Chapter Five
Faith
I hold on to my composure by a thread, but I’m determined not to let Colton get to me. I’ll survive this like I have everything else he’s done to me. Through sheer grit and determination.
I step over the sofa pillows he tossed onto the floor, the books he flipped through and ripped, and the contents of drawers left open that he rifled through. I’m not sure why he thought I’d be stupid enough to leave money around the house, but that is a desperate addict’s thought process.
“Are you okay?” Jason asks, his hand in mine, his body a solid presence by my side.
“Yes.” I straighten my shoulders. “There is nothing here for him to find.”
“At a glance, is anything missing?”
For the first time, I look beyond the mess on the floor. I had a small television I took from my room at home in Iowa that sat on the counter in the kitchen. Gone.
I swallow hard. “Television is gone. My laptop would probably have been gone if I didn’t bring it with me to work.” And my laptop contains all of my business files, so I’m grateful for that.
“Any jewelry?” he asks.
“I keep a small box beside my bed. It has a few necklaces, and… Oh my God. Mom’s necklace!” I break free from his grasp and run for the small bedroom, which didn’t fare any better than the living area.
My bed has been ripped apart, my clothes tossed, probably just for spite, and as I kneel down beside the small night table I bought at a secondhand store, my heart stops. The doors are swinging open, and inside, where my beloved jewelry box was, is empty.
“It’s gone.” That’s when all the strength I was holding on to flees. “The one thing I had left of my mother is gone.”
Jason kneels down beside me. “We’ll find it,” he promises.
I glance up at him, feeling the tears shimmer in my eyes, but I can’t control them. The pain of losing my mother is always there, just below the surface, yet I have no choice but to keep moving forward.
This is a blow that hurts. “You can’t know that.” I look into his serious eyes.
“I know I can do my best. We need to outthink him. I bet he pawns it for cash. If you have a photograph of it? Or if not, if you can describe it, my private investigator will look for it in nearby pawnshops.”
“Private investigator?” My legs cramp, and I rise to my feet. He follows and we sit down on my messy bed.
“Jack Renault with Alpha Security. I have him looking for your brother. I wanted to know if he was in the city, although I think there’s no doubt. He’s just good at going underground.” Jason frowns, his frustration at my situation obvious.
“You barely know me and you hired a PI? You’re letting me stay in your apartment. I don’t understand.”
“I’m not sure I do, either, but here we are.” He lifts a hand, his knuckles stroking my cheek. “You’re safe with me.”
My stomach pitches with unexpected desire for this man. I say the only thing I can. “Thank you.”
He treats me to a sexy smile but quickly sobers. “We should call the police.”
I nod, knowing it is going to be a long night.
* * *
Jason
A week passes after the break-in. The police have no solid leads, and neither does my investigator, so I keep Faith close and we go about our lives.
I take time off from the club in the evenings, but I have a plan to implement and my friends are getting antsy, wanting me to come by and see the work that’s been accomplished so far.
I don’t want to leave Faith home alone, and given how exhausted she is after work, I sacrifice my own business needs.
This weekend is Noah’s birthday party, and she’s been working hard all day on the treats and packaging she planned for the event. The good news is that she has Kelsey back at work, and she isn’t handling the burden of everything on her own.
The bad news is we are both tiptoeing around the sexual frustration that is building between us.
Living together makes for very close quarters.
More than once, I’ve walked out of my bedroom in my boxers, stumbling to the kitchen for a drink, forgetting I have company, and found her in the living room on her computer because she was unable to sleep.
She, too, thought she’d be alone and was dressed in a pair of short shorts and a flimsy camisole top, her abundant breasts falling out of the lace edging.
I woke up at the sight, my dick getting hard in an instant.
She was flustered and apologized, rushing back to her room, but not before I caught the way her gaze fell to the bulge in my underwear and a beautiful, sexy flush stained her cheeks.
I never hesitate to take what is offered, but that is the issue here.
I’m not sure how much Faith is offering.
She is under a ridiculous amount of stress, and I don’t want to take advantage of her vulnerable situation.
On the other hand, I recognize the signals that tell me she is interested in me and I damn well want her.
I’ve gone so far as to take a cold shower before heading back to bed after our run-ins because I desire her that much.
