for the night. Why don’t you scoot over and we’ll find

a motel along the highway.”

Her heart sunk in her chest as she realized he didn’t answer her question. “Can’t I grab a change

of clothes? If you didn’t see anyone, why can’t we go in?” She knew full well it probably wasn’t safe,
but she could tell there was something Jace wasn’t telling her. And between him and her cousins, she
was getting damn sick of being left in the dark.

“I didn’t see or hear anyone, but it’s a huge place, Emma. They could be hiding somewhere I

didn’t have time to check or could’ve run out the back and are waiting it out in the woods. We should
get going before we find out, though.”

“So everything was fine? What if we left the door open? Sometimes a strong wind comes along

and catches—” Jace tightened his lips and Emma knew something bad happened. “What aren’t you
telling me?”

“There’s been some damage.”
Emma felt the blood drain from her face. “What kind of damage?” It had to be bad. Otherwise

he would’ve told her right away.

“I said they were trying to send a message and that’s what they did. Let’s not give them the

satisfaction of hurting you.”

Emma couldn’t hear what he was saying. Everything was blocked out by the pounding anger and

violation she felt knowing someone had been in her house. Not only had they broken in, but they’d
vandalized the place. “I need to see it.” She pushed the door open farther and when Jace’s body got in
the way, she simply pushed harder.

“I told you it’s not safe,” said Jace, even as he backed up a step to allow her to get out.
“Well, you have my permission to shoot anyone you see.” She jogged to the porch. She heard

Jace’s footsteps creak up the wooden porch behind her and without hesitation, she reached out and
pulled open the front door.

Emma’s breath caught in her throat at the damage. “Those bastards,” she breathed as she

stepped inside. It looked as if whoever it was had come through with a sledgehammer and destroyed
everything in sight. The beautiful antique secretary where she’d always check the mail and leave her
keys was now smashed to pieces. The walls were covered in holes. Drywall dust coated the entire
room and bits still floated around, making the air taste stale and corrupted.

“I’m sorry,” said Jace softly from the doorway.
She turned to face him, as a tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. “How far does it go?”
“Not far. We weren’t gone long.”
Jace was right. They’d only left an hour or so ago. They’d rushed through buying groceries and

then stopped for their awkward breakfast. “We were gone long enough.” She took another step inside
and saw that even the ornate, hand-carved staircase had had its railing smashed in so that it was
hanging precariously off to the side. “If they were still here, there would be a car out front, right?”

“Or they parked somewhere else and jumped the fence. That’s what I did.”
She looked at him again. “You have a car here?”
He shrugged. “Borrowed it from a friend, but couldn’t get it through the gate. Had to get here

somehow. Let’s go. We’ll find someplace to settle in and I’ll make some calls.”

Make calls. Whatever the hell that meant. “Don’t bother. Michael said he and Luke would have

the whole thing handled by tomorrow.”

Jace raised a questioning brow. “How?”
“That would involve them actually telling me things. I hung up on Michael pretty quick when

you came out of the house. We can call him again when we find somewhere to stay. As we get closer
to Savannah, there are a few decent places we could stay.” Jace held the door for her as she moved
away from the wreckage of her home. “I just want this all to be over.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Jace grabbed the room key from the motel worker and nodded his thanks. It probably wasn’t the

nicest place Emma had ever stayed, but it would get the job done. The nondescript motel was right off
the highway, accepted cash and didn’t appear to have security cameras. There were still ways for
whoever was threatening Emma to find her, but he was doing his damndest to keep them away from
her.

He made his way back to where he’d parked his borrowed SUV and dangled the room key in

front of him, signaling that Emma could get out. She looked just as miserable as she had when he left
her to go check in. Jace had dealt with this kind of thing before. It was hard enough to think that
someone wanted to cause you physical harm, but when confronted with undeniable proof that you
were in danger, it was a shock to the system.

Emma just needed a day or two to process everything. She’d be back to her old, much too

stubborn self in no time. Tonight would be the hardest, but it would get better. Jace would see to it,
even if her cousins didn’t get everything sorted out in the city.

