Stir (The Sizzle TV Series Book 5)

Chapter 27 – Nic

Seven a.m. wake-up, check. At my desk by eight fifteen, check. Just another weekday morning, routine firmly in place.

Sitting down in my chair taking longer than usual? Not routine.

Finn’s eyes tracking my every movement, color high on his cheeks when he sees it happen? Definitely not routine.

Getting half-hard at my desk before I’ve even settled in for the day? Welcome to the new normal.

“Stop it.”

“Stop what?” he asks, looking quickly out the window.

“You know what. I have work to do today. Knock it off.”

His lips twitch.

I smother a grin. I’ll be fantasizing about Saturday night for the rest of my life. They’re incredible. We are. Incredible and impossible, all superlatives all the time, and now is really not the time for me to be dwelling on it, but my facial muscles refuse to cooperate, and I’m still smiling like a fool.

The phone rings. Making a face at Finn, I answer. Natalie arrives a short while later, and another day begins.

I must be getting used to having them around, distractions notwithstanding, because the next time I look up, it’s midday, and Natalie is setting a takeout container on my desk.

She gives me a stern look. “Eat it, please. Probate won’t process the Bookers any faster if you pause long enough to actually eat a meal.”

I snag hold of her hand before she can step away, kissing the back of it quickly. Her eyes go wide in shock, filling with warmth as she beams a smile at me.

“Thank you for looking out for me,” I say. Her smile turns absolutely radiant. I don’t tell her that enough. She’s always taken such care with me, even before things changed between us. It’ll take me a lifetime to thank her for it.

That thought is a little too much for lunch in the office on a Monday, but instead of mentally stomping it into oblivion like I might have done a few weeks ago, I bookmark it for later cross-examination.

Midafternoon, a productive day is interrupted by the ringing of my cell phone.

“Hey, Rand.” Last I heard from him, he was getting bored with tailing my brother around Atlanta’s small-scale sports book community.

“Barry’s gone.”

“What do you mean, gone?”

“Vanished. Disappeared sometime overnight. You still got your bodyguard?”

I catch Finn’s eyes through the open doorway. I motion for him to come on in.

“Yeah,” I tell Rand.

“Keep your guy close. Barry’s been moving faster the last couple days, but I thought he’d be branching out in Atlanta if he went anywhere at all. My guys lost him completely. There’s a good chance he’s heading home.”

I hold up a finger at Finn’s questioning glance.

“I know he’s your brother, Nic, but you need to take this seriously. Keep someone with you at all times. Lie low for a while. No more going out if you can help it.”

“You really think we’re in danger?”

Rand pauses. “We?”

I could kick myself. “I’m responsible for my employee, Rand.”

“I don’t think your office is the target,” he says after a moment. “I think it’s you. And I think you remember we covered criminal escalation in law school. But yes, it is my professional opinion that you may be in danger if Barry is back in town.”

Finn watches as I end the call, radiating tension. Natalie hovers in the doorway until I wave her in, too.

“That was Rand. Barry skipped town overnight. Best guess is he’s headed back this way and in a hurry.”

Finn nods. “Lockdown.”

“I’m afraid so,” I say. Natalie frowns, confused. “By breaking into the office, he’s already established that he’s willing to break the law to get what he needs, which, as far as we know, is just money. But there’s a good chance he’s running dry, and if that’s the case, he may be getting desperate. If Rand is right and Barry’s gambling has hit a crisis, another break-in might be possible.”

“Or worse,” growls Finn. I nod once.

“Or worse,” I concede.

“You’re with me—all the time,” says Finn, pointing at me. He looks at Natalie. “And I want you to consider staying with us until this is resolved.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit drastic?” she asks.

He gives her a look. She huffs, a half-laugh at best.

“I’ll consider it,” she says. “But—” The office phone rings, cutting her off. “We can talk about this later. I’ll think about it.” And she’s back at her desk, being pleasant and charming, and apparently, entirely unconcerned that she might be in danger.

Admittedly, the danger to her is slim at best. Barry needs money, and he thinks I’m his meal ticket, not Natalie.

“This is probably overkill,” I tell Finn. He folds his arms and levels a look at me.

“What did your PI say?”

I bite back a sigh. “Pretty much what you said. Limited movement, no going out if I can help it.”

Finn purses his lips and waits.

“Fine,” I say after a moment. “I’ll call Frederick at Legal Aid and let him know I’m on hiatus for a while.”

I make a note to check with Natalie about any of our other upcoming commitments. It feels excessive, but if overkill keeps her a little bit safer, or Finn, it’ll be worth it.

Leave it to my brother to cause a pain in the ass even when he’s out of the state.

Finn is still watching me.

“It’s hard to imagine,” I say. “He’s my brother. How could he be a credible threat?”

“It’s harder to see it up close,” says Finn. “Would it change the way you see him if this were happening to somebody else’s family? Would you consider him a danger then? Blackmail notes. Multiple break-ins.”

“Allegedly.”

“Sudden change in established patterns,” finishes Finn, ticking off his examples on his fingers. I swallow. Finn nods and points at me again.

“There you go.” He heads for the office door. “Go ahead and call your people. I’ll make a plan.”

I dial Frederick and let him know I’ll miss my next few sessions for a “family thing.”

“Does this ‘thing’ have anything to do with the Sizzle HQ Ball last week?” he asks. That brings me up short.

“What?”

“Plenty of pictures going around on social media,” he says. “I don’t follow that kind of thing, but my wife does.”

“I was there.”

“I saw that,” he says dryly. “Looked like an awfully good time was had by all, especially the man and woman who were in all the same pictures as you.”

Oh.

I could lie. Easily, though probably not very effectively, without seeing exactly what the pictures show. Even without seeing them, any implications would be easy to brush aside. I’ve had a great working relationship with Frederick for years. He’d very probably take my word for it.

“They’re my… They’re mine,” is what comes out instead.

He grunts. “And you didn’t think to mention this sooner?”

“It’s new. And it’s not why I need time off.”

“New,” he says, ignoring the other part. “You didn’t mention your relationship because it’s new. Having a hard time buying that one, Nic.”

“Is it going to be a problem?” It’s a question, but the words come out flat, without inflection.

He scoffs. “Don’t be ridiculous. Stop me if you’ve heard this one: discrimination is against the law.”

“I’m not talking about the law.”

“You mean me?”

I just wait.

“You know, Nic, I think I’m offended. No, it’s not going to be a problem. I don’t care who you date, assuming everybody’s of age and consenting. And frankly, screw you for suggesting otherwise.”

He sounds… hurt? I blink.

“Sorry.” I swallow. “Really. I’m sorry, Fred. Like I said, it’s new.”

“Yeah, well,” he says gruffly, still disgruntled. “I don’t care what you do in your off time. Neither will most of the people at this branch. Some of them might be dicks, I can’t swear to it, but mostly, it won’t be a problem. This isn’t the old South, Nic. Nobody’s going to give you grief about it here. If they do, you tell me. I’ll handle it.”

I’m stunned, too stunned to speak for a moment. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Let me know when your family thing gets cleared up.” He hangs up without another word.

I eat the meal Natalie ordered for me without tasting it. Could it possibly be that easy? Is it truly possible that most people… just don’t care?

It’s easier to think about Frederick and the rest of the Legal Aid volunteers than to think about Barry, so I do. After lunch, I bury myself in work because, despite my recent best efforts to drive this office into the ground, it’s the surest bet I’ve got right now.

Natalie and Finn look up from their lunch in the front office, watching me watch them.

Well. Maybe not the surest bet.