The question is, how much more can either of us take before we break and end up in bed?
I watch her from a chair that must have my ass imprint on it by now, as she puts away the candy on the shelves, humming as she works, breasts bouncing in the confines of her tee shirt, and I groan.
Finally, after she locks up for the day, we are in my car on the way home. I am about to ask her what she wants for dinner when my phone rings. I hit send and say hello.
Landon’s voice sounds over the intercom in the vehicle. “When are we going to see your ugly face?” my friend asks.
I chuckle, glancing at Faith’s amused expression. “Sorry, man. I’ve been tied up. I explained it to you already.”
“Well, get untied and get your ass down to the club. We’re overdue for a group meeting. You’re the one who wanted to expand, and we’re the ones making it happen.”
I wince because they’re right. “I’ll be there tonight,” I promise, disconnecting the call.
Faith turns toward me, and though I keep my eyes on the road, I feel her narrowed stare.
“Your partners are annoyed. Do they know why you haven’t been to work?
And why didn’t I even think about the fact that you had somewhere to be at night?
” She groans. “You were so busy during the day I forgot you ran a nightclub in the evening.” She twists her hands together, working herself up with a heap of self-blame and recrimination.
I place a calming touch on her thigh, immediately aware of the soft heat of her body, and the desire I’ve been fighting off and keeping at bay makes itself known.
“I make my own choices,” I say in a gruff voice.
“And I wanted to be with you. Now I can drop you off at the apartment before heading to the club. I know with Christopher, my night doorman, on duty you’ll be safe.
I’ve just always felt better being there myself.
Especially after your apartment was broken into. ”
She shakes her head. “I’ll come with you. It’s the least I can do. You don’t need to make another stop just for me. Besides, it’ll be fun to see you in your element.”
She grins at me, and I laugh. “Fine, but don’t take anything the guys say to heart. Tanner, especially, can be an ass.” Because he’s never gotten over Landon’s loss. None of us has but we each deal in our own way.
“I can deal with it.”
I know she can. She’s been holding up like a champ so far.
She’s even dealt well with the robbery, although the loss of the necklace put a dent in her armor.
I called Jack Renault, and the PI is looking for the jewelry based on Faith’s description and an old photograph where the piece was shown from a distance on her mother’s neck.
Lord knows there are a lot of pawnshops in New York City for him to scour, and the process will take time.
We walk into the club well past suppertime, when people come for after-dinner drinks and the Friday night crowd has started picking up.
I gesture for Faith to head upstairs ahead of me, following close behind, and we enter the main office area to find Tanner and Landon dressed for a night on the floor.
“Well, well, well. Look who’s here,” Tanner says.
“Thanks for coming. We know you have other things on your mind right now,” Landon says, his gaze falling to Faith.
“I suppose introductions are in order. Faith Lancaster, these are my best friends and partners, Landon Bennett and Tanner Grayson.” I gesture between them.
“Nice to meet you,” she says.
“At least now I understand Jason’s reasons for being tied up elsewhere,” Tanner says, laughing.
I shoot my friend an annoyed glare.
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Faith.” Landon always had better manners than Tanner, who is only a charmer when he wants to be one.
“Jase, we need to talk,” Tanner says bluntly, his stare on Faith.
I roll my eyes at the man’s rude behavior.
“I can go downstairs,” she offers, eyeing the crowded bar area with little to no enthusiasm.
“Sweetness, how about I set you up in my office for a few minutes?” I ask, offering her a more palatable option. She doesn’t need to be surrounded by strangers at the moment, and my asshole friend knows better.
“Sure. That’d be great.” Her shoulders relax, and she is clearly relieved.
I place a hand on her back and lead her to my private office.
“Make yourself comfortable. I won’t be long.
These guys … they just need a group hug sometimes.
” Chuckling, I wink at her. “And Tanner’s bark is worse than his bite.
Honestly.” I lean in and brush a kiss on her cheek, her sweet scent and warmth calling to me. “I’ll be back.
I stride back into the room and glare at Tanner. “Do you have to be an asshole?”
“Sorry,” he mutters. “I just thought it’d been awhile since the three of us had gotten together. I didn’t expect you to show up with her.”