He pushed the old-school metal key into the lock and the door opened to a smallish room. The

television looked newish and the comforter appeared clean enough, but the carpeting showed signs of
age and a few spots on the ceiling were cracking.

“So we just sit here and wait until Michael gives us the okay?” She plopped down in the one

chair next to the vanity/workspace area.

“That’s the idea.” He’d been determined to get the details from her cousins as soon as they’d

switched out her BMW for the more subtle SUV he’d borrowed, but it turned out they might have
good reason for keeping Emma in the dark. They told him that Evelyn was working with them and that
was all he needed to know.

Evelyn knew her business and if she thought she could get whoever Joslyn blackmailed off her

back, then Jace trusted her. He just wasn’t used to sitting back and waiting either, which left him and
Emma both frustrated for the same reason. Of course, knowing Evelyn, she was only helping because
there was something in it for her. Which meant that whoever she was going after must be pretty high
on the FBI’s interest list, which didn’t bode well for Emma.

He slid off his jacket and set it on the dresser next to the TV.
Emma’s eyes followed his every movement and Jace had a hard time determining what was

going on in her mind. “So only one bed?” she asked.

“I’ll be sleeping on the floor.” Damn, he’d meant to tell her sooner. He didn’t want her to be

uncomfortable, but it was just less noticeable when a guy booked a room with one bed. And the last
thing he wanted was for the worker at the front desk to remember them if anyone came asking.

Emma smiled wistfully to herself. “And here I thought you were trying to tell me something.”
He narrowed his eyes. Last night, Emma had been completely disgusted at the very notion of

him thinking of her in any type of sexual way. He’d tried his hardest to keep his thoughts on the up-
and-up, but it was hard. It was difficult enough before to keep his thoughts pure, but now that he’d
been with her, he knew what she looked like bent over in front of him. He knew what those big brown
eyes would look like as she sucked his cock and so innocently peered at him through her lashes.

“I’m just trying to help,” he snapped. Damn it. She was just his client. His boss, for God’s

sake. He’d run missions for models and princesses before and not one of them had him this distracted.
He crossed back to the door, slid in the chain and turned the deadbolt. “I’m taking a shower. Don’t let
anyone in for any reason at all. If you think they should come in, grab me.” And now he was seeing
images of her small hand wrapped around his cock and sliding up and down. “Understand?” he bit out
through clenched teeth.

She smiled up at him in that sickeningly sweet way that let him know she was not happy. “Don’t

be an idiot. Got it.”

Jace nodded and walked the few steps to the bathroom. The shower/tub combo was probably

from the eighties, but the curtain was new and clean. He turned the water onto a warm temperature
and started to undo his shoulder holster. He set it on the sink where his gun would remain dry, but it
was within reach if he needed it. Then Jace pulled his shirt over his head as the bathroom door
creaked open.

Jace glared at Emma as he set the shirt next to the towel stand. “You should’ve knocked. I

could’ve been naked.”

“I’ve seen you naked.”
Damn it, he really didn’t need to be reminded of that. “Did you come in here for a reason?”
“Brian.”
“Huh?”
“The guy Joslyn was with at Drax. Brian something. Didn’t you say your contact sent you a list

of Brians who had spent big bucks at the club? I was wondering what you found.”

Jace glanced between the running water behind him and back to Emma. “And now seemed like

a good time to ask?”

“Well, you hadn’t told me before. Why not now?”
Because I’m so horny that I can’t stop thinking about throwing you on that bed and licking

every square inch of your body? “I think she was running around with Brian Longineu. I gave my FBI
contact the info and she was looking into it for me. Is that all you wanted?”

She pursed her lips and noticeably did not leave the bathroom. “You lied to me.”
Damn. She was never going to forgive him. He rubbed the back of his neck. “When I agreed to

work for your cousins, I didn’t—”

“Not that.” She shook of her head. “Two days ago. When we were…together. You promised me

a week. Actually, you promised me the best week and many, many orgasms. I don’t think one night
qualifies.”

Every single muscle in his body tensed. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
Emma licked her lips and Jace’s cock jumped to attention. “I think I do know,” she said.
He shook his head. “No. That deal is off the table. Now turn around and shut the door on your

way out.” He tried to sound firm. Unaffected. And judging by the sudden uncertainty passing over her
face, he might’ve just succeeded.

