Chapter 14
Matt
“What the fuck?” I asked the empty room.
Before relieving John, I searched the internet for information on Paul Bunson.
According to his social media account, he’d just signed a lease.
In Weatherford.
That explains why he’s around more. And why he chose Dr. Greenfield’s clinic rather than something closer to his fire station.
Before I could look further, Jay knocked on my door frame. “Can we see you in Jamie’s office?”
“Sure thing.” I closed my laptop and mentally prepared myself for a tongue-lashing.
“Morning,” Jamie greeted me when I walked in ahead of Jay.
Nothing like feeling trapped between a rock and a hard place before finishing your coffee.
“Morning. You wanted to see me?”
“We want to talk to you about Madi,” Jay said.
Here it comes.
“Relax, we’re talking to you as your bosses, not her brothers,” Jamie said.
“Can you separate the two?” Apparently, I liked poking the bear.
“No need to be a smart ass,” Jay said. “And yes, we can.”
“That’s good to know.”
“Dad says you’re pretending to be Madi’s boyfriend because this Paul guy is a nuisance,” Jamie said.
I nodded.
“How’s Madi feel about it?” he asked.
“She acted less than thrilled, but I think she’s accepted it.” I intentionally kept my answer vague. Madi could address any problems she had with them directly.
“What can you tell us about Paul?” Jay asked.
“Madi can’t confirm it, but he called her Doc, so I’m confident he’s her patient. Twice now he’s coincidentally been where she was. First at the bar, then the grocery store.” I explained how I’d stepped in at the bar because she’d looked nervous.
“Thank you,” Jamie said.
“As I’m sure you’re aware, he put out the fire near Madi’s Jeep.”
“Dad said the damage isn’t too bad,” Jay said. I could hear the fear for what might have been in his voice. See it in his eyes.
Remember, they love Madi and they’re worried about her. Their animosity wasn’t directed at me. Well, mostly not at me.
“The mechanic said he’d replace the tire today, but she’ll need to have a professional touch up her paint job.”
“That’s good. She loves O.P.,” Jamie chuckled. “I still can’t believe she paid to paint her Jeep glittery metallic purple.”
“O.P.?”
“Ask her about it,” Jay said with a smile.
I glanced at my watch. John expected me at the clinic by eight-forty-five so I didn’t have much time.
“What’s your impression of Paul?” Jay asked.
“He appears friendly, and he’s determined to win Madi over, but there’s a current under it. I don’t trust him.”
“Has Madi said anything to counter your assessment?” Jamie asked.
“No, she wants to believe he’s innocent, but her body language tells a different story.” Every time we talked about him, she picked at her cuticles.
“We don’t love the idea of you pretending to be her boyfriend, but we agree Madi needs coverage until we get to the bottom of this,” Jamie said.
“As her brother and your boss, I’m warning you not to cross the line. Don’t take advantage of her irritation with us. Or her vulnerability.”
Did they think she’d sleep with me to piss them off?
“Damn, is your opinion of me that low?”
“No, it’s not. But we’re worried about Madi and you two have a history,” Jamie said.
“A history between two consenting adults, both of whom would’ve bet a vital organ they’d never see each other again.”
None of that mattered to them. The only fact they focused on was that I’d slept with their sister.
“Guess it’s a good thing you didn’t place that bet,” Jay deadpanned. I had a feeling he wanted to collect on the unmade wager.
It was time for a subject change. “I’ve been looking into Paul.”
“Your job is protection, not investigation,” Jay said.
Snark snuck into my reply. “Yet.”
I had to complete the forty-hour class and do a year of on-the-job training before I could officially become a private investigator, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have the skill set required.
“We’ve got it covered. You need to stop investigating and focus on your job,” Jay said.
“If I don’t?” I’d protect Madi with my life, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t investigate too. Plus, I had the advantage of being near her every day to pick up clues.
“Any particular reason you’re not willing to back down?” Jamie’s smug grin implied he thought he knew the reason.
Even if he did, I wouldn’t confirm it. I’d been trained by the best. It’d take a hell of a lot more than a question and an annoying know-it-all grin to make me talk.
“No, sir, I just don’t like that someone’s terrorizing her.”
Jamie asked, “Do you think we, her family, do? You think we’re not working around the clock to figure out who’s behind this?
” He stood and rounded his desk, getting right in my face “Do you think your three months at SSI make you more qualified than her father and brothers and their fifty-plus years of combined experience?”
“No, sir.”
“Then stand the fuck down.”
“I can’t.”
Jay asked, “Can’t or won’t?”
Won’t. “Does it matter?”
“No,” Jay said, stepping too close for comfort.
If they thought I’d back down, they were in for a rude awakening.
“If you can’t man up and get your head out of your ass and admit it’s personal, then you don’t deserve her.”
Well, fuck. Jamie called me out professionally and personally in the same breath.
Madi was the kind of woman men fought over. She’d never settle for a man like me.
Not that I wanted a wife, two and a half kids, and the white picket fence. I didn’t. Even if I did, and I wanted them with Madi, it wouldn’t matter. She was too good for me.
“She deserves better than me.” I hadn’t meant for those words to fly past my lips, but they were the truth. Madi deserved someone who could love her without fear. Someone who could say the words without choking on them. Someone capable of giving her the forever she wanted.
I couldn’t. I’d locked my heart away to keep it safe from the pain of losing another person I loved.
Everyone leaves, eventually.
My words hung in the air.
Jamie and Jay took their sweet time blinking but didn’t respond.
Jamie, ignoring my admission, finally cut the tension in the air. “You’re not qualified to investigate, and I, we, won’t risk the company’s reputation. You already crossed the line when you became her fake boyfriend. Be happy we’re not benching your ass.”
I nodded. I had to wonder how successful they’d be benching me when John was the one who’d assigned me to Madi. A fact that’d only protect me while I was on my best, most respectful behavior.
“Stay in your lane,” Jamie held up his hand to stop my protest. “Report back what you see—”
“I won’t betray Madi’s confidence.” Using her name felt better than referring to her as their sister.
Jamie leaned against his desk. “I’m not asking you to rat on her, Robinson. I’m asking you to share information pertinent to the investigation.”
“Yes, sir.”
“We’ll keep you in the loop, but no more investigating on your end. You going rogue could jeopardize the investigation.”
He’d keep me in the loop?
I didn’t expect that.
I realized I hadn’t had a chance to tell them what I’d learned. “Yes, sir. You should know, Paul recently signed a lease in Weatherford.”
“We know.” Jamie said.
I thought that’d be the end of it, but Jay wanted to play bad cop to Jamie’s good cop. “Robinson, don’t fuck with my sister’s heart or I will be the first in line to end you.”
I fully expected that.
It wasn’t an empty threat.
“Understood.” I had no intention of hurting Madi. She’d made it clear she didn’t want a relationship anymore than I did, so things were good between us.
“You can go.” Jay’s dismissal sounded as if he wanted it to be permanent.
I expected to face challenges at SSI, but never like this.
The only easy day was yesterday.