“You mean you don’t want me anymore?”
He should’ve lied. Said that he’d had his fill and he was done. But he couldn’t. “I don’t think a

week is enough for me.” Jace didn’t know what Emma expected to hear, but the shock across her face
was evident. He steeled himself for the gentle letdown. The logical, sound reasons why they shouldn’t
even consider the idea of being something more than whatever they hell they already were.

“Then let’s do this for more than a week.”

He stood stock-still as he studied her. But she didn’t look confused or wavering.
She shrugged under his scrutiny. “It’s not like we’re getting married. But I don’t have any

pressing plans in the near future. And from what I understand, after this job, you’re unemployed. So
why not see where this goes?”

Jace ran a hand through his hair and tried to force himself to think clearly. “Emma, I don’t think

you or I are in the right frame of mind to be—”

Emma stepped forward and pressed her lips against his. And for a fraction of a second, Jace

really did try to pull away. But then a tentative hand rested on his bicep and what tenuous control he
had snapped. He covered her mouth with his, meeting her tentative kiss with his deep, possessive
one.

Was she serious? After everything he’d done, she wanted to give him another chance? But then

she wrapped her arms around his neck and all he could think about was getting her naked as quickly
as possible.

His hands ran down her back and settled in the curve of her waist and he lifted her against him

so she could wrap her legs around his waist as he moved back into the room. God, she felt good
against him. She ever so subtly rubbed her hips against his and he groaned in a mixture of pleasure
and pain as his cock strained against the fly of his jeans.

He set her down on the bed and reluctantly took his mouth from hers. “Damn it, Emma,” he

muttered as he pulled away. He reached for his fly as she pulled off her shirt. As quick as humanly
possible, he extracted a condom from his back pocket and shucked the pants off, which was good
because Emma was reaching for him and pulling him down.

He happily complied with her demands as he rested his hips between her jean-clad legs and

kissed her. Her breasts brushed his chest in an erotic friction and he groaned as he bit back the urge to
thrust against her.

No. She was giving him another chance and he wasn’t going to screw this up by going too fast

with her. Emma deserved slow and sweet lovemaking that would last all night until she was nothing
more than a quivering, moaning mess.

And he was going to try his best to get her there. Jace gently palmed her breast as he trailed

kisses along the side of her neck, paying special attention to the sensitive crook where it met her
shoulder. Her hands roamed along his back and ran through his hair.

He continued lower, finally getting a chance to appreciate Emma’s perfect chest, running his

tongue quickly over each nipple before he teased the tip with the edge of his teeth. Emma flinched
beneath him even as she pulled him closer, her legs wrapping tightly around him. He smiled at her
reaction as he gave the opposite peak the same treatment.

As soon as Emma seemed as though she couldn’t take anymore, he moved lower. His palms

traced the curve of her waist downwards until he reached the waist of her jeans. After pressing a soft
kiss right below her bellybutton, he sat back just long enough to undo the pants.

Emma must’ve been just as eager as him to remove the barriers between them, as she lifted her

hips immediately to allow him to pull the denim and panties off in one smooth motion.

She held a hand out to him, but he wasn’t ready to enter her yet. Well, his cock was more than

ready, but he wanted her to be falling apart well before he ever thrust inside. Instead, he gently parted
her thighs and exposed her auburn curls fully to his view. When he met Emma’s eyes, he saw that her
face was officially redder than her hair and he couldn’t help but grin.

Before she could stop him, he parted her inner lips with his thumbs, running them over her clit

and down to just below her entrance. Emma gasped as her head fell back and Jace took advantage of
her momentary distraction and leaned forward to softly suck on her clit. Her reaction was
instantaneous as her entire body jerked, her thighs pressing against his shoulders as her fingers
tangled in his hair. He pushed two fingers deep inside as his tongue and teeth worked in tandem until
Emma’s soft gasps turned into uncontrollable moans and her body seemed to move of its own
volition.

Right before she started to come apart, Jace couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He shot up

her body and met her mouth for a deep kiss right as he thrust his cock completely inside her. As soon
as her warm, wet heat enveloped him, he let out a guttural moan. Even though they’d been together
less than two days ago, it somehow felt like forever since he’d been in Emma’s arms.

“Jace,” she moaned, and hearing his name on her lips spurred him on.
He rested his forehead in the crook of her neck as he started to thrust. She met every inward

stroke of his cock with her hips, leading him into a frantic, primal rhythm before her head fell back as
tremors shook her body.

Her sexy as hell moans were all he needed to push him over the edge as his orgasm rocked

through him. Jace held her close as wave after wave hit him hard. As the aftershocks finally started to
subside, he realized how tightly he had pulled her against him and loosened his grip. “Sorry,” he
muttered.

Emma laughed as she relaxed beneath him. “No apology necessary…trust me.”
He pushed himself up just enough to look down at her. “Does that mean you haven’t come to

your senses and decided that you’re never sleeping with me again?”

Emma weakly hit his bicep. “Oh no. We’re definitely doing that again…”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Emma woke to the sound of a ringing blaring through the room. She jerked as Jace twisted to

pull the receiver to his ear. He didn’t move like someone blurred by the haze of sleep. She had a
feeling he’d been in some stage of alertness the entire night.

She was rather surprised she’d gotten any rest. The mattress wasn’t exactly winning any

awards and she’d never liked sleeping in strange places, especially places where the flickering
parking lot light shone through the crack beneath the door. But it was hard to feel uncomfortable when
Jace was next to her. On top of her. Behind her…

“What?” he snapped. “Are you kidding?”
Emma scooched closer as she tried to hear what was happening on the other end, but couldn’t

tell anything except for that it sounded like a man on the other end.

“I’m not moving anywhere.” Jace rolled off the bed and reached for his pants, the phone

squeezed between his ear and shoulder so both hands were free. “Fine. We’ll check out then. Can’t I
leave the key on the dresser? Fine.” Jace slammed the phone down and quickly pulled on the rest of
his clothes.

Emma sat up, covering her chest with the sheet. “What was that all about?”
“That was the front desk. Apparently there’s a water leak or something above us and they

wanted to move rooms.”

Glancing up, Emma didn’t see any sign of water damage. “Really?”
“The whole thing sounds fishy.” As he strapped on his holster and gun, his suspicions were

pounded home.

“Michael said everything should be taken care of this morning.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it.” Jace crossed to the door and took a look out the peephole.

“Either way, we’re going to head out. I just have to drop the key off at the front desk.”

“Should I go with you?” Emma scrambled around until she found her own discarded jeans

and her gray t-shirt with a large orange flower pattern.

“You stay here. If there is anything to worry about, I’d rather you stay behind the bolted door.

I should only be gone about a minute and then we can take off and get breakfast.”

“One without all the waitresses trying to find out every single detail of your life,” said Emma

with a grin.

Jace slid his jacket on and smiled back at her. “Maybe we can actually have a quiet meal to

ourselves?”

She widened her eyes in mock surprise. “Jace Lance. Are you asking me out on a date?”
Jace set his hand on the doorknob before he leaned in for a quick, breathtaking kiss. “That

depends. Are you saying no?”

“I would love to go on a date with you.”
She tried to keep the stupid grin off her face, but it was impossible not to smile. Here he was,

half convinced someone was trying to kill her, and they were joking about going on a date. Well, the
date part was serious. “I’ll be ready when you get back. Hurry, okay?”

He opened the door and took a step outside. “Will do. Remember, only open the door for me

and chain it behind me.”

“I know the drill,” she said. He narrowed his eyes as though he debated saying more, but

instead just gave her a quick nod before he turned to head to the front desk.

As quick as she could, Emma shut the door, and slid the chain in place. They’d left her home

without packing anything, so there really wasn’t much to grab. Just her shoes, phone, and—

The door slammed inwards, shards of wood spraying the front of the motel room.
Emma jumped back and stared in terror at the hole in the door, but her horror only increased

when she saw the hand come in and reach for the chain.

No. If this guy got in, she wouldn’t have a chance. Emma grabbed the first thing within reach,

the empty ice bucket, and ran to the door. By then the chain was undone and his fingers inched toward
the deadbolt.

Emma slammed the ice bucket into the man’s arm, but besides a flinch, it didn’t stop him from

finding the knob and turning it in one deft motion.

Then the door swung open. Emma felt as though everything moved in slow motion as Dave

stood before her. Somehow she’d expected him to look more evil than she remembered. Maybe even
victorious as he slammed in the door.

But all she saw was pure determination. His short brown hair was slicked back and he wore

a nondescript buttoned-up shirt and jeans.

She stepped back. There was nowhere she could run, but maybe she could put up enough of a

fight that Jace would be back?

But then she noticed what he held in his hand. He lifted the gun up and pointed it squarely at

her. “You have two seconds to come with me.”

The choice was easy. “Fuc—”
She had no memory of him pulling the trigger or a gunshot. One minute she was telling him

off, the next, she had fallen to her knees, clutching her arm. Even though she could see the blood seep
between her fingers, it didn’t hurt. Was that strange? Getting shot was supposed to hurt, wasn’t it?

Dave grabbed Emma’s arm, the wounded one, and hauled her up. In a flash, the numb haze she

had been in fled and agony rushed through her. She tried to bite back a moan as she was dragged out
of the room. The harsh sunlight hitting her eyes brought her back to reality. If she got into this guy’s
car, that was it. There would be no Jace to protect her. No ice buckets to futilely use to defend
herself.

Acting on pure instinct, Emma tried to pull away and make a break for it, but the second she

tried to yank her arm free, the pain shot through her again, and her knees buckled under the pressure.

But Dave just put an arm around her waist and hauled her into the passenger seat of his truck.

As soon as he shut the door, Emma tried to open it, but the latch was rigged so she couldn’t open it
from the inside.

And then he was in the driver’s seat, driving her farther and farther from the motel and Jace.

###

Jace couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling as he rang the bell at the front desk for the third time.

He’d just spoken to someone, so why the hell wouldn’t he be there? He started to ring the bell again,
but stopped with his hand in the air. Putting his palms flat on the counter, he pushed himself up and
jumped over. If someone walked in on him back here, he’d be in trouble, but he didn’t give a fuck. All
his mental alarms were blaring and he’d been around long enough to know when to trust his gut. The
closed door behind the counter was marked Employees Only and Jace pounded on the wood to get

someone’s attention. He gave it ten seconds before he opened the damn thing himself.

Behind the door was the crumbled body of who Jace assumed was the front desk attendant.

The man had a trickle of blood down the side of his face, but Jace could tell he was still alive by the
rise and fall of his chest.

And if he was out of commission, that meant that whoever called him and lured him out of the

room didn’t work for the motel.

Jace slid back over the countertop and ran for the glass door, but when he turned the handle,

the thing didn’t budge. He peered through the cloudy glass pane in the upper part of the door, and
could just make out someone in front of the room he and Emma stayed in. He squinted and his heart
froze as he realized the stranger was pulling someone out of the room with him.

His adrenaline kicked him into high gear and Jace pulled back. Instead of working on the

handle, he gave the door one solid kick and that was all it took for the aged wood to give in and
collapse in front of him. But by then it was too late. He scanned the parking lot for any sign of
movement, zeroing in on a truck as the engine turned.

Jace’s legs pumped as fast as they could as he ran to the truck, but it backed out before he was

even halfway there. Instead of running after a vehicle he knew he could never catch, Jace stopped to
take on a stable stance, pulled out his nine millimeter and aimed at the truck. He could see Emma in
the front seat and tried to focus past the pounding of his heart. At this distance, he couldn’t aim for the
driver without the possibility of hitting Emma.

“Shit.” Instead, he aimed lower and fired three rapid shots at the back tire. The satisfying pop

of the air pressure rapidly escaping was almost as loud as the gunshots, but the truck didn’t stop.
After it swerved and jerked, it turned onto the road and down the street.

He ran toward his SUV and hopped in, and jammed the key into the ignition. He didn’t even

bother closing the door, letting the momentum of the car slam it shut as he peeled out of the lot.

How had this happened? Obviously this wasn’t the most secure location, but for one night

they should’ve been fine. No one had followed them here. He’d made sure of it. And judging by the
state of the motel room door, Emma had locked the doors just like he told her to do.

Son of a bitch! He was supposed to protect her. He’d promised her. Promised himself. His

one job was to keep an eye out for her. He should’ve brought her with him to turn in the key, but she
should’ve been safe for two fucking minutes while Jace was gone. He’d been so careful. Victoria
almost died because Joslyn’s hired guys got the jump on him, but he’d been on high alert this entire
time.

Jace slammed his foot on the gas and pushed the SUV to its limit. No. Emma wasn’t going to

get hurt. He wouldn’t fucking allow it. He was going to find who had her and when he did, he would
shoot the bastard square between the eyes.

###

Every bump and curve the truck took jarred Emma’s arm even more, but she bit back her

moans of pain. She was huddled against the door, as far from her captor as possible. Her mind
replayed the past few moments, thinking of all the ways she could’ve handled herself better. Other
things she could’ve used to keep his hand from reaching the lock. That she should’ve screamed once
she was in the parking lot. She should’ve fought harder. Worked through the pain.

But she wasn’t out of options yet. She glanced in the side mirror and saw that Jace’s SUV

was still behind them. Dave took a sharp right turn and Emma had to brace her legs against the center

and hold onto the handle over the door for dear life so she didn’t go flying into Dave.

His eyes constantly scanned between the road in front of him and the rearview mirror. His

gun was securely holstered on his right side, so if she wanted to reach it, she’d have to crawl over
him.

“You don’t have to do this,” she tried to say as calmly as possible, but the blood pounding

through her caused her calm, rational voice to sound breathy and panicked.

“All you have to do is give me what I want and you can go.” He sounded just as relaxed as he

had when she first met him at the café. As though he hadn’t just shot her and wasn’t being chased by
her pissed-off boyfriend.

“What you want doesn’t exist. Call your boss. My cousins were meeting with him today. All

this should be sorted out within the hour!”

That at least earned her a considering look from the madman in the driver’s seat. But before

he seemed to make up his mind, he swerved to the left and slammed Emma against the door. As he
straightened, Emma regained her balance and reached for the seat belt. Though the blood on her hands
made it harder to grip anything, she managed to calm her shaky nerves enough to get the belt locked in
place.

As soon as she was buckled, Dave tossed an old-school flip phone into her lap. “Dial the last

number on there. Put it on speaker.”

Emma took a deep breath. She’d been bluffing when she said that within the hour her cousins

would be meeting with his boss. They’d told her jack shit, so she had nothing to go on. Emma picked
up the phone with her good hand and flipped it open. Probably good it wasn’t a newer model,
because her bloody fingers would never work with a touchscreen.

Internally, Emma laughed at the stupid thought, but when Dave made another sudden turn, she

was snapped back into the severity of the situation. She found the last number dialed and put the
speaker function on.

After one ring, a man’s voice came on the other end. “I thought I told you not to call me.”
“I have Emma Devereaux with me,” he said casually, as though they were just hanging out

together. “She says you’re meeting with her cousins today.”

“Shit. Yeah. The Devereaux situation is taken care of. Let her go.”
“Got it.” Dave reached across the seat and grabbed the phone, snapping it shut.
Emma took a nervous swallow. “So you’ll let me go, right?”
Dave’s glance flickered between the road and rearview mirror and for the first time she saw

a flash of nerves flicker over his features. “If I stop the car, your boyfriend will kill me.”

She shook her head frantically. “He won’t. I’ll reason with him, I swear!”
He didn’t look at her. Just drove faster. “Guys like him start thinking they’re in love and all

sorts of shit goes haywire. There is no reasoning with him.”

Emma looked at him as though he was a maniac. Well, he was, but now he was talking crazier

than he had been. “Jace doesn’t love me! I promise.”

“Tell you what. If I lose your boyfriend back there, I’ll let you go. Until then, you might be my

only way out.”

Emma tried to focus through the pounding of her heart beating in her chest. He wasn’t going

to let her go. Even if her cousins worked some kind of magic, this psycho was going to use her as
leverage until Jace wasn’t after him.

But then she saw it. Dave wasn’t wearing his seat belt.
After she glanced in the mirror to ensure that Jace was still there, Emma took one more

steadying breath before she lunged. Using her bad shoulder to hold him off, Emma gripped the
steering wheel with her good hand and jerked it with all her force toward her.

Dave punched out at her, but by then the truck was already careening around in a tight circle

as the left wheels came off the ground. What started off as a slight tilt turned into the car falling
completely over on its side. Emma held her arm over her face as her window connected with the
concrete, her belt tightening as the truck lurched forward.

When the truck finally stopped moving, Emma couldn’t move her arm or open her eyes. What

the hell had she done? Crashed the truck. Good Lord, she could’ve died. Or maybe she was dead. Or
worse, she was alive and so was Dave. Pissed off and in the vehicle with her.

That bit of fear motivated her to finally open her eyes. The truck rested so that the passenger

side was against the pavement. Pieces of glass were strewn about the truck and her head would be on
bare pavement if not for the seat belt locked into place. Dave was in a heap in front of her, the lower
half of his body dangling out the windshield. And if he woke up, she’d be within arm’s reach.

Emma tried to unlatch the seat belt with her good hand, but the press down button wasn’t

moving. After giving it another try, she pulled at the belt, trying to get a little give, but the thing
wouldn’t budge.

A groan emerged from Dave and her sense of urgency increased. She couldn’t be there when

he woke up. She once again tried to get the belt undone, but suddenly Dave was being dragged out of
the truck. His groan turned to a scream as he scraped over what was left of the windshield, but he
went silent fast as Jace came into view and landed a sound punch right to Dave’s face. She couldn’t
tell whether it was the punch or Dave’s head hitting the glass-covered concrete, but suddenly he
wasn’t moving anymore. Emma’s jaw dropped at the violence in front of her. At the crash she’d
caused.

Jace dropped to his hands and knees and looked in at Emma. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay,” she said automatically, only belatedly remembering that she wasn’t even close to

okay. “No. My arm. He shot me in the arm.”

“Motherfucker. I want to get you out of there, okay?”
Emma nodded. “The belt won’t come off.”
Jace reached around and grabbed something from his back pocket. Gingerly, he climbed

through the broken windshield until he was right in front of her. Knowing he was there, smelling his
familiar scent, feeling the heat from her body, made her feel so much better. She let out a sigh of
relief.

“Wrap your good arm around me. When I cut this, you’re going to fall.”
Emma did as he said and he made quick work of the belt before he pulled her out, trying his

best to keep her from cutting herself on the jagged edges. He carried her away from the road and set
her down on the grass.

His face was expressionless as he assessed her body for other injuries. “It looks like the

bullet grazed you. I don’t see blood coming from anywhere else, but we’ll get you to the hospital and
make sure nothing is broken.”

“Wouldn’t I know if something was broken?” Her arm still hurt more than anything.
“With the adrenaline pumping through your system, you could be missing a leg and not realize

it. Stay here. I’m calling an ambulance.”

Stay here? Where did he think she was going to go? But she was a bit too traumatized to be

snarky, so she just nodded. Emma cradled her injured arm against her chest and stared at Dave, ready
to run at the slightest sign of movement. Jace spoke rapidly to whoever was taking his call, giving
instructions on how to get to the motel where apparently the front desk attendant had been assaulted
and directions on their location. She was glad he knew where they were, because she was completely
lost.

Jace hung up his phone and came back to her. “Help should be here soon. I told them to go to

the motel first since I’m not sure how badly injured the attendant is and you seem to be doing okay.”

Emma nodded and scooched closer to Jace. He softly set an arm around her shoulder and she

could tell he was worried about hurting her. It was only as he pulled her close to his body that she
realized she was completely trembling. “I was so worried that he would lose you,” she murmured
against the fabric of his t-shirt.

“I’d never let him get away with you,” he promised. “And from now on you’re never getting

out of my sight.”

Emma smiled against him, not sure if she should be happy or terrified at his declaration.

“Never is a long time.”

Jace pulled away and looked down into her eyes just as sirens sounded in the distance. “Well,

get comfortable. Because from now on, you’re stuck with me, Emma Devereaux.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Emma flinched as Jace opened the passenger door for her.
“Are you okay there?”
She laughed at her own jumpiness. “Yeah. Long day, I guess.”
He narrowed his eyes as he held out his hand to help her out. She didn’t really need help, but

she’d never pass up an excuse to touch him. She put her palm in his and stood.

“You’re worried about Luke and Michael, aren’t you?”
“How am I supposed to feel? They made some sort of deal with a man who was willing to

have me shot to cover up something.” Jace was silent and Emma considered him for a second. “You
agree with them, don’t you?”

Jace’s expression hardened. “You saw exactly how far I was willing to go to keep you safe

today. How can I really judge them?”

That wasn’t a fair comparison. Jace was different. He could handle himself. Michael and

Luke were businessmen. They didn’t know what they were getting themselves into.

Jace set an arm around her shoulders and leaned forward to press a soft kiss to her forehead.

“Relax,” he breathed. “They’ll be okay. Evelyn and I will make sure of it.”

Hmmm. Emma wasn’t sure how she felt about his FBI contact. From the brief phone

conversation she’d heard between the woman and Jace at the hospital, it sounded as though she was
much more concerned with landing a potentially huge arrest than helping Emma’s family. But she
trusted Jace. If he said he would help, she believed him. “Okay. Besides, I’ll be seeing a lot more of
them now anyways.”

Jace headed for the porch. “Why is that?”
“Luke offered me a job. The not-for-profit coordinator. DevX is setting up a 501c(3) to

handle all its donations and they asked if I’d be the director. I think they felt bad for me being out here
all alone, so they wanted to give me something to keep me busy.”

“So you’re moving to New York?”
“Oh no. Just flying out once or twice a month. I wasn’t going to accept, but it will be nice to

keep an eye on those guys.”

Jace pushed open the door and held it open for Emma.
“So since you’re keeping an eye out on the terrible twosome, does that mean you’ll be

hanging out with me for a bit longer?” She wished she could find a more subtle way to ask. Before the
crash, they’d said they’d go on a date and afterwards, Jace had seemed determined to stay with her
for much longer than one date. But that was the heat of the moment. Now that the immediate danger
was past, she didn’t want to be blindsided by him changing his mind.

He raised a brow and the corner of his mouth hooked up. “Hanging out? Is that what the kids

are calling it these days?”

“Give me a—” She broke off as she noticed the entryway. What had previously been a

crumbled mess was now almost back to normal. The patches in the drywall were no longer
noticeable, as though they had been patched and painted over. The color of the walls was the exact
same color as before. If it weren’t for the new paint smell, she might never have noticed it was a
fresh coat. The priceless antique secretary was no longer in the room, but the entire space had been

cleaned, polished, and dusted so all signs of the vandalism were gone. “What happened?”

“I didn’t want you to come back to that,” he said softly from behind her.
“But how? You were with me all day.”
“Well, don’t be too grateful. I didn’t lift a finger. While you were getting your x-rays, I called

the owner of that diner who seemed to be so fond of you. I explained what happened and he was more
than happy to get a group of guys together.”

Emma’s heart swelled at the sweet gesture. Damn it. She was trying to stay cool and remind

herself that she’d only known Jace for a few days, but he was making this whole “not rushing into
things” hard.

“Don’t look at me like that.” He intertwined his fingers with hers. “I happened to come into a

lot of cash lately, so it’s not a big deal.”

“Well, I happen to have a pretty pink cheerleader’s bedroom upstairs and, believe it or not,

no man has ever slept in that bed. It’s no big deal or anything, but how would you feel about being the
first?”

His eyes darkened with desire as he looked her over. “You should probably rest.” He moved

in closer.

“Oh, I will,” she promised. “Afterwards.”

~~THE END~~

TOUCHING THE BOSS will be released September 2015! Check out

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Document Outline

Contents
Trusting The Boss
Copyright
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN

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